Eastern Sierra Fishing

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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Fish Plants For the Week of 2/28/2010

Lone Pine Creek
Lower Owens River below Tinemaha Reservoir
Pleasant Valley Reservoir

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The main tributary of the Eastern Sierra, the Owens River flows into Crowley Lake, Pleasant Valley Reservoir and down the Owens Valley to Independence. The Owens flows through high mountain valleys to desert valleys below Independence. A Wild Trout section located between Pleasant Valley and Laws provides prime fly fishing and is a catch-and-release area. Brown Trout are plentiful in the Owens. A prime spot is located at Crowley Lake near Benton Crossing near the north end of the lake. Rainbow Trout are stocked in the river from Laws to Big Pine.

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This is one of the most overlooked and underrated fishing spots in the Eastern Sierras! Located on Highway 395, two miles south of Lone Pine, Diaz Lake offers year-round fishing, boating and camping. The small lake (only 86-acres) offers some of the best rainbow trout fishing. It was created during an earthquake that rocked the region in 1872 when the Owens Valley dropped nearly 20 feet in elevation.

You can catch trout, catfish and bass in Diaz. One year I caught a 6-pound 13-ounce largemouth bass near the reeds at the northwest corner of the lake. Most trout fishermen use a ball of Velveeta cheese on a treble hook for bait, or you can go all modern and use Power Baits. Zeke’s baits work pretty well, as do salmon eggs. Trolling in the center of the lake has produced some large trout.

The Department of Fish and Game stocks the lake weekly, often with some of their “brood” stock, which can be in the 4 to 7 pound range. One of the best shore fishing locations is located just off the tent-area parking lot. In addition to fishing, the lake has a restaurant and several hundred campsites.

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