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Eastern Sierras
Capt. Tom Loe
August 22, 2004
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
August 20th Eastern Sierra Fish Report
August 20, 2004
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to all for this mid-August fish report from the Eastern High Sierra.
The Sierra Drifters family and friends has been deeply saddened by the loss of one of our fondest members. Tom Winegar passed away recently from complications of his longtime battle with diabetes. Tom’s courage and passion for life have been an inspiration to us and he will be truly missed. Tom and his sons have been with us for many seasons and his enthusiastic laughter, sense of humor and all in fun curses at the fish he so dearly cherished will echo along the banks of the Owens forever in my mind. There is no doubt trout waters are plentiful where Tom has gone. This report is dedicated to our dear friend Tom and his sons Greg and Mike who are pictured on our website.
We have been getting wet in the afternoons here the previous several days as a pattern of afternoon T-storms has set in, especially in the high country. The forecast is calling for a decreasing chance of T-storm activity towards the beginning of next week. The Owens Valley has been very warm to hot with some afternoon rains recently. The upper valleys have also been warm during the daytime with morning lows still above freezing. The first significant dusting of snow occurred during one of the more violent storms this week on the peaks of the White Mountains and the very top of the Sierra Crest. Fall is just around the corner with the pinnacle of the Eastern Sierra trout season to look forward to.
THE SECRET SPOT: (Drifters exclusive private trophy water)
These are NOT steelhead or salmon by the way!!!
Check out this weeks monster rainbows caught by Eric “Shaq” Grothues and Cary “the trout ninja” Kutzke. Eric’s fish was 12 inches deep, almost 30 inches long and we estimate close to 15 lbs. You Conejo Valley Fly Fishers had better get your arms ready for battle!
You may view all the pictures mentioned in this fish report by visiting our website at: http://www.sierradrifters.com
Crowley Lake: Good
McGee Bay and the North Arm of the lake continue to be the most consistent areas of the lake to fly fish. The weed beds are receding rapidly as the flows have been raised on the Lower Owens River recently. You may experience some incredible still water nymphing with chironomid imitations the next week or so as huge hatches of the jumbo midges come off in McGee and along Green Banks. The big issue preventing epic fishing and on some days slowing the bite down considerably is the abundant algae that has plagued the lake for most of this summer and is once again making conditions tough at times.
Tubers trolling along the dissipating weed line are at times spanking the larger browns and rainbows using perch fry and damsel fly imitations. A moderate type 3 sink tip is a good choice these days if you wish to tug streamers here. The Drifters punk perch #10-12 are fooling a lot of fish; Crowley Lake icon and D-Haul veteran Mark Saito reports ripping a lot of lips on the punk perch pattern when it was not happening with the midges recently. Our Loebergs #10 are also a solid choice this time of year and the streamer fishing should only improve over the next several weeks as the perch fry get larger and the “predators” start keying on these larger and more substantial sources of protein.
The fish are also targeting the chironomid hatches daily and if the algae does not coat your flies during the emergence you can experience 50 grabs a rod per day on average using our Drifters crystal emergers and gilled chironomid patterns #18-22. Clean your flies EVERY cast and hang the lower fly 12-20 inches off the bottom during the emergences and pupal ascents. Tiger and zebra midges are also a good choice during the off hatch periods and they collect less algae when tied with latex bodies like our commercial imitations are made. Fish these patterns 6-10 inches off the mud for best results. The fish are moving daily and you may find concentrations in as little as 6 feet of water during the mornings and cloudy days. Hang around 9 feet to start and look for rolling fish to pinpoint the “herd”.
Sierra Drifters veterans and well known big tuna slayers Mike Casey and Craig Holmes took a break from the salt and spent some time on Crowley with us recently hoping to get into some of the big trout that stack up next to the weeds on Crowley this time of year. They were not disappointed! Check out the big brown Craig fooled on a #20 gillie and the toothy rainbow Mikey caught and released on the same pattern the day before.
The annual Western Outdoor News sponsored mega float tube event known as the Double Haul in the Fall will be once again be held on Crowley Lake on Sept. 18th. Sierra Drifters Guide Tom Loe will be giving a free seminar and slide show on still water nymphing and streamer techniques for interested participants and the general public. The Crowley Lake Fish Camp will host a BBQ dinner ($15.00 for dinner and a beverage) after the seminar which will start at 5:30 Friday Sept.17th. Contact the Fish Camp at 760-935-4301 for reservations and sign ups for the event.
Lower Owens River: Fair
Flows have been up this month but are currently dropping and being released at 275 cfs in the wild trout section. The mid-day fishing continues to be slow and you will need at least the equivalent of a BB shot in weight to get those nymphs down at current release rates. I suggest you wait until the sun gets over the crest in the afternoon and tie on an elk hair caddis imitation #18-20 (dark bodied) and sight fish for gulping browns in the larger pools. There is some mayfly activity in the mornings, but it is short and sweet. There are better places to fish during mornings and afternoons this time of year.
Due to the lower than average flows we will begin scheduling guided drift boat trips as soon as mid Sept. and we anticipate some excellent fishing this season with last winters “hog hunts” being the best on record for jumbo fish for our clients. Brad McClain will once again be available to put you on big fish as will I with our custom Willie pro drift boats. Look for some solid dry fly action in the fall and early spring as well as the always reliable “dip and strip” method we developed to pull the “troutzillas” out from those deep cuts in the bank in the secluded and near impossible to reach sections of the Lower “O”.
