Have an Ice Day : Heavy Snowfall, Frozen Lakes Will Greet Eastern Sierra Anglers for Trout Opener

The pilgrimage has begun. They’re traveling north on U.S. 395 in fast cars and clunkers, in trucks and RVs. They’ve got worms. They’ve got lures. Surely, they’ve got Power Bait enough to dam the Owens River.

Come Friday afternoon, traffic will be at its peak along the popular route to the Eastern Sierra as thousands of hopeful anglers flock to participate in the annual rite of spring known, simply, as the trout opener.

Opening day of the general season is Saturday and, as is the case each year, it will be more of a party than a peaceful day on the water.

They will be standing elbow-to-elbow on river banks. They will be swerving in boats to avoid collisions. They will be waiting in lines at fish-cleaning stations.

But nobody seems to care. Such madness is expected. They come for the parties as much as they do the rainbows, browns, brookies and whatever other species of trout they might get their hooks into.

And this year, they might even get in a snowball fight.

There is plenty of the white stuff on the ground. It has fallen all winter and much of spring.

“It was all supposed to be over by now,” David Moss, a Mammoth Lakes fly-fishing guide, said last week of the snow, which was falling as he spoke.

This is good news, in the long run anyway. As the season progresses, the lakes will get higher, the rivers wilder. The drought, if there had been any doubt, is history.

There is 10-20 feet of snow on the slopes at Mammoth Mountain, and things are not much different in and around town.

“When we go to deliver a car to a house, we don’t ask the address (because it’s covered up). We say, ‘How many driveways up from the corner are you?’ ” said Moss, who also owns a Mammoth Lakes car-rental business. “We still have some of the greatest skiing in the world on 20 feet of snow!”

The town may not be big enough for skiers and fishermen--literally, Mammoth Lakes figures to be at or near capacity by Friday night.

But at least skiers know what they are in for: spring snow at its best.

Fishermen, on the other hand, may find some of their favorite spots snowbound, iced-over and inaccessible. Walking on water and fishing through holes in the ice may be a popular alternative but at this time of year, it can also be dangerous. Someone might fall in.

“And if something like that happens, it can be fatal real fast,” says Gary Gunsolley of Brock’s Sporting Goods in Bishop.

There’s no need, though, to ice-fish. The ice-free lakes are holding enough trout for everyone. The Department of Fish and Game--despite pleas by area business owners who would like to see more trout saved for later in the season--for the second consecutive season is stocking 20% of its hatchery-raised fish before the opener to save money on their upkeep throughout the season.

And because several lakes are still snowbound, the DFG said it has no choice but to “stuff” the trout earmarked for those lakes into those already stocked. In all, 140,000 half-pound rainbow trout will have been stocked by Saturday. Thousands of larger fish from Alpers Ranch have been sprinkled throughout the region and, figuring in the holdovers from last season, it should be as productive as well as one of the more interesting openers in years.

A breakdown of conditions and prospects at the three most popular regions on opening weekend:

BISHOP

Those heading up to the top of Line Street will have no trouble finding Lake Sabrina. It will be the little flat of ice with people milling about, trying to keep warm.

At 9,000 feet, Sabrina will be ice-fished or not fished at all. Same goes for nearby South Lake.

Not that anyone is recommending ice-fishing this year. Although plenty of snow has fallen, it has not been a particularly cold winter.

“It could be hazardous,” said Sharon Lundstrom, a spokeswoman at the Bishop Chamber of Commerce. “We’ve had warm days when the ice melts and cold nights when it refreezes, and when that happens you get what we call rotten ice, which is not stable.

“If a person goes out there and is not wearing a neoprene (suit) for protection, if they are not tied to shore or if they don’t have the equipment to protect themselves, it can turn into a terrible disaster.”

Meandering down the snowy mountain is Bishop Creek, flowing fairly fast but holding lots of fish. The water is clear and the many pools should produce limits for those who make the effort.

Intake II along the creek will have some ice, but it will have accessible areas as well.

The lower Owens River above Bishop may be the best bet. “They’ve dumped a fair amount of Alpers fish in there and the DFG is putting its 20% up front, so fishing will be good in the Owens,” Gunsolley said. The Pleasant Valley Reservoir, into which the Owens feeds, will produce its share of limits as well.

MAMMOTH LAKES AREA

Twin Lakes, Rock Creek Lake and lakes Mary and George are frozen over and punching a hole in the ice will be the only way to get to the fish. But given the heavy snowpack, getting to all but Twin Lakes will be next to impossible.

