East Slopes -- A Recreational Guide to the Eastern Sierra and Casade Mountains

Crane Prairie - Bend, Oregon / Highway 97

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:58:55 -0800

Crane Prairie Explored

Reconnoitering and Researching - August 10, 2006

Update- November 2, 2008
Scott Cook, owner of Fly and Field Shop , in Bend, Oregon recently gave a presentation to the Klamath Country Fly Casters, where he stated that great gains have been made at Crane Prairie Reservoir for the future of those famous Cranebows. The bass populations have leveled, and the average bass size has declined. One reason for this success has been the stocking of larger trout, which can escape the predatory jaws of bass. With the average size of rainbows reaching between 17 and 19-inches, stomach contents of both bass and trout show that the stickleback minnow has two predators now! So, keep this in mind as you read the following disaster story, which may indeed have a happy ending. Northwest Fly Fishing magazine has a feature article on Crane Prairie in their November/December 2008 edition.

2006
A pox on every fishing guide writer and publisher who keeps regurgitating the same old glorification of a famed fly fishing water that has devolved into an ecological disaster! A pox on every damned bucket biologist who denigrates or destroys a body of water for his own selfish fishing interest. Having departed from my usual objective, quasi-journalistic writing style, be prepared as, "I'm mad as hell, and I am not going to take it anymore!" Like most anglers, however, I am powerless. So too it would seem, short of using the poison, retenone, are the government agencies that control our waterways. This summer it has been particularly painful returning to Yellowstone Lake only to find that the lake trout have devastated the cutthroat fishery, or my sadness in returning to Rock Creek to witness the impact of Whirling Disease on one of my favorite creeks. And now, when I finally get to Crane Prairie, I am told, "You should have been here in the 70's or 80's or even the early 90's.

Although some of the anglers I chatted with said that the lake was once again gradually improving, most said that they return to the lake to fish for larger, trophy size fish. Some of the anglers that I spoke with have been fishing the lake for years and are local residents. Most anglers now are bait fishermen who anchor their boats and fish the same spot for hours hoping to catch a solitary cruiser on power bait, worms, and dragon fly nymphs. Bass fishermen work the drowned timber stands, and trollers motor up and down the channels. What is missing is the large numbers of fly anglers who plied the lake. I realize that it would seem pretentious for me to write an article based on one weekend of exploring, and yet the sadness of this story compels me to vent. Perhaps I am in need of a catharsis after witnessing so many of these ecological disasters in a short span of time. However, Crane Prairie is not all "Doom and Gloom." The reservoir consistently produces huge trophy trout for anglers dedicated enough to learn its secrets. I spoke to two such men. One of the men spoke of spending five seasons on the lake before he could consistently catch trophy size trout. Another man claimed he was still a learner after seven years. Although most of the local guides have shifted to more productive waters to satisfy their clients need to catch numbers rather than trophies, a few guides have remained on the lake. I have included the name of one guide that I met and chatted with briefly. I include his contact information at the end of this article only because I ran into a couple who have hired him a couple of times and just gushed with praise for the man's skills and knowledge. Let's start with an excerpt from the web site of Oregon's Department of Fish and Wildlife.

"Home of the famous "cranebows", Crane Prairie Reservoir is one of the top producing rainbow trout fisheries in Central Oregon. Rainbow trout here average 2 inches of growth a month during the summer. The record rainbow to date weighed over 19 pounds, with abundant rainbows in the 4 to 10 pound range. Crane Prairie Reservoir is a Wildlife Management Area. Osprey, bald eagle and many waterfowl frequent the area. Crane Prairie Reservoir is located on the Deschutes National Forest and is a large, shallow impoundment on the upper Deschutes River approximately 30 miles southwest of Bend and is accessible from Century Drive (Forest Service Road 46), and Forest Roads 40, 42, and 4270. Crane Prairie was a natural meadow in which the Deschutes River, Cultus River, Cold Creek, Quinn River, Deer Creek, and Cultus Creek Converged. Crane Prairie Reservoir was first created in 1922 by rock filled dam and reconstructed by Bureau of Reclamation in 1940. The inundated trees and five square miles of shallow water coupled with cool water inlets make Crane Prairie Reservoir a very rich and productive aquatic system producing numerous trophy size rainbow trout.

ODFW Management Policies for Crane Prairie Reservoir

Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife currently manages rainbow trout at Crane Prairie Reservoir for natural and hatchery production consistent with the Featured Species Fish Management Alternative for trout. Mountain Whitefish, brook trout, and kokanee are managed for natural and hatchery production consistent with the Basic Yield Management Alternative for trout. Largemouth bass shall be managed for natural production consistent with the Basic Yield Management Alternative for warm water fish."

http://www.fs.fed.us/r6/centraloregon/recreation/fishing/lake-reservoir/craneprairie.shtml

Now, here are the facts never mentioned in fishing guide books or blurbs on promotional tourism sites. In the mid 80's some bucket biologist dumped largemouth bass into Crane Prairie. Although Crane Prairie has wild and sustaining populations of rainbows and Brook Trout, the bulk of the fish caught are planters. Once the alarm cry was sounded about the growing bass population, they were already big, bold and hungry! The 3-4 inch trout plants became bass chow. The Oregon biologists steadfastly proclaimed that few of the transplanted trout were preyed upon by the bass. Wishful thinkers theorized that the two populations would tend to gravitate to their own preferred waters. The bass population flourished, and Crane Prairie established itself as one of Oregon's premier bass lakes. Fly anglers gradually declined from their proportionately high numbers. To add insult to injury, bucket biologists struck again introducing the Three-spined stickleback minnow, which many anglers that I spoke to feel are responsible for the crash of the damsel flies and dragon flies on the lake. Here is an excerpt from an ODFW report found on-line.

"Three-spined stickleback have been present in Crane Prairie Reservoir since the early 1990s. This species was an illegal introduction and likely released to provide forage for warm water species in the reservoir which were also illegal releases. Schistocephalus is a common parasite in stickleback. High productivity of the reservoir and conditions favorable for completing the tapeworm life history contribute to a high incidence of occurrence of the tapeworm in stickleback. Fish samples collected in 2000 and 2001 were provided to ODFW pathologists for analysis. No incidence of Schistocephalus infection was found in fish species other than stickleback. Schistocephalus were found in digestive tracts of trout along with three-spined stickleback parts indicating that trout had ingested stickleback with parasite infestations. Largemouth bass diet studies have also shown secondary ingestion of Schistocephalus resulting from consumption of stickleback. [Now, note this disclaimer.] There is currently no evidence linking Schistocephalus occurrence to the decline of rainbow trout in Crane Prairie Reservoir."

To butcher an old folk song, "Where have all the rainbows gone, long time passing...." One government report stated that the illegal bass introduction "disturbed" the trout populations. Disturbed - what an interesting word choice for a biologist to use. It almost sounds, well, scientific! What has been reported is a declining population of young bass and trout. Terry Schrader from ODFW states that, "the stickleback [illegally dumped into the lake to provide forage for bass] out competes the young of these species and has also changed the dominant form of zooplankter." This in turn has produced high levels of toxic cyanobacteria that is potentially fatal to pets and young children. Another factor, similar to what happened in Diamond Lake with the illegal introduction of chubs, is the increased likelihood of algal blooms. So, Mr. Bucket Biologist, what a fine mess you have got us into.

And now the good news. Bass populations are in decline both in size and in numbers. (I can not substantiate this statement, but it was a consensus.) During the last two years ODFW has been planting trout from 8 to 9 inches. These larger size plants have a greater life expectancy in escaping the jaws of large trout and bass. I fished one entire day for bass in the north end of the lake by the resort. I caught one bass. The second day I explored the southern end of the lake and finally was able to locate some fly fishermen to interview. Since I have no experience in catching bass on the lake (yet), I have compiled the following information for first time anglers and campers to the lake. It would seem prudent for anyone planning to stillwater fly fish Crane Prairie to go out with a guide. As I mentioned earlier in the article, I did meet one guide who was both friendly and helpful. The next day I spoke to a couple who were heading out on the lake in a drift boat. They spoke glowingly of the same guide, Brett Dennis. He may be contacted at 541-598-0008.

Camping: For RV camping with full hook-ups, contact Crane Prairie Resort at PO Box 1171, Bend, Oregon 97709. (541) 383-3939. Located 33 miles from Bend and 20 miles from Sunriver, the resort offers full RV Hookups, boat rentals, tackle, gas, moorage, groceries, guide service and showers and laundry. It is right next to the Forest Service Crane Prairie Campground.

Forest Service Campgrounds:

Crane Prairie Campground: Offering 146 sites and a boat launch at the northern end of the lake, the campground offers trailer and RV camping and a special designated tent camping section right on the lake. The roads are paved and two boat launches are provided. Users will need to pay a $5 use fee for launching their boats if they are not camped. Premium sites cost $12 per night. (2007) Showers may be paid for at the adjoining resort.

Quinn River Campground and Rock Creek Campground: Both campgrounds are located on the southern end of the lake off the Cascade Lakes Highway #46, which may be accessed from Highway 58 or from Bend. Both of these campgrounds have boat ramps and places along the shore to moor your boat for the evening. (Take in all your valuables at night as thefts occur.)

Trout Fishing: I can't proffer any advise on fishing tactics other than what I have learned from chatting with fellow anglers over a two day period. Here is what I learned. Because the lake averages nine to eleven feet water depth, trout tend to seek sanctuary in the old river channels when water temperatures climb. At the southern end of the lake, five river channels cross the broad body of water. In the spring and fall the trout tend to disperse into cooler water. With declining numbers of fish, target the channels exclusively during the summer months. Seasoned anglers map holes and springs with GPS. The channels are easy to locate if you have a fish finder that displays depth. On my last day my step-son joined us. As we cruised around looking at the channels and marking fish, I told him of a strategy I learned from bass anglers. If you are fishing a lake arm with a river channel, use a series of buoy markers to mark the channel. I pulled one out that I had bought from Cabela's. Simply drop the weighted marking buoy overboard. When the weight hits the bottom, the buoy stops unwinding, and you can turn the boat around and anchor. Twenty minutes later I saw the splay of fly line shimmering in the skyline from an anchored boat. When I glassed the boat, I spied a familiar fluorescent orange marker buoy. Most fly fishers use large strike indicators with chironomid nymphs. Other successful patterns are dragonfly nymphs, leech patterns and Woolly Buggers. An excellent resource is Scott Richmond's book, Crane Prairie - Deschutes Headwaters, published by Frank Amato.

Bass Fishing: Although I spotted a few bass fishermen in the Cultus Channel, the majority of bass anglers worked the drowned trees on the west side of the lake above and below the Quinn Channel.

Dave Archer

Fishing in the Sky Lakes Wilderness / Highway 140

Sun, 02 Nov 2008 20:21:31 -0800

Straddling the Cascade divide between Four Mile Lake and Crater Lake, the Sky Lakes Wilderness encompasses 113,590 acres. Six miles wide and twenty-seven miles long, the lake basins provide almost 200 lakes, although most are shallow and do not support fish. Some of the lakes are more aptly described as shallow ponds, and the average size lake is between 30 and 40 acres. The largest lake is Fourmile Lake, which exceeds 900 acres and can be driven to from Highway 140. It is not surprising than that I would pack into this wilderness on two occasions with my two pack donkeys, Harley and Lately, and get skunked because I didn’t do my homework.

