Fish'n
Conditions
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Sierra
Drifters advocates "Fishing for Fun"
Catch &
Release!
We have experienced guides
available who can put you on some of the finest trout water the state has
to offer.
Let's go "catching" together!
Early
Summer “Fish’N Conditions”
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to
all for the early summer “Fish’N Conditions” here in the Eastern High
Sierra.
The long days this time of year provide the extended
daylight to sample several diverse fisheries in one day if you are willing
to make the effort. For example, you could fish Crowley Lake in the
morning watching the sun rise over the White Mountains, head over to the
Upper Owens River or Hot Creek for the mid-day snap, and then take a short
drive up to one of the beautiful alpine lakes in the Mammoth Lakes Basin,
Rock Creek Lake or Convict Lake to do some tubing. Cap the day off with a
great meal in one of the unique restaurants these areas offer and watch
the sunset over the Sierra’s crest! The diverse fisheries the Eastern
Sierra provide this time of year offer a variety of angling opportunities
for fly fishers.
The typical weather patterns this time of year begins
with morning lows in the forties and the afternoon highs reaching near
eighty. Lots of sunshine! Afternoon T-storms are not frequent but may
occur and one should be prepared for this type of weather as the summer
rolls on in the high country. You should anticipate late morning and
afternoon south to southwest winds daily for another couple months.
Run-off from snowmelt has been low to moderate this
year. The snow level is high, so it has not caused any significant
flooding or horrible conditions in many of the freestone creeks that are
influenced directly by this run-off. Although we had a below average
amount of snow this year the region looks to be in good shape due to some
cooler weather in the spring. Fall water levels in the creeks should not
be poor; however you will see some very low levels in Crowley and
Bridgeport for sure. The word on the high passes to the backcountry is
“not yet” in the Central Sierra. By the middle of July conditions will
change greatly according to the packers. Some areas will open sooner than
others for sure, so you need to get information on your specific region or
pass before you go.
The 2008 Still Water Classic at Crowley Lake will
take place on August 9th and is shaping up to be another great
event for a worthy cause. I am impressed by the chunky browns (put in by
last seasons donations) we are seeing on a daily basis here and I hope you
will participate to raise money for additional fish this year. The owner
of the Troutfitter, Kent Rianda has teamed up with Crowley Lake management
to be this year’s tournament director. Kent will be a great asset in the
administrative level and brings his energy and love for Crowley to the
Classic. Rumor has it the prizes are off the charts this year! Please
click
here for link to print out the rules and
entry form. If you are interested in
participating as a donor please contact the Fish Camp or Kent as soon as
possible so they can get you on the sponsor sheet.
The Western Outdoor News sponsored Double Haul in the
fall has been cancelled this year. Lots of great memories for many and no
doubt a tradition that will be missed. My hopes are that the Still Water
Classic will become a tradition with you all for many years to come and
with any luck maybe we can do another event in the fall and combine float
tubes???
The fish survey results have been published by the
DFG on Hot Creek and the East Walker River performed last fall. The
guides at Sierra Drifters assisted the DFG biologists with some surveys.
You will be happy to hear the numbers! Hot Creek had an incredible
average of 12,000 (twelve thousand) fish per mile - predominately browns.
The excellent DFG biologists that conducted the survey documented Hot
Creek as being one of the most densely populated wild trout fisheries in
the state. Another survey will be conducted this fall on Hot Creek to
evaluate the impacts of year around fishing.
The East Walker River shocked out at just under 5,000
(five thousand) trout per mile and also had a dominant population of
browns, most of them wild. There are some huge trout in this river, and
way more than you might think! The EW is truly a world class tailwater.
I would like to ask all of you who love the East
Walker and the Bridgeport areas fisheries to wish one of the nicest guys I
know some good luck. Skip Baker owner of the Big Meadows Lodge in
Bridgeport has recently become ill and we need to cast some positive vibes
to this special guy. Skip has been instrumental in several successful
fisheries enhancement programs throughout Mono County. Get well soon
Skippy, we miss ya!
The guide team at Sierra Drifters wishes Mickey “the
Turtle” Baron and Brad “Mothra” McClain the best of luck with the
beginnings of their own guide service. We appreciate your efforts and the
years of service to our clients. May your books be forever full. They
call their outfit the Crowley Lake Guide Service and can be reached by
contacting the Crowley Lake Fish Camp or their prior personal contact
numbers.
