June 14, 2006
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to
all for this “moon in June” fish report from the Eastern High Sierra.
The big news around here continues to be the
record amount of snow fall that is beginning to melt and cause some minor
flooding along some of the freestone creeks and drainages on the eastern
slope. A recent cold snap over the Memorial weekend eased the run-off and
we saw improved water clarity on Hot Creek. The forecast is calling for a
warming trend and this once again will cause some challenging fishing
conditions on the moving waters here in the Sierra.
Fly fishers of Bakersfield rejoice! You have a
new shop with a long time fly fishing veteran that has expanded. Larry
Goates has a long time reputation in Visalia, CA for providing top notch
fly fishing equipment and expert advice on how to fish the local waters of
the western slope of the Sierras. Larry has recently opened “Buz’s Fly
Shop Too” in Bakersfield to accommodate the fly fishers venturing to the
eastern side. We are honored to announce this long over do alliance with a
shop in this area. Our time tested guide flies and merchandise can be
purchased here. Bakersfield is well known for its sporting enthusiasts
and a great number of Sierra Drifters clients now have a great fly shop to
check out and buy gear and flies. Larry has some great stories and is
extremely knowledgeable about the products and how to fish them. The
grand opening is slated to be coming soon and rumor has it there will be
some great sales to be had on quality gear. Stop by and shoot the breeze
with the gang at Buz’s, they are a hoot! 661-395-0032, 1220 Oak Street,
Bakersfield.
buzsflyshop@clearwire.net
We are really exited to announce the addition of
Kittredge Sports in Mammoth Lakes as one of our premier locations to
purchase our time tested guide flies and merchandise. Kittredge has a
long time reputation for being one of the largest and best equipped stores
in Mammoth for all outdoor activities. The very friendly, laid back
personalities of this outstanding mountain sports store give you the
impression you are in a lodge with a personal guide instead of a sales
person to help you find the right equipment and put you on the fish. The
well equipped fly shop carries top of the line products and if you want to
give fly fishing a try on your own, the gang will set you up with waders,
tubes, rods and reliable information. Need a guide? This is the right
place. Sierra Drifters has teamed up with the Kittredge staff to put you
with a pro for an educational and memorable day on the water. Do yourself
a favor and stop by this terrific shop the next time your in Mammoth, you
will be back!
http://www.kittredge.net/
Crowley Lake:
From Drifters Guide Brad
McClain 6/14/06...Crowley Lake - Starting to get green but still fishable.
Green Banks has been good in the early morning with emergers and tigers
and callibaetis. Set up sixteen to nineteen feet and don't assume that the
fish are on the bottom.
McGee Bay has been going off
late morning to early afteroon. Emergers, tigers, gillies and
callibaetis will get the job done. Once again, don't assume the fish are
on the bottom.
.......................................................................................
McGee Bay went off big last week prior to a nasty
weather event that dashed through the region and cooled off the wide open
bite. A huge concentration of fish showed up around the inlet starting
around 11 feet and out to 15 feet in Sometimes Bay. It was pretty much
every cast for a couple of days. Sandy Pt. has been spotty. Leighton
Springs continues to be good, just make sure you stay outside of the weed
lines that are beginning to become a factor in locating the fish. They
are still sub-surface and can not be seen without sonar. The North Arm
has kicked out some really nice fish around Green Banks and the old north
river channel area. Don Morton from June Lake, CA got the nicest brown he
ever netted on Crowley in this area while on a guided trip with us
recently. Way to get the “elusive” one Don!
Don Morton
The story shall be told around campfires for many
moons. McGee Bay was the battlefield. The rivalry of the Bakersfield, CA
“roofing Titans” was intense and when it was over we still did not have a
victor (that I could determine). Jerry Bono and his nemesis Lani Carlson
duked it out for the Crowley title and netted close to 70 rainbows and
browns in an epic day on the lake recently. There is a re-match slated
and I can’t wait to be on this one!
The water level is on the rise and we have been
told that Crowley may go over the spillway this year. Clarity remains
good; however the grass and old tules on the previously dry shoreline are
floating around the lake and can make it tough to find open water when
these debris lines float by.
The chironomid hatch has been strong on the high
pressure days and you will start to notice more callibaetis mayflies as
the summer rolls on. It should be an epic year for the calli’s and there
may be some dry fly opportunities near the inlets around sundown this
summer. You will begin to see more damsel flies as the water temps begin
to rise also. A hares ear, punk perch or damsel fly nymph #12-16 tied
behind a streamer 24 inches can be a deadly combo this time of year if the
stillwater method is slow or not your “thang” Gillies and emergers #18 on
top, tigers and zebras #16-18 as the lower. MONEY baby!!!
The “possum” Anthony Vuoso from Rolling Hills
Estates, CA has become quite the predator the last few years and his main
target is the brown trout of Crowley Lake. The browns have been on the
scarce side this May but leave it to the “possum” to get a nice one in the
net!
Anthony Vuoso
Karl Schoenbaum from Calabasas, CA had a Zen like
feeling he and his family would hit it big on Crowley recently and made a
bonsai last minute trip to check out the great early season run we have
had. The mighty “turtle” Drifters own Mickey Baron guided Karl to a very
nice rainbow and he watched as his son Cole spanked over twenty fish by
himself in a days outing with the turtle. Way to use the force
Schoenbaums!