   To check on stocking programs for the area, I learned from Dan Van Dyke at ODFW that a number of lakes are stocked with fingerlings every other year from helicopter. Of the Blue Canyon Group, Blue Canyon Lake, Carey Lake, and Horseshoe Lake are stocked. In the Seven Lakes Group, Alta Lake, Cliff Lake, Grass Lake, Ivern Lake and Middle Lake are also stocked every other year. Van Dyke went on to say that the growth of the fingerlings are slow, but it is not uncommon to catch rainbows and brooks up to seventeen inches with a string of moderate winters.

Statistics on the Lakes

Blue Canyon Group
Blue Canyon Lake – 2.5 acres; 18-feet depth; elevation 6,340
Carey Lake – 5 acres; 31-feet depth; elevation 6,020
Horseshoe Lake – 20 acres; 18-feet depth; elevation 5,230

Seven Lakes Group
Alta Lake – 32 acres; 13-feet depth; elevation 6,850
Cliff Lake – 10-acres; 15-feet depth; elevation 6,340
Grass Lake – 25 acres; 8-feet depth; elevation 6,040
Middle Lake – 20 acres; 12-feet depth; elevation 6,120

Van Dyke commented that Grass Lake typically held the largest fish, but they are known to be picky. Middle Lake took second place for fish size. Cliff Lake usually holds the smallest average sized fish, and the survival numbers go to Alta and Ivor Lakes. I also spoke to Jeff Von Kienast, wildlife biologist at the Prospect Ranger District. In years past both men have had good fishing in Grass Lake and Middle Lake. Jeff said that he had success fishing Middle Lake on the far side of the lake, and that a number of years ago he did very well at Grass Lake. Dan said that he took a number of Medford fly anglers into Grass Lake a few years ago and that anglers with float tubes did well while the shore anglers really struggled.

   My first trip into the wilderness was from the trailhead at Fourmile Lake in early October, 2008. Our destination was Long Lake. We passed the first lake, and I noted that the shoreline was very shallow, and there was no way I could reach deeper water casting from shore. It was a harbinger of what was yet to come. Long Lake is beautiful, and we had a wonderful camping spot. From every elevated vantage point, I could see the shallow bottom for thirty yards and more. I never spotted a cruising fish. For two days and two evenings, I never spotted a rising fish. On October 25 I packed up the donkeys and headed into the Seven Lakes Basin.

   This trip started out badly when I discovered the perverse machinations of the Forest Service. The Sevenmile Creek trailhead is two-fold – one for equestrian users and one for hikers. “No trailers beyond this point” read the sign, so I pulled into the equestrian trailhead parking lot. Towering above me was a steep mountain. Up and up we went traversing the switch backs to the crest. My mantra, taken from the children’s book, The Little Engine that Could, began, “I think I can, I think I can, ” and ended with sighs, coughs and grunts. Up over the ridge we went and spiraled down slope until I could see a sparkling spot of blue peeking through the dark forest. I was puzzled because I had only been hiking for fifty minutes, and my map showed no lake this early in the hike. Trudging down the trail, the forest thinned enough for me to see a dark blue Ford truck. Fifty-five minutes of hiking over a mountain top, and I had arrived at the hiker’s trailhead!

   Further in I met a hiker carrying a spinning outfit. He said that he had no luck at Grass Lake or Middle Lake, although he said that he had caught a few skinny fish at Cliff Lake. I camped at Grass Lake late that afternoon. From the hiker’s trailhead, I made it to the lake in three hours, which included a 15 to 20 minute lunch break. The sign at Grass Lake pointed to the trailhead at 6.5 miles. Too pooped to fish, thanks to my extra hour of hiking, I studied the shoreline of Grass Lake and Middle Lake. Like Long Lake, the shoreline was very shallow, and I could see mud for thirty to forty yards. I never saw a rising fish that evening. The next morning I fished Middle Lake casting as far as I could, but I had no luck. The fact that I could not spot a single fish nagged me until I wondered if the severe winter of 2008 killed off a lot of fingerlings.

If you have any information on wilderness fishing lakes in Oregon, which can be reached withing six or seven miles, I would love to hear from you.

Dave Archer
Email: archdave@gmail.com

Directions: Highway 140 has a signed entrance to Fourmile Lake between Klamath Falls and Medford, Oregon. The Sky Lakes Wilderness may also be accessed from a number of trailheads off the West Side Road. You will find this road off of Highway 140 on the Klamath Falls side of the mountains. Look for the signs to Rocky Point.

Lone Pine Area Campgrounds and Fishing

Wed, 20 Aug 2008 09:37:38 -0800

Travelers from southern California to the eastern Sierras via Highway 395 too often overlook the camping and fishing opportunities Lone Pine provides. In their haste to gas up, grab a sandwich, and head up the road to Bishop or Mammoth, they drive past some great spring and fall camping. Avoiding the summer heat in Lone Pine is easy – head up the mountain to the Whitney Portal Campground. I have listed the Lone Pine Campgrounds loosely based on their close proximity to Lone Pine: Portagee Joe Campground, Boulder Creek RV Campground, Diaz Lake Campground, Tuttle Creek Campground, Lone Pine Campground, Mt. Whitney Portal Campground, Horseshoe Meadows Campground (Cottonwood Creek). Information about Lone Pine is listed as a single “Lone Pine” entry.

Lone Pine Area Campgrounds: (Maps at the bottom)

Campground Name: Portagee Joe Campground (county)      Area: Lone Pine
Administered by: County Parks Department

Elevation: 3,750
Season Length: Opens late April through late October and subject to weather conditions
Contact: Inyo County Parks Department,(760) 878-0272
Number of sites: 15
Fee: $10.
RV sites: Yes   RV’s up to: No restrictions
Toilets: Vault    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills
Nearest town: Lone Pine
Nearby facilities: Lone Pine
Nearby fishing: Diaz Lake, Lone Pine Creek (See Highway 395 Fishing Category)
Reservations: Reservations are accepted ($9. fee). For reservable campsites, call (877) 444-6777 or http://www.ReserveUSA.com or http://www.recreation.gov/. 1-877-444-6777.
Additional information: Pets must be kept on a leash.
Directions: From Highway 395 in Lone Pine, turn right (west) on Whitney Portal Road and drive one mile to the Tuttle Creek Road. The campground is just a small distance from this intersection.
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Boulder Creek RV Campground (800) 648-8965 / (760) 876-4243

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Campground Name: Diaz Lake Campground       Area: Lone Pine
Administered by: Inyo National Forest /      Ranger District

Elevation: 3,650
Season Length: Opens late April through late October and subject to weather conditions
Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; Inyo County Parks Department (760) 878-0272
Number of sites: 200
Fee: $10-14 per night
RV sites: Yes   RV’s up to: No restrictions   Hook-ups:   Garbage: containers
Toilets: flush    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills
Nearest town: Lone Pine
Nearby facilities: Boat ramp (water skiing), playground; golf course nearby
Nearby fishing: 85 acre Diaz Lake (See Highway 395 Fishing Category)
Reservations: Reservations are accepted. For reservable campsites, contact the National Recreation Reservation Center at http://www.recreation.gov or call them at 1-877-444-6777.
Additional information: Pets must be kept on a leash. Inyo National Forest Listings: Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data. If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions. For reservable campsites, contact the National Recreation Reservation Center at http://www.recreation.gov or call them at 1-877-444-6777.
Directions: Highway 395 three miles south of Lone Pine

Diaz Lake Fishing: Warm water species include largemouth bass, bluegill and crappie, along with some channel catfish. Trout are planted in the spring and winter when cooler water temperatures prevail and the stocked fish can survive. Covering 80 acres the lake is mostly used for boating and water recreation and not a viable fishery due to summer heating and evaporation. However, with cooler temperatures and better oxygen levels, fishing can be fair to good.

Lake name: Diaz Lake

Road condition: Paved

Region: Mt. Whitney Ranger District Area/description: Three miles south of Lone Pine.

Lake size: 22 acres Species: Planted Rainbows early in the season; Largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie and Channel catfish

Closest town or supplies: Lone Pine

Contacts: Inyo County Parks Department; Mt. Whitney Ranger District (760) 876-6200; Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce: toll-free at (877) 253-8981 or locally at (760) 876-4444; Lone Pine Sporting Goods (760) 876-5365; Gardner’s True Value (706) 876-4208

Facilities: Boat launch; rest rooms, picnic site, swimming area and playground

Nearest campground: Diaz Lake, Lone Pine Creek, Boulder Creek RV (760) 876-4243

Boating: Personal watercraft allowed

Fishing season: Early opener-see regulations Best times: Spring and late fall

Favorite lures or bait: Conventional gear for bass; lures and bait for trout

Stocking information: 12,000 rainbows

Additional information: If you are a bass fisherman and a trout fisherman, this is a great spot for a spring outing. Lone Pine also hosts an Early Opener Derby. If you enjoy bass fishing ask locally for directions to “High Banks” on the Owens River as well as Billy Lake.

Nearby fishing: Lone Pine Creek

Directions: Three miles south of Lone Pine on Highway 395.

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Campground Name: Tuttle Creek Campground (primitive)   Area: Lone Pine
Note: The county also has a campground named Tuttle Creek in the same vicinity.
Administered by: Bureau of Land Management / Whitney Ranger District /

Elevation: 5,120
Season Length: Opens late April through late October and subject to weather conditions
Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400
Number of sites: 85
Fee: $5
RV sites: Yes   RV’s up to: 30 feet   Garbage: Pack-it-out!
Toilets: Vault    Water: Non-potable only      Picnic tables and fire grills
Nearest town: Lone Pine
Nearby facilities: Lone Pine
Nearby fishing: Although the creek is very small, Tuttle Creek is stocked with 6,000 Rainbow trout a year. (See Highway 395 Fishing Category)
Reservations: Reservations are not accepted
Additional information: Some facilities have wheel-chair accessibility; pets must be kept on a leash; an extra fee is charged for each additional vehicle. Inyo National Forest Listings: Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2008 data. If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions. For reservable campsites, contact the National Recreation Reservation Center at http://www.recreation.gov or call them at 1-877-444-6777.
Directions: From Highway 395 in Lone Pine, turn right (west) on Whitney Portal Road. Continue 3.5 miles to the Horseshoe Meadow Road and turn left. The campground is 1.5 miles on a good dirt road.

Tuttle Creek Fishing: Tuttle Creek is another small drainage creek that is both narrow and shallow. However, generous weekly stocking in and around the campground provide close fishing for campers who could not find a camp site at Whitney Portal or Lone Pine Creek.

