Eastern Sierra fishing’s off to a great start
If the foot, car, and boat traffic that I noticed passing through June Lake Loop last weekend is any indicator of the fishing season upon us, it is going to be long and strong. I think we are all good with that. Coming back from fishing Tioga Creek on opener last weekend, I decided to make a swing through the Loop, just to take a look at who’s in town. The question was more, who wasn’t in town? I was really glad to see so many people out enjoying themselves. Everyone from Mammoth High School scholar Chase Willingham working at Ernie’s, to Officer Marty Thompson stopping along the resorts to check in on “Troutbowl 2013,” to all the guests casting worms and woolly buggers were all out having fun.
The community of June Lake saw some impressive fishing action last weekend. The largest trout to come out of the waters of the Loop measured in at over five pounds. There were several in the four pound range, and plenty of pan-fry trout caught all weekend long. More important than the “catching” was the actually “fishing.” Seeing numerous families out on Silver Lake was really cool. As for the weapons of mass destruction, the usual goods were on the lakes in June: nightcrawlers and dough bait.
Sunday afternoon, I found myself on Bridgeport Reservoir. What a majestic body of water. The midge fishing on “The Res” is turning on. Trout are scattered all over the stillwater fishery. My friend and fellow Pasadena Casting Club member Harold Shively, who was up at his second home in Bridgeport for the weekend, invited me along to cast, and we got into healthy bows with various midge patterns. Depth for midge fishing is best about 18 – 24 inches off the lake bottom. Rainbow Point was the place to be. Ken’s Sporting Goods in Bridgeport reported four double-digit trout coming out of Lower Twin Lake (Bridgeport). No surprises there. That’s the plan for this weekend.
Closer to Mammoth, our own Mammoth Creek produced numerous “pounders” as referred to, and reported, by local twins “Hondo” and “Cisco” Flores who were down there whacking them on the fly. These two young gentlemen also hit up Beaver Cove on Crowley Lake for some productive shore fishing while tossing lures. They faired well.
As for my favorite body of water, Hot Creek, it’s turned on. The swallows, the caddis, and the mosquitoes are all present, and as such, so are the trout. The dry fly action is turned on. Tent Wing Caddis, Headlight Caddis, and small Parachute Adams patterns are working just fine. For subsurface action, the usual goods: scuds, baetis patterns, tiny BWO emergers. All productive.
On that note, it’s that time of year again when the Mammoth High School Fly Fishing Association is out on the local water. And, as 10th grader Brian Martinez learned on this last Wednesday, hooking trout on the fly is a great way to enter the warmer months of the year. It’s fishing season in Mono and Inyo counties, and we are off to a great start.
A more detailed report can be found at http://kittredgesports.com/fishing_report.php. Leonard guides for Kittredge Sports. Call 760.934.7566.
