July 26, 2007 

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Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters.  Best fishes to all for this July moon fish report from the Eastern High Sierra. 

The return of strong afternoon winds associated with some moderate T-storms have been the story this week.  The monsoon flow that has recently developed over the Pacific coast has raised humidity and combined with the very warm temperatures we have the ingredients for some significant Thunderstorms.  You can expect the winds to get gusty around noon and continue throughout the day well into the late afternoon during a strong condition.  Fire danger is EXTREME.  Some areas in Mono and Inyo Counties have enacted NO open fire policies until conditions change for the better.  Please check the appropriate agencies near your camping location before you start a fire or you may be subject to a fine. 

We have updated some locations that have changed some and have added some thanks to some new sponsor’s for the Crowley Lake Still Water Classic that will be held on August 11^th at Crowley Lake. 

First Annual Crowley Lake Sierra Drifters Still Water Classic

For the improvement of Crowley Lakes Fisheries

Saturday, August 11^th 2007

Click here for rules and registration forms and also

available at www.crowleylakefishcamp.com

PRE-REGISTRATION IS GREATLY APPRECIATED NOW

WITH A DEADLINE FOR BBQ & T-SHIRTS OF AUGUST FIRST 

Who shall be crowned the “lord of the fly” for 2007 at Crowley Lake?  Some of the finest fly rods the Eastern Sierra has to offer will be having some friendly competition to raise money for the fisheries enhancement of Crowley Lake.  Please join us for this noble cause.  Huge cash and raffle prizes for individual and team entries.  Boats and tubes welcome. 

The First Annual Crowley Lake Still Water Classic is gaining momentum and we are very pleased to announce the current sponsor’s of this fisheries enhancement event.  Please support the business’s that have contributed to this event, it shows that they are passionate about keeping Crowley at the level of fishing excellence we are accustomed to, and are not all just about taking.  

The Santa Barbara Fly Fishers have recently given the Stillwater Classic an incredible donation and we thank them for their vision and generosity. 

Special thanks and high fives to Honda Marine, Rick’s Sport Center in Mammoth Lakes, Performance Anglers in Mammoth Lakes, Western Outdoor News, The San Diego Fly Fishers, Kittredge Sports in Mammoth Lakes, The Crowley Lake General Store, Bob Marriott’s Fly Fishing Store in Fullerton, The Inland Aquaculture Group in June Lake, Pacific Fly Group, Simms Fishing Products, Sage Fly Rods, Galvan Reels, Smith Optics, Outcast Float Tubes, Rio Products, Umpqua Feather Merchants, Coors Beer and the gang from Eastern Sierra Wholesalers, Central Reservations of Mammoth, Mammoth Sierra Properties, Malibu Fish’n Tackle in Thousand Oaks, Outdoor Specialty Products in Truckee, Bravo Gardens, Creative Image Embroidery, Tom’s Place Resort, Dr. Wade Yoshii, Buz’s Fly Shop in Bakersfield, Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, Fishermen's Spot and the Holiday Inn Mammoth Lakes. 

Please contact us if you are interested in becoming a sponsor for the Still Water Classic. 

And if you can’t make it up for the tournament…donations to the Fisheries Enhancement Program are most welcome…

Crowley Lake: Very good for the mornings 

The sou- easters have been coming up as early as 10:30 this week and hampering full day fishing efforts in McGee Bay.  The bite starts at day break and ends after the white caps get over a foot in height.  The fish are concentrated near the inlet and we have been having some great snaps out to 8 feet recently.  During the hatches and in clean water I suggest #18-22 Gillies used in tandem.  As the sun gets higher, start jockeying for position in deeper water and go to a #18-20 Drifters crystal tiger or Zebra. 

While guiding this last week I observed some excellent fly casters in a Crowley Lake flat bottom rental struggling as many others were getting grabs and fish on a steady basis.  Their problem was that they had not altered their position with respect to the weed beds after the wind shifted direction.  This occurs most everyday in the morning and you must re-position your boat or tube to insure you are not fish’n in the weeds grasshoppers! 

The little perch are becoming targets on a regular basis. Our olive and light Punk Perch patterns #16-14 are going to be very hot soon.  Damsel fly nymphs are also the hot ticket to troll along the migrating algae lines.  Start out deeper and follow the scum lines, paralleling these distinct edges that the nymphs hide in as they morph into adult Damsel Flies. 

The North Arm of the lake has really exploded this week and the fish have migrated into the Owens Channel into about 7 feet, and along the hard weed edge in eleven feet of water.  There are some really nice fish mixed in with the new arrivals.  You may get a half dozen dinks and the next set could easily be a 20 plus rainbow or brown.   

The hot rig right now in this area is a #14-16 Sierra Drifters Punk Perch in either the dark or light colors.  Used in tandem with the larger fly as the upper, or hang a #16-18 Drifters copper or black tiger below the upper punk perch. 

The damsel fly nymph migration is also very strong and the mid-mornings before the wind comes up will give you streamer tugger’s very good action using medium sink tip lines and Drifters light or dark damsel imitations.   

Hilton Bay has been an oddity this year.  It has been so good some days it warrants a look if you are struggling elsewhere.  Little Hilton is also a great option if the weather forces you into full retreat.  The bay is loaded with small perch fry and the holdovers are migrating into the cup of the bay to feast on the fry at times.  The double punks or the punk and a tiger will whack em here also.  The fish are out to twelve feet and can be seen rolling near the inlet in the mornings.