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Campground Name: Lone Pine Creek (Below the Whitney Portal Campground) Area: Lone Pine
Administered by: Inyo National Forest / Mt. Whitney Ranger District

Elevation: 6,000
Season Length: Opens late April through late October and subject to weather conditions
Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400
Number of sites: 43
Fee: $16.
RV sites: Yes   RV’s up to: 35 feet
Toilets: Pit    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills
Nearest town: Lone Pine
Nearby facilities: Small campground store
Nearby fishing: Lone Pine Creek (See Highway 395 Fishing Category)
Reservations: Reservations are accepted ($9. fee). For reservable campsites, call (877) 444-6777 or http://www.ReserveUSA.com or http://www.recreation.gov/. 1-877-444-6777.
Additional information: Some facilities have wheel-chair accessibility; pets must be kept on a leash.
Directions: From Highway 395 in Lone Pine, turn right (west) on Whitney Portal Road. Continue 13 miles to the campground.

Lone Pine Creek Fishing: Although fishing for stocked fish in a campground is not something that interests me, when I saw the size and the numbers of fish swimming in the pocket water I was shocked. You pay for these campground fish so you might as well catch your dinner! Fish ranged from 8 to 12-inches. I was impressed, and I began to think of how good they would taste. This is a great spot to take children fishing. Leave the pools where the fish are looking right at you, and look for broken water where they are more likely to take your bait. I watched a mother showing her young children how to snag. Fortunately, she was not all that successful.

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Campground Name: Whitney Portal Campground         Area: Lone Pine
Administered by: Inyo National Forest / Mt. Whitney Ranger District

Season Length: Opens late April through late October and subject to weather conditions
Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ (760) 937-6070
Number of sites: 44
Fee: $17 + $5. for extra vehicle. Golden Age Access is half price. (2008)
RV sites: Yes   RV’s up to: 30 feet    Garbage: containers
Toilets: Vault    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills
Nearest town: Lone Pine
Nearby facilities: small campground store
Nearby fishing: Yes (See Highway 395 Fishing Category)
Reservations: Reservations are accepted ($9. fee). For reservable campsites, call (877) 444-6777 or http://www.ReserveUSA.com or http://www.recreation.gov/. 1-877-444-6777.
Additional information: Whitney Portal Campground is used for climbers planning on climbing Mt. Whitney, the highest mountain in the lower 48 states. It is also the trailhead for the John Muir Wilderness Trail. Some facilities have wheel-chair accessibility; pets must be kept on a leash; the campground is seven miles from Whitney Trailhead. The campground is located in the eastern Sierra, six miles west of the town of Lone Pine, California. Firewood is for sale at the campground. Popular activities include hiking and fishing. Restrooms are provided. Some first come, first serve sites may be available.
Forest Listings: Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data. If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions. For reservable campsites, contact the National Recreation Reservation Center at http://www.recreation.gov or call them at 1-877-444-6777.
Directions: From Highway 395 in Lone Pine, turn right (west) on Whitney Portal Road. Continue 13 miles to the campground.
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Campground Name: Horseshoe Meadow Walk-In and Equestrian Campground   Area: Lone Pine

Administered by: Whitney Ranger District / Inyo National Forest

Elevation: 5,120
Season Length: Opens late April through late October and subject to weather conditions
Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400
Number of sites: 18 walk-in camp sites for hikers entering the John Muir Wilderness and the Golden Trout Wilderness; 10 equestrian sites at the trail head provide corrals and hitching posts
Fee: $6 for walk-in campsites; $12 for equestrian camp sites.
RV sites: Yes   RV’s up to: 30 feet   Garbage: Pack-it-out!
Toilets: Vault    Water: Yes      Picnic tables and fire grills
Nearest town: Lone Pine
Nearby facilities: Pack Station
Nearby fishing: Although the creek is very small, Tuttle Creek is stocked with 6,000 Rainbow trout a year. (See Highway 395 Fishing Category)
Reservations: Reservations are not accepted for equestrian camp sites; trailhead reservations for wilderness stays are required.
Additional information: Inyo National Forest Listings: Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data. If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions.

Directions: From Highway 395 in Lone Pine, turn west on Whitney Portal Road and drive 3.5 miles and turn left on Horseshoe Meadows Road. Drive 19 miles to the trail head. (Warning: This is an extremely steep climb. I over-heated my engine pulling a large camper in 102-degree heat. Yes, at the top it was 20-degrees cooler, but I had to pull over and idle my engine for about 20 minutes.)

Non-potable water is available for stock, but bring a bucket. Equestrian campers are expected to clean up all horse manure, so bring a bucket and rake and pack it out.

South Fork Lake Elevation: 11,040

Road condition: Paved to Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead

Day hike: A physically challenging 4 mile hike. It is the last mile that is most challenging.

Region: Mt. Whitney Ranger District Area/description: Cottonwood Lakes / Golden Trout Wilderness

Lake size: 5 acres Species: Golden trout, 5-12 inch range with some larger ones.

Closest town or supplies: Lone Pine

Contacts: Mt. Whitney Ranger District (760) 876-6200; Lone Pine Chamber of Commerce: toll-free at (877) 253-8981 or locally at (760) 876-4444

Nearest campground: Tuttle Creek Campground; Whitney Portal is located in the eastern Sierra, 13 miles west of Lone Pine, CA. This campground is adjacent to Whitney Creek. Roads are paved. Restrooms are provided. Firewood is available for sale. Small store with showers nearby; Lone Pine Campground; Independence Creek Campground (See Independence camping.) Portagee Joe Campground; Diaz Lake Campground.

Fishing season: General Restrictions: Artificial lures with barbless hooks

Tips: Bring a good map, plenty of water or a water filter and watch for trail signs as the trail forks after Golden Trout Camp. The trail will follow Cottonwood Creek.

Favorite lures or bait: Use small lures such as Kastmasters, Daredevils and Panther-Martins. Bring smaller lures, but have a variety of color combinations to entice both shallow and deep cruising trout. (See Category: Fishing Tips – Best Lures and Bait)

Favorite fly patterns: Fly & Bubble technique with small nymphs such as Hare’s Ear, Zug Bug, Bead-Head Prince Nymph, Pheasant Tail or a Tellico Shrimp. (See Category: Fishing Tips – Best Fly Patterns and Techniques)

Stocking information: Wild trout populations

Additional information: This is a popular and scenic Golden trout lake.

Nearby fishing: Cottonwood Creek

Directions: From Highway 395 in Lone Pine, turn left on Mt. Whitney Portal Road and drive three miles to the Horseshoe Meadow Road turn-off. Turn left and drive approximately 15 miles to the turn-off to Cottonwood Lakes Trailhead. Turn right at the turn-off and proceed to the trailhead parking area.

Maps courtesy of mytopo.com.

Davis Lake Fishing and Camping

Sat, 16 Aug 2008 13:21:50 -0800

Lake name: Davis Lake
Road condition: Paved with gravel access roads to the campgrounds
Region: Cascades Lakes Basin
Area/description: Approximately 10 miles south of Crane Prairie Reservoir and about a forty-minute drive from Chemult from Highway 97.
Lake size: 3,500 to 3,900 acres at full pool    Depth: The average depth is 8 to 10 feet with a few spots attaining a depth of 20 to 25 feet
Species: Largemouth bass; Klamath strain rainbows and tui chub. Although the lake was once renown as a trophy trout lake, the illegal introduction of tui chubs and largemouth bass has forever altered this once famous fly fishing only lake. Although trout may still be caught, their numbers have greatly diminished. Stories abound of 14 to 16-inch rainbows lodged in the gullet of trophy size bass. Today Davis Lake is considered a trophy bass fishing lake, but for every good sized bass caught, be prepared to land a lot of 8 to 10-inch little hungry guys.
Closest town or supplies: Chemult, Crescent, La Pine
Bend Fly Shops: The Patient Angler 541-389-6208; The Riffle Fly Shop 541-388-3330; Sunriver Fly Shop 541-593-8814
Facilities: None
Nearest campground: (See information below.)

Boating: Boating is restricted to 10 mph. Boat launches are primitive. The West Davis Lake Campground has the best launch; East Davis Lake Campground has a primitive spot for car-top boats; the Lava Flow Campground has a good hard-packed, shallow bottom, but during the summer you will have to drag your boat off your trailer and follow a narrow channel along the Lava flow to circumvent the tulles and weed growth.
Fishing season: General   Best times: April through early July on good water years provides the best fishing for bass and trout, but check with the local fly shops after a heavy snow pack year. During the spring the winds can be fierce by mid-day, and even during the summer there is no guarantee that the wind will settle down for the evening bite. Because the lake is so shallow and loses water due to the porous lava bed section, water temperatures do not cool until September when the fishing picks up again. Small bass may be taken easily throughout the summer using poppers in the evening and Rickard’s Seal Buggers in the morning.
Tips: During spring start with large leech patterns and Zonker minnow patterns in olive green, but keep the retrieves slow. In May and June start with olive damsel fly nymphs. By June good morning hatches of both damselfly nymphs and dragon fly nymphs emerge and begin their migrations to shore. Anglers using kickboats do well probing the edges of the tulles and looking for recessed openings to present their offerings. Working Zonkers in the lava bed coves and along the shoreline can be very effective. Most anglers work the eastern shoreline above and below the lava flows. If the wind picks up, look for passages and openings in the heavy tulles. Although the water rises and drops like the wake of a large boat passing by, my son and I found that the bass readily attacked poppers when we could get off the lake and find sanctuary in secluded opening in the tulles.

Restrictions: Davis Lake is a fly fishing only lake requiring barbless hooks.
Favorite fly patterns: Rickard’s Seal Buggers; green and white poppers; Bunny Leeches; Zonkers and damselfly and dragonfly nymph patterns
Additional information: Having selected a favorite new five-weight rod, I would recommend using a six-weight rod. I would also recommend a floating line for poppers, and an intermediate full sinking line when you probe under the surface.
Nearby fishing: Odell Creek; Crane Prairie Reservoir
Directions: From Highway 97 in Chemult, continue a few miles north to the Highway 58 route to Eugene. Continue west on Highway 58 to the signed route to Davis Lake. The lake may also be reached from the town of Crescent or by following the Century Drive Highway from Bend, which is a longer but scenic route taking you past many of the great Cascade lakes west of Bend.

Bishop Canyon Campgrounds

Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:10:30 -0800

Escaping the blistering mid-summer heat of Bishop requires only a short ride up the Bishop Creek drainage into high alpine canyon country. Campers and anglers experience some of the best high Sierra outdoor opportunities in the region at South Lake, North Lake and Lake Sabrina. Anglers can wet a line at the above three lakes, at the Intake, Intake II ponds or the forks of Bishop Creek or the main stem of Bishop Creek. (See Bishop Creek Drainage for fishing information.) Hikers have a myriad of trails to choose from that lead to high elevation lakes above South Lake, North Lake and Lake Sabrina. The video clip will provide a quick overview of the Bishop Creek campgrounds, which combined offer over 250 campsites. Full information on all the campgrounds is listed below based on the closest campground from Bishop to the furthest campgrounds located at South Lake and Lake Sabrina, which is approximately 20-miles from Bishop.

Campground Name: Bitterbrush Campground Area: Bishop

Administered by: White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Elevation: 7,500

Season Length: Open year-round / subject to weather

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 36

Fee: $19

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Water: Yes

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Bishop

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Reservations: NO

Additional information: Pets must be kept on a leash. Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data. If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions.