That means even more people than usual will be crowding the shores of Crowley Lake, always the most popular place on opening day.

“I know we’re going to get slammed, crowd-wise,” said Don McPherson from the lakeside tackle shop.

Crowley has been ice-free since last Wednesday, making it, in the words of McPherson, “about the only game in town.”

If the water temperature continues to rise--it is currently in the low 50s--look for the fishing to be as spectacular as the scenery.

Gates at Crowley will open at 6 a.m. Thursday and remain open 24 hours a day through next Tuesday. The north shore has been opened for camping for only the four days and McPherson said sites are available at $40 for four days or $20 a day.

Convict Lake, tucked beneath majestic glacial peaks not far off 395 between Crowley and Mammoth Lakes, is the area’s other ice-free lake, although it is still surrounded by snow. Campsites have been plowed and the road to the lake is clear, however.

Convict is gaining a reputation for its opening-day magic. In 1993, it produced a 14 1/2-pound brown trout that took big-fish honors throughout the Eastern Sierra and it could be the top lake this opener as well.

“What’s exciting is that last October (for an end of season contest) the DFG stocked huge brooder fish topped by a few 10-pounders and some Alpers fish at seven-eight pounds,” said David DeSurra, general manager of the lake concession. “Between them they stocked 51 of those fish and we only caught 13, so there are still a lot out there and they should be even bigger now.”

Thus, there are actually two games in town. Unless, that is, one counts skiing.

JUNE LOOP

They’re crashing boats and hoping for a big wind between now and Saturday. The former act is one means of breaking up the ice on the lakes around the scenic loop. The latter, and more effective, is Mother Nature’s way.

In any case, there should be enough open water in which to cast. As of Tuesday morning Grant Lake was completely open, June Lake was one-third open and Gull Lake was one-quarter open. Silver Lake is in the worst shape but there is open water around the banks--and a ton of snow on them.

The lakes have received DFG and Alpers plants. Whether they will be fully exploited Saturday is anyone’s guess.

The answer, it seems, is blowing in the wind.

BRIDGEPORT

Snow still blankets much of the outlying areas of this small town, which basically opens for business during trout season.

Fishermen can forget about high-country lakes and streams. Snow 20-25 feet deep covers the mountains above town. Lakes such as the popular Virginias aren’t expected to be reachable until July.

There will be no water shortages this year.

“The bad news is, the streams in town will be quite high, the exceptions being streams such as Robinson (Creek), which are manually controlled by dams,” said Rick Rockel, the Mono County manager of CalTrout.

The East Walker River, a famed brown trout fishery, is also manually controlled, but the water will still be fast as it flows from a full Bridgeport Reservoir. Fishing the East Walker figures to be tough for a few weeks.

The best bet in the region is Bridgeport Reservoir, which will pick up where it left off last year.

“It was good the last two years, but with better water conditions this year it will be outstanding,” Rockel said. “The average size will be well in excess of two pounds and we will see a lot of twos and fours, with a smattering of sixes and sevens.”

Robinson Creek, which flows from Twin Lakes, will produce its usual limits of pan-sized fish, but the twins--both upper and lower--could be sleepers in terms of big fish.

Alpers trout over 10 pounds have made their way this far north, so big rainbows--and possibly a few browns--might be pulled from the either of the two scenic reservoirs.

Rockel recommended using a wobbling or spinning lure designed to be trolled slowly, because the fish could still be a bit sluggish in the cold water.

As might be the anglers who fish for them.

(BEGIN TEXT OF INFOBOX / INFOGRAPHIC)

Several activities will be held throughout the Eastern Sierra in association with opening weekend of the general trout season. Information on activities and recreation in respective areas can be obtained through the following agencies:

Eastern Sierra InterAgency Visitor Center (619) 876-6222 Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce (619) 876-4444 Mt. Whitney Ranger Station (Lone Pine) .(619) 876-6200 Bishop Chamber of Commerce (619) 873-8405 White Mountain Ranger Station (Bishop) (619) 873-2500. Mammoth Lakes Visitors Bureau (619) 934-2712 Mammoth Lakes Reservations (800) 367-6572 Mammoth Lakes Ranger Station (619) 924-5500 Mono Basin Scenic Area Visitor Center (619) 647-3044 Mono Lake Ranger Station (Lee Vining) (619) 647-3000 Bridgeport Ranger Station (619) 932-7070 CalTrans Recorded Road Information (800) 427-7623