Winds, Snow Possible for Trout Opener

The natives were calling it typical spring weather for the Eastern Sierra trout season opener today: temperatures as high as 80 degrees this week followed by high winds and possible snow flurries late this afternoon or evening.

The conditions could result in some trade-offs.

The warming trend allowed the opening of the Tioga and Sonora passes from the West Friday, adding to the crush of anglers from Southern California, about 17,500 of whom will be concentrated at Crowley Lake.

But the trend also turned the frozen crusts on the upper lakes to mush and destroyed any thought of ice fishing.

The storm expected late today could bring snow above 6,000 feet, and Crowley is at 6,781. But accompanying winds of up to 50 m.p.h. could blow it all away before Sunday.

The winter’s light snowfall brought Crowley’s water level down 10 feet from a year ago, leaving the surface area about 25% below spill level. But all docks, launching ramps and campgrounds near the lake are accessible and operating.

Phil Pister, fisheries biologist for the Department of Fish and Game, said that water levels in most lakes and larger streams should be good at least through May.

He also suggested that some lucky anglers will probably be startled when they hook one of the 12,000 2- to 5-pound excess broodstock fish planted in selected roadside waters.

“They’re kind of ratty things, to be honest,” Pister said. “Living in the fish hatcheries, they’re all scarred up. But they’re big.”