It’s That Time Again as Sierra Braces for Trout Opener

A week from today, the annual pilgrimage begins and skiers speeding north on U.S. 395 will have to contend with fishermen in clunkers and motor homes in addition to truckers.

It’s the day before the Eastern Sierra general trout opener, the beginning of a shindig this stretch of beautiful country--from Big Pine to Bridgeport--experiences only once a year.

Motels and campgrounds will fill up, barbecues will be stoked, burgers grilled and beer and soda swilled by thousands of people, old and young, keeping alive a tradition that began more than 60 years ago.

The late John Crowley started such madness, and for his troubles a lake was named after him. Crowley was the Owens Valley’s first resident priest, who preached not only the gospel but the economic importance of recreation in the region, notably that generated by transplanted trout.

After the Mt. Whitney hatchery was built near Independence in 1917, Crowley hired a publicist and held promotional events popularizing the sport of fishing.

By the late 1930s, nearly a million tourists were wetting their lines annually in Eastern Sierra waters, many of them enjoying the opening-day experience.

Spirits are already running high for this year’s opener. Trout fishermen have grown tired of Irvine Lake. Santa Ana River Lakes, despite its humongous trout, has no aesthetic value, being surrounded by concrete and flanked by a noisy freeway.

In fact, none of the local fisheries have what serious trout fisherman desire: Crisp, clean air and cool-running streams . . . pine trees . . . pristine mountain lakes that mirror snow-covered peaks. . . .

It has been six months since they had all this, and another opener means it’ll be available for another six months--all a mere 300 or so miles away.

OK, so it’s not freeway close. For opening day, no one seems to mind the drive. But before you hit the highway, here are a some things you might want to know or consider:

* A fishing license is required for those 16 or older and the bag limit in most areas is five trout per day and 10 in possession after two days of fishing. There are special regulations in place in some waters. Regulation booklets are available at sporting good stores.

* This will be the busiest weekend of the year for Department of Fish and Game wardens, who will issue citations for various offenses that carry fines similar to those you might incur by driving solo in the carpool lane.

Catching more than your limit, for example, will cost you $270 plus $54 for each fish over the limit; fishing without a license: $675; unlawful possession of trout (such as those pulled from catch-and-release-only waters): $540; fishing out of season (such as the Friday before opening day): $270.

* The Eastern Sierra has become one of the state’s most productive trout-fishing regions, and the quality of fish seems to improve every year. Tim Alpers raises beautiful, plump rainbows on his family’s ranch at the headwaters of the Owens River and sells them to concessionaires throughout the region. He is contracted to stock about 50,000 pounds of fish, some topping 10 pounds, this season.

Several concessionaires raise their own trout to trophy size, releasing them periodically, and even the DFG has been mixing more lunkers with their 10- to 12-inchers. The DFG’s contribution this year will be about 734,000 pounds of trout in 81 bodies of water.

* It was 80 degrees in Bishop on Wednesday and Thursday and between 52 and 65 at Mammoth Lakes, June Lake and Bridgeport. This is the first warm spell in more than two weeks and just what is needed to bring the trout from their dormant stage.

* The biggest trout caught last year on opening day was a 13-pound rainbow landed in bone-chilling conditions at Twin Lakes in Bridgeport.

* The biggest trout caught last season was a 17-pound 1-ounce brown landed July 2 by Brandon Nelson of Bishop at South Lake high above town. The fish struck a rainbow trout-pattern Rapala, which was a good choice because the fish had obviously grown so large dining on DFG planters.

* South Lake and nearby Sabrina and North lakes, at 10,000 feet, remain iced over and will probably have few, if any, open spots on opening day. These lakes are home to some big fish, however, and should not be overlooked.

* Below South and Sabrina, Bishop Creek is flowing beautifully and both the creek and Intake II are well-stocked. “There’s snow alongside the creek beginning at about 9,000 feet, and two feet of snow surrounding South Lake,” said Gary Olson of Bishop Creek Lodge. “But below that we have really good access.”

* In Bishop at the Tri-County Fairgrounds, the 1999 Opening Day Trout Fair and Rainbow Days Trout Display, hosted by Western Outdoor News and the Bishop Lions Club, is free to the public. The fair features exhibitor booths, seminars, contests and a raffle, the grand prize being a boat and motor. The Rainbow Days contest and display offers prizes in several categories. Details: (760) 873-3588.

