January 21, 2008 

Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters.  Best fishes to all for the January Moon fish report from the Eastern High Sierra. 

The weather pattern this January remains unstable.  Another series of cold winter storms is forecast to parade through the region this week.  Although these fronts are not forecast to be as potent with regards to moisture like the early January tempests, they will be very cold core lows and will have some significant winds associated with there arrival and departures.  The upper valleys will be downright cold with the clear mornings seeing near zero temperatures this week.  The recently opened year around waters of the East Walker River, Upper Owens R. and Hot Creek have had little or no fishing pressure recently attributed to the very cold air temperatures and substantial snow along these areas banks. 

The Owens Valley has dried out from the deluge of rain (five inches!) it received earlier this month, and the roads along the Lower Owens are becoming drivable once again.  The weather down in the Owens Valley has been pleasant most days save for some windy periods during the storms, and the fishing is starting to pick up on the LOR and at PV Reservoir.  The snow level is 5000 feet with the only accumulations being on the north exposures at this time. 

ROAD TRIP!  Tom Loe will be doing a power point presentation with other Sierra Drifters guides for the Kern River Fly Fishers on February 6^th 2008.  The show will be about unique methods of fly fishing the Eastern Sierras blue ribbon waters from a boat or float tube.  The focus on these seminars is instruction and guide tips to better enable you to fish the waters of the Sierra.  Lots of laughs, fish stories, and information are forecast.  Hope to see you there. 

The Kern River Fly Fishers meet the first Wednesday evening of every month and Tom's presentation is to begin at 7:30PM Wednesday, February 6 in the east meeting room at the V.F.W. Hall located at 400 Norris Road, Bakersfield, CA located about 2 miles east of Highway 99. The public is invited to attend.

PYRAMID LAKE NEVADA GUIDED FLY FISHING TRIPS BOOKING NOW!!! 

I am very pleased to announce that I will once again be guiding Pyramid Lake NV this spring and fall for the GIGANTIC cutts that thrive in this huge lake.  I obtained permission and permits from the Piute Tribe to once again guide Pyramid from the “Fish Magnet” and shoreline.  

Pyramid Lake is arguably the best large trout fishery in the contiguous USA and those who fished it with me last season have the pictures to prove it!  We will be booking trips in March, April, May, and October of 2008.  I am stoked to be guiding this area from my flats boat, and when you check out the pictures of the gargantuan cutts we caught last season you will see why.  Click here or on the link above for pictures, available dates, and rates. 

EAGLE LAKE CALIFORNIA GUIDED FLY FISHING PACKAGE: 

This is my favorite place to fish a still water in California.  The rainbows average twenty inches.  AVERAGE TWENTY INCHES!!!  This gorgeous lake is located in Northern CA. near Susanville and Mt. Lassen.  Michele and I have been hosting and guiding groups here for five spring and fall seasons and we are booking trips for May/June 2008. 

If you enjoy fly fishing for huge rainbows and being pampered in a custom lake front house, this is your dream trip.  Click here or on the link above for pictures, rates and dates please.

The Sierra Drifters Guide Team will be at the ready to assist you for any of your guiding needs in the Eastern Sierra  while T Loe is away from his home waters.  

Lower Owens River: Good 

Conditions have improved here a bunch since last week and the frontage roads are finally getting passable.  There are still plenty of “tank traps” around so check out the water filled ruts before you drive into them.  The ground will be frozen in the mornings and will not be a problem until they thaw out after lunch.  This is when you are likely to get stuck and it is easy to forget this cycle.

The flows remain at 90-100cfs below the dam at PV and the water temps are beginning to creep back into the low forties. 

The largest early generations of Baetis (BWO’s) #16-18 are emerging with increasing density, and the trout are focusing on this hatch around 1pm each day.  You will also see large numbers of midges hatching just before noon on the days the barometer is high or rising.  Crystal tiger and zebra midges #16-20 are great choices for nymphing.  Pt’s and WD-40’s are also good selections #16-20 for subsurface presentations.   

May fly adults ride very high in the water and I suggest you choose a pattern that dries quickly on your false casts, and sits high with well defined vertical wings.  There are some excellent dry silicon products available that really keep those bugs riding high.  Light olive or gray bodies are best.  The BWO hatch will only be getting better as the winter rolls into early spring.  This is the best time of year to fish dries in ALL of the Sierra.   

The Hot Creek Hatchery has planted some really nice brood stock rainbows in the Lower Owens recently and these fish are starting to show daily.  We are told that these models will be going in PV Reservoir and the Owens River for another month weather and roads permitting. 

