Just a reminder that our Eastern Sierra Rod Makers gathering will be held the w/e of the 22nd of June. Please visit High Sierra Rod Co. and click on the gathering link for more details.
On the 21st, will be the annual all tackle tournament - contact Kens Sports or call (760) 932.7707 for more information.
The fishing is still holding out pretty well these days, most waters are doing really well with a couple that are lagging a little.
The East Walker is still fishing great, the flow is at 177cfs today and the fish are still pretty grabby. The California section is producing lots of fish in the 14 inch range, with a few up to 20 or so, almost every day we're hearing the "One that got away" stories of fish well over the 20 inch mark. The best success has been coming on nymphs, mostly caddis nymphs like z-wings, LaFontaines deep sparkle pupa, Fox's Poopah, buckskin caddis and the like, as well as some midges like rainbow warriors, tailwater tinies, zebra midges, silver streaks and ice nymphs. Lots of good action on the Nevadaside as well, both the private section and the public section. Because of the great water and weather conditions the traffic is a little heavy, so if you want to fish the private section you might think of calling well ahead of time for availability.
Bridgeport Lake is still really producing as well. Still fishermen out near Rainbow Point are doing great in the 1 to 2 pounders with power bait and crawlers, Trollers are doing great with blades and crawlers and fluorescent colored Rapalas. Lots of fish in the 1 to 2.5 pound range, with a few in the 4 to 5 pound range being brought in. The shore fishermen are doing ok, not as good as the boat anglers, but they're still getting some grabs, mostly on power bait and crawlers.
The Virginias are fishing excellent right now, all ice free and the fish are really grabby. Small lures like hot shots and rooster tails are doing great, as well as baby crawlers and nitro eggs. The fly anglers are doing well with streamers like Stillwater nymphs and matukas, and if you drop a soft hackle or aggravator prince behind it that's even better. The water is still a little cold, so being your fleece if you're tubing.
The Twins are producing lots of fish this past week, with the largest we heard of right at 5.5 pounds. Just about any method you want to use should get you a bent rod, bait fishing with crave or power bait or crawlers will do well, throwing lures like bouyants and rapalas will do well, slow trolling flies like buggers and matukas well do well also. The weather has been great with just a little wind here and there. Come on up for a visit now that school is just about out for the summer!!
And here is the fishing report from Carolyn Webb of the Virginia Lakes Lodge:
Eastern Sierra Focus
By CJ Webb
Fishing tip:
Here are some fishing websites I've found of interest and thought I would pass along for those who pine to be on the water, this is the next best thing.
www.rec.outdoors.fishing.fly
Fly fishermen here post detailed stories of their favorite fishing trips and discuss fly collections.
www.alt.fishing
Fishermen occasionally ask for advice or point out techniques, but found that many posts rout equipment. If you're in the market for new fishing gear, you'll have fun browsing these messages.
www.Berkeley-fishing.com
This is a classy, well designed Web site that caters to serious fishing enthusiasts. Check out the Tips & Techniques, once you choose your water type (fresh or salt), the species you're chasing, destination and season, you'll find detailed tips, articles and illustrations that shows you where to cast your "lure".
www.landbigfish.com
This site covers every aspect of a fishing trip, including the travel, and dedicates a huge portion of its main page to outdoor travel. The campgrounds section lists hot deals on campgrounds throughout the US and Canada, and a search engine helps you find the outdoor businesses near your fishing trip destination. Homebound fishermen can bone-up on the sport with the how-to articles and check out pictures of the big catches of the week.
www.takemefishing.org
Thinking about taking your kids on your next fishing trip, then you're gonna love TakeMeFishing.org. Click the state on the map, and then enter your zip code. The search engine will find places for you to fish and boat, local marinas and tackle shops. Also check out the Kids Fishing Hall of Fame, which has photos of kids and their fish.
Weather: May produced beach weather and Hawaiian tans up to the 20th, along with spring run-off, then gave way to wind, rain, snow and temperatures into the low 20's toward the last half of the month. Water temp was 42 degrees when the ice melted on Little Virginia, and 4 days later came up to 46, but it has not increased due to the 5 days of rather miserable fishing weather, but grand for polar bears and ducks. It's still dreary with fog and rain.
