March 3, 2005
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. May
this “in like a lion, out lake a lamb” March fish report from the Eastern High
Sierra find you all healthy and happy.
Big changes to relay to ya’ll with regards
to the weather, flow increases and hatch cycles on the Lower Owens River.
We will have a good chance of showers in
the valley and snow above 6000 feet this weekend, followed by a major warming
trend the beginning of next week. Record highs are forecast and the valley may
see low 80’s by the middle of next week. Even the high country will see spring
like conditions with highs in the upper 60’s forecast for Mammoth Lakes.
Spring is just around the corner and it
will not be long before the general trout season opener is upon us April 30th.
We will do an in depth forecast report as the season approaches. Look for above
average run-off this summer and it may be later than normal for some of the
lakes and passes above 8500 feet to become accessible to fly casters. We have a
solid snow pack here in the Eastern Sierra, but by no means a record winter like
So-Cal at this point in the season.
Crowley Lake and Bridgeport Reservoir are
currently heavily covered with ice and snow, but I am looking at an ever
increasing opening near the mouth of McGee Creek. We are anticipating a
tremendous season here as the water levels will be significantly higher than in
recent years. I am excited about the opportunities we will have fishing the
weed beds that should be present well into September this year. Sierra Drifters
has added an additional state of the art custom 23 foot Ranger flats boat to the
fleet to accommodate larger groups and give you a large, stable and comfortable
casting platform to hook those “reel wreckers” on the fly. Put Crowley on your
list this season kids, it will be awesome!
Lower Owens River:
Good- but in transition
The flows are on the rise currently and are
expected to level off around 200 cfs by the weekend. This is double the release
of the last several months and there is plenty of debris and off colored water
making it tough to get a decent presentation at times. The fish will be moving
into different holding locations and the feeding lanes will be changing
significantly the next week or so. This is not the “death blow” by any means
here and I expect the catching to get only better after the trout adjust to the
new release rates. You will need more weight while nymphing and be a tad more
careful wading next to the drop-offs and deeper pools. There is a link to the
Owens River flow rates above.
Prior to the recent increase in flows we
saw the first significant caddis hatch earlier this week and the trout took full
advantage of this new emergence of food. The baetis hatch is still coming off
around 12:30 pm each day but is not as significant as last week’s emergence.
You will see a few golden stone flies also, this hatch will continue to increase
and the wild fish really key in on this event each spring. Have some #16 yellow
stimulators handy along with a handful of #14-16 dark bodied caddis imitations
and some #18 BWO adults for the baetis hatch.
I really like to use the stimulator as an
upper fly, with the BWO or caddis as the point or trailing fly when the trout
are looking up this time of year. Separate the flies about 12-18 inches. This
dry/dry combo is deadly!
Make sure you have some caddis and mayfly
emerger patterns in your quiver as well as the standard midge larva bead heads
like our Drifters Crystal Zebras and Tigers #16-22. The water clarity and
debris will improve in the near future, but during the mean time check your rig
EVERY cast as it is crucial to getting grabs during the rising water period.
The drift boat sections have been kicking
out some outstanding fish recently with ample opportunities to get some casts
into rising fish during the mid-day hatches recently. February has historically
been the best month to get a “Troutzilla” on a streamer and this year has proven
to be a memorable one with regards to big rainbows.
The “dip and strip” method has been deadly
while on a guided drift boat trip used in conjunction with our time tested guide
flies. If you have not experienced a huge trout on a fly rod, you are missing
out on one of the more enjoyable fishing experiences. We have some dates open
in March and April for drift boat trips.
BEWARE of snags that start swimming! Just
ask Doug Tudor and Jim Moses of Bakersfield, CA. Both of these veteran Sierra
Drifters got into big bows recently and Jim had some fun with the wild browns on
dries during a lunch break. Fun times guys.
Doug Tudor (left) & Jim Moses (right)
Jim Moses
Warren Buzzell from New Durham, New
Hampshire, an accomplished fly caster who fishes all over the world in search
of big trout chooses to drift the Lower Owens in winter. Check out this
“creature from the deep” that engulfed a blonde Drifters Spruce-a-bu. Warren
nailed several other large bows on a two day drift with partner Michael Hoffman
who added sage advice and proficiency with the net.
Warren Buzzell (holding fish) &
Michael Hoffman
Seasoned Drifters Steve Reich and Joe
Smigiel from Thousand Oaks have got into big trout with guide Brad McClain
before. Steve got the “beast” from 20,000 fathoms recently on one of our Punk
Perch patterns. High fives to you Steve, nice fish!
Steve Reich (holding fish) with Brad
McClain
Old age and treachery shall overcome youth,
skill and cunning it has been said. Jim “Shorty” Shortner (the age) and Eric
“Shaq” Grothues (the youth) once again went toe to toe on the Owens with us for
the dip and strip title. The bribes to the guide, the drugs in Shaq’s water,
the constant snoring all night, it all paid off for Shorty. What a hoot guys,
see ya soon!
Jim Shortner (holding fish) & Eric
Grothues
We have so many big fish to post this
report it is not possible to get them all in. Look for plenty of big fish in
the future folks. We will do our best to get them on the web.
Pleasant Valley
Reservoir: Good
Look for this area to be heavily planted in
the next couple of weeks as there is a major blood, guts, beer and stink bait
fishing tournament slated to decimate the area. I strongly suggest you avoid
this location on the weekend of 3-11, 12, and 13. It will be a zoo and there
will be enough psychedelic colored stink baits being flung around to give you
the impression of a bad acid trip!
Fishing has picked up slowly here but is
currently pretty good for tubers trolling near the dam and launch ramp
sections. Loebergs and Punk Perch #10-12 are good choices used with a full or
heavy sinking tip line. Stick to the shadows formed by the canyons walls.
Grasshoppers…you will find what you seek here.
Power generation will be sporadic and
occurring during late mornings into the afternoons. This will make fly fishing
the inlet section and river difficult. There have been some good late morning
and afternoon hatches of mayflies and midges so if you are fortunate enough to
hit this area when the turbine is not running it should be very good in the next
couple of weeks. Dry/dropper combos using #16-18 Drifters Crystal Tigers and
Zebras as the nymph are a sure bet here.
The Gorge: Very
good
The warm weather has brought the water
temperature up enough to get those metabolisms racing on the wild browns down in
the pit. Do a little hiking and get into some untouched water and you should
have little trouble getting some love from just about any deep pool or run. The
key here is not to spook the trout on approach. Scout the water you intend to
fish from above on the canyons steep edges. I like to fish upstream here as
opposed to across. Dry/droppers are deadly here, as is a dry/dry combo. The
fish are not overly selective down here; any reasonable dry #14-20 will get
grabs. Keep your nymphs in the #16-18 range.
This is a great time to fish this section,
the true tailwater to Crowley Lake. It is loaded with smaller browns and is
perhaps the most difficult area to fish because of the hike into and out of the
steep canyon. It is worth the effort if you enjoy solitude and small pocket
water fishing.
Please remember that this entire area is
NZMS positive and rotten with the critters. Walk and wade in the streambed as
little as possible, do your moving on dry ground. For more information on the
snail go to
http://www.flyline.com/environmental/nzms
