Sizing Up Opening Day at Crowley: Crowd and Trout Are Small
Is Crowley Lake going downhill?
Once thought of as one of North America’s great trout waters, the 5,000-acre reservoir 35 miles north of Bishop is in a slump. And biologists aren’t sure why.
For trophy trout fishermen, Crowley had a third consecutive disappointing season opener Saturday. Limits (five this year, down from seven in previous years) were plentiful at Crowley, as is always the case, but the rainbow trout were only slightly larger, biologists said, than the relatively small trout caught during the previous two Eastern Sierra openers.
On a warm, sunny day when sweeping new catch-and-release regulations went into effect for many streams, Crowley fishermen were catching rainbow trout that averaged slightly over 12 inches in length.
More significantly, third-year-class fish were almost entirely absent.
“We measured and weighed over 100 rainbows, and they averaged just over 12 inches,” said Phil Pister, veteran Department of Fish and Game fisheries biologist.
“They averaged just under 12 the last two opening days. They figured to be a little larger this year, since we had a mild winter. But we’re not seeing the big trout here we’re used to seeing.
“It used to be, 10 to 20 years ago, 6- to 8-pound rainbows and 8- to 10-pound browns weren’t uncommon. Now, you hardly ever see them that size.”
Saturday’s attendance seemed to indicate many trout fishermen also believe that Crowley may have seen better days. Dave Griffiths, who manages the lake for the Los Angeles Recreation and Parks Department, estimated the crowd Saturday at 15,125, but many long-time Crowley-watchers pegged it closer to 10,000 or 12,000.
By comparison, 1985 and 1986 opening-day turnouts were 18,825 and 16,800, respectively.
What’s wrong?
Pister indicated that 46-year-old Crowley may have passed its peak as a trophy trout reservoir.
“Most reservoirs such as Crowley tend to reach a point where they lose productivity,” he said. “Crowley is showing signs of a gradual decline.
“The trout just aren’t surviving their third winter in the lake. We’re not sure why.”
Pister and another DFG biologist, Darrell Wong, believe that the illegal introduction of Sacramento perch into Crowley about two decades ago may be contributing to premature mortality of adult trout.
Sacramento perch have hard, spiny dorsal fins. Larger trout, so the theory goes, may be choking on the perch. If so, Bridgeport Reservoir and its downstream East Walker River could be next. Biologists discovered Sacramento perch in those waters two years ago.
Whatever the reason, the evidence mounted Saturday. Of the 100 rainbows Pister and Wong checked at Crowley Saturday morning, not one exceeded three pounds.
Meanwhile, a tiny lake in the June Lake Loop, Gull Lake, was on the big-fish leader board for the third straight opening day.
By 2:45 p.m. Saturday, 100-acre Gull had yielded 59 rainbows over three pounds, 10 over 5-0. The biggest was a 5-8. A year ago, however, Gull had kicked out 15 trout over five pounds by 8 a.m. Does this mean Gull’s going in the tank, too? Tune in next year.
At six of Crowley’s major tributaries Saturday, fishermen were operating under new, restricted ground rules. Hook-’em-&-cook-’em fishing was out. Catch-and-release is in.
In order to reduce pressure on spawning trout in Crowley’s tributaries, the limit was dropped to two fish in tributaries east of US 395, each of which had to be at least 18 inches long. Gear was restricted to lures and flies with single, barbless hooks.
Benton Crossing on the Upper Owens River was once the most popular stream fishing spot in the entire region. On Saturday, the place was nearly inactive.
On previous openers, hundreds of RVs would be parked at streamside at Benton Crossing within a few hundred yards of either side of the bridge. On Saturday morning at 9:45 a.m., there were 20.
Those few who stayed and enjoyed the extra elbow room didn’t enjoy the fishing. Trout were as scarce as fishermen. Lee Wright of Whittier, on his 18th consecutive opening day at Benton Crossing, had made the big switch.
“I used to fish with crickets and worms here,” he said, casting a green, single-hook lure at streamside.
“I’m all for the changes, but it’ll take a couple of years to improve the fishing. Earlier this morning, people who hadn’t gotten the word were fishing with bait and killing small fish, but other fishermen and the game warden straightened them out.
“A lot of people left when they found out they couldn’t use bait here anymore, but a lot of them also left when they saw they had to pay $5 to camp overnight.”
The turnout at other Crowley tributaries was also very light.
Elsewhere along the Eastern Sierra, Bridgeport Reservoir produced the opener’s largest reported trout. Jeff Krutzch of Mountain View, Calif., caught a 10-12 brown trolling. The runner-up: A 10-9 brown at Convict Lake by Bob Johnson of Sunland.
Bridgeport Reservoir looked like the trophy trout leader Saturday. In addition to Krutzch’s fish, several other trout over seven pounds were weighed in at Ken’s Sporting Goods in Bridgeport.
At the nearby East Walker River, fly fisherman Jim Milau of Bridgeport caught a 6-12 brown with a gray hornberg.
At June Lake, limits were plentiful by mid-day but no large trout had been reported. At Silver Lake, the toppers were 5-9 and 5-4 rainbows by Chuck Hudson of Silver Lake and Jay Barnett of Granada Hills. However, the happiest fishermen at Silver was probably 11-year-old Shawn Pasco of Westchester, who caught a 3-2 rainbow with a trolling lure.
The biggest Gull Lake fish late Saturday was a 5-8, 25 1/2-inch rainbow by Darren Wakefield of Garden Grove.
