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Eastern Sierras
Capt. Tom Loe
May 24, 2004
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
May 24, 2004
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. We hope you all have the opportunity to make some great fishing memories this Memorial Day weekend.
Fly fishing in the Eastern Sierra has been very good in most locations with the only exceptions being those fisheries affected by spring run-off from snowmelt. The weather has turned more seasonal the second half of this month and there have been some windy and cooler days especially in the upper valleys. The cooler weather has reduced early high run-off that was making conditions less than favorable in several watersheds earlier this month. The forecast is showing a continuing trend of afternoon thunderstorms accompanied by stiff westerly winds especially towards the middle of the week. Look for cooler weather with freezing temperatures in the mornings and daytime highs in the low 60’s and upper 50’s in the upper valleys and alpine locations. The Owens Valley will have gusty winds from time to time in the afternoons, with highs in the 70’s and lows going down into the upper 30’s and low 40’s.
The D.F.G has lifted the quarantine on the planting of Alpers trout in some of the traditionally stocked areas that in their opinion will not be adversely affected by the further spread of the N.Z.M. snail. Alpers has gone through great lengths at his hatchery facility to reduce the further spreading of the snail in waters that have tested negative. This is good news indeed for many of the alpine lakes and resorts in the Eastern Sierra that have become dependant upon these fine hatchery fish to lure fisherman to these areas. We do not have the official word as to where and when the Alpers will be planted, but it looks like the majority of previously Alpers planted fisheries will have fish by Memorial Day, weather and road conditions permitting. For more information on the snail go to www.flyline.com/NZ_mudsnail.htm
Tioga and Sonora Passes, and the road into the Mammoth Lakes Basin are all open as of this report. The road leading into Devils Postpile and the middle fork of the San Joaquin River will remain closed until early June.
Lower Owens River: Fair
Water releases continue to be around 200cfs below the Pleasant Valley Dam and the wild trout section of the river. Sources inform us there are no scheduled increases in the immediate future. The bite is good in the mornings and then again during late afternoon. The mid-days can be slow this time of year and this trend will continue as the sun gets higher and the air and water temperatures continue to increase. Midge and caddis imitations like our Drifters olive and black crystal zebras for nymphing in the mornings. Look for some splashy surface grabs when the shadows get longer in the afternoons. Elk caddis #16-18 will work for a well drifted dry in the softer water and shadows.
Midges are by far the most populous aquatic insect the trout feed on in this area and you will seldom go wrong with imitations in the #18-22 range. I have observed an increase in the overall population of midges along the Lower Owens recently; this could be in part due to the large number of NZMS in this area. It has been documented that certain species of dipterans actually feed on the excrement of the snail. Could this be a silver lining to the snail issue here?
We are approaching the final days of the drift boat season on the Lower Owens River as the flows will soon increase and the daytime air temperatures become uncomfortable by late mornings. The last several floats saw only mediocre results with the best grabs coming in the mornings before the sun got to high. There was minimal dry fly activity last week and streamer patterns like our Loeberg #10 were the key to success by Santa Barbara Fly Fishers Tom Brashears and Joe Maxwell who spent a day on the river and one day on Crowley with us recently. Tommy defied the odds and got this awesome rainbow after several well placed casts into a big “black hole” late in the drift. Joe got big fish honors the following day on Crowley with a 21 inch Lahontan Cutthroat that fell to one of our chironomid patterns and a silky smooth hook set.
To view the pictures in this email click on www.sierradrifters.com
The epic bite is over for now but the “catching” remains very good in several areas of the lake this week. Extremely encouraging about this season on Crowley is that we have found solid numbers of fish everywhere. The sizes will be mixed most days and you will find the average fish to be slightly shorter than in years past however, very rotund. Sandy Point, Leighton Springs, McGee Bay and Big Hilton are all holding fish in 10-15 feet with the most consistent depth around 13 feet. Look around if you are only getting into the newcomers from last fall, the bigs are moving day to day.
Do not be surprised if you get into some Sacramento Perch. The little green buggers are in their redds and spawning in the 10-15 foot range all over the lake.
The winds have been a factor this week and I suggest you rent or bring your own boat to optimize your day here. Tubing McGee Bay this time of year can be iffy and it is a long difficult kick back to the rig if those strong Sou’Westers come up.
There is no question about what to rig up and fish here recently. Still water nymphing is totally kicking caboose over all other methods of angling. Drifter’s copper or black crystal tiger’s #16-18 on the lower fly, with a Drifters copper emerger, pupa, or gilled chironomid (Gillie) #18-20 on top will get you grabs most of the day. If you are seeing lots of chironomid shucks floating on the surface, tie on a dual Gillie rig or tandem emergers with an 18 on top of a 20. Hang that lower fly down at least 10-11 feet below your strike indicator for best results. The algae bloom is not a factor yet and the weed beds are still well below the surface and about 2-3 foot high.
Crowds have been huge on weekends.
