Eastern Sierra Fishing

Opening Day in the Eastern Sierra Nevada is April 24, 2010 and many waters will be open and ready for fishing action. Anglers will find much snow in the high-country and not all waters will be open, but most of the popular fishing spots will be ice-free and this weekend should be an excellent one for trout fishing.

Most of the moving waters have been open since March. Look for good conditions on the West Walker, East Walker, Hot Creek and the Upper Owens. Convict Creek, Robinson Creek, Bishop Creek and Rush Creek will be open. Look for icy conditions and snow and be ready for some cold weather.

Crowley Lake, Convict Lake and Bridgeport Reservoir are ready for anglers. You will also find excellent conditions at my favorite small lake, Intake II, along Bishop Creek. Look for excellent early-season fishing at Upper and Lower Twin Lakes, 15-miles west of Bridgeport.
Expect to find hungry planter trout in the waters of southern Mono and northern Inyo counties. The Department of Fish and Game has planted all of the major fisheries and Alpers Trophy Trout has planted Bishop Creek and other waters with trout as large as 7-9 pounds.

On the streams, go with San Juan Worms or Prince Nymphs. You might also try some silver-flash lures. I have had success with red-colored lures. Another choice would be a streamer fly and bubble. The flows on the Owens near Bishop have been around 300 cfs, which means wading is out and bank fishing will be your best bet.

The small lakes will do best with Nightcrawlers or soft cheese baits. Attractant baits will pull in the hatchery trout.

Send us your Opening Day photos or post them in the forum. Have fun, be safe, stay warm, and Tight Lines!

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The Mt. Whitney Hatchery is back on line and producing fish after a fire in 2007 came close to burning it down and floods the following winter nearly finished it off.  Now the hatchery is producing fish, with the first load of hatchery trout being released in Diaz Lake on March 5.

The hatchery is far from steady health. An engineering study still must be conducted to fully restore the hatchery. For now only small amounts of fish can be grown at Mt. Whitney. In an article in the Inyo Register, Friends of the Hatchery Spokesman Bruce Ivey said that “due to the extensive damage to the hatchery and the idyllic natural conditions of the streams feeding the hatchery, an extensive engineering study would have to be performed before funding could be dedicated to refurbishing the hatchery.” Ivey added that the State of California does not have the money to conduct the surveys, much less money to restore the hatchery.

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California lawmaker calls for salmon population restoration Indian Country Today “Salmon form the backbone of California ecosystems, tribal cultures, local economies, and the commercial fishing industry,” one of the bill’s co-sponsors … and more »

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New sport fishing regulations now in effect Redwood Times The California Fish and Game Commission has adopted the following changes to sport fishing regulations effective March 1. Anglers will no longer have to …

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