ROCK CREEK AREA campgrounds are open, and the lake is totally thawed, but the road to Mosquito Flats still has snow. No report as of this writing, but since they are relatively at the same elevation of Virginia Lakes, you could probably use the same streamers and techniques.
UPPER OWENS - The section downstream from the Benton Bridge to the monument is open on Saturday, May 26, 2008. Water clarity has improved with the cold temps and fishing will improve once the air temp rises. The standard San Juan Worm size 12-16 with a tiger or zebra midge (#16-18) below will be your best bet with a few BH Prince Nymphs size 14-18.
HOT CREEK - Fish when the flows are stable and try midges and small mayflies #20-22. Dry dropper nymph rigs work well as do dry/dry with mayflies and stone imitations. Remember to stay out of
the water, this is a fragile ecosystem and it also has mud snails that would like to move around Mono County and get a better foot-hold in other waters.
CROWLEY - The opener was slow, and the boat inspection for quagga mussels went smooth. Fishing was also not as productive as anticipated. It is reported that most of the larger fish are still in the tributaries and things should improve as we swing into summer. Flies that are working are Crystal Emergers, Copper Tiger or Zebra Midge #18-20, blood worms, or slow troll Arctic Fox on the bottom
CONVICT has been doing fair on the south shore near the trees on large olive bunny streamers, black and olive wooly buggers, and their "Marvel".
MAMMOTH - Twin Lakes is the only thawed water, so if you go, try some flash-a-buggers, wooly buggers, Mohair leeches and #14-29 Williams Lake Wonder (black and red, or a #14-20 Zebra Midge in a few colors.
SAN JOAQUIN road has not be cleared to date and if you need immediate information, contact Inyo National Forest in Mammoth Lakes.
RUSH CREEK - Fishing has been slow due to cold temps with virtually no bug activity. Try some midges and BWOs with small caddis patterns in all the turns.
JUNE LOOP has produced some nice hawgs on Doc's Twin Lakes Special in olive or brown, Pop's Bugger in Black or Olive, or Rudy Eye Leech in olive, #16-18 Tiger Midge and a #10 olive Mini Leech, similar to last fall.
VIRGINIA LAKES - Stocking started the week of the 19th, and a lot of nice trout were taken on olive and black wooly buggers out near the inlet of Little Virginia. May was better than any Indian summer I've seen since 1983, until the snow monsoon hit on the 21st. The 22 of May showed 23 degrees and no further progress on the thaw of Big Virginia. A total snowfall for the 5 ½ days was 28 inches, leaving us with very wet ground that should slow down the fire season when it arrives. Fishing has been fairly good with a few brave souls sticking it out for 30 to 40 minutes at a time, and a few fish for their efforts. Olive/Black Woolies, Black/Olive Leeches, and a few midges probably in all "white" to match the hatch. Two very nice browns came out and went back in, in the 23 to 24 inch range. A 6lb brown was caught through the ice in the last hour of fishing on Little Virginia on May 12 around 8:30pm. It must have tasted like leather. Yuk!
EAST WALKER flow has been 205cfs. Dry fly action has been fun on Parachute Adams 16-18, EC Caddis, Parachute Caddis and Griffith Gnats in #20-24. Try some WD40's, zebra midges, blood midges and Copper John's. Streamers have all been doing well, either Hornbergs or mini leech perch fry's.
BRIDGEPORT REZ - Looks good and clarity is improving daily, with temps rising. Tubing will be the only way you can get into some action with a 2-fly rig. Midges will get you two-points unless you go into the paint for a 3 point cast and put it on his nose, but some nice fish are coming out if you work it.
WEST WALKER - Still very hard to find fishable water except near the bridge with the flow at 423cfs . The flow is down from May 11 at 745cfs, so this is good news, but will soon change now that the weather has greatly improved. Use a 2 fly rig with a large dry over a prince nymph or flashback Zug Bug below the bridge just before the first campground, where the elevation drop is minimal and the water is flat. Midges are everywhere, even the no-see-ums, so come prepared with the best bug juice you can find. These are the Dracula of all bugs.
See you on the water….cj
Regards,
--Larry
-----------------------------------------------------------
Larry Tusoni / High Sierra Rod Company
Makers of fine handcrafted bamboo fly rods
http://www.highsierrarods.com
Rod Design Software: http://www.roddna.com
larry@highsierrarods.com
(209) 736-9197 (209) 736-9252 Fax
Angels Camp, Bridgeport and Virginia Lakes California
On the 21st, will be the annual all tackle tournament - contact Kens Sports or call (760) 932.7707 for more information.
