Trowt Tow-Ber Fish Report 2005 October 4, 2005 Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to all for this “Trout tow-ber” fish report from the Eastern High Sierra. Fall has arrived in the high country and the colors and contrasts this time of year are spectacular. With the record amounts of water this season the creeks and rivers are for the most part in excellent shape for fly fishers and it is going to be a memorable late season in many areas for sure. The weather has been very seasonal recently with periods of windy and cool weather especially in the upper valleys and alpine lake regions. The first significant dusting of snow has already put a light cover on the Sierra’s crest to add to the incredible beauty the area has to offer this time of year. Look for a warming trend this week and a full blown “Indian Summer” type pattern to set in for a while. Warm days and cool brisk mornings will be the trend for this week. The Upper Owens River has a closed area to all fisher folk as of Sept. 30th. The section downstream from the Benton Bridge to the fishing monument located about ¼ miles upstream from Crowley Lake is now closed to assist the “honey mooning” trout. The section downstream from the monument to the lake and upstream from the bridge is open until Nov. 15th with angling restrictions that differ in both areas. Check your DFG regs if you are not sure of the current restrictions please. High fives (and fins) to the 280 hard core float tubers and hard working staffers of WON that participated in the 2005 Western Outdoor News sponsored Double Haul in the Fall catch and release fly fishing float tube derby. Some tough weather hampered the pre-fishing the day prior to the event, but the trout gods smiled on the group for the tourney. Check out the current issue of Western Outdoor News for complete details on the winner’s names and prizes. Crowley Lake: Very Good This is hands down the best fishery going right now. There will be some slow periods on a daily basis, and you may have to deal with the wind this time of year but if you want a trophy fish on a fly get your caboose to Crowley for what is shaping up to be the best big fish year I have witnessed in many seasons. McGee Bay and the Green Banks sections are best. Concentrate your efforts along the creek channels and weed edges. These areas are most consistent for the slammers. Leighton Springs and Sometimes Bay are also kicking out some fatties on a less consistent basis. Sandy Pt. and the Hiltons have been very choked with a late algae bloom. The bigs are feasting on a mix of perch fry, chironomids, leeches and callibaetis mayfly nymphs. If the barometer rises you can plan on a solid midge hatch and a good bite using the stillwater nymphing technique. Our Gillies #18-22, Drifters Crystal Pupas #18-22 will spank em’ in short water in the channels and mud flats along the weed lines. The smaller patterns have been especially deadly recently. Use 5X tippet in the short water for better presentations and set your drags on the light side. The rainbows will smoke the color off your fly line in the shallows and you must have a very light drag setting if you want a “Kodak” moment. If you prefer to tug streamers on the hard weed edges I suggest a medium sink tip with a Loeberg or Punk Perch #10-12. The Crystal Leech #10-12 has also proved to be deadly for the big browns this time of year. Get this pattern down deeper and fish it a foot or so off the mud with a slower stripping cadence. Take a few minutes to load these incredible digital photos of some recent fish taken by Sierra Drifters clients. The fall of “aught five” on Crowley is here - don’t miss this one people! http://www.sierradrifters.com/fish.html will get you to them. Big man, big fish. Mark Cirksena, from Auburn, CA would be welcome on any front line in the NFL or NBA for sure. He had a dream day on Crowley with us recently with numerous fish over 20 inches! Check out the profiles of the rainbows he bested in the Green banks area a short while back. It was not a dream Mark, way to stick em’ pal! The Holt clan (Jake and Jesse shown here) from Simi Valley, CA consistently get big fish on Crowley and this year was no exception. McGee Bay in short water was off the charts for the boys and they did very well on some chunky rainbows with custom paint jobs. Puff ball down baby! High fives guys. Dirk Westfall from Temecula, CA has been on the fish report several times for good reason. He always seems to get into large fish! This 22 inch Eagle Lake rainbow was caught the day prior to the Haul in 40mph winds on a size 20 “Gillie” We were taking spray over the cap rails when we took the pics. Great job Dirky, see ya soon. Upper Owens River: Very Good There are some additional restrictions here now, check the DFG regs prior to fishing your favorite area. Plenty of migrating fish pointed upstream and headed towards the Long Years section of the river. I like to tug streamers using the our patented “dip and strip” method along the deeper cut bank areas and larger pools for a shot at one of the big browns or lunker rainbows that frequent this spring creek this time of year. You will also find ample opportunity to toss BWO patterns #18-20 at rising