June 30, 2006
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to
all for this Independence Day 2006 fish report from the Eastern High
Sierra.
The run-off continues to be the big news up here
in regards to many fisheries. Most of the freestone creeks are running
very high and off color with cooler than normal water temperatures due to
all the snow melting. In addition the premier tail water fisheries of the
East Walker River and the Lower Owens River continue to be very high and
difficult to wade and fly fish. The spring creeks are your best bet for
moving water and if you are fortunate enough to be on the water during a
cool cycle you may have an excellent day on Hot Creek or the Upper Owens
River. The word from the hydrologists around here says we still have a
ways to go before the run off begins to recede. Overall conditions are
beginning to improve and with most of the upper elevation lakes becoming
open it will only be short time before we will have optimum fly fishing
conditions here in most areas of the Eastern High Sierra. Stick to the
stillwaters for the most consistent fly fishing opportunities. The
“tailgate” alpine lakes are ice free and warming quickly.
Tioga Pass has opened earlier than expected, as
well as the road down into Reds Meadow and the San Joaquin River.
The region has settled into a very normal summer
like pattern with afternoon thunderstorms and warm to hot days. A
significant warming trend with a drier air mass is forecast this holiday
weekend.
The National Weather Service has issued a small
stream advisory for many of the drainages around here. If you find
yourself fishing or camping around a freestone creek during an extended
thunderstorm you need to seek higher ground immediately. These small
creeks can rise quickly and become a torrent during major thunderstorms.
Duh!!!
Sierra Drifters endorsed
custom guide flies and merchandise will no longer be available at the
Troutfitter in Mammoth Lakes. We have “broke off” after many years of
doing business together. The Fitter is an excellent fly shop with a solid
staff and we wish them the best of luck. We apologize for any
inconvenience this may cause you.
The ONLY fly shop in
Mammoth Lakes to purchase our custom endorsed flies and merchandise is
Kittredge Sports in Mammoth Lakes. The super friendly and knowledgeable
staff here will set you up with quality gear and current local
information.
http://www.kittredge.net/
Crowley Lake:
Great green gobs of greasy, grimy, algae guts
Batman! The lake is in full turnover and it is not a pretty picture for
the lake in general. This is not to say that the fishing has not been
very good at times, but is entirely dependant upon which way the wind
blows in the area you are fishing. The major inlet areas are the only
game in town for fly fishers and these may be a tad crowded at times due
to the limited area. The lake level is the highest it’s been in many
moons and we are told it shall continue to rise through mid July. This
will set the stage for an epic mid summer and fall condition if history
holds true.
If you find yourself in the goo, move! The mouth
of McGee is a long kick; a boat is the best way for sure. The Crowley
Fish Camp rents some great flat bottoms that will get you to the fish.
The fly fishing gurus at the shop will set you up with the right bugs and
rig.
The Hiltons are pretty slimey most of the time but
if the wind comes off the Sierra it will clear these areas out and there
are plenty of fish in both bays currently. The North arm near the Owens R
inlet is very tannin colored but algae free and although the fish counts
are not high here you have a larger area to fish especially if you choose
to tug streamer patterns. Punk Perch, blood sucking Vander Leeches,
damsel nymph imitations and callibaetis patterns will all get you grabs.
Stillwater fly fishers stick to gillies and crystal emergers as the upper,
zebras and tigers on the tag end. Clean your flies as well as your
Drifters Sungicator (strike detector) every cast if the goo is around and
limit your soak times for better results.
We have been informed that there will NOT be a
fireworks show this year at the lake.http://www.crowleylakefishcamp.com
Long Beach Casting Club aces Craig
Haines from Lakewood, CA and his pal Tim Constantine from Claremont, CA
were guided by Drifters guide Mickey “the turtle” Baron recently and both
of these fine fly fishers got into some nice fish.
The “Linkcredibles” have well earned this nick
name and have been legally registered by us at Sierra Drifters as fly
fishing fanatics. Scott and Chris Linkletter from San Pedro, CA always
manage to get nice trout, everywhere! Check out the browns the couple
caught and released a while back on Crowley Lake while on a guided trip
with us.