Upper Owens River: Good
You will find better concentrations of trout in the section below the Benton Crossing Bridge but there is still a substantial amount of free floating weed that can make indicator nymphing or streamer fishing a pain in the caboose here. Your best bet is drifting caddis dries in the afternoon or mayflies in the mornings. Stimulators or hopper imitations work well as a lead fly this time of year and you can get clobbered on the big dries when there is nothing else going on. Cast the stim’s on or very close to the banks and make a “splashy” entry. The grabs will come quick! Be ready as most hopper presentations get bit within a few feet of your drift.
San Joaquin River: Good
Do not get discouraged if you do not get into fish within 20 minutes walking of the campgrounds here. The fish in this area have been hit pretty hard all summer and with the water flows becoming low and gin clear it will be tough to get into aggressive fish in the pounded sections. Plan on doing some hiking and you will find eager wild trout that take most dry fly imitations #16-20. I like a #18 elk hair caddis trailed 16 inches behind a #16 stimulator this time of year. Use 5x or lighter tippet for best results and make upstream presentations whenever possible.
West Walker River: Good
The water flows are getting pretty skinny here as well but conditions are still very good in the Pikel Meadow section of the river. DFG is planting the campgrounds and the “parking lot” section of this area. Dry dropper combos with our #16 crystal tigers and zebras under a stimulator or caddis will get you grabs here. Get away from the more trafficked areas and you can get into some larger hold over and wild trout in the 14-16 inch range. With the flows low this river is easy to wade, but I do suggest studded boots or at least felt soles if you wish to wet wade here.
Hot Creek: Fair-good
The fish are still here, they are just more educated this time of year and with the weeds protruding above the water, it makes conditions more challenging on this spring creek. Small mayfly spinner imitations in the morning look for afternoon caddis action always this time of year. There are also plenty of hoppers around and you can survey the channels BEFORE you make a cast and drop that big ole fly just upstream of the brown you spotted holding next to the thick weed line.
East Walker River/Bridgeport Reservoir: Poor
It is a tough go on the lake for fly casters this time of year due to thick weed and heavy algae. The flows are very fishable on the river but due to the high water temps and poor water quality the last couple of seasons we are not fishing here to prevent further stressing the trout in the tailwater section of the EW.
Rock Creek area: Good
I like to walk below the lakes outlet on Rock Creek about ½ mile to the natural small ponds that hold some really fun to catch wild trout. Use a dry dropper combo with our crystal olive zebra #18-20 as the nymph. The wild browns nail this fly here and you may even get into some brookies as well in this section.
The lake is well stocked with DFG and Alpers fish and this is a great time of year to tube the inlet and along the south shore near the ledge or drop-off. Look for the color change in the water (it will go from light green to darker shades of blue and green) and this will tell you where the transition area is. When you get into fish, concentrate your efforts in that location. Do not leave fish to find fish! Streamers like our crystal leech, Loebergs and Spruce-a-bu’s whack the stockers here when used in conjunction with a full or heavy sinking tip line.
Mammoth Lakes/June Lake Loop/South Lake, Sabrina/Lundy Lake/Virginia Lakes/Convict Lake: Fair-good
2004 Alpers Trout and Mono County Dept. of Fish and Game fish stocking schedules http://www.visitmammoth.com
Depending on which lakes got planted the week of your trip will usually dictate the “catching” as always in these put and take dependant fisheries. The T-storms have made afternoon fishing tough the last several days but when the weather straightens out tubers can fool those big hold over Alpers with streamer patterns #6-12. Our light Spruce-a-bu pattern we have nick-named the “dumb blonde” or “Kelly Bundy” has proven to be deadly on Alpers fish and large DFG rainbows. These alpine lakes are best fished with a full or heavy sinking tip line and don’t worry about these rascals being leader shy. 3X tippet is the rule as they have not usually played the game before and it is a matter of locating the school instead of exact and skilled presentations.
Guide tip…
The still summer evenings can be the time these locations take on a different complexion. There are wild trout (not to be confused with “native trout”) in most of these fisheries and on the warm and calm summer evenings one can see many little snouts sipping the emerging midges and may flies that support the appetites of these less opportunistic trout. Long leaders and light tippets fished with a dry fly and small emerger patterns will get you into these beauties with a well placed cast. Do not “line” the rise form. Cast off to the sides of the ring, or if you observe a fish that is “pattern” feeding try to lead him by casting in front of his direction of movement. Our #22 pupa and crystal emerger patterns work well for the “magic” hour on these lakes. Parachute Adams #16 can be seen well enough to use as an indicator and will often times get grabs with aggressively feeding fish.
You can pick up our guide flies at the following stand out locations:
The Crowley Lake Fish Camp, The San Diego Fly Shop, The Troutfitter in Mammoth Lakes, Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, Malibu Fish’N Tackle in Thousand Oaks and…
We are excited to announce the addition of the Crowley Lake Store and Deli to the list of fine shops that carry our flies and merchandise. We have exclusively used the services of this fine family run operation to furnish the outstanding deli style lunches we provide for our clients on full day trips. (The pizzas and pastries here should be made illegal they are so good!) Stop by the store and say hello to Dan and Cleo the next time you need local flies, get hungry and need gas or groceries while in the vicinity of Crowley Lake. They are located 1/4 south on the Crowley Lake/Hilton Creek exit off Hwy 395.
There are links to these locations at www.sierradrifters.com
The Crowley Lake Store can be reached at 760-935-4666.
Be the fly…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
Email [email protected]
www.sierradrifters.com
Phone 760-935-4250
If you visit these links be sure to tell them Sierra Drifters sent you…
Mammoth Lakes Real Estate: http://www.prestigepropertiesmammoth.com
Mammoth Lakes Lodging: http://www.mammothlakes.com/ml2/Lodgingx.html
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