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The West Carson River from the S.R. 88 bridge at the edge of Hope Valley. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
The East Carson River near the Carson River Resort. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
Lundy Lake as seen last fall. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
Looking from the dam at Bridgeport Reservoir, California to the Sawtooth Ridge to the west. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
Roosevelt Lake in the Hoover Wilderness Area. Photo by Don Quilici -
Lower Twin Lake. Photo by Don Quilici -
Upper Twin Lake. Photo by Elaine Quilici -
Fly fishermen congregated in the East Walker River where it comes out of Bridgeport Reservoir. Photo by Elaine Quilici
OK Gang, it’s almost time to have fun in the High Sierras once again. In just 10 days on April 30, the 2011 fishing season will open for applicable lakes, reservoirs, streams, creeks and rivers in the State of California, plus all of the applicable waters in Inyo and Mono Counties. That season will then remain open until Tuesday, Nov. 15.
If you’re new to the area, here’s some information that can be useful if you would like to try your hand at fishing on that Opening Day or Weekend:
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For the latest fishing report, click here and for more outdoor stories, go here.
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Some of the nearby streams, creeks and rivers that will open:
The West Carson River, the East Carson River, the West Walker River, the East Walker River, the Little Walker River, Truckee River, Bishop Creek, Buckeye Creek, Convict Creek, Red Creek, Robinson Creek, Rush Creek, et al, will open, just to name a very few of the countless moving waters.
However, be advised that this year, you can expect to encounter extra-high, icy-cold, fast-moving and super-muddy waters in most of those streams, creeks and rivers, as a result of the melting snow packs.
Your best bet for fishing moving water:
It will probably be the East Walker River, between the Bridgeport Reservoir Dam and the Nevada/California state line. That section is the result of controlled water flow from the dam.
It has some very special fishing restrictions: Minimum size on trout is 18 inches in length and you can only use artificial flies or lures with barbless hooks. Be sure to read and know those regulations before fishing.
Some of the nearby lakes and reservoirs that will open:
Bridgeport Reservoir, Convict Lake, Crowley Lake, Intake No. 2, the June Lake Loop (Grant Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake and Silver Lake), Lundy Lake, the Mammoth Lakes Basin, North Lake, Sabrina Lake, South Lake, Upper Twin Lake and Lower Twin Lake, Virginia Lakes, etc. are some that will be opening (winter snow, weather and road conditions permitting).
At a number of those locations, you are going to have to wait a little longer for their roads to come out from under the winter snows, and the lakes and reservoirs to lose their coverings of deep snow and thick ice.
Your best bet for fishing lakes and reservoirs:
— If you have a boat, a good choice will be either Upper Twin Lake or Lower Twin Lake, about 15 miles west of Bridgeport via a paved road.
The last two California state record brown trout (25+ pounds) came from each of those two lakes. And, who knows, with lots of luck (and a little bit of skill), you might be the one to break that record at either lake.
Troll with silver flashers and large lures along the deep drop-offs on the back sides of both lakes. You’ll have plenty of other boats for company.
— Another good location for fishing in that same general area is Bridgeport Reservoir, which is just out of the Town of Bridgeport, along S.R. 182. It contains some very impressive brown and rainbow trout.
You can do equally well from shore, a float tube, trolling in a boat or still-fishing from a boat.
Be sure to get there early in the morning, as this reservoir is prone to being windy, usually by mid-morning.
If you catch a trophy-sized trout, take it into Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport to have a photo taken of you and your catch. Remember to smile!
Crowds, crowds and more crowds:
If the weather is decent and warm, you can expect to encounter huge crowds of Opening Day and Weekend fishermen all along the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, no matter where you go.
Those big crowds will be at a number of popular fishing destinations such as: Crowley Lake, Convict Lake, Convict Creek, all of the waters in the June Lake Loop, Upper Twin Lake and Lower Twin Lake, Bridgeport Reservoir, the East Carson River, the West Carson River, the East Walker River, the West Walker River, Buckeye Creek, Rush Creek and Robinson Creek.
Part of the reason for the big crowds is that many of the waters in Inyo and Mono Counties will have been planted with thousands of rainbow trout by the Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game (with normal-sized planters), plus Alpers Trophy Rainbow Trout, which can run up to 7-8-9 pounds.
Closer to home, some Alpine County waters will have been planted by the Alpine County Fish Commission, which receives it rainbow trout from a private hatchery in Susanville. Those trout will also run up to 7-8-9 pounds.
So, there will be some nice trophies waiting for some lucky anglers. If you do plan to fish any of those waters, don’t say that you weren’t warned about crowded conditions, both on shore and out on the water.
Nearby walk-in waters that will open:
The opening of the annual fishing season also means that once the winter snow pack recedes and the surface ice melts, hikers and backpackers will be able to fish at countless, backcountry lakes such as: Burro, East, Fremont, Gilman, Upper and Lower Hover, Lane, Nutter, Upper and Middle and Lower Par Value, Poore, Roosevelt, Secret and West, plus many others.
At this time of the year, you can normally expect to still encounter deep snow drifts and ice-covered lakes, just about anywhere above an elevation of about 8,000-8,500 feet, and especially this year, after a record-setting winter.
If you are thinking of going to one of those high-altitude lakes you had better be prepared with snowshoes, cross country skies or a snowmobile (where legal) because you’re going to need them. And, don’t forget to take an ice auger. You’re definitely going to need it when you reach your backcountry fishing spot.
Where will we be on California’s Opening Day?
Well, Elaine and I had originally planned to hike the three miles from the Leavitt Meadows Campground on S.R. 108 – the Sonora Pass Highway to my all-time favorite Opening Day destination of Roosevelt and Lane Lakes in the Hoover Wilderness Area.
However, with the deep snowpack of winter still blanketing the high country and with ice under the snow on many backcountry lakes, we have made a change for our Opening Day fishing destination.
We are currently toying with the idea of fishing from shore at Lundy Lake in hopes of catching a trophy-sized rainbow or brown trout.
Later in the year, when you can hike, snow free, into Roosevelt and Lane Lakes and the ice of off of both lakes, it is an easy hike. Along the way, with luck, you will have the opportunity to see and photograph mule deer, coyotes and perhaps even an occasional black bear. Heck, one year, I even saw an otter swimming at Roosevelt Lake.
You can fish for Brook Trout and nice-sized Cutthroat Trout at those two inter-connected lakes, where our best success, through the years, has been to spincast from shore with red/white lures.
My largest-ever Brook Trout came out of Lane Lake many years ago. It was caught on a red/white lure and measured 21 inches. Not too shabby!
If you do decide to hike into those lakes, remember that they have a special restriction: The bag limit is two fish. So, if you’re lucky, you better be very choosey about what you decide to bring home.
Finally:
If you go on Opening Day or for the Opening Weekend, good luck to you. No matter where you go, it’ll be fun to be fishing again in the Golden State.
Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can’t tell you when is the best time of the day to catch fish at Roosevelt and Lane Lakes.
If he grins and says, “The best time for fishing at both lakes is before the sunlight hits the water in the early morning or after the sun is off the water in the late afternoon,” he has fished at those two lakes in past years.