Directions: From Highway 395 in Bishop, turn left (west) on Line Street (Highway 168) and drive___miles.

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Campground Name: Big Trees Campground Area: Bishop Creek Canyon

Administered by: White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Elevation: 7,500

Season Length: 4/25-9/30 - subject to weather conditions

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 9

Fee: $16.

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 30 feet No Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Vault Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Bishop

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Reservations: NO

Directions: From Highway 395 in Bishop, turn left (west) on Line Street (Highway 168) and drive 11 miles to the campground entrance road. Continue two miles on a dirt road to the campground.

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Campground Name: Forks Campground Area: Bishop Creek Canyon

Administered by: White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Elevation: 7,800

Season Length: 4/26-10/1 - subject to weather conditions

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 9

Fee: $16.

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 22 feet No Hook-ups: Garbage:

Toilets: Vault Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Lake resorts, Bishop

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Reservations: NO

Directions: From Highway 395 in Bishop, turn left (west) on Line Street (Highway 168) and drive 14 miles to South Lake Road. Continue less than a quarter of a mile to the campground.
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Campground Name: Bishop Park Campground Area: Bishop Creek Canyon

Administered by: White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Elevation: 8,400

Season Length: 5/15-10/29 - subject to weather conditions

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 21

Fee: $16.

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 22 No Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Flush Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Bishop

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Reservations: Reservations are accepted only for group reservations. For reservable campsites, contact the National Recreation Reservation Center at http://www.recreation.gov or call them at 1-877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 in Bishop, turn left (west) on Line Street (Highway 168) and drive 15 miles to the campground.

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Campground Name: Bishop Park Campground Area: Bishop Creek Canyon

Administered by: White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Elevation: 8,400

Season Length: 5/15-10/29 - subject to weather conditions

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 21

Fee: $16.

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 22 No Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Flush Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Bishop

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Directions: From Highway 395 in Bishop, turn left (west) on Line Street (Highway 168) and drive 15 miles to the campground.

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Campground Name: North Lake Campground and picnic area

Area: Bishop Creek Canyon

Administered by: White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Elevation: 9,500

Season Length: 6/13-10/1 - subject to weather conditions

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 11 sites for tents only

Fee: $16.

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: Hook-ups: Garbage: containers Pack-it-out!

Toilets: Vault Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Horseback riding

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Reservations: NO

Directions: (Check on road conditions as this is a steep and windy road.) From Highway 395 in Bishop, turn left (west) on Line Street (Highway 168) and drive 17 miles to a sign post for North Lake (Forest Service Road 8S02. Continue two miles to the campground and lake.

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Campground Name: Sabrina Campground Area: Bishop Creek Canyon

Administered by: White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Elevation: 9,000

Season Length: 5/15-10/15 - subject to weather conditions

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 18

Fee: $16.

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 30 feet No Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Vault Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Lake resorts, Bishop

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Reservations: NO

Directions: From Highway 395 in Bishop, turn left (west) on Line Street (Highway 168) and drive 17 miles to the campground. (The road forks so follow the sign to the campground.)

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Note: The road from Bishop forks with a spur road leading to South Lake, which is near Intake II. The campgrounds that follow are located on the road to South Lake.

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Campground Name: Intake II Walk-in Campground

Area: Bishop Creek Canyon

Administered by: White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Elevation: 8,200

Season Length: 4/26-10/29 - subject to weather conditions

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 8 (7 walk-in tent camp sites)

Fee: $16.

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 22 feet No Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Vault Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Bishop

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Reservations: NO

Directions: From Highway 395 in Bishop, turn left (west) on Line Street (Highway 168) and drive 14.5 miles to the campground.

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Campground Name: Four Jeffrey Area: Bishop Creek Canyon

Administered by: Inyo National Forest / White Mt. Ranger District

Elevation: 8,100

Season Length: 4/26-10/29 - subject to weather conditions

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400 or www.reerveusa.com (877) 444-6777; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 106

Fee: $16.

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 25 feet No Hook-ups: Dump Station

Garbage: containers

Toilets: Vault Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Lake resorts, Bishop

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Reservations: Reservations are accepted. For reservable campsites, contact the National Recreation Reservation Center at http://www.recreation.gov or call them at 1-877-444-6777 or www.reerveusa.com (877) 444-6777.

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Campground Name: Mountain Glen Campground Area: Bishop Creek Canyon

Administered by: Inyo National Forest / White Mt. Ranger District

Elevation:

Season Length: 5/23-10/1 - subject to weather conditions

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 5

Fee: $18.

RV sites: RV’s up to: Hook-ups: Garbage:

Toilets: Water: Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Resort lakes

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Reservations: NO

Directions: From Highway 395 in Bishop, turn left (west) on Line Street (Highway 168) and drive 14 miles to South Lake Road. Continue to Willow Creek Campground or Four Jeffrey Campground or Mountain Glen Campground.

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Campground Name: Willow Campground Area: Bishop Creek Canyon

Administered by: Inyo National Forest / White Mountain Ranger District

Elevation:

Season Length: 5/23-10/1 - subject to weather conditions

Contact: Inyo National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/inyo/ 760-873-2400; White Mountain Ranger District (760) 873-2500.

Number of sites: 7

Fee: $18.

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: Hook-ups: Garbage: containers Pack-it-out!

Toilets: Vault Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Bishop

Nearby facilities: Lake resorts

Nearby fishing: South Lake, Bishop Creek, Sabrina Lake, North Lake

Reservations: No

Map courtesy of mytopo.com.

Fishing with Ant Eggs

Thu, 08 May 2008 10:05:56 -0800

A Young Angler’s Introduction to Mono County Fishing in 1949

By Steve Odell

“In Mono county opening day of fishing season was almost a holiday.”

I was nine years old and my buddy was Woody Reynolds, who was eight years old. He was a Paiute Indian. He was being raised by his Aunt Florence Reynolds. His Grandmother was Nellie Reynolds, a full-blooded Paiute Indian who was born 1890 and lived in the Lee Vining area all her life. Nellie lived about 5 miles from the town of Lee Vining, overlooking Mono Lake. Nellie could be seen walking to town or walking home, sunshine or snow. In her younger years when she would walk to town, she would stop at the Mono Lake School and visit my Grandmother Nora Archer, who was the teacher and lived behind the school, raising her children (my Mother and her sibling).

One early summer day Woody and I were hanging out around his house when Nellie asked if we wanted to go fishing. Needless to say, we both were very happy to go fishing. Nellie, Woody and I loaded into Nellie’s' model A ford sedan. Woody and I rode in the rumble seat. We stopped by my house so I could get my fishing pole, a bamboo fly fishing rod with a fly fishing reel filled with yellow fly line. Nellie told us we were going to the Virginia lakes. As we headed north on Highway 395, Nellie pulled off onto the Lundy Lake road and drove about a mile, and then pulled to the side of the dirt road and stopped. She got out and reached in the car and grabbed a concave, woven Indian basket and a small brown sandwich bag. She started walking off into the sage brush calling Woody and I to follow.

We followed her and she walked about a quarter of a mile and suddenly stopped in front of a three foot high pile of twigs. She removed the top 6 to 8 inches of the cone-shaped pile. Suddenly the mound was alive with millions of large red ants. She began digging with her bare hands into the mound with the ants swarming her hands. She removed a handful of twigs and placed them into her basket. She called me over to her. She told me to put my hands into the ant nest and grab some of the ant eggs. I could not see any eggs, but I saw millions of mad red ants. I told her no, I didn't want to get bit by the ants. She said, "Don't be a baby!”

I said, “No!” She grabbed both my hands by the wrists and placed them into the ant nest. I began screaming and crying figuring she was torturing me. She let my hands go with biting ants crawling all over them. I began shaking the ants off my hands and arms while screaming and crying in pain. She again grabbed my wrists and held them.

“Steve, shut up.” I stopped yelling. She looked into my eyes and said, "Tell me how much those ant bites hurt?” I suddenly realized that the bites did hurt, but not that much.

I sobbed, “Not much.” Woody stood there, not saying a word, knowingly, as he had gone through the same ordeal on an earlier fishing trip. She said, “Okay, get some of the ant eggs out of the nest before the ants take them underground. We both went to work scooping eggs and twigs out of the nest, placing them onto her basket. When the basket had a large pile of twigs and eggs on the basket she said that it was enough. She told me to put back the top of the nest that she had set aside. I asked her why? She said, “If we didn't the ants would abandon the nest. With the top replaced we can return to the nest to gather ant eggs another time. The ants bring the eggs to the top of the nest in the morning to get the warmth from the sun, and as afternoon arrives and it cools, the ants start taking the eggs back down the nest underground for the night where it keeps the eggs warm through the night.”

She picked up the basket, which was about two feet across and began flipping the eggs and twigs into the air. I watched and asked her what she was doing. She said that the twigs were lighter than the ant eggs and would fall off the basket leaving the ant eggs to fall onto the basket. After a while she collected the eggs and put them into the paper bag. We returned to the car and went back to Highway 395 and drove to the top of Conway Summit (9800 ft.) and turned left onto the Virginia Lakes road. She drove to Trumble Lake, one of the Virginia lakes.

She led us to the other side of the lake to a rocky area where we sat down. Her fishing gear was an old metal telescopic rod with a casting reel filled with cloth line. She had a 1/8 size sinker and a # 8 or 10 hook. She told me to rig up with the same amount of weight and size of hook. The ant eggs were about the size of a cooked grain of rice and the same color. She placed the hook through the middle of the ant egg and kept adding eggs until the hook was filled. She made a cast, with the sinker making a large splash, about 50 feet out. There were a lot better sitting spots around the lake so I asked her why she picked this spot? She said, “If you look closely you can see where there used to be an old stream bed. The lake is deeper in the old stream bed. The fish liked it there.” She sat so still and motionless that I thought she had fallen asleep. Suddenly she reared her pole back and began reeling in a fish. She landed fish after fish in this manner, about every five minutes. I hadn't caught a fish. “Nellie, why haven’t I caught a fish, when I am using the same bait?”

She said, "You are fidgeting too much. Sit still. Don't move.”

There were a few other fishermen nearby, and nearly everyone found a reason to walk by and admire her fish and ask what she was using for bait. You should have seen their faces when she told them "ant eggs". Where do you buy them they would ask? She would answer, "I don't". The limit then was 25 fish. Nellie ended catching her limit and I caught about 10. Woody also caught his limit. He must have learned his lesson well because he caught more fish than I without much fanfare, as a good buddy would.

My other fishing mentor was Frenchie Davis. I never knew his last name. I only knew him as Frenchie. I was nine years old, and Frenchie had asked me if I wanted to learn how to fish. Naturally I said yes. He said that fishing season opened in about three weeks. I went home and asked my mother if I could go fishing with Frenchie on opening day. My mother paused and quietly weighed my request. Frenchie was a bachelor. He liked his drink, and he usually drank to excess. Frenchies' job was to collect garbage from the restaurants and take it home to feed his hogs, all three of them. Finally Mom said, “Okay, but you have to be home before dark, and you tell Frenchie that I said "No drinking while you’re with him!” I ran and found Frenchie and told him I could go. I had trouble sleeping that night, and waiting for fishing season to open dragged on forever. In Mono county opening day of fishing season was almost a holiday. The day finally arrived and I loaded into his car, and away we went to Lundy Lake. With no top on the car, the dirt road to Lundy Lake was a dusty 11-mile ride.

