Mid July 2003 Eastern Sierra Fishing Report July 20, 2003 Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to all of you for this Eastern Sierra mid-July fish report. Some noteworthy condition changes since our prior report. Mostly regarding the overall drop in snowmelt and runoff with greatly improved water clarity in all areas except the Lower Owens River. The weather has turned very seasonal with hot days in the Owens Valley and very warm, dry conditions found in the upper valleys and the passes. There is a significant chance of thunderstorm activity for the next few days as some tropical moisture moves up from a disturbance off Baja. The mosquitoes are out with a vengeance this year, be sure you have repellant handy when visiting this region. Lower Owens River: Fair The flows have been raised to 450 cfs. Tough to wade at this rate. The combination of very hot daytime air and water temperatures and the high water flow has made fly-fishing difficult in this area. You will find some good caddis action on dries during the early mornings and then once again after the sun is about an hour below the Sierra crest. Elk hair patterns #18 will get grabs. The wild trout section is the best area this time of year on the Lower Owens as water clarity and levels are better suited to fly casters here. Upper Owens River: Fair You will experience an above average amount of free-floating weed below the confluence of Hot Creek down to the inlet at Crowley. This will make drifting a nymph rig or tugging a streamer difficult until this condition changes. There is some good dry fly activity during the cloudy days or late afternoons with both caddis and baetis patterns #16-20. The Long Years section above Hot Creek’s merging is spotty but worth the effort in the afternoons and early mornings. Nymphing with zebra and tiger midges or P.T.’s #18-20 will work well while indicator nymphing here. Tie on a streamer pattern like our Loeberg #10 in olive while casting a light to moderate sinking tip line for the off hatch periods. You can cover a lot of water in this area using a down and across presentation and find the opportunistic trout holding along the cuts in the banks. San Joaquin River: Good Good conditions here and the trout are agreeing, as they will take most dry fly imitations #16-20. The deeper pools may be better fished with a nymph and indicator rig, but you will find the vast majority of the water fished effectively with a dry/dropper bead head or dry/dry combo. A #14-16 Stimulator is one of our favorite patterns as the attractor or indicating fly. Have a crystal tiger or zebra midge #16 as the dropper with 2-3 foot of tippet below the dry. The trout are not “gear busters” here, but are very beautiful and eager to hit surface presentations. You must enter this area by shuttle after 7 a.m. and there is a use fee for all persons entering either by shuttle or personal vehicle. East Walker River: Poor-fair Flows have been lowered to as little as 125 cfs. and are currently at 175 cfs. Great water levels for the fall but this condition will not help the already distressed trout in this fishery. Bottom line here is there are not great numbers of fish in this area as in recent years. Do not bother with mid-day fishing here. You will find some feeding trout early mornings or again well after the sun has gone below the canyon rim in the California public section. West Walker River: Good Receding water levels and good clarity have replaced the poor conditions we saw 2 weeks ago. Plenty of hatchery fish to be found near the campgrounds and these critters will hit most any streamer #10-12 pattern if you find a planting pool or deeper run. Pikel Meadows is still my personal choice for a shot at some wild fish. A dry/dropper combo with #16 dries, and #16-18 nymphs will get you grabs. Caddis or stone fly imitations on top, crystal zebras or tigers on the bottom. Hot Creek: Very good Ideal conditions here for nymphing and dry fly presentations. The water levels are stable at this time and the weeds are just below the surface making longer drifts possible. You will do well with patterns #20 or smaller here and 6X or 7X fluorocarbon tippet. Yellow-bodied stimulators #16 are a good choice for the point fly on any rig. Olive bodied crystal zebras replicate caddis larva, rock worms and midge larva, so this is a good call for the nymph to choose on the “hopper with a dropper” type rig. Look for the caddis and mayfly emergences during the mornings and late afternoons if the wicked witch from the west (wind) does not show up. Rock Creek area: Fair As with all the “put and take” areas located in the Eastern Sierra good fishing is dependant you upon being there soon after the hatchery trucks dump the fish in. The bulk of the extra plantings this and other areas received during the July holiday have been removed so fishing has slowed somewhat due to numbers available to catch. Weekly plantings from both the D.F.G. and the Alpers trout programs will insure catchable sized fish, with a larger trophy fish every now and then. The Hot Creek Fish Hatchery is terminating its strain of rainbow brood stock and will be planting over 20,000 pounds of these trout spaced out over the next couple of months in lakes like Rock Creek and other put and take areas. There are said to be some 12 lb. fish in this one time “dump-a-thon” We have had best results by fishing streamers for stockers. They are aggressive and more prone to hit a large flashy fly with some red in the pattern. Finding the fish is more important than matching a hatch when dealing with planted trout. Inlet and outlet sections of lakes have minimal flows