Ever look at your fly reel and
wonder what that white stuff under the fly line is? Larry Garfinkel
and I saw a lot of the white stuff on a trip with Tom Loe of Sierra
Drifters on Lake Crowley.
Larry with hot Crowley bow
Larry and I spent a day fishing with Tom on
his new 21’ Champion boat, which he has outfitted specifically for fly
fishing Crowley (and Bridgeport Reservoir). We knew we had a special
guide when we met Tom at 7am at his boat and he had four rods (Sage RPL
and RPL+ four and five weights) already set up and ready to go. A 150 hp
Merc made the run to McGee Bay a quick one. We fished the “flats”
looking for cruising fish that were slurping down the masses of midges
that were coming off in the bright Sierra sunlight. Tom knows Crowley
well, and has developed patterns and techniques that work extremely well
on the big rainbows (Kamloops and wild Eagle Lakes strains) that
populate Crowley. We caught 50 fish each in an eight hour day of
fishing, many were in the 18-20” range. And having a fish run, jump,
and take you into your backing (so that’s what that white stuff is...)
was a common occurrence. Hot fish!
Tom Loe and the "Fish Magnet"
T
om
spent 20+ years as a commercial fisherman, in Southern California, and
on the East Coast. He lost a shipmate in the “Perfect Storm” for
those of you who have read the book, which convinced him to give up the
life of a swordfish harpooner. In a major shift of karma, after killing
countless fish in his commercial fishing career, Tom has become an
ardent proponent of catch and release. It was nice to see how carefully
he handled the fish we caught.
Even the Editor caught fish
Both because they fight so hard, as well as
due to the lower oxygen content of the still water, fish in Crowley need
to be revived more carefully than those in colder streams or rivers with
a higher O2 content.
Tom is careful with his business partners
Tom has also developed other unique guide
trips in the Eastern Sierra: a drift boat trip to fish seldom seen
stretches of the Lower Owens, as well as being the only Sierra guide who
guides tubers on Pleasant Valley Reservoir. Bird hunters can go with him
on “Cast and Blast” trips.
From the Conejo
Valley Fly Fisher August 1999