Needless to say I was not aware of anything but getting there and learning to fish. We arrived at the dam area of Lundy Lake, and hiked down to the lake. There were no other fishermen at that end of the lake on opening day. He rigged up a bamboo fly fishing rod with a fly reel and yellow line on it and handed it to me. He had another pole almost identical to the one he gave me to use. He led me down to the waters edge and put large worms on our hooks. Then he began roll casting his line out into the lake. He told me to watch him and do what he did. I tried and tried, but I couldn't get the hang of it. He finally stopped fishing and held the pole and line alongside my hands and put my arm through the motion to make a successful cast. After a few times with his help, I finally got the hang of it and could cast about half as far as he could. We fished all day and we both caught our limits, 25 rainbows each. I was so excited and proud, and his encouragement made a lifelong impression. To add to the day he presented me with the fishing pole that he had let me use. We had many more fishing trips and exciting adventures.

As a boy growing up in the Sierras, we would have many friends and family vacationers in the area, and they would have me guide them and show them how to catch the wily rainbow trout in the clear mountain streams and lakes. I used the unorthodox techniques I learned from an old Nellie and the skills that I learned from a some times sober old man, to show how I was able to catch the trout. I learned how to present natural bait by wading into a stream and floating the bait into and under hidden places along the stream. I learned how to find the place to fish on a lake shore by looking where old stream or runoff streams entered the lake.

On a trip in 1954, my brother-in-law, on vacation from Southern California, told me he wanted to catch some nice sized fish to take back with him. It was November, and the chill had already arrived in the Sierras. I told him we should fish Rush Creek, between Silver Lake and Grant Lake. I picked this spot because I knew that fish from Grant lake would swim upstream in rush creek to spawn. I think the limit was fifteen fish at that time. We both caught our limit of fish and none were under about 2 pounds. I caught the biggest rainbow trout of my life on this trip. I had waded out into the creek and drifted a worm under some overhanging willow bushes. I was using my bamboo fishing pole with fly line and a small weight on my leader. The fish hit my bait and immediately felt the hook. The fish charged upstream toward me. I was startled and just stood there watching this large fish swimming towards me. By the time I reacted, the fish spotted me and turned down stream, as startled as I. Luckily I didn’t have a tight hold of the line and it slid through my fingers. I was taught that my fingers were the drag on the line. I could tell that the fish was very heavy, and I tried giving him slack but not too much so that he would throw the hook. The line started burning my fingers as it slid through my fingers very fast. I didn’t know how I was going to slow this fish down, and I was sure he was going to break my leader. I started pulling back on the pole to put pressure on the fish. This slowed him down just enough to make a leap out of the water. I gasped when I saw how big this fish was. I didn’t have a net as I was taught by Frenchie that a good fisherman didn’t need a net. I was to play the fish until it would give itself up to me. So the fight was on. The fish tried to return to Grant Lake, but I wanted to land the biggest fish of my life. With heart pounding, hands shaking and much second guessing on how to land this monster, the fight continued for what seemed to me as hours, which in actuality was probably about a half an hour. Finally the battle ended with the fish surrendering to me at my feet. I measured the fish, and it was 28 inches long. I never weighed it and sent it home with my brother-in-law.

Some fifty odd years later in 2007, I found myself standing in the same stream with a similar outfit trying to repeat that day. It didn't happen. Next time!

Fly Fishing Tips and Techniques

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:59:21 -0800

Mastering the Basics of Fly Fishing: Pretest

Mastering the Basics of Fly Fishing was originally an outline that I followed when I taught classes on fly fishing. Working for an outfitter and fly shop owner in Hamilton, Montana, I taught a number of parent/child introductory classes. Later when I set up my Montana Fly Fishing site in the early 90's, I expanded this article for adults who wanted to learn on their own, as well as parents wanting to teach their children the skills of fly fishing. It continues to be one of the most visited sections on my Montana site. The instructional program is broken down into the sub-categories below. The entire article is stored on my companion web site, www.fishingtips101.com.

Step 1: Pre and Post Test
Step 2: Terminal equipment and Paraphernalia
Step 3: Necessary Knots and Leaders
Step 4: Casting
Step 5: Basic Fly Patterns and Presentation
Step 6: Mastering the Basics of Creek Fishing
Step 7: Mastering the Basics of Stillwater Fly Fishing

Introduction and Pre / Post Test

Fishing with Lures

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:42:47 -0800

Spoons, Spinners and Jigs

What's in this article?

* A review of the top trout producing lures
* Fishing Tips from Sierra Tackle Shop Managers
* Tips and Techniques for Using Lures in Streams
* Using a Fly Rod Un-conventionally (Like the Old Timers)
* A Killer Technique (NO BULL!)

Through the years I have not kept up with the continuous introduction of new spoons and spinners. I follow the minimalist approach to fly fishing and lure fishing. It has saved me lots of money, allowed me to organize my tackle boxes more intuitively and, most importantly, it has kept me from befuddlement trying to remember when, where and how to effectively fish all the lures that I have crammed into a tackle box. I wasn't surprised to see that my old standbys from the fifties and sixties still reigned supreme in John Merwin's Field and Stream article, "50 Greatest Lures of All Time," published April 2006. When I checked to see if my All-Time Favorite Lure for Mammoth Lakes circa 1959 was even mentioned, I was delighted to find the red and white Daredevle Spinnie ranked in the number two position, just below the Curley Tail Grub. My next favorite lures, Mepps Aglia, Panther Martin, Kastmaster and Little Cleo, were all ranked high. Along with a Super Duper lure, these were the lures that I used exclusively in my youth when I wasn't using a fly rod to dab a red worm in a small crick. Note: Visit my companion web site, Fishing tips 101.

Field and Stream published a follow-up article a year later with "50 Best Lures." For the trout recommendations, they listed (in order of preference) a baker's dozen: 1. Wiggle King Flatfish; 2. Rooster Tail; 3. Panther Martin; 4. Mepps Aglia; 5. Norman Deep Tiny "N" crankbait; 6. CountDown Rapala; 7. Yo-Zuri Snap Bean crankbait; 8. Al's Goldfish; 9. Needlefish spoon; 10. Phoebe spoon; 11. Float and Fly trailer; 12. Marabou Micro-Jig; 13. Mister Twister Jig. Everyone has their confidence lures and their secret, unorthodox perversions of angling tradition that they often don't even share with a brother or best friend. I will share my, honest-to-Goodness, fish catching abomination later in the article.

Recently I surveyed two tackle shop managers in the eastern Sierras for their recommendations. Both shops have long standing reputations for offering good tackle selection, friendly service and outstanding tips and information. Jeremy Ross of Ernie's Tackle and Ski Shop in June Lake and Jim Reid of Ken's Sporting Goods in Bridgeport echoed some of the recommendations of Field and Stream, as well as suggesting tried-and-proven trout catching techniques for the Sierras. In the survey that I submitted to them, I asked them to rank spoons and lures with four rankings. Number 1 was a top choice. I asked them not to differentiate between which lure was the top lure in their number one choices. Keep in mind that I also included bait in this survey. Both men listed CountDown Rapala and Thomas Buoyants as a number one choice. Both managers recommended inflated nightcrawlers and PowerBait as a number 1 pick. Salmon eggs came in 2 and 3, as did Kastmaster lures, Little Cleo lures, Daredevle lures and float-and-fly combinations. Both Jeremy and Jim ranked the Mepps Aglia and the Rooster Tail as a number four choice.

For bait Jeremy Ross recommended PowerBait or Gulp or Rainbow. He also recommended original Rapala lures in silver and rated them as a #2 choice. Other lures that he recommends to his customers are Trout Teasers, Tasmanian Devils and Panther Martins, which I forgot to include on the survey. He noted that June Lake has excellent shore access, and he noted that fly fishers in float tubes and kick-boats do well early in the morning and the evening with Woolly Buggers and Matuka streamers. Jim Reid of Bridgeport recommends trolling from Rainbow Point to the dam with flashers and crawlers, Rapala, or Thomas Buoyants both early and late in the season on Bridgeport Reservoir. He also recommended Worden's Flatfish as a #3 choice. When fishing from the shore or a stationary boat, he recommends CountDown Rapala, Buoyants, and Kastmasters near the dam. He said that the best side of the reservoir for shore anglers was northeast from the dam to about a ¼ mile south.

Tips and Techniques

An old adage among lure fisherman is that lures are designed and packaged to attract buyers. Don't believe it for a minute. Most lure companies spend a great deal of money on scientific research. If you fished and fished a lure and never caught a fish and than lost it on a snag, are you going to rush out and replace it? The movement of the spoon or spinner has to be realistic; it has to reflect light, and the color of the lure needs to match a particular color of water, such as brown, green or blue. One simple rule to remember is that if you are fishing at dusk or very low light, fish will see a dark silhouette against a lighter skyline better than if you use a light colored lure. If you are fishing in bright light go white. If you are fishing in the dark go black. Mepps recommends using "silver on bright days; polished brass (gold) blades produce best when it is overcast. Try copper in streams after a heavy rain, or in dark, stained water." Into this equation must be factored the depth and the color of the water and how much current exits. The following lures are recommendations for stream fishing patterns and lake patterns, but first let me review some general information.
As I have outlined in my article on fly fishing creeks and again in using baits on creeks, let me reiterate a key factor on catching trout in moving water. Get in the water and wade upstream!

