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Eastern Sierras
Capt. Tom Loe
October 12, 2004
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
Columbus Day 2004 Fish Report
October 11, 2004
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to you all for this Columbus Day 2004 fish report from the Eastern High Sierra.
Fall colors are the frosting on the cake if you are planning a visit in the next couple of weeks. Take some time to visit the high canyons and passes and bring your cameras. The scenery is spectacular this time of year and it is well worth the detour to check out the multitude of colors the deciduous trees are displaying.
A weak cold front will pass through the region this weekend bringing nothing more than gusty winds and slightly cooler temperatures. The forecast calls for a warming trend next week with stable weather through next weekend.
The bottom line here this fall is very low water in many of the fisheries that are traditionally best fished during the later part of the season. Fall is typically the best time of the season to visit many of the freestone creeks, tailwaters and alpine lakes. This is not the case this year as a result of the continued drought years the entire west has been faced with. Some of the reservoirs and lakes are extremely low and many of the creeks are at winter flows which make fishing very difficult and tough on the fish for catch and release methods. I strongly suggest you check with local resorts and fly shops before making the trek to your favorite lake or creek.
Crowley Lake: Excellent
Bottom line- this is the best place for catching here in the region. This place is going off and if you get even decent weather you should have a sore arm by the end of the day. If you want to get into some great “catching” Crowley is the place! Most of the fish will be on the small side by Crowley standards, but these are AVERAGE SIZED fish for most of the fisheries here in the Sierra. Five littles (9-11 inchers) to one slammer (17-22 incher) has been the norm here recently. Do a little searching if you are not getting into any fatties.
The tubers trolling streamers are having excellent results during the mornings and evenings with perch fry patterns #10-14. (Loebergs, Punk Perch) The fish are spread out this time of year and you will find groups of the larger fish working any remaining weed lines or “strands” in 4-8 feet. The lake continues to drop as the flows on the Lower Owens are at 250 cfs and are forecast to remain here during the month of October. Locate the drop-offs and any sign of remaining weed and you will find the larger fish.
Check out one of the many hogs float tuber Russ Smith caught and released recently while trolling a “battered” Loeberg and punk perch in the Leighton Springs area recently.
I suggest you look at the Hiltons, Sandy Pt., X-mas Bay, Six Bays, Leighton Springs and the area around “mud Island” located west of Alligator Pt. near the floating restroom in the north arm of the lake. McGee Bay and the south shoreline have been sporadic.
The chironomid hatch has peaked about 11 am and we have had tremendous results using tiger and zebra midges #16-18 dropped below our crystal leeches and punk perch patterns #12-14. Make sure you “twitch” or lift the rod tip every 30 seconds to jig the flies if the water is still or there is no wind to move the flies making them more appealing to the trout. #18-20 gilled chironomids (gillies) and crystal pupas or emergers are the right choice during the hatch. We are getting consistent grabs in 5-11 feet depending on the weather and emergence. The water is very clear and the algae is not present anywhere on the lake. I suggest you use 5X tippet for best results when stillwater nymphing. 3X and 4X are sufficient for streamers.
The “Class of 77” and I use that term loosely…booked their annual Crowley Lake reunion with us and had incredible fishing while doing the stillwater method from several Sierra Drifters flats boats. Ron O’Bray, “the pres” from Auburn, CA, pistol Pete Pedersen, (50 fish day) Fair Oaks, CA, Dave “I am the fly” Pine, Fremont, CA, Mark “Maaark” Tannenbaum of Kingman, AZ, Steve “the trout assassin” Mumford Livermore, CA and Kelley “there are roaming charges on that cast it was so long” Turner from Tracy, CA. These guys spanked well over 250 fish in a several days, check out the pics by visiting our website at http://www.sierradrifters.com
Fall is the time for big browns on Crowley, and Mrs. Sierra Drifters, Michele Loe proved that a few days ago as she made it out on Crowley for a second time this season. She always gets the big ones!
Richard Rathcke from Acton, CA had a memorable couple of days on Crowley recently getting into numerous 18-22 inch rainbows. Check out the paint job on this fall fatty he caught while stillwater nymphing with us on a recent guided trip!
Upper Owens River/ Big Springs: Good
The “gauntlet” section below the Benton Crossing Bridge is now closed for the remainder of the season. Please go to http://www.dfg.ca.gov
for complete information on the current DFG regulations.