Hot Creek: Fair-good
Water clarity is once again good since the weather has turned cooler at the upper elevations. Fishing pressure takes its toll here especially on and after weekends. The conditions are very good however the fish are getting more selective as to what they take, and especially how it is presented. 6X and even 7X tippets will get you more grabs as will a 10-11 foot leader.
Size 18-22 midge and caddis larva patterns are best for nymphing, with some late morning mayfly activity #18-20 light bodies. PMD imitations are a good choice. The windy afternoons last week have made dry fly fishing difficult; don’t look for much change this week as it looks like more of the same.
East Walker River: Good
Flows have leveled off at 145cfs. This is a good release for much of the meadow section as it will move some of the fish out of the larger pools. Numbers are still not terrific here but 14-16 inch fish are common, with a good number of larger browns being caught when the conditions are right. Use a larger attractor pattern for your upper fly on a nymph rig. San Juan Worms #14-16 are always a good bet here in the early part of the season. I like our #18-20 long shank Drifters crystal tiger midge for the upper fly, and a #18-20 olive bodied bead head crystal zebra for the dropper. As the flows increase you may find increasing opportunities to tug streamer patterns at the head of the big bends and larger pools. Our dark Spruce-a-bu is a killer imitation for the resident Tui chubs that inhabit the Walker. Dip and strip your light to moderate sink tip for a shot at that once in a lifetime brown. They do lurk here…
West Walker: Fair
Water clarity has improved here some but the drainage is still high and when it warms up even a little this time of year it can really mess the conditions up for fly-fishers. Other than fishing for stockers in the campground areas I would wait a while to hit this fishery.
South Lake, Bishop Creek: Good
They are putting boats in even though the water levels are still very low here and it may be a week or so until the DFG has sufficient water to plant. Look for Alpers fish in the creek and at Intake II. Streamers pulled with full sinking lines will work best for the holdover fish. Get you flies down at least 10-15 feet.
Rock Creek: Good
Clarity is very good here and the flows are not high right now and if you wish to get into some DFG stockers this is a good bet. Some of the upper campgrounds remain closed, as is the resort which should be open weather permitting by Memorial Day. The ice is off the lake and the road is open. Dry dropper combos with a Stimulator or large caddis for the upper fly #12-14 and a dropper bead head zebra or tiger midge #16 will work well for the creek. Hit the lake with thermals under those waders and have a full sinking line to tug our Loebergs or crystal leech and punk perch patterns at the 10-15 foot range.
Upper Owens River: Fair
Most of the spawners are returning back to the lake and you may encounter some off colored and weed filled water from time to time here as irrigation and run-off begin. We have reports of some monster browns being hooked and one 25 incher that was actually landed in the Long Years section of the river. You will find the resident smaller browns and rainbows to hit midge imitations the best while nymphing #16-20. Use sufficient weight to get those bugs down in the deeper pools. The wind has blown this area out in the afternoons lately so mornings may be your best bet in the near future.
McGee Creek, Convict Creek, Hilton Creek: Poor
Other than those fish that get planted every so often right at the Hwy 395 crossing on McGee, the fishing is slow as most of the Kamloops rainbows have gone back into Crowley Lake. These areas will not get any better this season, as the fall flows will be low once again and there are not plentiful numbers of resident fish here to warrant a days outing.
June Lake Loop: Good
Alpers should be able to get fish into this area by Memorial Day. Rush Creek will be crowded, but will have plenty of DFG fish to keep you busy if you can get into a stocking point before they get into the creels and frying pans of the catch and keep crowd. Streamers and the Stimulator/tiger tandem rigs work well in the creek. Grant is low and I have not had great reports from here. Silver has fished better near the inlet of Rush. Try out our crystal leech with a full sinking line in this area and at Gull Lake. It has been windy here this week; expect the same condition into next week.
Mammoth Lakes Basin: Fair
The Twin Lakes have been fishing the best directly below the falls. There is still some spotty snow and ice at Mary and Mamie. Use streamers with moderate sinking tips or full sink lines this time of year. Have some red in your patterns #8-12 for harder takes.
Alpers will no doubt get his fish into this area a.s.a.p. Look for submerged tree stumps near the inlet at Mary and you will find these fish.
You will find our fly patterns available at these fine fly shops:
The Troutfitter in Mammoth Lakes, Crowley Lake Fish Camp, Malibu Fish’N Tackle in Thousand Oaks, Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, and The San Diego Fly Shop. There are links to all shops at www.sierradrifters.com
The “save Hot Creek hatchery initiative” is moving along at “glacial speeds” thanks to the dynamic governmental machine we have in California. There are all green lights and a lot of positive feedback coming from Sacramento, lets hope it goes through in time. This link was sent to us by Brad Willis. He is the elected representative of all rank and file state hatchery workers. He has been helping Assemblyman Dave Cogdill get the word out about AB 2280 www.stormsource.org
Be the fly…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
Email [email protected]
www.sierradrifters.com
Phone 760-935-4250
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