Reasons to Get Your Feet Wet and Fish Upstream
1. Fish face upstream. If you are behind them, you can catch them directly in front of you.
2. If you can see to the bottom of the creek, they can see you! Approaching a creek or stream from the bank often spooks fish.
3. It is much easier to cast to a pocket, pool or small riffle from the center of a stream and maintain a slow retrieve. Best of all you are in an ideal position to cast effectively towards either bank.
4. Wade fishing in a stream also allows you to cast directly upstream which creates minimal arm, rod and line movement that might otherwise spook a fish. Trout have great peripheral vision. Often they lie in broken water out of sight, but if they don't see the angler blended into the bank cover, they often see a flash of line or arm or rod movement, which warns them that a predator is near. Even while you are wading in the current, it is paramount to keep your shadow off the water in front of you. I often crouch in the water behind a boulder to make a short cast to a pool above me.
5. In many instances, where there is heavy brush or trees, it is difficult to reach choice water from the bank. If you are wading upstream, you have an easier shot at often over-looked water that bank anglers pass up because they can not penetrate the tangled bank barrier.
6. Finally, once you are in the water, keep moving! Bank anglers typically spend too much time sitting on a comfortable rock or log. Fishing is a game of percentages. How many perfect casts to good holding water can you achieve in an outing? If you have made two or three casts to a pool without eliciting a strike, move on to the next spot.
7. I am always amazed at how I can walk up a stream under the cover of moving water without spooking fish, but when I walk along a meadow bank I spook fish way ahead of me just from the vibration of my footsteps, which is another reason to be out in the current. An exception to casting and wading upstream is if you locate a shallow pool that is difficult to approach upstream. Remember that trout face upstream in current so they are often spooked by a lure working from the downstream position right past them. However, in slower water the trout will cruise in all directions so the approach is not critical. Another exception to wading upstream and casting upstream is when you are on a river or large stream. In this situation you can make an effective downstream cast by quartering the stream.
Cast downstream in a quartering angle. In other words, stand facing the opposite bank. Draw an imaginary line from your feet to the opposing bank. You now have half the stream above you and half the stream below you. As you face the bank, the stream flow is coming from your left down stream past your right side. Now, divide the stream below you in half. This quarter demarcation is your target angle for the opposing bank. Cast as close to the bank as possible. If a trout is on the far bank, he will see the lure coming at him broadside and "swimming" out and away from the bank, as the current sweeps the lure out towards the faster water. Sometimes if you plant it right in front of the trout, your cast will trigger a reaction take. Often times they will follow the streamer as it drifts downstream and begins to sweep out into the deeper water. They will hit the lure just as it swings out from the bank and slows down.
8. If you walk up to a pool, target the tail-out first. Trout will often drift back to the tail-out and hide under broken water or behind small rocks waiting for food to be pushed up from the bottom of the pool into a zone of compressed water. Approach the tail-out quietly and with a low profile. Make your cast land softly. The next target is the center of the pool. Allow your lure to flutter down to the bottom of the pool, and don't be surprised if you get a take on the decent. Just as bass anglers use a spinnerbait sometimes in a jigging motion off the bottom, good spinner anglers will jig up the spinner from the bottom once or twice before retrieving the lure back towards them. The next pool target is to place the lure or spinner above the riffle or small waterfall that feeds the pool. Trout will often lie in wait for bugs and insects to drop from the plunging waters into the pool.
9. ALWAYS target bank cover, rocks, submerged logs, foam lines and broken water where you can not see the bottom. (Guess who is hiding down there waiting for dinner?)
10. If you snag your lure on an underwater object, reach down and retrieve it. After all, you are already wading. Snagging a lure is another reason to use a single hook when fishing a creek or a stream. Often you can retrieve the lure by simply pushing the eyelet of the rod tip right down on the lure and shaking it.

Recommendations for Lure Fishing in Streams or Rivers

For best results when fishing a stream, both for hook-ups and less snagging, use a single hook on a spoon or spinner, and bend down the barb for easy release. The Thomas Buoyant lures work well in small streams, unlike the heavier Kastmasters that sink too rapidly. Use a Thomas Buoyant in a red/gold combination or a blue/silver combination in a 1/6 oz. or a ¼ oz. You want a slower retrieve with an occasional twitch. I would also recommend the Mepps Aglia #2 or a Mepps Black Fury #2. Field and Stream recommend Al's Goldfish for heavy, fast water or a Phoebe spoon for slower retrieves on a shallow stream. Generally stick with 1/16 ounce lure for small creeks and 1/8 and ¼ ounce for larger streams and lakes.

Recommendations for Lure Fishing on Lakes

If you plan on fishing a lake from the shore, you have a primary decision to make. The heavier pound test lines do not cast a lure as far as a smaller, lighter line. A four-pound test line is generally all that you need for fishing most alpine lakes and creeks. Changing your reel spool to a two-pound test line will significantly increase your casting distance, but it also comes with the potential for "the big one that got away story." Be sure to buy high quality lighter lines. Be sure that your rod is rated for 2 to 6 lb. lines. Never use a snap swivel on your lures unless you are trolling. The snap swivel frequently alters the designed motion of the lure. If you are in a boat or the lake is sufficiently small enough to hike around it, always target the major inlet first thing in the morning. Other target areas are other creek inlets, points, drop-off ledges, weed beds and banks with good over-hanging cover. Use larger lures, especially more heavily weighted lures like the Kastmaster, and concentrate on your retrieval pattern. Generally, a steady retrieve punctuated by a pause and a twitch is the most effective retrieve to start. Vary your retrieves and your count down, but really give a pattern a chance before you switch. If you see fish working the surface, switch to a bubble-and-fly technique

Recommendations for Fishing Jigs on Small Streams and Rivers
Or How I Became an Un-Conventional Fly Fisher
Or Back to the Future of Fly Fishing.

I am like Rip Van Winkle. I have been asleep for far too many years regarding new fishing techniques and the resurrection of old methods. After retiring as a teacher in Montana, I headed to the Modesto area of California to finish out my last few years as an educator. I went with the clear goal of buying recreational toys and boats before I actually retired. When I realized that my trout fishing opportunities required extensive driving, I took up bass fishing. Living in Ripon, I was just a few blocks from the Stanislaus River. I soon discovered what great fun it was catching smallmouth bass while floating in a kick-boat. I used my fly rod and small Gitzits or tube worms. When I got back to Montana for a visit, I excitedly told a local fly shop owner my great discovery. He went to the book shelf and pulled down two books that he recommended that I buy. OK, so I didn't re-discover or invent anything! My success with lead-head jigs, curly tail grubs and tube worms on both trout and bass and delivered with a fly rod has been an outstanding journey. Hey, sometimes the casts are not very pretty when I am slinging heavy tube baits on the end of my fly rod, but the results have been greatly rewarding.

Don't hesitate in using curly tail grubs, white mini-jigs, marabou jigs or tiny Rooster Tail lures on creeks and streams regardless if they are delivered with a fly rod or a spinning rod. Small marabou jigs in white and red are my first choice. All of the above can be purchased. I have come to the close of this article, and it is time to reveal my honest-to-goodness trout catching abomination. A few years back I landed a 7-pound rainbow in Klamath Lake using a fly rod and a 1-inch crankbait. My soft-plastic confidence bait for bass is a tube bait. (I prefer the original Gitzits.) I was heading back to Montana, and I began wondering how they would work on a Brown trout that had never seen a crawdad. It was early summer and I was fishing a canyon fork of one of western Montana's famous rivers. The salmon fly hatch was over, but a few golden stoneflies were still whirling up the canyon. Because the water was too deep and fast to wade, I crawled down the embankment to a tail-out of a large pool. I cast upstream without success. My stimulator drifted below me as I surveyed how I was going to approach the main pool. Just as I was about to lift my fly, I saw a dark shadow rise and then silently retreat when he saw my presence. It was a really big fish. I had been made so I retreated to the shore and had lunch and began wondering what I should present this fish sub-surface.

Munching on my sandwich, I remember that I had packed a number of tube worms in my vest. I had been optimistic when I packed them. They were two to three inches long! Nonetheless, I changed to a stout leader and put on a speckled, brown tube worm and marveled at the long tentacles that so effectively work on bass. Would it work here I thought? I crouched back to the water's edge and made a perfect drift through the dark crevice three times without success. Just downstream was another dark crevice about four to five feet deep. I lobbed out the lead-head jig hook with the Gitzit and saw a flash of silver boil up from the dark. If he had headed downstream through the fast riffle, I would never have landed him. Instead this big Bull trout buck pushed up into the pool. When I landed him, he measured 25 inches.

I fished the Gitzit in varying sizes and colors ranging from tan to brown to green. On Rock Creek I landed many Brown trout ranging in size from 12 to 17 inches; on the Bitterroot River I landed only a few rainbows, but on Idaho's Lochsa River, I had outstanding fishing catching many 16 to 18-inch cutthroats. The only difficulty that I encountered was that the smaller fish in the seven to ten inch range would bite the tail, and I could not catch them. Sure I could have added a stinger hook, but I was having too much fun catching larger fish. I swore I wouldn't reveal this secret, but according to my Google analytics, readers seldom read more than a page and a half of any article on my web site. If you have got this far, give a Gitzit a try. This summer I plan on packing Berkley PowerBait dough in the tube and try some different colors on the rainbows in the Bitterroot River.

For more fishing tips and techniques, visit my companion site, fishingtips101.com.

Bait Fishing

Wed, 30 Apr 2008 09:27:40 -0800

Mastering the Basics of Bait Fishing

What's in this article?

*Stream Strategy and Productive Spots to Fish
*How Much Gear Should You Lug Up that Canyon Creek?
*Rigging for Worms, Salmon Eggs and Power Bait in Both Streams and Lakes
*Fishing with Live, Natural Bait
*Fishing with Live Grasshoppers the HemingWAY (Read Hemingway's "Big Two- Hearted River," or read my synopsis.)

It is with some hesitation that I review the basics steps for bait fishing. I have been a catch-and-release adherent since the 1970's. But I must remind myself that much of Sierra trout fishing is "put-and-take" harvest fishing. So much pressure is put on the resources that generous weekly stockings in creeks or small streams are frequently harvested in three or four days. Perhaps you have brought your family from southern California on a camping trip to the eastern Sierras. How can I hold judgment on your desire to share a trout dinner with your family, as my generation did back in the 50's and 60's? Please kill only what you will eat fresh, and never take them home in a cooler to reside in a freezer until they get freezer burn or lose their flavor. When you are ready to fish for fun, go to a lake and fish with a fly and bubble. You will have more action, and best of all you can easily release the fish unharmed. Keep in mind that if you catch a trout on bait and they swallow it, there is a high probability that they will not survive. Once they bleed around the gills, they eventually bleed to death. Fishing with lures and flies with pinched barbs allows the lure to be easily removed from their mouth or jaw. Forgive me for this lecture. Old principles die hard after fishing for wild fish for over forty years. If you are new to fishing, just enjoy the sport along with a camp dinner of trout and fried potatoes. However, when you move to a stream with wild trout, plan a camp dinner of hot dogs held over a campfire with a freshly cut willow stick, and don't forget the marshmallows!

Stream Strategy and Productive Spots to Fish

I would suggest that you read my article on fly fishing on creeks. I am not trying to convert you to fly fishing so much as to provide a review of the holding water that trout seek out for both feeding and sanctuary. Keep in mind that a fly rod is an excellent rod for bait fishing on creeks and small streams. Unless the creek is a "crick" and so small that you only have to sneak or crawl through the willows and brush to "poke and dab" at a likely spot, get right in the water and walk upstream like fly anglers do. I can not recall seeing a bait angler in the middle of a stream using the same approach as a fly fisher. Why would a bait angler limit his opportunities? Regardless of what bait you are using, get out in the middle of the stream so that you will catch more fish, catch bigger fish, cover more water and make more progress!

Reasons to Get Your Feet Wet and Fish Upstream

1. Fish face upstream. If you are behind them, you can catch them directly in front of you.
2. If you can see to the bottom of the creek, they can see you! Approaching a creek or stream from the bank often spooks fish.
3. It is much easier to cast to a pocket, pool or small riffle from the center of a stream and maintain a natural drift with your bait. Best of all you are in an ideal position to cast effectively towards either bank.
4. Wade fishing in a stream also allows you to cast directly upstream which creates minimal arm, rod and line movement that might otherwise spook a fish. (Trout have great peripheral vision. Often they lie in broken water out of site, but if they don't see the angler blended into the bank cover, they often see a flash of line or arm or rod movement, which warns them that a predator is near. Even while you are wading in the current, it is paramount to keep your shadow off the water in front of you. I often crouch in the water behind a boulder to make a short cast to a pool above me.)

