May 11, 2005
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best
fishes to all for this 2005 trout opener summary from the Eastern High Sierra.
The first couple weeks of the general trout
season opener have gone pretty much as anticipated. The soon to be record
breaking winter of “aught five” have many fisheries frozen, snowbound or
flooded. Lakes and streams above 8500 feet are still firmly in winter’s grips,
however things are looking up as a significant warming trend is forecast for the
next 5 days and this will help thaw some areas out and warm up the alpine lakes
a little.
Fishing has been spotty due to some late
spring storms that deposited another foot and a half of snow above 8500 feet
recently. Look for many of the freestone creeks to begin swelling in the
near future as the snow begins to melt.
With Mammoth Mountain
receiving another 18 inches on May 9th to bring the total snowfall
for the season to 607” they are scheduled to be open for skiing through the 4th
of July holiday. Many will be taking advantage of
the ski and fish opportunities this time of year. Give us a call or email to
schedule a guided fishing trip.
The tailwater fishery of the
Lower Owens River remains horrid as flows are
at maximum levels (607cfs) and LADWP sources tell us that “we are going to make
Crowley a big empty hole to prepare for the runoff.”
The East Walker
flows are much lower (140cfs) and the conditions could not be better. Do not
expect a huge number day here but I suggest you bring along a camera as the few
you do get into will be size large! Flows will increase here soon so get it
while it’s hot. We are told that the EW may see 700cfs this summer. I believe
it from the amount of snow in the Twin Lakes Basin and the level of Bridgeport
Reservoir. There is a baetis hatch late morning #18 and the always present
midges are a good choice for nymphing. On a recent outing longtime Sierra
Drifter, Lance Geiger from Yorba Linda dead drifted a #20 Drifters crystal olive
zebra midge and landed an awesome looking brown while nymphing. Happy birthday-
“First Light!”
"First Light" Geiger from Yorba Linda
on the East Walker River...5/9/05
Crowley Lake
has been spotty for fly fishers but picking up a lot after the “mothers day
hatch” of chironomids. The lake level is dropping rapidly and we are currently
at levels we had last July. You may be shocked at how low the water level is
currently, stay away from the shoreline with your vehicle as there a big section
of soft mud near the water. I have witnessed several “tow jobs” this week. We
have found fair amounts of fish everywhere, but no real concentrations as the
fish are relocating with the lowering water levels. You will get into a few
fish after a move and then it will die out as you hit the fish in your area.
The inlet areas are the most consistent with rainbows in spawning color
present. I suggest you stick to 9-11 feet of water for the most consistent
fishing. Drifter’s Crystal Tigers and Zebra’s #16-18, Gillies and Crystal
Emergers in #18-20 are excellent choices right now. Use the copper heads for a
sunny day and the black heads for the low light periods. If you are struggling
in an area try hanging one of our crystal leech patterns #14-16 as the upper fly
on a stillwater rig with a Crystal Tiger as the dropper. Veteran Sierra
Drifter, Chris Linkletter from San Pedro caught and released a broom tailed
brown and rainbow on this rig recently. Check these fatties out!
"Ironwoman" Chris Linkletter from San
Pedro, CA on Lake Crowley 5/4/05
Streamer fishing has been downright slow in
all areas. I expect this to change as the water begins to warm and the trout
get up off the mud and start looking for food in the middle sections of the
water column.
Bridgeport Reservoir was forecast to
be a sleeping giant. It is still napping in regards to fly-fishing I am sorry
to say. We had a hard time finding any concentrations of trout. The conditions
are the best I have seen in years with the water levels well past the air strip
jetty. Great visibility and no weeds with a solid chironomid and callibaetis
hatch the day I fished. The DFG recently planted the lake as well as Tim Alpers
and a fishery enhancement program is being implemented by local businesses; it
looks great here for the future. I got news today that streamers being trolled
with a full sinking line are getting the recently planted fish in the 13-16 inch
range. Go to
www.bridgeportcalifornia.com or
www.bigmeadowlodge.com for info.
Lower Twin Lake
(Bridgeport) gets the honor of the two largest trout (browns) so
far. Told ya so… Too bad they will not get a chance to get larger. Tough fly
fishing conditions here and you may want to bring out those old 4-5mm neoprenes
for tubing! Use a full sink and pick up our Light Spruce-a-bu #8 if you plan on
freeze tubing here.
Hot Creek
has been off and on also due to the weather. The flows are currently excellent
here but the word is fish counts are down this year according to a recent DFG
survey. We will let you know the results when the DFG posts the information.
Dry dropper bead head combos using baetis (mayfly) nymph’s #18-20 or midge
imitations #18-22 will get grabs. Use a #16 yellow bodied stimulator as your
dry or indicator.
The Crowley Lake
tributaries Upper Owens, Big Springs, McGee, Convict and Hilton Creeks
all have substantial numbers of spawners “honey mooning” currently and if you
nymph with glo-bugs, and our crystal olive zebra midges #18-20 or tease them
with streamer patterns you should have some fun with these migrating rainbows.
They are getting a tad spooky from recent pressure so use a quiet approach.
Please avoid stomping on the gravel beds or fishing for actively spawning
trout.
The Lower Owens
is blown out at over 600cfs and is not going to go down much we are told
in the near future. I would go elsewhere. You can click on the flow rates
above.
The Gorge
is fishing pretty good right now in most sections. Dry dropper combos and dries
(mayfly or caddis) in the #16-18 range will get grabs if you do not spook the
fish. I have reliable reports of several rattlesnakes being seen or
“eradicated” this week, look before you step here.
The West Walker
River is on the rise but currently fishing fair to good in the slower
sections and campground areas. I suggest you use Crystal Tiger Midges #16-18 or
Olive Zebras while nymphing under an indicator or large dry fly. Some of the
pools in the lower sections can be fished with a streamer this time of year and
will have fair numbers of hatchery fish eager to smack a wooly bugger or Loeberg
#10. The pass to Sonora is still closed but may open by Memorial Day.
Tioga Pass is closed with no report on the
opening as of yet.
Convict
is ice free with snow on the banks.
June Lake Loop
is open and the lakes are ice free now with the campgrounds open. You will not
need to buy ice as there is plenty of snow around to keep the beer cold!
Mammoth Lakes
Basin is like “Ice Station Zebra” Late June?
San Joaquin River
is out until July unless you have snowshoes or a snowmobile.
Rock Creek
is fishing ok for planters in the lower sections; the lake is a block of ice.
http://www.convictlake.com/
http://www.rockcreeklake.com/fishing/current.htm
http://www.tomsplaceresort.com/
Bishop Creek drainage is still a winter
wonderland- check their website for updates on how long your ice auger needs to
be…
http://bishopcreekresort.com/fish/index.htm
The DFG and Alpers trucks had a difficult
time planting the usual locations this season and many areas will not be planted
until mid to late May it appears. The Alpers stocking schedule can be found at
http://www.visitmammoth.com/activities/fishingfr.html
You can pick up our guide flies at the
following stand out locations: The San Diego Fly Shop, The Troutfitter/Trout Fly
in Mammoth Lakes, Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, Malibu Fish’N Tackle in Thousand
Oaks. 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