Here is the June 8th fishing report from Ken's:
The fishing is still holding out pretty well these days, most waters are doing really well with a couple that are lagging a little.
The East Walker is still fishing great, the flow is at 177cfs today and the fish are still pretty grabby. The California section is producing lots of fish in the 14 inch range, with a few up to 20 or so, almost every day we're hearing the "One that got away" stories of fish well over the 20 inch mark. The best success has been coming on nymphs, mostly caddis nymphs like z-wings, LaFontaines deep sparkle pupa, Fox's Poopah, buckskin caddis and the like, as well as some midges like rainbow warriors, tailwater tinies, zebra midges, silver streaks and ice nymphs. Lots of good action on the Nevadaside as well, both the private section and the public section. Because of the great water and weather conditions the traffic is a little heavy, so if you want to fish the private section you might think of calling well ahead of time for availability.
Bridgeport Lake is still really producing as well. Still fishermen out near Rainbow Point are doing great in the 1 to 2 pounders with power bait and crawlers, Trollers are doing great with blades and crawlers and fluorescent colored Rapalas. Lots of fish in the 1 to 2.5 pound range, with a few in the 4 to 5 pound range being brought in. The shore fishermen are doing ok, not as good as the boat anglers, but they're still getting some grabs, mostly on power bait and crawlers.
The Virginias are fishing excellent right now, all ice free and the fish are really grabby. Small lures like hot shots and rooster tails are doing great, as well as baby crawlers and nitro eggs. The fly anglers are doing well with streamers like Stillwater nymphs and matukas, and if you drop a soft hackle or aggravator prince behind it that's even better. The water is still a little cold, so being your fleece if you're tubing.
The Twins are producing lots of fish this past week, with the largest we heard of right at 5.5 pounds. Just about any method you want to use should get you a bent rod, bait fishing with crave or power bait or crawlers will do well, throwing lures like bouyants and rapalas will do well, slow trolling flies like buggers and matukas well do well also. The weather has been great with just a little wind here and there. Come on up for a visit now that school is just about out for the summer!!
And here is the fishing report from Carolyn Webb of the Virginia Lakes Lodge:
Eastern Sierra Focus
By CJ Webb
Fishing tip:
Here are some fishing websites I've found of interest and thought I would pass along for those who pine to be on the water, this is the next best thing.
www.rec.outdoors.fishing.fly
Fly fishermen here post detailed stories of their favorite fishing trips and discuss fly collections.
www.alt.fishing
Fishermen occasionally ask for advice or point out techniques, but found that many posts rout equipment. If you're in the market for new fishing gear, you'll have fun browsing these messages.
www.Berkeley-fishing.com
This is a classy, well designed Web site that caters to serious fishing enthusiasts. Check out the Tips & Techniques, once you choose your water type (fresh or salt), the species you're chasing, destination and season, you'll find detailed tips, articles and illustrations that shows you where to cast your "lure".
www.landbigfish.com
This site covers every aspect of a fishing trip, including the travel, and dedicates a huge portion of its main page to outdoor travel. The campgrounds section lists hot deals on campgrounds throughout the US and Canada, and a search engine helps you find the outdoor businesses near your fishing trip destination. Homebound fishermen can bone-up on the sport with the how-to articles and check out pictures of the big catches of the week.
www.takemefishing.org
Thinking about taking your kids on your next fishing trip, then you're gonna love TakeMeFishing.org. Click the state on the map, and then enter your zip code. The search engine will find places for you to fish and boat, local marinas and tackle shops. Also check out the Kids Fishing Hall of Fame, which has photos of kids and their fish.
Weather: May produced beach weather and Hawaiian tans up to the 20th, along with spring run-off, then gave way to wind, rain, snow and temperatures into the low 20's toward the last half of the month. Water temp was 42 degrees when the ice melted on Little Virginia, and 4 days later came up to 46, but it has not increased due to the 5 days of rather miserable fishing weather, but grand for polar bears and ducks. It's still dreary with fog and rain.
ROCK CREEK AREA campgrounds are open, and the lake is totally thawed, but the road to Mosquito Flats still has snow. No report as of this writing, but since they are relatively at the same elevation of Virginia Lakes, you could probably use the same streamers and techniques.