5. In many instances where there is heavy brush or trees it is difficult to reach choice water from the bank. If you are wading upstream, you have an easier shot at often over-looked water that bank anglers pass up because they can not penetrate the tangled bank barrier.
6. Finally, once you are in the water, keep moving! Bank anglers typically spend too much time sitting on a comfortable rock or log. Fishing is a game of percentages. How many perfect casts to good holding water can you achieve in an outing? If you have made two or three casts to a pool without eliciting a strike, move on to the next spot.
7. I am always amazed at how I can walk up a stream under the cover of moving water without spooking fish, but when I walk along a meadow bank I spook fish way ahead of me just from the vibration of my footsteps, which is another reason to be out in the current.

Productive Spots to Fish

Most fishing books spend chapters discussing and diagramming trout lies and holding water. Let's look at it from a fish's perspective. They want cover to hide from predators. That could mean hiding below broken water, hiding directly below a foam line, holding behind or to the side of a boulder or just lazily resting in shallow water with a canopy of overhanging branches above them. Next, a trout wants to be in a spot where it can find a food source. This could be off to the side of a boulder where the force of water plunging past the boulder funnels insects past the boulder and down a bubbly seam of water. Big Moe will be just behind the boulder waiting just beneath the bubbling foam. But a smaller fish or two might be directly underneath the seam or foam line. A prime lie is a spot which provides both good protection and a steady source of food. The point here is that the trout will be facing upstream waiting for food to come to them. Casting above a trout and allowing your presentation to drift naturally to the waiting trout is the key to success. A final reminder is that if the fish are down on the bottom of the stream bed protected from the fast water, where should your bait be?

The next factor that a trout must consider when picking a home or prime lie is to find a spot that it doesn't have to expend more energy than its calorie intake! I remember diving for abalone along the coast of northern California when I was in my twenties. We would drop an anchor from our inner tube and swim down fifteen to twenty feet through the kelp. The currents and rip tides were so fierce that I could see and feel myself propelled sideways so fast that I wasn't gaining much depth. My partners told me to grab a piece of kelp and pull myself down to the bottom! Meanwhile, over the top of me waves were crashing towards the beach. What a surprise awaited me when I reached the last five or six feet of water. It was relatively slow water compared to just a few feet above, and when I found a ledge or a large rock, it was like being in a swimming pool. Rainbows like fast, shallow riffles. They sink to the bottom and rest in a trough or behind a rock and await their dinner. Brown trout and cutthroats prefer slower water that offers cover and deeper water to escape to in an emergency situation.

Everyone knows to fish a pool, but don't over-look the head of the pool. Often a pool will have a small riffle or ledge that the water plunges down into the pool. Trout will lie in wait for food at the base of the ledge or drop-off. At the tail-out of the pool, water surges upwards from the deeper pool to meet a riffle or run. Trout will often drift back into this shallow water to pick off insects that are pulled down into the pool and then re-emerge in the shallow tail-out where the water is compressed and the food sources likewise. For a couple of years I guided Sam Lawrence, the founder of Budget Rental Cars. We primarily fished the Bitterroot River in Montana. A hatch was on mid-day, and a few simpers could be seen at the tail-out of a pool just below some over-hanging willows. Sam picked off a nice fished as we drifted by the tail-out. We pulled up downstream where Sam landed a nice rainbow, and then we hiked back to the tail-out. Usually, trout will move into the tail-outs under cover of darkness or cloudy weather or a rain storm. Sam walked up behind the tail-out and landed four big trout in less than a half hour. He picked off the first fish closest to the end of the tail-out and worked it downstream in the riffle water. Than he hiked up to the same spot and made a short, deft cast just a little further out towards the pool. He caught the next fish, and then he went on to catch two more really big trout. Sometimes you get lucky, and sometime trout break their own rules for survival!

The greatest reason for fishing a small stream as a beginner is that you gain much knowledge about where the fish are holding. Small streams and many creeks have the same holding water as larger rivers - riffles, pools and runs. My mother taught me the greatest fishing lesson that I have ever learned at age five. We lived in Bishop, California. Near our house was an irrigation ditch that during the summer held many smaller trout. We would see them on our daily walks. They would dart ahead of us in the waving grass and disappear. I begged her to take me fishing until one day she agreed. She cut a willow branch, tied one of my father's fly fishing leaders to the end of the willow branch. Her rigging was simple enough. She tied on a small safety pin to which she molded a piece of Velveeta cheese. She picked a nice shady spot along the ditch, tossed out the offering, and than we sat down for a picnic lunch. Eating my baloney sandwich, I looked down in the water at the Velveeta cheese resting close by. I was five years old, and I knew I was participating in a farce. We had already scared the fish away. I knew they would not come back and bite an offering directly beneath my gaze, and I knew we needed a real hook, and that we would have to be sneaky in our approach. It was a revelation. My mother was not the perfect woman. She was flawed. Worse, I didn't know if she was patronizing me or she was just plain ignorant. I only recently shared this experience with my 90-year old mother. She just laughed and said, "I didn't know anything about fishing, and I probably figured you didn't either."

How Much Gear Should You Take Along?
A cheap or expensive fishing vest is essential. Toss in a small, hinged fly box with compartments for split-shot, hooks and swivels. Add a pair of needle-nose pliers and nippers to cut line, as well as a pocket knife. Add a spool of tippet material. Drop in some mosquito repellant into one pocket, along with a mosquito head net. Toss in a bottle of water and an apple into the back pocket. Finally, pick a pocket to store your bait. When I was a youngster, you could buy a curved, tin worm can with air holes in the top. It had rings to thread your belt through. To be on the safe side, I would bring a small box of lures and a few wet flies. A hemostat attached to a retractable pull string is really essential for removing a hook and releasing a fish unharmed. Now, you are ready.

Rigging for Worms and Salmon Eggs on Moving Water (Hook, Line and Sinker!)

The two most popular baits for stream or creek fishing are red worms and salmon eggs. It doesn't get any easier than this. Use a short-shank number 8 or 10 hook. Embed the hook completely inside the worm. If you are fishing a slow stretch of water, you may not need a split-shot for the worm to drift naturally on the bottom. If need be, attach a small split-shot about 10 to 12-inches above the hook. If your weight is impeding a natural drift along the bottom, change out the split-shot with a smaller one. Cast upstream and allow the bait to drift through a prime lie. Keep a taunt line, as any slack in the line and you will not be able to detect subtle bites. Your bait is drifting back to you as you slowly lift the rod tip and reel in excess line. Suddenly your bait stops tumbling along the bottom, but you did not detect a tick at the end of your line nor a sharp pull on your rod tip. Maybe you are stuck. After all you have already replaced your hook and sinker when it became lodged in a crevice. Your instinct is to quickly snatch the bait off the bottom. But just as likely a trout has gingerly sucked in your bait in the corner of its mouth and it has moved back to its former position or lie. Lift the rod slowly upwards to determine if there is resistance and a fish on the line. Otherwise, if you react too quickly thinking that you have got stuck on the bottom, you might just rip the bait out of the fish's mouth without embedding the hook. If it is not a fish and your bait breaks free, you may simply lower the rod and allow the bait to continue drifting. Learn to be patient when fishing fast, tumbling water, as snagging the bottom is quite common.
A cricket rigging begins with 1 or 2 BB weights followed by a #14 Snap Swivel. Attached to the Snap Swivel is a two-pound test, 18-22-inch leader terminating with a #10 worm hook.

Rigging a Wet Fly on a Spinning Outfit for Larger Streams

You don't have to be a fly fisher to use a wet fly or streamer pattern on a river. Simply add a medium size casting bubble to your line and fill it full with water. (They have a retractable stop plug.) After the bubble add a #14 Snap Swivel. (Now the bubble can not slide forward.) Add 5 to 6-feet of two to three pound test leader. At the terminal end add a streamer. Cast downstream in a quartering angle. In other words, stand facing the opposite bank. Draw an imaginary line from your feet to the opposing bank. You now have half the stream above you and half the stream below you. As you face the bank the stream flow is coming from your left down stream on your right side. Now, divide the stream below you in half. This quarter demarcation is your target angle for the opposing bank. Cast as close to the bank as possible. If a trout is on the far bank, he will see the streamer coming at him broadside and "swimming" out and away from the bank, as the current sweeps the fly and bubble out towards the faster water. Sometimes if you plant it right in front of the trout your cast will trigger a reaction take. Often times they will follow the streamer downstream and hit the fly just as it swings out from the bank and slows down.

Rigging for Worms, Salmon Eggs and Power Baits in Still Water--Unlike a stream where you want your bait drifting on or near the bottom, in a lake you will need to keep your bait visible above the weeds or mossy bottom. You need to float or suspend your bait one to two feet above the bottom with a marshmallow, or if you are fishing with a nightcrawler, you may want to inflate the nightcrawler with air from a device that most tackle shops carry.

Rigging a Worm: Add a ¼ oz. Egg Sinker to your line. Directly in front of the Egg Sinker add a #14 Snap Swivel with an improved clinch knot. Attach a two-pound test, 18-22-inch leader . At the end of the leader add a #10-14 worm hook. Just add worm! If the lake is weedy, use an inflated nightcrawler to float your bait above the weeds.

Rigging Salmon Eggs: Add a ¼ oz. Egg Sinker to your line with an improved clinch knot. Directly in front of the Egg Sinker add a #14 Snap Swivel. Attach a two-pound test, 18-22-inch leader. At the end of the leader add a #10-14 worm hook or a treble hook. Before you attach the egg(s) run a miniature marshmallow through the hook up to the eye of the hook. The marshmallow will float the egg up off the bottom. If you use PowerBait dough or trout bait, it floats. Be sure to test the amount that you apply to the hook to be sure that it floats and negates the weight of the hook and the line.

Rigging a PowerBait Creature: Add a ¼ oz. Egg Sinker to your line. Directly in front of the Egg Sinker add a #14 Snap Swivel. Attach a two-pound, 18-22-inch leader. At the end of the leader add a #14 dry fly hook and attach a scented PowerBait creature, such as a minnow, grub or lizard.

Note: I would like to thank Carolyn Webb of Virginia Lakes Resort for the above formulas. It has been too many years since I last used bait. Carolyn teaches children the merits of catch-and-release using the fly-and-bubble technique.