Ken Jackson and Joe Terrill from Visalia, CA will attest to the power of the Gillie.  Check out these trophy rainbows Ken and Joe bested on a #20 in very short water!  The fish were hooked in an “extreme” obstacle course.  Well done troops, great fish! 

Ken Jackson & guide, Tom Loe

Joe Terrill

The fly fishing Ford family from Buena Park, CA spent a day on Crowley with us and the boys got “browns all around” in McGee Bay.  Fun day guys, thanks.

Bob Ford & Travis

Scott Ford

Travis Ford

Tom,

Wanted to say thank you again for a great trip yesterday. The boys had a wonderful time and I never cease to be amazed at your ability to teach fly casting and fishing to beginners.

Let's Talk Hookup Radio Show! will never be the same! You can talk on the phone every time we fish together if it gets the type of results we had during that bite! The Fishin' Ford Family will be back again to slug it out with some more Crowley bruisers, you can count on that.

Tight lines.

 Bob, Scott, and Travis Ford,  Buena Park, CA

Upper Owens: Horrid, completely fished out due to the early opening. 

Just kidding.  It has been very good here and you may not get into a fifty fish bend like we did on a recent guide trip, however you will still find very good numbers if you do some walking and cover the river.  The conditions are very good and fishing nymphs like tigers, Pt’s, zebras, hares ears, did I miss anything?  Oh yeah, the kitchen sink.  These will all work #14-18. The caddis adult #16-18 action is good in the afternoons but it has been blown out this week after lunch making it difficult to mend properly.  You will find copious amounts of DFG planters that have been stocked from Hot Creek here but they have very bad attitudes and are fun on a four wt. fly rod.

San Joaquin: Good 

When you look at the flows here you may think you are in a time warp and it is early September.  They are low.  Fish the deeper sections and pools.  The riffle water is skinny and unless there is a shady section with a gouged out channel you will not find many fish in the tailouts of the shallower riffles.  Dry dropper bead head nymph combos rock this time of year.  #16-18 tigers or zebras fished below a Stimulator #14-16 will get it done!

West Walker River: Good 

Same story here.  Looks like September.  Dry Dropper, same as above.  The canyon is a good choice to avoid traffic and get into the wild fish.  Dry/dry rigs using a Para Adams or caddis #16-18 will get looks on top.  It can get super windy here during the condition we are having right now so get on the water early. 

East Walker: Good 

Well below average release rates for this time of year.  The wading is easy and the entire river is accessible to the Nevada border.  Water clarity remains very good and there are afternoon caddis hatches with good opportunities to hit some fish on top if the afternoon T-storms do not blow you out in the canyon. 

I suggest you fish nymphs under a “Sungicator” in the larger pools and runs or high stick the rascals in the pools that allow you to properly position yourself for a solid dead drift. 

Go down in fly size for this clean low water.  Gillies, Tigers, Zebras (olive is my choice) #18-22.  Pt’s are also excellent nymphs most times here and I am partial to those that have a flashback thorax #16-20. 

Dennis Finn from San Jose, CA had a fun day nymphing with Drifters Guide “Two Bug” Doug Dolan recently.  Dennis got a handsome brown while high sticking in an overgrown section that holds some fine fish.

Dennis Finn and "Two Bug" Doug

Bridgeport Reservoir: Very Good 

Like the Phoenix, risen from the ashes!  We had just about written her off for the summer but the Bridge has come on strong near the inlet and channel on the Walker and especially on the drop-off towards Rainbow Pt.  Stillwater nymphing in the channel or on the drop-off with chironomids like our Gillies, crystal emergers and tigers  #16-20 will get you take downs and some chunky rainbows.  We have more than one report of some huge (25 inch plus) browns being taken by streamer fishers in tubes trolling in front of the landing and along the weed beds of the Walkers channel.  The Bridge has perch fry also, as well as a gigantic population of damsel flies and callibaetis may flies.  More so than Crowley.  This lake is historically about two or three weeks ahead of Crowley for turnover and hatches and the perch fry spawn earlier here due to lower elevation.  It is peaking right now.  Go see Jeffery at the Marina and he will put you on the fish.

Hot Creek: Fair 

Flows are low, the weeds are up and it is getting tougher to make extended drifts.  You will still get into some great caddis action if you do not get blown off in the afternoons.  Ten Percent of the water will hold ninety percent of the fish this time of year so location is more key than what fly you have.  We use smaller patterns this time of year and if you do not like fishing #20 nymphs and smaller go elsewhere.  RS-2’s and WD-40’s, #22-20 gray Drifters crystal Pupa and gillies will work.  Dry dropper or high stick.

Lower Owens: Sucks 

Look here after Labor Day.  The Drift boat trips in EARLY fall this year will be very good.

DFG News:

I attended the public DFG Commissioners meeting in Bridgeport last week and was convinced by the DFG biologists Power Point survey analysis on the mentioned waters, and testimony on other year round fisheries that year round fishing on Hot Creek, the Upper Owens River and the East Walker River were not detrimental to those fisheries above and beyond standards set by the DFG and were overwhelmingly embraced by the anglers that enjoyed the opening in March.  These are facts complied by a DFG biologists surveys, not opinions.  I continue to endorse this decision and encourage all who wish to see it continue to write the DFG prior to Sept (the next meeting is in Oct. but you need to get the Commissioners your opinions a month early) we have provided a link to make this easy…. www.sierradrifters.com then click on the DFG tab.

Fish & Game Commission  fgc@fgc.ca.gov

Sierra Drifters flies are only available at the following great fly shops and stores (don’t be fooled by any of the imitations out there!): Crowley Lake Fish Camp at Lake Crowley, Crowley Lake General Store in Crowley,  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