* Most opening-day anglers blow through the small town south of Bishop en route to more traditional locales, perhaps stopping briefly to buy worms peddled by school kids advertising alongside the highway. But “The small town with a big backyard” has some pretty big trout in its scenic watershed--Alpers rainbows weighing up to 10 pounds--and is hoping an opening-weekend derby will entice families to stay a spell.

Big Pine belongs in the opening-weekend mix. Besides the new addition of Alpers trout, the Owens River, the Ponds, Tinnemaha Creek, Baker Creek and Big Pine Creek are stocked regularly by the DFG before opening day. Ample campground space is available and by staying here you can shave an hour or more off your driving time. Cost for the derby is $12. Prizes include cash, gear and gift certificates. Details on any of the above: (760) 938-2114.

* Crowley Lake, far and away the most popular spot on opening day, should offer excellent fishing. The lake has been ice free since March 4 and the trout are only beginning to stir. “On warmer evenings, we’re seeing them feeding at the surface, which is a good sign,” said Heather Topp, who runs the concession at Crowley Lake Fish Camp. “We didn’t want them to fill up too early.”

* Crowley received 450,000 rainbow trout and 50,000 brown trout toward the end of last season, courtesy of the DFG. Those fish should range in size from eight ounces to two pounds on opening day. Much bigger “holdovers” are expected to be caught.

* New at Crowley are paved roads within the camp, helping to alleviate the dust problem on blustery days, which are many. Picnic tables have also been added. There’s also a big-fish contest for opening day, with cash and gear going to the person catching the biggest brown or rainbow. Details are available at the lake or on the Internet at https://www.crowleylakefishcamp.com.

* At Convict Lake, tucked amid towering glacial peaks at 7,600 feet, the scenery will be spectacular as always, and, unlike last year, the trails will be free of snow and the lake free of ice on opening day. To supplement DFG plants, concessionaire David DeSurra has purchased 40 Alpers-raised rainbows at five pounds-plus to be stocked Tuesday. Convict has incredibly large wild brown trout as well and this could be the year one of them takes the bait.

Finger-licking tidbit of note: Convict Lake Restaurant is the only four-star rated eatery in either Inyo or Mono County. House special: Alpers trout pan-seared in chardonnay with toasted almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and scallions.

* In the Mammoth Lakes basin, opening day isn’t as popular because the lakes are almost always iced over and ice fishing requires thick soles and lots of hot coffee, not to mention an auger. Surprisingly, though, both Twin Lakes are beginning to lose their ice and will probably offer some open-water fishing near the inlets and outlets. Mammoth Creek will be productive for pan-sized rainbows. Lakes Mary and George will be strictly for ice-fishermen with snowmobiles as the road above Twin is still under several feet of snow.

* All the lakes on the June loop are ice free, which is an improvement over last year at this time. The best bet? It’s hard not to go with June Lake. A fierce wind two months ago broke loose the main dock, freeing more than 15,000 trout that were being raised in pens for periodic release throughout the summer.

“Those winds were Stage 5 hurricane,” concessionaire Mickie Frederickson said. “The main dock had four 1,500-pound anchors and it still didn’t hold.”

The trout averaged two pounds apiece. The lakes on the loop need a little more more help from Mother Nature, however. The water temperature has yet to hit 40 and the fish are still holding deep. It’ll probably take a midge hatch--which could happen any day--to get them to rise.

* Bridgeport, the northernmost stop for opening-day anglers nearly 400 miles from Los Angeles, is usually worth the trip. Upper and Lower Twin lakes above Robinson Creek consistently produce quality catches and boast the state-record 26-pound 8-ounce brown. The big browns are wary, however, and usually are most active just as the ice starts to break up. That happened several weeks ago and the browns have probably already fattened up on small rainbows planted in anticipation of the opener.

The good news: Several thousand rainbows, many of them in the two- to 10-pound range, were raised by members of the Mono Village Fish Enhancement Program and released last fall.

Another good bet is Bridgeport Reservoir, which was “red hot toward the end of last season,” said Tracy Rockel at Ken’s Sporting Goods in downtown Bridgeport.

The East Walker River, home to rainbows and browns in the two- to 10-pound class, might be a good bet. This week it has been running at 130 cubic feet per second, which is low and ideal.