Year Round Catch and Release Fishing Continues for Selected E Sierra Water

The DFG Commission has recently approved the year around opening for Hot Creek, the Upper Owens River in the section above the Benton Bridge to Big Springs, and The East Walker River below the Reservoir to the Nevada border for 2007/2008. These sections were open in March of this year and proved to be incredible additions to the Lower Owens River as specially regulated year around catch and release fisheries. A well respected LOCAL DFG biologist presented the Commission with a preponderance of scientific and survey data supporting the decision to open these waters year around. This was coupled with data from other year around cold water fisheries illustrating how the year around angling would have minimal, if any negative impact on the fisheries.

The guide team at Sierra Drifters has supported and promoted the opening of these waters from the start. We attended the meeting in Sacramento on Nov.1st to voice our opinions and show support for this new regulation. We applaud the Commission for their decision, and wish to thank the DFG biologists who presented a most excellent and informative argument as to why these fisheries should remain open year around. In our opinion these recently opened year around fisheries will provide great angling opportunities and take some pressure off the limited waters we currently have for catch and release fishing.

One other tid bit of information regarding Hot Creeks fish population…It is alive and well. A very recent survey done on Hot Creek indicated that population densities have increased dramatically since the last survey, and that one section of the creek had a density of 14,000 fish per mile, with another section holding 7,000! This analysis should be taken with a grain of salt due to the historically high density of fish in one of the areas, but it does illustrate the healthy nature and resiliency of this spring creeks ecosystem. In addition, there were a substantial number of juvenile fish indicating a solid spawn. Hot Creek opened on March 1st this season, two months earlier than the season before. It appears that the early opening had little impact on the spring spawn ehhh?

The DFG will also survey the East Walker River in the near future and we will get an assessment of how the critters in here are doing as well. Sierra Drifters guides will assist the DFG in this survey.