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Eastern Sierras
Capt. Tom Loe
November 5, 2003
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
Eastern Sierra Report...11/5/03
November 4, 2003
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to you all for this “last hurrah” fish report from the Eastern High Sierra.
The weather has drastically altered since our last report and winter like conditions have been the focal point in determining how the fishing has been at your destination. A series of cold, snow packed cold fronts have passed through the region dropping air and water temperatures immensely in a rather short duration of time. Strong winds have accompanied these fronts making fly fishing conditions difficult at best at times. The forecast is calling for continuing cold, and unstable weather patterns, with a high probability of snow and wind for the upcoming weekend. Skiers rejoice!!! Mammoth Mountain is scheduled to open on November 6th.
The general trout season has been extended in Mono County until Nov. 15th. This is the second season that the extension has been in effect. For you hearty souls that enjoy layering up and dealing with the cold weather, excellent opportunities for fly casters abound in this region. Brown trout spawn in the fall and early winter and lose their normal cautious nature with aggressive behavior that makes them generally easier to hook during this period of time. Choose patterns that have some red, orange or flash incorporated into the imitation. Trout will attack these flies out of aggression as opposed to feeding this time of year. Please be EXTRA careful handling trout during the fall and winter spawns. The stress of the spawn alone kills many fish. Do not “over-play” or handle a fish for an excessive amount of time. It is a death sentence to not only the trout, but to the offspring the fish may be a part of.
Big browns are the icing on the cake for fall fly casters and Bill Geiger, from La Habra, CA always seems to get plenty of frosting when fishing Crowley Lake in the fall. Check out Bill’s trophy he caught while fishing one of our “gillies” during the final chironomid hatches of the season.
June Lake, CA locals Don and Lynn Morton with friend Mike Rippee from Milpitas, CA are Crowley veterans and have had 100 fish days together while fishing with us. Check out the nice photo of these kids and the big rainbow caught while fishing the “Six Bays” area of the lake.
Mike McIntire from Hermosa Beach, CA joined the 20/20 club on Crowley this year with a huge rainbow caught during the warmer weather we experienced during late October. This bow measured 22 inches and fell to a size 20-crystal tiger midge. Welcome to the club Mac! Could have been yours Pete…
You may view these pictures and others by visiting our website at http://www.sierradrifters.com
CROWLEY LAKE has been slow with the present cold weather. The chironomid hatches are insignificant and the fish have moved into deeper water as the surface temperatures have cooled substantially. You will do best using streamer patterns in the North Arm around Green Banks. Also in the deeper water, 12-20 feet near the drop-offs in Six Bays and around Leighton Springs and Alligator Point. Some big browns are “staging” in the north arm in preparation for the migration up-river into the Upper Owens spawning areas. Do not expect big numbers currently, but we suggest you bring a camera if you hook up! Forget McGee Bay and Crooked Creek, which traditionally provide great habitat for fall fishing. The L.A.D.W.P. has lowered water amounts in the lake to extremely low levels and these areas have low fish counts.
The Crowley Lake Fish Camp has closed for the season; the remainder of the lake will be open until Nov.15th.
A solid choice for the next week or so would be the UPPER OWENS RIVER, which currently has excellent conditions and is not so influenced by harsh weather. Streamers rule here. Use the dip and strip method with a medium sinking tip line. You will find the fish congregating in select pools, so cover some ground if you are not getting any grabs. Our Loeberg and Spruce-a-bu patterns work wonders in this area. The bulk of Lake Crowley’s spawning fish migrate up this spring creek so put this on your list if you are planning an end of season trip. The section downstream from the Benton Crossing Bridge to the fishing monument located about ½ mile upstream from Crowley Lake is closed to ALL fishing for the remainder of the year.
The EAST WALKER RIVER has extremely low flows (29 cfs) and although this is the prime time of year to fish this great tail water it has not met expectations the last several seasons due to the drought conditions that have influenced much of the west. Go elsewhere.
The hatchery stocking programs in the Mono County region are done for the year and have been since mid-October. The put and take areas like Rock Creek, McGee Creek, Lee Vining Creek, Robinson Creek, West Walker River, etc… will not be fishing well due to low fish counts, low water and colder weather. You will have better luck…weather permitting, in the lakes in the June Lake Loop, Mammoth Lakes Basin, Rock Creek Lake, South Lake and Twin Lakes, Bridgeport areas. For the Mammoth Lakes basin road…during the month of November, if there is less than 6” of snow accumulated on the road it will remain open and the gate will remain unlocked. Call the Mammoth Lakes Visitor Center at 760-924-5500 for current road conditions. You can also phone Cal Trans at 1-800-427-road for the current highway conditions. Be prepared for changing conditions. There are plenty of holdover hatchery fish along with some leftover Alpers trophy trout here. Fly fishers should have a good selection of streamers for these areas with moderate to heavy sinking lines. There will be a good jag of browns moving into Rush Creek for the fall spawn and it is here you may have a chance to get into a really big brown in water other than a lake in this region. Use streamers #6-10 with some red or flash incorporated into the pattern to make the dream come true.
“Freeze tubers” should gear up for a Siberian winter, it has been very cold and water temperatures have dipped into the low 40’s in some areas.
The LOWER OWENS is my choice for this time of year. Flows have been holding at 250 cfs. for about 2 weeks and the fishing has been very steady with the exception of some high winds that influenced the “catching” substantially. You will find a trico and baetis mayfly hatch in the wild trout section during mid-day with spinners in the morning and afternoon. These rascals are rather small, #22-24, and may not be for everyone. Use streamers as an alternative this time of year. We have had excellent results thus far on the drift boat sections using the dip and strip method and moderate sinking tip lines.
Remember the LOWER OWENS is open year round and actually fishes better in the winter months due to lower and more consistent flows. We offer guided drift boat excursions, and wade type fly-fishing trips in these year round waters throughout the entire fall, winter and spring season.
THE GORGE has also been a hot spot for both nymphing and dry fly enthusiasts. This is an excellent time of year to venture into this area as it is semi-protected from the wind and there is as of this report no ice or snow to hinder your hike into the canyon. A dry/dropper combo is deadly here. Stick to #18 or #20 bead heads, with a #14-16 dry fly as an indicator. 6X tippet will get more grabs for your dropper, 5X to the dry on a 7-9 foot tapered leader.
PLEASANT VALLEY RESERVOIR is getting consistently better and will improve even more once the powers that be stop generating during the daylight hours. Hit the inlet section with a float tube and streamers using a trailing midge pattern, or smaller streamer in a tandem rig. Get the imitations down at least ten feet for the best results.
HOT CREEK is a good choice mid-week if you want to go “small” Low water and spooky trout can make this area a challenge for anyone. The browns are getting pretty frisky here and you will find fall mayfly hatches #20 and lower to be the key to your success. Long leaders and high stickers will do best fishing emergers in the channels between weed lines.
Wait until next season to hit the SAN JOAQUIN RIVER. The road is closed for the season.
Both Tioga and Sonora Passes have closed since the last storm and with the threat of significant snowfall looming by the upcoming weekend this may be the curtain on these passes for the remainder of the winter.
You may purchase our time tested 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. There are links to all shops at www.sierradrifters.com
Be the fly…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
Email [email protected]
www.sierradrifters.com
Phone 760-935-4250
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