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Big trout predicted for Eastern Sierra opener
2014's opening day crew at Silver Lake
Hundreds of San Diegans are getting ready for the Eastern Sierra trout season opener on April 25. The annual six-hour trek up Highway 395 turns out thousands of anglers from Southern California in search of big rainbows, brownies, and cutthroats, in the mountain lakes from Bishop to Bridgeport. The tourist-based economies of Inyo, Mono, and Alpine counties call opening day “Fishmas.”
Good predictions for a record opener are being pronounced. Ernie Cowen, of Escondido, an Eastern Sierra correspondent for Western Outdoor News, spoke on April 10 to 75 members of the Escondido Senior Anglers club.
“None of the lakes froze over this year. This means the fish are now active and feeding,” said Cowen. “They won’t be lethargic fish,” he added.
“The fish won’t be surprised this year when shore fishermen cast out Power Bait or shallow trollers trail a lure,” said Cowen. “They’ll just think it's more food.”
As far as the fourth straight year of drought plaguing the opener, Cowen says all the natural lakes, from Bishop’s Lake Sabrina, the Mammoth Lakes Basin, the June Lake Loop (except for Grant Lake), and Bridgeport’s Twin Lakes, will have no noticeable effect or shortage of water.
Additionally most of the streams and creeks currently have steady flows, but that may not be the case this summer as streams dry up. “Those creeks may become unfishable,” Cowen said.
Unfortunately anglers can expect their favorite reservoir lakes to be way down, like Bridgeport, Crowley, and Grant Lake. One Escondido club member said that, on a last September trip to South Lake, he had to walk about half mile from the dam to find what was left of the lake. “I’m sure with no snow this year, it will be worse,” he added.
This year’s stocking program is a touchy subject with locals. State budget cuts have reduced by one-half, the poundage of Dept. of Fish and Wildlife’s hatchery trout plants. According to Bishop’s Sierra Wave Media, 375,000 pounds of quarter-pounders will be planted, down from a minimum half-pound size last year.
Jeff Simpson, from the Mono County Tourism office said that the county is again taking up the slack of DFW. Mono County will purchase $130,000 worth of trophy-sized trout to plant in all of their 21 lakes. The Town of Mammoth Lakes adds another $75,000 in fish for its four-lake basin. Individual resorts and landings supplement their lakes as well.
While most San Diegans travel hours for the sheer beauty of fishing the crystal blue lakes surrounded by 11,000-foot peaks, one always hopes to catch something worthy of entering one of the numerous opening day contests.
The largest is the $1000 Monster Trout Contest, sponsored by the June Lake Chamber of Commerce. Crowds close down Main Street at final weigh-in time. “The town is full on opening weekend,” said Jeremy Ross, co-owner of June Lake’s Ernie’s Bait and Tackle, headquarters for the four-lake contest.
However, last year’s opener predictions of trophy-sized, double-digit-weighing fish did not materialize, as a surprise late-winter storm dumped eight inches of snow across the Sierras that night before. The startled big trout went into hiding until mid-June.
Still in 2014, San Marcos’s Parker Norris managed to pull in a two-pound, one-ounce rainbow; followed by Vista resident Randy Driskill with a two-pound cutthroat. Driskill had attended the Silver Lake opener since 1977.
Weather forecasts call for a bit of rain and snow along the Sierras on April 23, then nothing but shorts and T-shirt weather for opening day, but still down near freezing at night.
Footnote: This will be the writer’s 15th opener. You’ll find him and his two teenaged sons on the shore of Silver Lake with “The Point Crew” at 6:07 a.m. — sunrise — the official trout season start time.
Here's something you might be interested in.
Big trout predicted for Eastern Sierra opener
Big trout predicted for Eastern Sierra opener
2014's opening day crew at Silver Lake
Hundreds of San Diegans are getting ready for the Eastern Sierra trout season opener on April 25. The annual six-hour trek up Highway 395 turns out thousands of anglers from Southern California in search of big rainbows, brownies, and cutthroats, in the mountain lakes from Bishop to Bridgeport. The tourist-based economies of Inyo, Mono, and Alpine counties call opening day “Fishmas.”
Good predictions for a record opener are being pronounced. Ernie Cowen, of Escondido, an Eastern Sierra correspondent for Western Outdoor News, spoke on April 10 to 75 members of the Escondido Senior Anglers club.
“None of the lakes froze over this year. This means the fish are now active and feeding,” said Cowen. “They won’t be lethargic fish,” he added.
“The fish won’t be surprised this year when shore fishermen cast out Power Bait or shallow trollers trail a lure,” said Cowen. “They’ll just think it's more food.”
As far as the fourth straight year of drought plaguing the opener, Cowen says all the natural lakes, from Bishop’s Lake Sabrina, the Mammoth Lakes Basin, the June Lake Loop (except for Grant Lake), and Bridgeport’s Twin Lakes, will have no noticeable effect or shortage of water.
Additionally most of the streams and creeks currently have steady flows, but that may not be the case this summer as streams dry up. “Those creeks may become unfishable,” Cowen said.
Unfortunately anglers can expect their favorite reservoir lakes to be way down, like Bridgeport, Crowley, and Grant Lake. One Escondido club member said that, on a last September trip to South Lake, he had to walk about half mile from the dam to find what was left of the lake. “I’m sure with no snow this year, it will be worse,” he added.
This year’s stocking program is a touchy subject with locals. State budget cuts have reduced by one-half, the poundage of Dept. of Fish and Wildlife’s hatchery trout plants. According to Bishop’s Sierra Wave Media, 375,000 pounds of quarter-pounders will be planted, down from a minimum half-pound size last year.
Jeff Simpson, from the Mono County Tourism office said that the county is again taking up the slack of DFW. Mono County will purchase $130,000 worth of trophy-sized trout to plant in all of their 21 lakes. The Town of Mammoth Lakes adds another $75,000 in fish for its four-lake basin. Individual resorts and landings supplement their lakes as well.
While most San Diegans travel hours for the sheer beauty of fishing the crystal blue lakes surrounded by 11,000-foot peaks, one always hopes to catch something worthy of entering one of the numerous opening day contests.
The largest is the $1000 Monster Trout Contest, sponsored by the June Lake Chamber of Commerce. Crowds close down Main Street at final weigh-in time. “The town is full on opening weekend,” said Jeremy Ross, co-owner of June Lake’s Ernie’s Bait and Tackle, headquarters for the four-lake contest.
However, last year’s opener predictions of trophy-sized, double-digit-weighing fish did not materialize, as a surprise late-winter storm dumped eight inches of snow across the Sierras that night before. The startled big trout went into hiding until mid-June.
Still in 2014, San Marcos’s Parker Norris managed to pull in a two-pound, one-ounce rainbow; followed by Vista resident Randy Driskill with a two-pound cutthroat. Driskill had attended the Silver Lake opener since 1977.
Weather forecasts call for a bit of rain and snow along the Sierras on April 23, then nothing but shorts and T-shirt weather for opening day, but still down near freezing at night.
Footnote: This will be the writer’s 15th opener. You’ll find him and his two teenaged sons on the shore of Silver Lake with “The Point Crew” at 6:07 a.m. — sunrise — the official trout season start time.
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