June 24, 2005
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to
all for this June fish report update from the Eastern High Sierra. We
have a bunch of new information to give you regarding some condition
changes.
The weather has been yo-yoing between summer and
early spring with some ear flapping winds to contend with on some days.
The winter of “aught five” will not give way to summer yet and the string
of weak but windy cold fronts continue to parade through the region making
fly fishing conditions tough at best. The forecast is calling for a mild
trend the next couple of days with the weather once again turning cooler.
Bring on the heat baby! We are eagerly awaiting summer.
Congressman Cogdill’s bill formatted to insure one
third of your license revenue goes to the state hatchery program has
passed the house without opposition. This time around the bill included
funding for wild trout and salmon programs and personnel and also a slug
of money to the much needed warden department. We support this bill and
are hoping that the bill passes the next hurdle which is the state
senate.
Click these links for DFG news and how to help out
the Hot Creek Hatchery Foundation.
http://www.sierradrifters.com/reports2/DFG.News.htm
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/
www.FriendsofCaliforniaHatcheries.org
Cal Trout is hosting a cleanup effort on the
headwaters of the Upper Owens River on Saturday July 9th at 9
am. The group of volunteers will meet at the Big Springs Campground and
make a battle plan there. You are invited to help out in this effort and
you may contact Rob Lusardi for details.
“Hi folks- just wanted to let you know that we’re
gearing up for our July 9th ‘protect our headwaters day’ at the
headwaters of the Upper Owens River. We will be focusing our efforts on a
traditional cleanup around the USFS campgrounds and identifying and
restoring illegal off-road routes through the riparian corridors of Glass
Creek, Deadman Creek, and the Big Springs area. This work is essential in
our efforts to protect the tributaries and downstream fishery and habitat
of the Upper Owens River. There will also be some interesting educational
material on display and we’re currently trying to get a local aquatic
entomologist to give a streamside talk. For more information specific to
the event, please see the following link:
http://www.friendsoftheinyo.org/pages/hikeschedule.htm
Tioga Pass will open
on 6-24-05 according to the NPS. There could be ice on the road in the
mornings on the run-off areas. Sonora Pass has been open for a while and
is in good shape.
The road to Reds Meadow
and the Middle fork of the San Joaquin will open on 6-29-05 say the Inyo
Forest folks. There is a use fee for entry and a mandatory shuttle bus
for access into the area after 7 am. Expect the river to be running very
high and wading can be iffy or WET here at high flows.
Overall fishing conditions have improved greatly
the last two weeks and many of the upper lakes are starting to provide
excellent options for fisherman. The tailwaters and freestone creeks are
still running high and will continue to do so for a least another month.
Clarity has improved and barring any major T-storm activity the levels
have peaked and should drop. If it does rain at the upper elevations you
can anticipate severe run-off and dangerous flows for a few days.
Mammoth Mountain:
In its 51 year history Mammoth has been open into
the month of July 17 times, most recently in 1998. The Mountain is open
for skiing through the 4th of July weekend. The Sierra Star
Golf Course and Mammoth Mountain Bike Park open this weekend of June 25th…click
on
www.mammothmountain.com for more info.
Click on
http://www.visitmammoth.com For a list of the town of Mammoth’s 4th
of July activities
Crowley Lake: Fair
The lake is currently turning over and is at its
highest level I have seen in many seasons. The algae situation is not
horrid despite the turnover, this due in part to the flush of new water,
wind and cooler air temperatures recently. Look for heavy underwater weed
beds out to the 14 foot depth. Your best bet is to look towards the
inlets at McGee and Hilton Bays avoiding the heavy weed beds for sure.
Try to locate large channels in the weed lines. The damsel fly emergence
is beginning to influence the trout’s feeding behavior as the nymphs
migrate with the scum and algae lines that drift across the lake. Tubers
should take advantage of these areas trolling and stripping damsel fly
imitations or our Punk Perch streamers in #12.
The chironomid hatch is also influencing the bite.
Make sure you have some #18-20 Gillies for the hatch. We are having best
results fishing the stillwater technique in deeper water…11-16 feet at
times. Hook sets at this depth must be very aggressive. Put the wood to
those rascals! It is tough to fish from a tube at this leader length, try
renting one of the new flats boats at the fish camp. They are really nice
for fly fishing. Tubers keep a close eye on the SE winds that are coming
on strong about 11:00 am every day.
This season continues to be the best early brown
trout action I have seen in recent years. If things go as planned we will
have some epic days when the Sacramento Perch fry show up along the weed
lines in the late summer and fall. Check out the slug browns Dave Hale
from Valencia, CA and author Jefferson Parker from Fallbrook, CA nailed
recently while on stillwater trips with us.
Dave Hale
Jefferson Parker
Upper Owens River: Fair
The big numbers of larger fish are going back into
the lake but a fair amount of late bloomers are still around. The water
is high and you can expect a fair amount of weed floating by especially in
the area below the confluence of Hot Creek. Caddis imitations both dry
and nymphs are solid choices now. The section below the Benton Crossing
Bridge is now open and is being planted. Streamers like our Loebergs #10
and Spruce-a-bus #8 work great here. Keep your flies clean as you will
have some issues with the weeds.