Drifting the river is the best way to get to these larger fish.  The boats enable you to fish hard to access stretches of water that these big fish and other wild trout seek out and hold in.  Fishing streamers with a heavy sink tip lines using the “dip and strip” method will get you into fish all day this time of year.  My favorite fly lately has been the Spruce-A-Bu #8.  Use the light “Kelley Bundy” version for the sunny days, switch to the “Mary Ann” or darker edition on the cloudy or darker periods of the day. 

The Three Amigos ride again!  Michael Pouliot, Joe and Mikey Baffoni are long time Sierra Drifters.  I am a better guide and person for their patronage and friendship over the years.  The Amigos spanked the trout on their annual drift with me recently.  Joe got big fish honors, Mikey did great on the numbers, and as usual Michael found the “fishing” to be far more enjoyable than the actual “catching”!!! 

Michael Pouliot 

Joe Baffoni

Joe “smoothy” Smigiel and Chris the “wildman” Wildman banged out thirty on a recent drift.  Joe got paint job of the day honors with a really colorful rainbow.

Joe Smigiel 

"Had a GREAT time!!!!!!!!!!  Look forward to going again very soon. Joe"

Armando “Mando” Palomares and Marc “FM” Bonvouloir schooled over forty rainbows and browns during a recent drift with yours truly.  Lots of doubles towards the end of the day, and a great shot of Mando going bendo with a chunky rainbow going berserk!

"Mando" goes Bendo

"Double Bendo" 

Pleasant Valley Reservoir: Very Good 

Despite very cold temperatures the Rez is fishing well this week thanks to some help from the DFG and some hungry browns!  “Freeze Tubers” should focus on the section around the launch ramp, or the deeper water near the inlet.   

The inlet section and river down from the power house is also fishing well.  Dry dropper bead head nymph combos are great here as well as fishing streamers in the deeper transition water. 

Brant Weil drifted and tubed his way into a great weekend with Drifters guide “Fill” Therrien putting him on some quality rainbows the first day while drifting the Lower Owens, “Two Bug” Doug Dolan showed Brant the nuances of “freeze tubing” PV Rez.  Check out the chunky brooders the Brant-ster got on both trips.  Brant did over twenty fish his first time out tubing with a good number being chunky PV brownies!  Very impressive stats for his first fly fishing adventures ehhh?  

Brant Weil... nice drift boat bow...

The Gorge: Fair 

It has been a chore fishing the upper sections due to some snow and ice.  The snow level is around 5000 feet and mostly on the northern exposures.  I suggest you stick to the lower areas that are easily accessible with a thirty minute walk up from the powerhouse parking lot.  The middle part of the day is best targeting on the baetis hatch.  Dry dropper combos #16-20 patterns. 

East Walker River: Slow to fair 

The conditions here are the best for the year around fisheries in Mono County.  Bridgeport Reservoir is filling nicely and the increase in the depth of the water at the dam has made better water conditions in the tailwater section of the river. 

The air temperatures have been very cold with many mornings registering near or below zero!  I have included a recent picture of the EW near the dam.    

Two Bug fished the lower sections last week during the warmest day and had a dozen fish to eighteen inches nymphing.  The place is a ghost town and is not being fished much at all.  If the weather turns warmer for a few days this would be a good choice of you are in the area.  

East Walker River: January 18, 2008

Hot Creek: 

Not worth the effort unless you have a capable dog sled team or Sherpa to hall your warming hut in due to cold and snow.  Give it two to three weeks and it will rock! 

Upper Owens River: Slow 

There is 1-3 feet of snow along the rivers edge.  Park near the Benton Crossing Bridge and fish upstream.  You will need a 4X4 with snow tires to drive any distance along the north side dirt road.  It has been wicked cold this week and the forecast is calling for more of the same.  Give it another couple of weeks and things will improve a bunch in this area. 

Sierra Drifters original guide flies will be discounted for the 2008 fishing season.  Please stop by your favorite fly shop and stock up on these time tested Eastern Sierra patterns.  

This time of year, Sierra Drifters flies & Sungicators are only available at the following great fly shops and stores (don’t be fooled by any of the imitations out there!): Kittredge Sports in Mammoth Lakes, Malibu Fish’n Tackle in Thousand Oaks, Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, The San Diego Fly Shop in San Diego,  The Fishermen’s Spot in Van Nuys, Bob Marriott’s in Fullerton, Buz's Fly Shop Too in Bakersfield and online at www.bigfishhappen.com. There are links to these locations at the resources tab above. We pride our Guide Service & Products on Innovation not Imitation!

Be the fly friends…Tom Loe

Sierra Drifters Guide Service    

760-935-4250

Driftfish@qnet.com 

and Michele Loe Michele@MammothLakes.com