Adobe Pond: Sierra
Drifters exclusive!
If you enjoy catching large numbers of wild brown
trout on a dry or dry/dropper combo, or sight fishing to rise forms, this
is your huckleberry! The fish are not monsters here. Most are in the half
a foot range but are scrappy fighters and jump like rainbows. Drifters
veteran client Bill Amans (banged out forty by himself) suggested I
emphasize this would be an excellent place for novice fly fishers. He is
correct. Intermediate anglers will find this a perfect place to hone
their casting and hook setting skills with plenty of opportunities on an
average day. We have the exclusive rights to guide this private water
from our drift boats. It is truly a blast. Adobe is a beautiful place
with incredible fishing for wild trout. Please call us if you would like
to discuss the details of fishing here, or perhaps owning some of this
incredible legacy property. Click on the Adobe Ranch Link at the top
of this page.
Bill "Willy" Amans
on Adobe Pond
"Willy" with one of
the larger models....
Crowley Lake:
The best way to describe Crowley this season is “fire
or ice” No consistency for any duration of time and this can be attributed
to a number of reasons. First let’s discuss the “ice”. The low water
levels for this time of year are a definite negative. Even though we had
a near normal water year the LADWP had to deal with a couple of reservoirs
in So-Cal that needed to be drained for bad water quality. They took the
water out of Crowley early on to re-fill these and it has proven to be bad
juju for the fishing thus far. Abnormal periods of strong southerly winds
that basically shut down the lake after 11:00 am and some days as early as
9:30 am. Large numbers of sub-catchable rainbows and cutthroats that were
planted last fall and this year by the DFG have not helped out the average
size of a fish on this potential trophy trout fishery. You will not find
any significant weed beds this year as they have been wiped out by the low
water levels. You streamer tuggers will have a small window of
opportunity to nail the big browns on perch fry before the birds gobble
them up. Look for the fry to be on the trout’s menu in late July or early
August. They will not have the weeds to hide in and are very vulnerable
in years such as this to avian predation.
The fire. We are seeing the benefits of the two
major brown trout enhancement programs. The Still Water Classic and the
F.A.T.I.T. events planted catchable browns last season that are being
caught daily. We have not seen as many large browns caught this early in
many moons and the holdover hogs have found that sub catchable hatchery
fish are very good munchies! You streamer guys keep this in mind and try
tossing some #2 or #4 baitfish imitations if you see the unmistakable boil
of a two foot brownie ruining a small trout’s day! The damsel fly nymph
migration has also begun and when the current starts moving the scum lines
before the wind it is a good call to troll damsels along the edges 1-5
feet below the surface.
The periods of a rising or high barometer have
provided some red hot bites while still water nymphing in McGee Bay, the
Hiltons, and around what is left of the north arm and Owens inlet. All
the reliable chironomid patterns have been working in the #16-18 range.
Use a two fly rig under a strike detector that has a type of emerger as
the upper, hang a larva pattern as the dropper 20 inches below it.
The algae situation for this time of year is great.
The extended winter and cool, dry spring combined with the very low water
levels have made inclement conditions for the green goo. It has not been
a significant factor thus far. Surface water temps are climbing and the
migration of summer rainbows towards the cooler more oxygenated water in
McGee and Hilton will become significant in the early stages of July. The
lack of weeds in these areas will allow a more spread out area for fly
fishers to work this year. You will not find good habitat in water less
than 7 feet in these areas and we have had some great bites out to 12 feet
recently. Work deeper as the sun gets higher, or your bite shuts off in
short water.
Take a few minutes and check out the pictures of some
great fish caught & released by Sierra Drifters clients on Crowley
recently...
While fishing with T-Loe Scott Simonet caught & released
this beautiful Brown Trout
Ditto for Dave Kendrick
"Fill" Therrien and Doby Rose with a nice DFG Tagged
Rainbow
Dale Pfost all the
way from Pennsylvania along with SD Guide Doug-err
"Thank you for your
excellent help throughout the day. It is always a pleasure to benefit
from someone with such advance expertise and the ability to help share
it—you made it fun … I hope to make it back. Thank you for the photo and
the memories. Best Regards, Dale"
"Fill" & Mary McKellar of
Topanga California with her 18-20" Crowley bows.