UPPER OWENS - The section downstream from the Benton Bridge to the monument is open on Saturday, May 26, 2008. Water clarity has improved with the cold temps and fishing will improve once the air temp rises. The standard San Juan Worm size 12-16 with a tiger or zebra midge (#16-18) below will be your best bet with a few BH Prince Nymphs size 14-18.
HOT CREEK - Fish when the flows are stable and try midges and small mayflies #20-22. Dry dropper nymph rigs work well as do dry/dry with mayflies and stone imitations. Remember to stay out of
the water, this is a fragile ecosystem and it also has mud snails that would like to move around Mono County and get a better foot-hold in other waters.
CROWLEY - The opener was slow, and the boat inspection for quagga mussels went smooth. Fishing was also not as productive as anticipated. It is reported that most of the larger fish are still in the tributaries and things should improve as we swing into summer. Flies that are working are Crystal Emergers, Copper Tiger or Zebra Midge #18-20, blood worms, or slow troll Arctic Fox on the bottom
CONVICT has been doing fair on the south shore near the trees on large olive bunny streamers, black and olive wooly buggers, and their "Marvel".
MAMMOTH - Twin Lakes is the only thawed water, so if you go, try some flash-a-buggers, wooly buggers, Mohair leeches and #14-29 Williams Lake Wonder (black and red, or a #14-20 Zebra Midge in a few colors.
SAN JOAQUIN road has not be cleared to date and if you need immediate information, contact Inyo National Forest in Mammoth Lakes.
RUSH CREEK - Fishing has been slow due to cold temps with virtually no bug activity. Try some midges and BWOs with small caddis patterns in all the turns.
JUNE LOOP has produced some nice hawgs on Doc's Twin Lakes Special in olive or brown, Pop's Bugger in Black or Olive, or Rudy Eye Leech in olive, #16-18 Tiger Midge and a #10 olive Mini Leech, similar to last fall.
VIRGINIA LAKES - Stocking started the week of the 19th, and a lot of nice trout were taken on olive and black wooly buggers out near the inlet of Little Virginia. May was better than any Indian summer I've seen since 1983, until the snow monsoon hit on the 21st. The 22 of May showed 23 degrees and no further progress on the thaw of Big Virginia. A total snowfall for the 5 ½ days was 28 inches, leaving us with very wet ground that should slow down the fire season when it arrives. Fishing has been fairly good with a few brave souls sticking it out for 30 to 40 minutes at a time, and a few fish for their efforts. Olive/Black Woolies, Black/Olive Leeches, and a few midges probably in all "white" to match the hatch. Two very nice browns came out and went back in, in the 23 to 24 inch range. A 6lb brown was caught through the ice in the last hour of fishing on Little Virginia on May 12 around 8:30pm. It must have tasted like leather. Yuk!
EAST WALKER flow has been 205cfs. Dry fly action has been fun on Parachute Adams 16-18, EC Caddis, Parachute Caddis and Griffith Gnats in #20-24. Try some WD40's, zebra midges, blood midges and Copper John's. Streamers have all been doing well, either Hornbergs or mini leech perch fry's.
BRIDGEPORT REZ - Looks good and clarity is improving daily, with temps rising. Tubing will be the only way you can get into some action with a 2-fly rig. Midges will get you two-points unless you go into the paint for a 3 point cast and put it on his nose, but some nice fish are coming out if you work it.
WEST WALKER - Still very hard to find fishable water except near the bridge with the flow at 423cfs . The flow is down from May 11 at 745cfs, so this is good news, but will soon change now that the weather has greatly improved. Use a 2 fly rig with a large dry over a prince nymph or flashback Zug Bug below the bridge just before the first campground, where the elevation drop is minimal and the water is flat. Midges are everywhere, even the no-see-ums, so come prepared with the best bug juice you can find. These are the Dracula of all bugs.
See you on the water….cj
Regards,
--Larry
-----------------------------------------------------------
Larry Tusoni / High Sierra Rod Company
Makers of fine handcrafted bamboo fly rods
http://www.highsierrarods.com
Rod Design Software: http://www.roddna.com
larry@highsierrarods.com
(209) 736-9197 (209) 736-9252 Fax
Angels Camp, Bridgeport and Virginia Lakes California
