June 16th Fish'N Conditions
Capt. Tom Loe
June 17, 2012
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
June 16th Fish'N Conditions – Sierra Drifters Guide Service
Crowley Lake
The algae cometh. Conditions have taken a turn for the worse on Crowley as the seasonal spring turnover has begun. Locating areas that hold fish and have clean water is difficult currently. This condition will force the trout towards the inlets in numbers soon. The wind direction plays an important role as well when the lake has a "bloom". Westerly winds move the algae away from the inlet areas of McGee Creek and the Upper Owens making conditions much better. The pesky easterly winds drive the algae towards the more productive westerly shorelines and stack the algae up along the weedbeds making still water nymphing with midges and mayfly imitations difficult. Fish your chironomid larva patterns 6-10 inches off the bottom and use bodies with black, blue, or purple on them to make them stand out in the murky water. The broken back midge blue was designed for conditions such as we are seeing now. Zebra midges are also good choices currently as the silver ribbing and crystal flash tails stand out in ther poor visibility. You can still have a great day on Crowley when the wind moves the algae out, and it will not be long before the fish stack up near the inlets so keep an eye on the weather for that sustained westerly wind in the Long Valley area.
East Walker River
The extended period of low flows have given fly fishers some good times on the EW as of late. Water temps are climbing and with this you will see increased caddis activity before noon, a solid PMD emergence most days with the cloudy ones being especially good. Nymphing with midge patterns and mayfly imitations are also right on. The EW has an exceptional chironomid {midge} population being the tail water for Bridgeport Reservoir. Broken back midges are deadly here as they bounce on the riffle water and wiggle looking very realistic. Work the sections below the first bridge crossing away from the popular "miracle mile" for a better shot at some numbers. At flows below 200cfs wading is easy and crossing in the harder to reach areas is not difficult. Dry dropper combos can be the hot ticket using crystal olive midge or caddis patterns as the nymph dropper, select a stimulator, #14-16 caddis adult, or Hi-vis para post mayfly for the dry fly. This is a great rig to fish the riffle or short water, and can be effective in the eddies and seams when you see fish sipping.
Hot Creek
By far one of the better early summers on Hot Creek we have seen. Just about perfect flows allowing extended drifts over the weed lines combined with an amazing caddis emergence have put HC on the bucket list of places to go currently. Did I say caddis? Adults, pupa, larva-anything caddis will get grabs. Try a dry/dry combo with a #16 and #18 about 30 inches from the larger fly. This rig gives you better visibility and can take drag off the target #18 elk caddis pattern. Fish the slots in the weeds and use a 10 foot leader 5X is fine.
Bridgeport Reservoir
The bridge is also turning over and fishing has slowed down for fly fishers currently. Water levels are still great for this time of year considering the light winter and this will pave the way for some fun times and great still water nymphing opportunities in Buckeye Bay and the Robinson Creek channels soon. Callibaetis patterns like the Assassins, Killa baetis and flash back PT's will get you grabs around noon. Fish midge emergers like gillies, crystal emergers and pupa patterns as an upper fly in the mornings with a broken back or crystal tiger/zebra midge as the lower dropper fly. The weed lines are well established and you must identify the channels and open patches to suspend your flies over. This may take some time and it is imperative that you locate these areas to ensure success. The Bridgeport Marina has a full selection of our flies and Under-cators and will help you rig up and point you to the open water. Just say Baaah if you see Jeffery the "harbor master" he will be happy to help you out.
Lower Owens River
Pretty slow down here due to high flows and very warm days. The mornings can be decent with action on streamers fished with heavy sinking tip lines, however as the sun gets higher and the hatches diminish you will see decreased feeding activity and a slow bite. Wading the wild trout section is not fun at these release rates and with so many other options I suggest looking elsewhere.
Upper Owens River
Overall conditions are very good here, just not many big fish being seen at this time. Dry fly action is really picking up, have some caddis adults #16-18 in your box. There is a decent PMD mayfly hatch as well and I like using high vis #14-16 para mayfly adults as the dry in conjunction with a bead head dropper like a flashback PT or Assassin birds nest imitation. The section above the Benton Bridge has better numbers but mostly smaller fish. The Benton bridge down has planters and they will hit these patterns as well. Look for the deeper/slower bends in this area and you may locate a "sugar hole" or two.
San Joaquin River
Road remains closed, expected to open by July 4th. Extensive repair work to the campgrounds and roads due to a major storm.
Alpine Lakes
The IAG and DFG trucks have been out and about planting some trophy sized rainbows into the waters of many of our alpine lakes. The mild winter and warm temps have put these fisheries in great shape very early this season. We are pretty much 30-40 days ahead of the normal transition into summer cycle. Tubing these lakes and trolling streamers for the opportunistic rainbows is the best way to get their attention. Patterns like the Spruce-A-Bu, Agent Orange, and Loeberg will get grabs in the June lake Loop, Rock Creek Lake, Mammoth Lakes Basin, Virginia Lakes, South Lake and Sabrina…etc Man we have alot of water here! I like to target on inlet areas, drop-offs and ledges which can be located with polarized sun glasses. The "color change" from light to dark water indicates a transition in depth. Troll or cast your streamers parallel to this ledge for best results using a full sinking or heavy sinking tip line. Keep your leaders 9-11 feet, this length will seperate the fly far enough from the line and keep the fishes attention on your fly.
Be the Fly…
Tom Loe, Sierra Drifters Guide Service
760-935-4250
Cell 760-937-2015
Email [email protected]
www.sierradrifters.com
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