that resemble conditions found in the hatchery penstocks. Launch ramp areas will also have higher concentrations of fish, especially after plantings. Mammoth Lakes Basin: Fair Lake Mamie or Lake Mary are still producing some fish for tubers getting streamers down 10 feet or more. Late afternoons are best if the winds are light. #8-12 wooly or crystal buggers and Hornberg patterns like our Loebergs will fool some fish. Twin Lakes has a solid population of wild trout that smack callibaetis mayflies during the mornings and calm evenings. These are substantially sized bugs #14-16. You can also troll a hares ear nymph behind your streamer as the trial fly in this area. June Lake Loop: Fair Water levels are up in Grant and Silver making the inlet sections a good choice for tubers trolling sinking lines 10-15 feet deep. Both lakes also have solid numbers of good-sized wild browns. Getting those flies down is the key in this area. Stillwater nymphing in the evenings will pay-off using crystal zebra and tiger midges #18-20. A #14-16 parachute Adams makes a good indicator and will get some takes if there are callibaetis present. Rush Creek is fishing well in the planted areas and is just so-so for the wild fish. This time of year you will find the lower light periods the best to fool these rascals as they hide from the direct overhead sun and feed during the twilight hatches or on cloudy afternoons. Kirman Lake: Fair The weeds are thick along the shoreline and water levels 8 feet or less. Good reports in the late afternoons for fly fishers using stillwater nymph rigs along the tulles and weed lines with a #18 scud or tiger midge pattern. The middays have been very slow as the fish hang deep seeking cooler water. There are some fat brookies and cutthroats in here that are worth making the walk to. Crowley Lake: Good We had to wait 2 weeks to report this change, but things have improved greatly since last week. The lake had been horrid up until now with some of the slowest fishing we have ever seen for an extended period this time of year. The algae bloom has abated and the green goo is not a factor in McGee and Hilton Bays, which are currently the most consistent areas to fly fish. The trout have migrated to the inlets seeking cooler more oxygenated water and we have had several very good days still water nymphing with many 18 inch plus fish. The rapidly receding lake level has dropped to the point at which the chironomids are once again hatching. The lake started very low this season and we had some fine early season fishing and midge hatches after mid-May. The water level came up until early July and the chironomids did not hatch in “mass” because the shoreline had been exposed “out of cycle” and that generation of midges did not get a chance to emerge. I never thought I would be happy to see the lake level drop, but this is an example of how conditions can greatly affect a fishery during abnormally wet, or dry seasons. The weed lines are still prevalent out to 14 feet of water but are receding daily as the level drops. The channels in the weeds are your best bet, trouble is there are not a lot of them and it can be tight on the weekends. Still some good damsel fly activity and the grabs will rock you. We spent some time trolling and casting damselfly imitations #12 during the slow periods last week and it saved the day more than once. With the cleaner water things are looking up for a solid mid-summer bite after the regular season ends mercifully on 7-31-03. No more bait, no more barbed hooks and a reduced 2 fish limit over 18 inches IN POSSESSION!!! David Clemson and David Chow from Placentia, CA did well despite some tough conditions recently and both veteran Drifters ripped numerous big fish while using our stillwater nymphing technique. These guys “dialed” up multiple fish while on their cell phones. Neat trick, wish I could make it work! Donald Sogioka and group from Ventura, CA booked a day with us and Don got big fish honors with a slab sided rainbow that fell for a #18 Gillie. Way to keep that fatty out of the rocks Don! Mickey Baron was guiding John Wilkens from San Diego, CA this week and John and friend got into some screamers in Hilton. Nice day guys, good going! You may view these lucky folks pictures and others by visiting our website at: http://www.sierradrifters.com/fish.html You may purchase our time tested guide flies at the following fine fly shops: There are links to all shops at www.sierradrifters.com/resources.htm The Troutfitter, and we are stoked to report the Trout Fly will also be selling our local bugs; both stores located in Mammoth Lakes. These fine sister shops are staffed by top-notch local guides to get you the right fly for the right location. No other fly shops in this area come even close! Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, with Bill and Eileen Stroud’s many years of experience serving the fly fishing community you will not get steered wrong here, and Bill’s humor is worth taking notes over! Wayne Caywood at Malibu Fish’n Tackle in Thousand Oaks is perhaps the best all around angler I have ever met and we are honored that he carries our flies in this great shop. Check this place out and visit with Wayne and his staff for a while, you will be impressed. The Crowley Lake Fish Camp New mangers Lane and Kelly Garrett are ready to give you advice on what is hot on the lake. We post up to date information on the “board” daily and radio in the hot flies when patterns or fishing locations change to these nice folks. Be the fly…Tom Loe, Sierra Drifters Guide Service Email [email protected] www.sierradrifters.com Phone 760-935-4250