Trout season opener comes with a catch
Forecast for the April 28 jamboree otherwise known as the Eastern Sierra general trout season opener:
Bishop, 84 degrees and sunny; Mammoth Lakes, 62 and partly cloudy; June Lake, 47 and mostly sunny; Bridgeport, 63 and partly cloudy.
Reassuring? Perhaps.
But the wise angler will pack heavy clothing and carry chains, as blizzards can materialize unexpectedly in this region.
However, even the wise angler can leave the auger home this time.
Remarkably, there will be no ice fishing at high-elevation lakes, such as South and Sabrina atop Bishop Creek Canyon, because there will be little or no ice.
And whatever stormy weather Mother Nature can muster between now and then -- snow flurries are forecast through the weekend -- will not change that.
The mild winter is the story preceding this year’s opener, which will lure thousands to the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada for a one-day onslaught, during which anglers will yank more than 50,000 trout from their chilly universe.
At lower-level lakes such as Crowley and Convict, ice has been missing since early March -- odd, when you consider that in February a hockey game was played on Convict, which is tucked amid glacial peaks at 7,566 feet.
“It was no snow and lots of cold, and then it was no snow and warm and the ice all melted,” said Brian Balarsky, Convict Lake Resort owner, who this week reported budding trees and grass, a scene more reminiscent of late May.
Insect hatches and splashing trout -- early occurrences as well -- bode well for a lively opener in all areas.
Jared Smith may become the first owner of historic Parchers Resort to actually open for business on opening day.
Parchers, on the South Fork of Bishop Creek at nearly 9,300 feet, is typically snowbound until late May.
Snow from the most recent storm, he said, melted quickly below 10,000 feet.
Smith might even be able to put boats on South Lake in time for the opener, which would set another precedent for a 10,000-foot reservoir that usually is covered with two feet of ice on opening day.
“That’s a strong possibility, but we’re going to need a little help from Mother Nature, along with some hours spent ice-breaking,” he said.
Sabrina has open water along its entire shoreline. Rock Creek Lake, at 9,700 feet, has thinning blue ice and the resort is scheduled to open by May 7. Twin Lakes near Mammoth is already ice free.
Said Phil Pister, a former Department of Fish and Game biologist based in Bishop: “I can honestly say that in 57 years of working in this area, I do not recall such an early thaw.”
Highs and lows
Because of the light snowpack, runoff will not be severe and free-flowing waters such as the West Walker River, San Joaquin River, McGee Creek and Rock Creek should experience flows through much of the summer.
However, they may become mere trickles by late summer and fall.
Operations at Bridgeport Reservoir -- a storage facility for Nevada farmers -- might also be affected.
With less snowmelt, the water level could drop below the marina docks and ramp by August, forcing concessionaire Jeffrey Wenger to launch boats closer to the dam.
“I will work hard to keep people fishing; that’s what I do,” he said.
Opening-day prospects are excellent, however, and it would not be surprising if this lake yielded the day’s heaviest trout.
Special delivery
Michael Haynie, the Department of Fish and Game’s deputy regional manager, said 32,400 pounds of trout would be stocked in advance of the opener.
About 900,000 pounds are earmarked for Eastern Sierra waters throughout the 6 1/2 -month season.
Crowley Lake, which is managed independent of the others, received its seasonal allotment last fall: 400,000 rainbow trout, including Kamloop, Coleman and Eagle Lake strains. Each strain has a different characteristic.
During last year’s opener, trout caught at Crowley averaged an impressive 1.2 pounds, and five-fish limits were the norm.
A sticky situation
The presence of New Zealand mud snails in Hot Creek hatchery near Mammoth Lakes means the trout produced there may be stocked only in waters known to contain the invasive critters.
That, essentially, is the Owens River, including Pleasant Valley Reservoir and Crowley Lake, which are on the river.
Haynie said the stretch between Bishop and Big Pine -- which is open year-round -- has received the lion’s share of Hot Creek-raised trout.
With Hot Creek restricted, Fish Springs and Black Rock hatcheries may become hard-pressed to meet quotas later in the season.
The minuscule snails, which multiply rapidly and deprive trout of natural food sources, pose no threat to humans.
Jake II, where are you?
Tim Alpers will tag and plant 250 of his famous ranch-raised rainbows in Crowley Lake, Convict Lake, June Lake, Gull Lake, Bridgeport’s Twin Lakes and Bridgeport Reservoir.
They’re part of a Berkley promotion that will award $10,000 to the angler who catches the specially tagged Jake II on opening day.
Chances are slim that somebody will, but last year Jarren Klohr collared the original Jake at Convict Lake and drove home to Yucaipa by way of the nearest bank.
The rest of the tags are worth prizes. See the concessionaires for details.
