Haiwee Reservoir Opens for Fishing

For Bob Hayner, the opening of Haiwee Reservoir represents a successful end to a four-year battle with the Department of Water and Power. For others, however, the opening of the Inyo County lake represents merely another superb fishery in which to wet a line.

Both 3 1/2-mile long reservoirs at Haiwee opened to the public last Saturday for the first time since the DWP obtained the land in a deal with the Bureau of Land Management in 1983, but the official opening will be a ceremonious affair on April 16.

“Four years of hard work have finally come to a conclusion,” said Hayner, president of the Owens Valley Warm Water Fishing Assn., which pressed the DWP to adhere to terms of the 1983 deal and provide public access at the reservoirs, which supply drinking water to Los Angeles.

The lakes are open from half an hour before sunrise to half an hour after sunset. Anglers must fish from shore or in sealed waders; no boats are allowed.

Hayner, who fished the reservoir extensively when it was closed, said there are 10- to 12-pound German brown trout patrolling its shores.

“And I’ve documented largemouth bass up over 9 1/2 pounds on several occasions, but basically they’re running two-five pounds,” he said. “And there are smallmouth bass running 1 1/2 to three pounds, although I’ve documented a 7 1/2-pound smallmouth, that my daughter (Heidi) caught (last year).”

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Northern California outdoor writer Tom Stienstra calls an attempt to “freeze-brand” hatchery trout “one of the biggest botch jobs at a hatchery in California Department of Fish and Game history.”

The DFG is downplaying the issue.

Mt. Shasta Fish Hatchery personnel were forced to set aside additional trout to stock in the upper Sacramento River after an outbreak of disease among the 27,000 fish that were fin-clipped and “freeze branded” so creel checkers and anglers would be able to tell them from wild trout.

The upper Sacramento will open for fishing April 30 for the first time since a train wreck and toxic spill killed virtually all life in the stretch of river in 1991. The diseased hatchery fish originally destined for the river will remain at the hatchery and, if they recover, will be stocked later this year.

Stienstra, who writes for the San Francisco Examiner, went to the hatchery last week and said the trout had developed not only an ugly white fungus, but “red, blistering soars about the size of a nickel” where they were branded.

The DFG labeled the disease columnaris, “an external bacterial disease common in many western hatcheries.”

Nevertheless, the new batch of trout earmarked for the river will be marked with a fin clip, but will wear no brands.

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Last chances to grab grunion until June are tonight and Thursday night. The season then closes for two months to allow the small fish to spawn in the wet sand uninterrupted.

Tonight’s run, along dark sandy beaches, is scheduled to begin at 11:15 and Thursday’s about midnight.

Briefly

SALTWATER--Fishing remains slow locally, and the fact that anchovies are hard to come by isn’t making it easier on the Southland fleet. Bonito and barracuda are in local waters, however. It’s a matter of getting them to bite, and few skippers have been able to do it. Note: The Isle of Redondo, a deep-sea fishing barge operated by Redondo Sportfishing, will open for the spring and summer on Friday.

Cabo San Lucas: Things are back to normal for this time of year, and that’s bad news for fishermen. Blue water in the Golden Gate area has turned green and the marlin so prevalent in recent months have moved. One angler on a panga ran out of gas, was towed close to shore to await another boat and hooked into a swordfish estimated at 300 pounds. The angler hopped aboard a cruiser that came to his aid and battled the fish for several hours before his reel “finally exploded,” according to a report from the Pisces Fleet. There was another unsuccessful hookup with a swordfish at Gordo Banks. Tuna fishing remains fair at times in an area nine miles off Chileno, but winds have been hampering the fishing effort even along the beaches, where roosterfish and pargo had been providing lots of action.

East Cape: Striped marlin activity is on the rise, according to Bob Van Wormer of Hotel Palmas de Cortez. But tuna remain the prevalent catch. Dorado catches are largely incidental.

San Diego Long-Range: The giant tuna are fairly plentiful at Mexico’s Revillagigedo Islands, but getting them to bite with any consistency is still a problem. The Polaris Supreme returned to port Tuesday morning with 102 tuna kept and 81 released, with three fish topping 200 pounds, and 62 wahoo. The Red Rooster III returned last Friday with a similar tuna catch, but with 203 wahoo.

FLY-FISHING--Angling Adventures, featuring casting and tying demonstrations by some of the sport’s premier personalities, will be held April 8-10 at the Long Beach Convention Center. Cost is $9. Proceeds will go toward local conservation projects. . . . South Bay Fly Fishers will have a tying demonstration and presentation by Eastern Sierra guide Fred Rowe April 6 at 7 p.m. at Westchester Town Hall. Details: (310) 271-2703. . . . Gary Tomovich will teach Introduction to Fly Fishing at Classes Unlimited’s South Pasadena campus April 12 and 14 from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Cost is $55. Details: (818) 762-3869.