Karl & Cole
Schoenbaum
Bridgeport Reservoir:
From Drifters Guide Brad
McClain...6/14/06 - Bridgeport Res - Buckeye Bay has fish feeding on
surface as well as below.
Twelve to eight feet of
water. Zebras, tigers, emergers, callibaetis, stimulators will get grabs.
No need to be small with the flies. Rainbow point area has feeding fish as
well. Set up deep here. Twenty feet but don't expect fish on the bottom.
Same flies and look for fish from surface down to sixteen feet.
.....................................................................................
The wind influenced fishing overall several days
last week but when the weather gets good here you can expect to get into
plenty of fish while using the stillwater nymph method or trolling a
streamer around the marina or near the drop-off by Rainbow Pt. Some
really nice fish have been taken recently and the most noteworthy was an
8lb. brown caught near the “bathtub” area. Buckeye Bay is still off color
due to run-off. The weed and algae situation is still good and this lake
will be awesome when the fish migrate into Buckeye. Tubers are getting
shuttled by Jeffery at the marina to fish the Rainbow Pt. area and he and
the staff at the lake can set you up with the right rig and put you on the
fish. Please call ahead of time if you want to set up a shuttle.
760-932-7001
East Walker: High
flows
The EW is a big tailwater and can fish well even
during high water (900cfs) if you are a strong wader and skilled at
fishing heavily weighted nymph rigs. The current flows are very high and
this is NOT a place for the novice fly fisher. There is a link above
to the current flows. There is limited water
even in the meadow section located directly below the dam. Clarity
remains excellent and this is one of the best times of year to fish here.
Use mayfly and midge patterns with plenty of flash in the imitation.
Proper weighting is the key and if you like fishing with 4 BB shot you
have a good chance of hitting a 20 inch plus fish this time of year in one
of the softer sections of the river.
Hot Creek:
Hot Creek’s fishing
conditions will depend on the amount of water coming in from Mammoth
Creek. During warm weather you can expect a bunch of run-off to influence
the conditions on this small spring creek. The conditions improved this
weekend with a cold front slowing down the melt and reports have been good
on the days when the wind was not flapping your ears around. San Juan
Worms, flashback pt’s, crystal zebras and streamers! Streamers you
say??? On Hot Creek??? Blasphemy, your mad! Yes, streamers can be very
effective this time of year. The weeds are sub-surface and this allows
the use of light sink tips or floating lines to be used while dropping a
Loeberg or Spruce-a-bu into a deep hole and getting “Brownzilla” to come
out for a snack. Keep those flies clean!
We did get a picture of a spectacular rainbow
caught by Drifters client David Kendrick from Irvine, CA. David had a
special day on Hot Creek before the snow began melting. He nymphed his
way to thirty fish using a combination of our Crystal Olive Zebras and
flashback pt’s in the #18-22 range. Somewhere in the middle he caught and
released the largest trout of his life and it is a fish you must see.
Congrats David, what a fish!
David Kendrick
Lower Owens River:
High Flows
Current DWP flows report 715
CFS...there is a link above to the current flows.
Upper Owens
River/Crowley tributaries:
High and muddy water. There are still plenty of
fish in all the tribs, just poor conditions to fish the rascals. I would
not hold my breath waiting for the clarity to improve in the near future
to be honest with you.
Rush, Rock, Lee
Vining, Convict, Bishop Creeks, etc…
These creeks are going to be very high for quite a
while during the run-off. We will let you know when conditions begin to
improve.
San Joaquin River:
The road to Reds Meadow should be opening sometime
around June 23rd. This river will be dangerous to wade or cross until
August. The meadow sections will be fishable.
Tioga Pass:
Opened June 17th....
Mammoth Lakes Basin:
Lake Mary Road should be plowed by the June 10th
weekend. The Mammoth Lakes Visitors Bureau can give you current stats...
www.visitmammoth.com
There will be a whole bunch of snow and ice for
quite sometime above 8500 ft. this season.
You can pick up our guide flies at the following
stand out locations: Crowley Lake Fish Camp & Crowley Lake General
Store/Deli in Crowley, The Troutfitter/Trout Fly and Kittredge Sports in
Mammoth Lakes, Bridgeport Reservoir Marina, Malibu Fish’n Tackle in
Thousand Oaks, The San Diego Fly Shop and Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego,
The Fishermen’s Spot in Van Nuys and Bob Marriott’s in Fullerton. There
are links to these locations at the resources tab above.
FYI…CALIFORNIA'S
SECRET WITNESS PROGRAM TO HELP STOP POACHING AND POLLUTING
1-888-DFG-CALTIP
(1-888-334-2258)
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/enforcement/caltip.html
California Dept. of Fish & Game Regs…
http://www.fgc.ca.gov/html/fishregs.html
Or you can also call the Mono County Sheriffs
Dept.
760-932-7549 / 760-935-4066
Looking forward to fishing with
you soon.
Be the fly my friends,
Tom Loe
