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Eastern Sierras
Capt. Tom Loe
February 26, 2003
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
Eastern Sierra - Late February 2003 Fish Report
February 25, 2003
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to all of you for this late February fish report.
More so than most years we have weather that is extremely diverse here in the Eastern Sierra. You can be wearing a t-shirt one day and need a Siberian parka on within 12 hours! Typically this time of year the Owens Valley will have cooler weather patterns with a day or two that foreshadow the coming of spring. “Radical” shifts in the weather are the term I would use to describe the current pattern. If you are planning a trip bring clothing that can be easily layered and shed moisture in the event of some rain or snow.
The forecast is calling for cool weather this week with a chance of snow/rain throughout the period. El Nino it is not, El “I do not know” is more accurate!
Fishing has been very good on most days, with some poor “catching” found on the odd day during the radical weather swings.
Lower Owens River: Very good-poor
The wild trout section and the upper areas of the Lower Owens have been fishing very well most days recently as the flows remain at 125 cfs. Afternoon baetis hatches are prime time for the wild browns in this area. #18 blue winged olive patterns will get you the grabs in this area for the short duration of this hatch. The first golden stoneflies appeared this week, as did some dark bodied caddis flies. The trout still keyed on the mayflies with a few fish smacking the caddis during the late afternoon.
Water temperatures reached 47 degrees during a warm snap a few days ago. We expect this to lower this week as the air temps fall with the passing cold fronts.
Stick to nymphing with mayfly imitations #16-20 that have some flash in the pattern during the mornings and off hatch periods. The cloudy and partly cloudy days have been best, as is usually the case with baetis emergences. Look for the hatch to come off around 12:30-1:45 most days.
We have been mixing it up a little on the drift boat sections, as the baetis hatch on some days is more than we can resist. Streamer patterns #8-10 in olive and white have been best for us on the larger rainbows using a moderate sinking tip line in conjunction with our “dip and strip” method. When the baetis come off in significant numbers we break out the 4 wts. and present dry flies to the rising trout. This is a fun time of year for the drift boat sections.
Glenn Pratt from Goleta, CA and fellow Santa Barbara Fly Fisher Tom Brashears of Santa Barbara, CA unfortunately hit some horrid weather recently while drifting with us and Glenn managed to catch and release a thick-bodied rainbow that was fooled by one of our mosquito fish imitations called a “Loeberg.” Nice going guys, hope you have dried out!
Mike Kaplan from Yorba Linda Ca. had a fine day on the river with the icing on the cake being a chunky bow caught on a “Loeberg” with his buddy Steve Fillman doing the netting honors. Check out the pictures of these fish and our “Loebergs” by visiting our website at http://sierradrifters.com
Pleasant Valley Reservoir: Fair-good
The most consistent fishing for fly fishers has been in the reservoir while fishing from a tube. The dam area and launch ramp sections have been good while using full or heavy sinking tip lines and tugging or trolling streamer patterns #6-12 in olive, brown, orange or natural.
The river section has been slow at times during the cold snaps. Look for this area to come on strong in the future as the spring spawn is not far off and the D.F.G. should begin to plant significant amounts of trout soon. A large dry fly used as a strike indicator such as a Stimulator #14 and a 2-3 foot dropper tied on 6x fluorocarbon tippet with a bead head nymph #16-18 like our crystal tiger and crystal zebra midges work wonders here when this area is on the bite.
This area is very reliant on hatchery or planted fish although it does have a good amount of wild browns that come up for the baetis and caddis hatches. If you are struggling to locate fish in the lower sections of the river near the transition to the reservoir, take a short walk upstream into the riffles and hit the pocket water. There is ample area here even during the crowded weekend periods to find some wild or holdover fish that will take dries or nymphs aggressively.
The Gorge: Fair-good
Most people will struggle here if they do not want to break brush or do some walking. I suggest you hit the wild trout section of the Lower Owens River for a better experience on the average. If you do not mind “bush whacking” and hiking in steep, shale lined cliff areas, this is your place. There is some great fishing in this area for smaller wild browns that will eagerly hit most any presentations. The trick is to get into these areas and then not spook the trout before the cast. It is work down here, no two ways about it. This is small water even for Eastern Sierra standards. Cloud cover really helps or when the sun is past the lip of the rim on the canyon.
You may purchase our guide flies at the following fine fly shops:
Malibu Fish’n Tackle in Thousand Oaks, Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, The Troutfitter in Mammoth Lakes
Be sure to visit the Crowley Lake Fish Camp Booth at the Fred Hall Sportsman’s Show March 5th – 9th at the Long Beach Convention Center. We will have our flies at discount rates and pro guide Sierra Drifters own Mickey Baron to answer your questions.
Guide tips: A clean fly is a happy fly!
The fishing is just so-so, we get a grab every now and then but the gurgling of the water and the singing of the birds breaks our concentration…We all have a tendency to get lethargic on the maintenance of our flies. A tiny miniscule piece of river grass has attached its self to our fly and we have not looked close enough at the imitation recently to detect it. Bummer! The trout want nothing to do with this chunk of salad that has found its way onto our fly. It is essential to keep your fly clean at ALL times if you want consistent results.
Dry fly presentations are less likely, but not immune to encounter this problem. If you are fishing a nymph or a streamer I encourage you to examine your imitation closely EVERY cast. It will make a huge difference in the long run. Scrutinize your tippet and leader also, many times a knot will be a location for some algae or grass to attach its self to and spook or alert the trout to danger.
The best way to clean a fly is NOT by mechanically “picking” the goo off the fly. Dipping the fly into the water and swishing or agitating the debris off the fly while under the surface is best. This method is easy on the materials that comprise the fly and it does an efficient and quick job of cleaning the fly. You may also blow on the fly while it is still wet to clean it instead of handling the fly and pulling the goo off. A series of false casts lightly nipping the surface and using the resistance of the water to pull or strip the debris off the fly can be very effective and a quick way to get a clean bug or tippet
Natural aquatic insects or baitfish will not have algae or debris clinging to their bodies. Make sure your presentations are “salad free” when stalking trout in your favorite waters.
Be the fly…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
Email [email protected]
www.sierradrifters.com
Phone 760-935-4250
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