Scott Linkletter
Chris Linkletter
Bridgeport Reservoir:
It has been hit and miss here for fly fishers
depending on the weather and run-off into Buckeye Bay. They got water
again this year baby, this is a good thang! It is a great place to fish
with incredible panoramas and far less crowds than Crowley. When the lake
is on you can easily get into a thirty fish day, when it blows you will
struggle and the catching will become more challenging. Tubers are
fairing better overall trolling and stripping streamers covering more area
when the fish are scattered. When they stack up near the inlet the
stillwater rigs will spank them using tandem rigs with chironomids and
callibaetis nymphs. Jeffery and his pleasant “sheepish smile” at the
marina will set you up with the hot flies sold at the shop and give you
the locations to target.
http://www.bridgeportreservoir.com/index.html
Hot Creek:
High water can at times be a good thing here and
if you hit a caddis or mayfly emergence the surface activity can be
excellent. Hot Creek is predominantly a spring creek with a single
tributary, that being Mammoth Creek. It can clear quickly if you get a
day or so of cooler weather. Try a streamer here during these high water
conditions; you will be pleasantly surprised at the results. Nymphing
with patterns that incorporate plenty of flash or red in them will help
you get more grabs. Our tiger and olive crystal zebras are killer here
#16-22. Add enough weight to get those bugs down. Just because you got
fish last fall in one pool rigged with just a single #4 shot does not mean
it will fish the same currently.
San Joaquin River:
The road into Reds Meadow opened June 27th and
although the river is raging and not great for wading there are plenty of
meadow sections that have quiet water and plenty of eager wild fish.
Sotcher and Starkweather Lakes have been recently planted and should fish
well if you troll and strip streamers from a tube.
Rock Creek Lake:
Great reports from this area when the thunderstorm
activity is mild. Jim at the Rock Creek Lake Resort reports big scores of
recently planted HUGE Alpers trout. Tubers pick up some Loebergs or
Spruce-a-bu’s at one of the Sierra Drifters endorsed shops and you will a
good shot at one of these famous hard fighting acrobatic rainbow trout.
The inlet section is best just off the drop-off, also the small bay on the
southeast side near the outlet are prime areas for these rascals. Keep
your flies down 10-15 feet.
Lower Owens River:
Go elsewhere. Flows are over 700cfs! Fall will
be great, but now is not the time for this area. There are links to the
current flows above.
East Walker River:
This is one river that can fish well at high
water. There are links to the current flows above. It is not for everyone,
especially beginning fly fisherman not accustomed to wading in heavy water
and tossing heavily weighted nymph rigs. Streamers are an excellent
option in the larger pools. Dip and strip during the lower light
periods. The EW is famous for its sundown snaps of large predacious
browns. Most of the locals fish the last hour of light exclusively. 2X
and 3X here folks. You will be donating to the Drifters fly fund if you
toss that Loeberg or Spruce-a-bu with a lighter tippet!
EXTREME nymphing is the game right now and 3 bb
shot would not be sufficient in some pools. Lots of flash in your pattern
is a must. Look for the fish to smack the caddis in the late afternoons
and on the cloudy days a decent mayfly emergence. Scout out the quiet
water and camp out. Patience grasshoppers - is the key to getting a
trophy fish on the EW. Make sure you have a large enough catch and
release net for this river. The nightmare stories of huge fish lost at
the net here are numerous.
Alpine Lakes: June
Lake Loop, Mammoth Lakes Basin
The stocking programs are in full swing in all the
lakes and you will find an abundance of DFG and Alpers trout with a good
number of holdover fish on the bite in these areas. Trolling streamers at
the 10-15 foot level will get you the bulk of your grabs. Most streamer
imitations will work here in the #8-12 range; the key is locating the pods
of fish. If you get a take or a fish, try to mark your spot on the water
and present your fly into this area again.
Alpers Trout are suckers for tree stumps, the DFG
fish gravitate towards any kind of flow like an inlet. Look for
transition areas in these lakes. Drop-offs, inlets, weed lines, bottom
changes, shade lines from the trees will often get you that afternoon
grab.
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