fish in the slower pools in all areas of the river after late mornings. There are still a few hoppers around especially showing on the warmer days. The section downstream of the monument is currently open and has the same regulations as Crowley Lake right now. It is also heavy with medium and smaller sized rainbows that will hit both nymphs and streamers. Look for the mayflies in this section also. San Joaquin River: Good Fly fishing continues to be good here as the flows are sweet in most sections of the river. Dry dropper bead head nymph combos are a sure bet in the deeper pools and runs, with the wild trout still active on the warmer afternoons on surface imitations such as caddis and mayflies #16-20. Get away from the campgrounds 20 minutes hike or so for better quantities of wild fish and a shot at the “Sierra grand slam”! East Walker River: Good Flows are down to 160cfs. Most excellent my friends. Wading is good at these release rates and with the water cooling down you will find an ever increasing amount of eager rainbows and browns eager to take that strike indicator down while fishing small Drifters Crystal Tiger or zebra nymph’s #16-22 on a tandem rig. The water is still a tad on the green side but this will help you out on the more cautious fish as it has been this way for a while. Look for clarity to improve in the near future. West Walker: Good Fall conditions here. The scenery along the way itself is worth the drive alone. I like a dry/dropper bead head for the deeper water here as well as the cut bank areas in the meadow sections. Still some good opportunities for dry fly action in the canyon “pocket water” and riffles as the flows are just right. Bridgeport Reservoir: Good The trout are beginning to get more aggressive especially on streamer patterns like our Loebergs and Punk Perch #10-12 fished along the drop-off from Buckeye Bay towards rainbow Pt. The launch ramp area in 10-15 feet will also be holding some larger rainbows this time of year. You will also find cruising fatties looking for perch fry along the diminishing weed lines in Buckeye. Good reports from a few locals using a new type of fly that is found or sold only at the Bridgeport Lake Marina. Its primary material is a rare strain of goat or sheep hair found only in the Bridgeport area. For those of you needing flies, information and this rare strain of sheep and goat hair for fly tying materials (looks like the color of Jeff’s fur- I mean hair, for some unknown reason) go see Jeffery aka the “Dali Lamb-A” for the area. There are links on the resources tab of www.sierradrifters.com or click on http://www.bridgeportreservoir.com/photogallery.htm Hot Creek: Good Low and clear water requiring precise presentations with smaller flies necessary for good results. The wind in the afternoons have been a factor this week in the overall “catching” but with the forecast being favorable to fly fishers in the future look for better overall conditions here and more consistent fishing. Baetis and trico mayflies, with a few lingering hoppers hanging around for the windy afternoons. Lower Owens: Poor Still at 600cfs and flooding in some areas. The good news is with the light pressure this tailwater has received this season I look for excellent opportunities this later fall and winter when the river stabilizes and drops a bit. Book your drift trips now; they will go pronto when the river begins to recede. I am looking forward to this late fall and winter here as the area has been untouched since last April when the flows came up out of cycle. The river is very high for those who are not familiar with the flows and in some areas it is over the banks making access impossible or difficult at best. Check out the dirt roads near the river BEFORE you drive down, they are very soft and wet right now. There are links to the DWP water flows at www.sierradrifters.com/fish.html Alpine Lakes: Good When the weather gets nice you will see very good fishing on some of the upper lakes as the fish are experiencing cooling water and shorter durations of daylight that is triggering a biological instinct that makes them feed more aggressively at times during this time of year. Streamer patterns with red or some flash and blue in them will get grabs on most of these lakes when used with a full of heavy sinking tip line. Late mornings and afternoons are best in these areas as the fish get more active with the rise in surface water temperatures. Spruce-a-bu’s #10, Drifters crystal leeches #10-12, and the always reliable Loeberg #10 will get you into fish in these areas right now if you are willing to troll from a float tube.You can pick up our guide flies at the following stand out locations: The Bridgeport Lake Marina in Bridgeport, The Crowley Lake Fish Camp and the Crowley Lake General Store and Deli in Crowley, The Troutfitter/Trout Fly in Mammoth Lakes, Malibu Fish’N Tackle in Thousand Oaks, The San Diego Fly Shop and Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego and the Fishermen’s Spot in Van Nuys. There are links to these locations at www.sierradrifters.com/resources.htm Looking forward to fishing with you soon… Be the fly…Tom Loe Sierra Drifters Guide Service 760-935-4250 [email protected]