Look for migrating trout below the fishing monument, then upstream of the confluence of Hot Creek. There are ever increasing numbers of fall spawning fish working their way up towards Big Springs and the gravel beds in the Long Years section of the river. Streamers are deadly here this time of year and our Spruce-a-bu and Loebergs will get you into some chunky browns and rainbows if you employ the “dip and strip” method with a moderate sinking tip line. Please avoid wading here as this area is NZMS positive, and damage to spawning redds will occur. For more information on the snail go to http://www.flyline.com
There are also some excellent opportunities for a hopper with a dropper combo in the afternoons after the breeze comes up and some larger #14-16 fall caddis on the warmer afternoons. Hang an olive zebra or tiger midge #18-20 below the hopper or Stimulator. Look for increasing baetis mayfly activity especially on the cloudy days. You can have some incredible dry fly action here all the way through the mid-Nov closing.
As is always the case when fishing this spring creek; use a quiet, low profile approach. These fish spook very easily and if you hit the water like the D-Day invasion forget it!
Lower Owens River: Fair-Good
The flows have been at 250cfs give or take for over a week and the water clarity is good with the trout having adjusted to the increase. Wading and crossing is tough in the deeper runs on the wild trout section, but not impossible.
You will see several hatches during the course of each day this time of year with morning mayfly spinner’s #20-22, midge’s #18-22 and then afternoon caddis #14-16 and tricos #20-22 for surface action when the sun gets over and the shadows on the water. There are fish below the riffles and a dry/dropper combo will work well in these areas. You will need a bb shot or 2 to get near the bottom in the larger pools and runs with the flows this high if you wish to fish with an indicator.
The NZMS is dense in some sections here so avoid wading in and along the channel as much as possible. There is evidence pointing that continuous wading is the primary reason the NZMS is spreading so rapidly here. Please use suggested decontaminating procedures before fishing elsewhere. For more information on the snail go to http://www.flyline.com
The drift boat sections are picking up but are still not fishing as well as I would like to see for this time of year. The reduction in DFG plantings, increased fishing pressure and the recently elevated flows are the primary reasons. We are still anticipating a solid drift boat season this winter with the best “catching” still to come.
First time Sierra Drifters John Skidmore and Todd Heinzler from Los Angeles, CA hooked up 20 rainbows and browns recently while doing the dip and strip from our drift boat. Check out one of the “double hook-ups” they had on a perfect weather day on the river.
Hot Creek: Fair-good
Think small. #20 and down for best results this time of year. The flows are low and most of the residents have sore lips this time of year. 6X and 7X tippets are a must. Try nymphing without an indicator or use a small dry fly for a strike indicator for better results this time of year. Emergers (midge, caddis, mayflies are all present in numbers) #20-22 fished in the surface film are your best bet for consistent action. Late afternoons have been best.
San Joaquin River: Poor-fair
Very low water and very small fish. Great scenery if the “catching” is not important to you.
East Walker River: Very low water- 45cfs
The section just below the dam is fishing well. The problem on the EW is that most of the fish are concentrated here as a result of the low water. If you are the first in one of the deeper pools in this area and can fish it without company…you will get into some nice fish. Nymphing is best with zebra or tiger midge’s #18-22. The water is stained with algae so select a pattern with some flash or red to contrast the fly making it easier to see for that big brown.
West Walker River: Low water
The fish are stacked in the deeper pools and conditions here are not good for fly casters. You can do some hiking into the canyons both up and downstream from the Pikel Meadows fishing habitat and find some nice holdover and wild trout that will take a dry/dropper combo.
The Gorge: Good
This is an excellent time of year to fish dries here. You will encounter thick brush and insidious vegetation that is out to destroy your waders, hands and legs if you are bold enough to wet wade. Lots of small wild browns down here with an occasional 14 incher to spice it up. Caddis and mayflies all work well #16-18. Use 6X tippet and nothing larger than a 4wt.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir: Fair
The LADWP is still operating the generation facility during late mornings until 6 pm. The mud along the inlet can be pretty tricky here so use caution if you plan on fishing the river section. Tubing is so-so but it should start to pick up here soon especially around the inlet area as the fish start to migrate up the river. Perch fry and leech patterns work well this time of year #10-14. A heavy sink tip or type 3 full sink will get you into the fish if you are tubing.
Mammoth Lakes/June Lake/Rock Creek/other put and take areas.
DFG and Alpers trout plantings are pretty much done for the remainder of the season in the put in take locations in the Eastern Sierra. The year round waters will begin to get scheduled plants for this fall and winter.
There are plenty of holdover fish left in all these lakes for those who wish to hit the alpine areas and enjoy the beautiful fall colors. Stick to streamers with some red built in the pattern. You can go up a size or two this time of year in these areas also as the trout become more aggressive this time of year. Please release all your browns and cutthroats carefully! These fish may become a rare species in the future here and other areas as DFG cutbacks have forced the termination of planting these species in the Sierra.
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 the Crowley Lake Store and Deli. 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
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