"Wanted to say
thanks for another great Sierra Drifters excursion. Our recent Crowley
Lake trip with Fill was awesome and we had great fun. Mary hooked up on a
few nice fish (see pictures) and I couldn't have been happier since it was
the first time on Crowley for both of us.
Thanks again go to Fill. He took good care of us, showed us his secret
hidey-holes and kept us laughing all day as usual.
We look forward to going again in the fall when the perch fry are out and
the damsel's are showing up.
Enjoy the pics - Way to go Mary!!! Bryan Laws"
"Chris Basso & Bobby Manoukian with a
nice Rainbow that we caught on a trip we took with Chris on Crowley.
Chris was a great guy to fish with & we had a great time. We caught alot
of fish & look forward to fishing with Chris again soon. Thanks & Good
Fishing Mike( Nick) Nichols"
Timothy Devine (pic) and friend Neal Marks had a
great day fishing on Crowley with SD Guide Two Bug Doug landing many
chunky Rainbows. This was their first fish on the fly, good job guys...
East Walker River:
Lower than normal release rates have made the overall
conditions here very stable through early summer. Bring the hole
enchilada here baby! You could have opportunities to fish tandem midge or
mayfly nymphs #16-20 under an indicator or high stick without in the
proper water during the early morning, switch to mayflies or caddis adults
#16-18 for some sight fishing to rise forms late morning or afternoon.
The wind comes up after lunch - do not despair grasshoppers! Tie on a
hopper or Stimulator and work the banks in the big pools. Terrestrials
are dynamite at times on the EW and an ant pattern as a trail fly can be
deadly under the right conditions. Windy afternoons are best! As the sun
sinks below the rim large streamer patterns are often overlooked here and
arguably the best way to hang big daddy brown! The water is comfortable
to wet wade, or wear light dryable pants.
Jim McGill from
Temecula with East Walker brown with SD Guide, Doug-err. He caught some nice
17" browns at the end on drys too. He said it was the biggest freshwater
fish he's caught as well as biggest on the fly rod.
Bridgeport Reservoir:
Reports from the DARK SIDE (bait fishers) are good
here but those who have seen the light (fly fishers) are not having the
same success at the Bridge. Low water this year has the fish deep making
presentations difficult at best for fly fishers. There were some good
days earlier this season thanks to the efforts of the fine folks
associated with the Bridgeport Fisheries Enhancement Program here on the
browns they planted last season and those rascals are fat and happy! The
next couple of months will be a tough go on the fly but look for better
conditions as the water cools in the fall. You can also contact Jeffrey at
the Bridgeport link on the resources tab above.
West Walker River:
This is the largest freestone creek in the region and
is currently running on the high side making some of the crossings
difficult in the canyon sections. Clarity has been pretty good most days
and the softer water is very fishable especially in the Pikel Meadows and
Chris Flats areas. Look for improving conditions as July rolls on with
the exception being an extended period of afternoon wet T-storms. This
weather condition will make the water rise and become off color quickly
here. You can get away with some larger nymphs here like flashback Pt’s
and Tiger midges in the #14-16 range. Dry dropper combos in the slower
riffle water and runs spank the wild fish here, as do dry/dry rigs with a
caddis in the equation #14-18 dark bodied. Mornings are best here this
time of year as the wind gets to hooting by 11 am most days.
Lower Owens River
Area:
If the trend of lower than average flows continue
here we could have some incredible “catching” from our drift boat trips as
early as September. 350 cfs is way low for early summer but I suspect it
will increase again by mid July. Too hot, too high, too ho-hum! Go
elsewhere for July.
Upper Owens River:
Avoid the campground and monument areas on weekends
and holidays for the next couple of months, it will probably be a zoo down
here at these times. A good way to check out the area is to stop on the
knoll just before you get to the dump turn-off and put your glasses on
this area. A quick check of how many cars and where they are located will
save you valuable time and get you casting sooner. The hot ticket is
trucking upstream and fishing the sections above the confluence of Hot
Creek towards the section of the river called Long Years. The dirt road
on the north side of the river (immediate northerly turn after crossing
the Benton Bridge) will give you good access to all the prime areas here.
