January 14, 2007 - UPDATE
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters.
So much for low and consistent flows. The LADWP
has once again astonished us all with their YO-YO methods of water
management. Flows have been increased to 350cfs and will remain here for
most of the week, and then we are told (uh-huh) that they will go back
down to 100 cfs.
Its been really cold in the Eastern Sierra this
week and water temps have dropped to 36 degrees making the “catching”
slow. Conditions should improve next week and we can get back to a more
seasonal pattern.
Be the fly friends…Tom Loe, Sierra Drifters Guide
Service
January 8, 2007
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to
all for this January fish report from the Eastern High Sierra. Have a
great New Year Folks!
Sierra Drifters guide Tom Loe will be heading
down to So-Cal to visit with his great friends at the San Diego Fly
Fishers meeting on the evening of February 5th 2007. Tom will
be doing a Power Point presentation on innovative fly fishing techniques
for the Eastern Sierra. The public is welcome and sincerely invited to
attend. You can get details by calling Stroud’s Tackle (619-276-4822) ask
for the “mighty Osprey”, or by visiting the SDFF website at……
http://www.sandiegoflyfishers.com/
Tom will also be doing a Power Point seminar on
March 31st 2007 at Bob Marriott’s Fly Fishing Store in
Fullerton. This show will be in conjunction with Bob’s Sierra preview and
there will be other industry pros and great gear on sale to get you ready
for the new Sierra trout season. Put this one on your calendar and come
by and talk trout, pick up guide tips and pointers on fly fishing trout in
the Sierra. Contact Marriott’s at 800-535-6633 and ask for Kevin Bell, or
visit Bob’s web at
http://www.bobmarriotts.net
FISH ON BABY!!! Now that I have your undivided
attention we need you all to write the Cal DFG Commissioners and express
your approval of the new regulations opening sections of the Upper Owens
River, Hot Creek and the tailwater section of the East Walker River to
year round fishing beginning on March 1st 2007. We have
included a link to the new regulations and as usual you can click on the
button above for DFG news. DFG commission info at
http://www.fgc.ca.gov/
There are a number of local businessman and land
owners that are opposing this new regulation and will attempt to reverse
the decision at the next Mono County Fisheries advisory meeting this
February.
We at Sierra Drifters Guide Service support the
new regulations and feel the additional year round water will benefit all
catch and release fisherman with little impact on the fisheries,
enforcement or search and rescue organizations. Get the word out friends
we need to make our opinions heard.
What a difference 450cfs makes! The Lower Owens
River flow rates have finally dropped and the fishing has picked up a
bunch since our prior report. In addition Pleasant Valley Reservoir has
also been fishing very well for larger fish for those hardy enough to
climb into their “freeze” tubes and chuck streamers.
The weather has become more seasonal with some
very cold mornings and gusty winds ripping through the valley once a
week. Overall it has remained “abnormally dry” this year and the snow
pack is well below average with only a fraction of what is was last year
at this time.
Still relatively early, but it looks to be an
early spring with Crowley Lake thawing well before normal. It is currently
only partially frozen and still open at the inlets as of this report.
There is only a trace amount of snow on the ground in Long Valley and Hot
Creek although it has been very cold in the mornings. We are gonna have
some obese trout this spring!
Lower Owens River: Good
The flows have dropped again the last couple of
days and are currently at 120cfs below the dam at Pleasant Valley. The
LADWP website link is currently being updated and accurate. These are
great flows for wading the wild trout section and the dirt roads leading
to the rivers edge are drying out nicely and can once again be used with
caution. They will be frozen in the morning and safe to drive on but as
the sun melts the ice some areas will become a quagmire and you can get
easily stuck. One still needs to examine the banks before walking up to a
step edge. They are extremely undermined this year and many are
collapsing as they dry out.
Nymphing has been the best bet using zebra and
tiger midges’ #16-20. With these low flows you can get those bugs down
with a single bb shot or even #4 in some runs. There are some rising fish
sipping baetis and midge clusters, but overall the surface action has been
on the slow side. Look for a substantial change beginning in a few weeks
as the first generations of baetis mayflies really begin to emerge and the
water temps climb into the mid-forties. Streamers like our Spruce-a-bu and
blood sucking Vanderleech used in conjunction with the “dip and strip”
method are providing consistent action and some really nice fish. I
expect some great may fly emergences to begin soon, especially in the
lower sections of the river as the water temps rise much sooner than in
the immediate tailwater sections of the Owens. We had some very slow days
with the high levels and cold temps in late December and those Sierra
Drifters fishing with us during that period had to really work for their
fish.
Jake Brower “the beef” and a chunky bow
Legal Eagles Jake “the beef” Brower from Orange,
CA and his partner Daryl “heavy D” Anthony from Santa Ana, CA had a wicked
passing cold front, high flows and 30mph winds to contend with as they
drifted the first of a two day float. Not to be denied, “the beef”
spanked a large rainbow as chunks of ice flew off the guides on his rod
during the battle. Talk about work ethic, this one goes in the books-
chapter one!!!
Wally “waldo” Sinner & son, Danny “Rainy Day Rainbow”
Wally “waldo” Sinner and son Danny from Upland, CA
took a day off skiing and drifted with us recently with Waldo getting big
fish honors by using “old age and treachery” to overcome the youth and
skill of son Danny. Fun trip guys, Happy New Year!
Jim & Kyle Moses “tag team bow”
Veteran Drifter Jim Moses from Bakersfield, CA
hosted his son Kyle for his first drifts down the Lower Owens and the
father and son teamed up for twenty rainbows and browns a day with several
double hook ups each day. “Mose” caught and released a rainbow with a
very fresh paint job to make another fish report.
Pleasant Valley
Reservoir: Good
The Rez is fishing well despite the cold weather
and those hardy souls doing the polar bear thing and jumping in their
freeze tubes are enjoying some solid fishing especially for the larger
grade rainbows beginning to stage near the inlet area of the lake.
Streamers are your best bet currently used with a heavy or full sinking
line fished around ten feet in depth. Look for the small river section to
pick up a bunch as the trout begin to migrate into the transition water
and lower flows. I like dry/dropper bead head combos for this section and
you will be hard pressed to find a more consistent fly here than our
crystal tiger midges #16-18 as your lower bug.
Be careful in the mornings wading in felt soles
along the banks as the ice can be very treacherous!
The Gorge: Fair
The wild browns in this section are still pretty
lethargic and I would not call their feeding behavior “ravenous” most
days. Hit the larger pools with nymphs in the #18-20 range and keep your
tippets in the 6X range for the most grabs. It will not be long here
before we start to see some significant baetis mayfly hatches and some
great dry fly opportunities. No snow or ice here currently and if you
want some water to yourself this is the place!
You can pick up our Authentic & Improved Sierra
Drifters Guide Flies, Sungicators & Killer Kits (Great Holiday Gifts)
only at the following stand out locations (don’t be fooled
by any of the imitations out there!): Kittredge Sports in Mammoth
Lakes, 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, Bob
Marriott’s in Fullerton, Buz's Fly Shop Too in Bakersfield and online at
www.bigfishhappen.com. There are links to these locations at the
resources tab above. We pride our Guide Service & Products on
Innovation not Imitation!
Be the fly friends…
Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
760-935-4250
Driftfish@qnet.com