Crowley Tributaries: Poor
These areas are pretty much history (besides
weekly stockers) until the fall spawn which could prove to be excellent
with all the water here.
Hot Creek: Fair-good
High flows are not all the time a bad thing here
as I have said in the past. Overall fish counts are down for numerous
reasons and your numbers may be lower than in years past but the fish are
a tad larger overall. Water clarity is good despite the high flows from
Mammoth Creek and the deeper water makes longer drifts possible presenting
more opportunities each cast. Look for strong caddis activity with some
smaller stone flies showing up when they feel like it. Imitations with
flash in them work well especially in the smaller hook sizes. Sierra
Drifter, Robert Otanez from Irvine, CA had a great day fishing scuds here
recently.
June 22,
2005...Hot Creek...High but clear.
Rock Creek Area: Very
Good
The lake is wide open for stockers along the inlet
and wind protected areas and you may run into a DFG brood stocker here or
there. This lake fishes best during the lower light periods especially
during the evenings when surface water temps are highest. Local fly
fisher Brad from the Rock Creek Lake Resort fishes the lake after work and
is slamming 30-40 fish in the late afternoons using a Marvel fly sold at
the resort.
The creek is high and is flooding the banks in
several areas especially in the meadows but clarity is excellent and the
level has dropped quite a bit this week. Dry dropper combos using our
Crystal Olive Zebras #18-20 as the nymph dropper will work well here.
When you are fishing freestone creeks that are running high I suggest you
concentrate your efforts in the meadow sections or slower water instead of
the pocket water and riffles. The blood suckers are out here also, bring
repellant.
Rock Creek
area...June 22, 2005...Rainbows holding in soft water.
Mammoth Lakes Basin: Good
You will find plenty of snow along the banks here
but the lakes are fishing well when the wind is not blowing a gale. Heavy
stocking of DFG and Alpers fish recently will insure a solid population of
“opportunistic” rainbows that will hit streamers fished with a full or
heavy sinking tip line. The lakes are full and the fish will cruise the
shorelines here and concentrate near the dead trees stumps and along the
drop-offs by the inlet. Crystal Leeches and Loebergs #10-12 are
dynamite. Get your streamers down at least 10 feet with sinking lines.
The "Stumps" at
Lake Mary...June 22, 2005
June Lake Loop: Good
Good here when the wind is not blowing but
unfortunately it has been blowing a lot. The high snow pack has filled
the lakes nicely and Silver is fishing well near the inlet from Rush. The
creek is running high and wading is tough right now. Look for Rush to
continue rising as Grant fills. Hit the slower water on Rush and look at
Gull during the late afternoon when the wind is not honking. Our blonde
Spruce-a-bu #8 does a great job of imitating a Tui-Chub which is a
substantial forage fish for the larger predators in this area. Fish this
streamer 10-15 feet deep with lots of hesitations in your retrieve. Wind
lines, shadows and drop-offs will all pay off in these lakes.
Lower Owens River: Fair
The flows are once again on the rise and are
currently at 400cfs. You can expect the levels to go up in the near
future. Wading the wild trout section is so-so at this release and you
need at least 2 BB’s to get your nymphs down in the larger pools. Good
caddis activity in the afternoons. This is your best bet for any surface
action. Make sure you have plenty of bug spray; the rascals are the size
of eagles these days and have armor piercing beaks! You may get real time
flow data by clicking the link above. The Owens Valley is toasty these
days and I suggest you avoid the afternoons here as it is too dang hot to
fly fish.
Bridgeport Reservoir:
Good
The giant is stirring! Try stillwater nymphing
near the inlet at Buckeye Bay using chironomid imitations like our Gillies
and Tiger Midges #16-20. Owner, Jeffery Wenger from the marina is
reporting excellent action here as well as good reports from tubers
trolling sculpin and perch fry imitations #6-10 near the airstrip and
inlet from the Walker River. The weed beds are not prevalent near Buckeye
and the algae is way down from years past. The Bridge also got a huge
shot of “shorties” from the DFG that will be catchables next season and
put this excellent fishery back on the map.
East Walker: Improving
The flows went to 900cfs a while back but have
dropped down to 400 as of this report. Wading is possible but tough at
this release and crossing can be considered a foreboding to swimming in
full garb. Be cautious. The deal here is not a lot of fish in numbers
but the ones you get into are sweet. Caddis imitations and Crystal Tiger
and Zebra Midges are best fished as nymphs until late afternoon. You will
need a BB or two to get your bugs down at this flow. You may get real time
flow data by clicking the link above.
West Walker: Poor
Wait until the flows subside a little more. If
you must fish here hit the Chris Flat area or meadow section near the
Marine base.
June 20,
2005...West Walker River
You can pick up our guide flies at the following
stand out locations: The Crowley Lake Fish Camp and the Crowley Lake
General Store and Deli in Crowley, The Troutfitter/Trout Fly in Mammoth
Lakes, Malibu Fish’N Tackle in Thousand Oaks, The San Diego Fly Shop and
Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego. There are links to these locations at the
resources tab above.
Looking forward to fishing with you soon.
Be the fly…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