Dry dropper rigs using bead head flashback PT’s, crystal zebras, San Juan
worms, all in the #14-10 range will get you grabs. There are a few
fatties still on the prowl and should be around most of July, but most of
the fish here are the size of your fly rod handle. The hoppers are around
in good numbers and a #16 yellow body Stimulator is a good cross pattern
to cover both a large caddis and hopper profile, both of which are good
choices in the afternoons. SKEETER ALERT!!!
Tyler Hindera from
Malibu on the Upper Owens with SD Guide Doug-err.
Hot Creek:
Twelve thousand fish per mile pretty much says it
all. The dry fly fishing and caddis emergence on the calmer afternoons
have been epic at times this summer, with dry dropper combos being a close
second. The wind has been the “governor” on this place and there has been
a bunch of it this year around here. Mornings are the best, they are also
the most popular as one may suspect. If you should happen to encounter a
windlass afternoon get your caboose down here pronto and you will not be
disappointed! As July progresses look for increased hopper action in the
afternoons with very consistent caddis activity daily. Water conditions
will be good throughout most of the summer as the peak of the run-off has
come and gone.
San Joaquin:
My favorite of the freestone creeks in the area. The
run-ff has been as well behaved as run-off can be this year and although
you may have some difficulties crossing the deeper runs the SJ is fishing
quite well. It never ceases to amaze me how aggressive these wild fish
here smack a dry! The usual suspects are eager to hit most high riding
dries in the #14-18 range. The deeper pools will need to be explored with
a tandem nymph rig complete with some shot and a strike detector to get
you out past your rod tip, the water and air are warm this time of year
and you will find ample opportunities in the riffle water, and pocket
water if you prefer the dry dropper duo. PT’s, zebras, hares ear, that
nasty looking “whatcha ma call it” nymph that Uncle Festor gave you for
your high school graduation #16-18 will all get you grabs if presented
properly. Great time of year down here, do some hiking to avoid the
campground congestion. The trails are well marked and easy to navigate.
SKEETER ALERT!!!
The Alpine Lakes:
Like a good wine, finer with time. As the summer
rolls on these areas will become more attractive and productive especially
during the tepid parts of the afternoons in the valleys. Water temps are
warming and the short window of summer puts the feeding behavior of alpine
trout in high gear as they must amass body fat quickly while food is
present. The multitude of high country alpine lakes in this area offer
well stocked and easy to catch rainbows and many have solid populations of
wild brook, rainbow, and brown trout. The planted fish are very
opportunistic and flashy colorful streamers #8-14 used in conjunction with
a sinking type fly line will work great once you have located the “pod” of
ravenous rainbows. Keep your streamers down 10-15 feet for consistent
results catching these rascals.
The wild ones are a tad more difficult to catch most
of the time and you will need to use the still water nymphing, and long
leader-dry fly methods with smaller sized imitations than their lower
elevation counterparts. #20-22 zebras and tigers, #20 PT’s, and on some
of the alpine lakes that are below 8400 feet in elevation callibaetis
imitations both dry and nymphs will work miracles.
Sierra Drifters Flies,
Killer Kits &
Sungicators are available at the
following great fly shops and stores: Crowley Lake Fish Camp & The Crowley
Lake General Store in Crowley, Bridgeport Marina at Bridgeport Reservoir,
Kittredge Sports in Mammoth Lakes, Malibu Fish’n Tackle in Thousand Oaks,
Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, The San Diego Fly Shop in San Diego, The
Fishermen’s Spot in Van Nuys, Bob Marriott’s in Fullerton, Buz's Fly Shop
Too in Bakersfield, & Crosby Lodge at Pyramid Lake, Nevada.
There are links to these locations at the
resources tab above. We pride our Guide Service & Products on
Innovation not Imitation!
Be the fly friends…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide
Service
Driftfish@qnet.com
and Michele Loe
Michele@MammothLakes.com
Eastern Sierra Real
Estate….
http://www.mammothlakes.com/mlRE/Agent_Michele.html
**Nearly 9 acres on stunning
McGee Creek just minutes south of Mammoth Lakes. 360 degree views abound!
This property offers the perfect balance between privacy, views,
accessibility and opportunity. Truly a fisherman's dream with world class
fishing right on the private land! McGee Creek runs the Eastern length of
the property line, views of Crowley lake are to the North, BLM land is to
the east, while McGee mountain and the Sierra range serve as the Southern
backdrop.
Click Here to View Listings**