Fishing with Live, Natural Bait
After almost thirty years, I met up with my favorite childhood cousin, Steve Odell. Steve grew up in Lee Vining where his father was a deputy sheriff. He took to fishing Lee Vining Creek at a very early age. He is a bait fisherman from the old school, which is to simply gather up natural fish food such as crickets, grasshoppers and ----ant eggs! I had taken a different path in my angling life preferring to fly fish. When Steve told me about an Old Indian woman named Nellie who was the best angler in town, I was ready to listen. Nellie had the reputation for knowing how to catch fish even when they weren't on the bite. Nellie gathered up her fishing gear and with Steve in tow went hunting up ant hills to raid the ant eggs. After she taught him to ignore the ant bites and stop crying, off they went to one of the Virginia Lakes. Steve said that the fishing was fantastic and that lesson changed his perspective on how to fish. He said some tourists gathered around when they began catching some big fish. When they asked what Nellie and Steve were using, Steve said they were using ant eggs. Some of the tourists just shook their head in disbelief thinking they were having their leg pulled. Recently I was reminded of Steve's lesson from Nellie when I read an article on bait fishing in the free 2007 Eastern Sierra Fishing Guide. If you pass through Bishop country, be sure to pick one up as it is an excellent fishing resource.
The author of the article, "Getting Back to Nature", suggests gathering up the ant eggs early in the morning when the ants are cold and lethargic. He recommends threading three or four ant eggs on a fine wire #14 hook. He also suggests adding a bit of Styrofoam first to keep the eggs off the bottom as they are easily damaged. If you are fishing with children, make an adventure out of gathering up crickets, grubs, beetles and ant eggs, and fish with the real thing! It will probably be a lesson that both you and your children will never forget.

Fishing with Grasshoppers the HemingWAY
(I'll post this information next September when I can get some good photographs.)

For more tips and techniques on fishing, visit Dave's companion site fishingtips101.com.

BLM Campgrounds / Eagle Lake

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:15:02 -0800

(BLM) www.blm.gov/ca/st/en/fo.eaglelakecamping.html

North Eagle Lake Campground

Area: Located at the north end of the lake, away from the lake on a wooded slope

Administered by: Bureau of Land Management – Eagle Lake Field Office, 2950 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130. Phone: (530) 257-0456

Setting: The campground is exposed to harsh sun and high winds, but it is a favorite area for anglers during the fall.

Elevation: 5,100

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, mid May to early November

Number of sites: 20

Fee: $8 per night for single occupancy or $11 for multiple occupancy

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 35-feet No Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Vault Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Spaulding (west side of lake)

Nearby facilities:

Nearby boat launch: A private boat launch is located on Stone Road about 1.5 miles away.

Reservations: No

Directions: From Highway 395 continue on Highway 36 to Susanville. Turn north on Highway 139 for 30 miles. Turn west (left) on County Road A-1 and travel one-half mile and turn right at the campground entrance.

_________________

Rocky Point East Campground / Eagle Lake

Area: The east shore of Rocky Point on the west side of the lake

Administered by: Bureau of Land Management – Eagle Lake Field Office, 2950 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130. Phone: (530) 257-0456

Setting: This is an undeveloped campground, and it is best suited for self-contained camping.

Elevation: 5,100

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions. Generally from Memorial Day to November.

Number of sites: NA

Fee: None

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: No Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Vault Water: No No Picnic tables or fire grills

Nearest town: Spaulding (west side of lake)

Nearby facilities:

Nearby boat launch: The area is packed earth, gravel or sand. It is possible to launch small boats along the shoreline in the campground area.

Reservations: No

Directions: From Highway 395 continue on Highway 36 to Susanville. Turn north on Highway 139 for 30 miles. Turn west (left) on County Road A-1 and travel approximately 5 miles. Turn left (south) on Lakeside Drive in the Bucks Bay subdivision. Continue south to the Rocky Point access road and watch for signs to Rocky Point. Follow the dirt road south along the shoreline until you reach the campground area.

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Rocky Point West Campground / Eagle Lake

Area: Rocky Point West Campground is on the west shore of Rocky Point, which is on the west side of the lake near Spaulding.

Administered by: Bureau of Land Management – Eagle Lake Field Office, 2950 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130. Phone: (530) 257-0456

Setting: Another small undeveloped campground

Elevation: 5,100

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, generally from Memorial Day to November.

Number of sites:

Fee: Nonw

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: Hook-ups: Garbage: containers Pack-it-out!

Toilets: Vault Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills / pits

Nearest town: Spaulding (west side of lake)

Nearby facilities:

Nearby fishing:

Reservations: No

Directions: From Highway 395 continue on Highway 36 to Susanville. Turn north on Highway 139 for 30 miles. Turn west (left) on County Road A-1 and drive six miles. Turn south (left) at the bottom of a mile long grade. The town of Spaulding should be visible across the bay as you come down the grade.

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Dispersed BLM camping around Eagle Lake: “Although dispersed camping is allowed on all land administered by the Bureau of Land Management…I around the lake, the stretch of shoreline between Hwy. 139 and the lake a couple of miles south of the County Road A-1 and Highway 139 intersection is the most popular. Although during the high use seasons portable toilets are provided in this area, self-contained camping is required to avoid the disposal of gray water within the closed basin of Eagle Lake. With the exception of portable toilets, no services are provided in this dispersed camping area….When camping, ‘Leave No Trace’ so the area is as clean or cleaner than when you found it….” BLM – Eagle Lake web site

Bureau of Land Management – Eagle Lake Field Office, 2950 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130. Phone: (530) 257-0456

Merrill Campground / Eagle Lake

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:13:08 -0800

Merrill Campground / Eagle Lake

Area: Located at the south end of Eagle Lake

Lassen National Forest, 2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130, (530) 257-2151

Administered by: Eagle Lake Ranger District, (530) 258-4188

Setting:

Elevation: 5,100

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-October

Number of sites: 173 individual sites and two small-group sites (waterfront sites for tent camping)

Fee: $18-$56 $19 for water front sites 57-73 with no hook-ups; $29 for sites 27-56 and 123-156 with partial hook-ups; $33 for sites 1-26 and 91-122 with full hook-ups; $56 for small groups at site 17 and 118 with full hook-ups.

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 50-feet Full and Partial Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Vault Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Spaulding (west side of lake)

Nearby boat launch: Eagle Lake Marina, resort and campground

Reservations: Yes (fee)

Additional information: A dump station is nearby. Pets must be kept on a leash. Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data. If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions. For reservable campsites, go on line at www.recreation.gov or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 continue on Highway 36 to Susanville. Continue on Highway 36 west to A1/Eagle Lake Road. Turn north on Eagle Lake Road and drive 17.5 miles to the campground.

Eagle Campground / Eagle Lake

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:09:35 -0800

Eagle Campground / Eagle Lake

Area: Located at the south end of Eagle Lake above Aspen Grove Walk-in Campground.

Lassen National Forest, 2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130, (530) 257-2151

Administered by: Eagle Lake Ranger District, (530) 258-4188

Setting:

Elevation: 5,100

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-September

Number of sites: 50 individual sites and two sites for small groups.

Fee: $18; $30 for small group

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 25-feet Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Flush Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Spaulding (west side of lake)

Nearby facilities: A dump station is 1.5 miles away.

Nearby boat launch: Eagle Lake Marina

Reservations: Yes (fee)

Additional information: Some of the facilities are wheel-chair accessible. Pets must be kept on a leash. Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2007 data. If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions. For reservable campsites, go on line at www.recreation.gov or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 continue on Highway 36 to Susanville. Continue on Highway 36 west to A1/Eagle Lake Road. Turn north on Eagle Lake Road and drive 15.5 miles to the junction with County Road 231. Drive on 231 a half-mile to the campground on the left.

Christie Campground / Eagle Lake

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:06:02 -0800

Christie Campground / Eagle Lake

Area: Located at the south end of Eagle Lake

Lassen National Forest, 2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130, (530) 257-2151

Administered by: Eagle Lake Ranger District, (530) 258-4188

Setting:

Elevation: 5,100

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-September

Number of sites: 69; some pull-through sites for larger rigs

Fee: $18 single; $30 small group; $5 for additional vehicle

RV sites: Yes RV’s up to: 50-feet No Hook-ups: Garbage: containers

Toilets: Flush Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Spaulding (west side of lake)

Nearby facilities: A dump station is 2.5 miles away at Merrill Campground. A store is nearby.

Nearby boat launch: Eagle Lake Marina has a boat launch, as well as boat rentals, boat slips, a full-service marina and five campgrounds.

Reservations: Yes (fee)

Additional information: Some handicapped facilities are provided. A five-mile paved wheel-chair trail leads to Aspen Grove Walk-in Campground. Pets must be kept on a leash. Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2008 data. If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions. For reservable campsites, go on line at www.recreation.gov or phone toll free at 877-444-6777.

Directions: From Highway 395 continue on Highway 36 to Susanville. Continue on Highway 36 west to A1/Eagle Lake Road. Turn north on Eagle Lake Road and drive 17.5 miles to the campground entrance on the right.

Aspen Grove Walk-In Campground / Eagle Lake

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 14:03:34 -0800

Aspen Grove Walk-in Campground / Eagle Lake

Area: South end of Eagle Lake

Lassen National Forest, 2550 Riverside Drive, Susanville, CA 96130, (530) 257-2151

Administered by: Eagle Lake Ranger District, (530) 258-4188

Setting:

Elevation: 5100

Season Length: Subject to weather conditions, May-September

Number of sites: 26

Fee: $18

RV sites: No. Tents Only Garbage: containers

Toilets: Flush Water: Yes Picnic tables and fire grills

Nearest town: Spaulding (west side of lake)

Nearby facilities: A dump station is 3.5 miles away.

Nearby boat launch: The campground is close to a boat launch.

Reservations: No

Additional information: No wheel-chair facilities are available. However, a five-mile paved wheel-chair trail leads to Christie Campground. Pets must be kept on a leash. Please note that the dates and prices below are subject to change and reflect 2008 data. If listed, the campground opening dates are approximate due to weather conditions

Eagle Lake / Susanville

Tue, 15 Apr 2008 13:45:00 -0800

Side Trip: A1 or Highway 139 to Eagle Lake

Eagle Lake

Elevation: 5,100

Road condition: Paved

Day hikes to fishing:

Region: Area/description: Located in a semi-arid basin surrounded by volcanic mountains on the eastern flank of the Cascade Range

Lake size: As the second largest natural lake in California, Eagle Lake is almost 13-miles long and exceeds 27,000 acres at full pool. Boaters have about 100 miles of shoreline to explore and fish for those famous Eagle Lake lunkers that can reach upwards of eight pounds and average 2 to 3 pounds. Depth: Maximum 92-feet. The BLM web site describes the lake as irregular in shape, divided into three sections and connected by channels. “The northern section averages six feet in depth; the middle section has an average of ten feet; and the southern section reaches a maximum of 92 feet.” Species: Eagle Lake Trout are the only strain of trout adaptable to the high alkalinity in the lake. The only other fish inhabitants in the lake are tui chub and minnows. With high concentrations of aquatic insect life, especially leeches and freshwater shrimp (scuds), trout experience phenomenal growth. Planted trout can exceed two pounds by the end of their second year.

Tips: As noted above, the shallow waters in the northern section of the lake becomes heated by June and the trout migrate to the deeper and cooler waters in the southern part of the lake, especially around underwater springs. Eagle Lake is huge and challenging for first time visitors, especially during the early part of summer. It can also become quite crowded. If you want to locate traditional popular spots, just look for the flotilla over the springs over by Eagle’s Nest and Wildcat. When fall arrives, the trout begin to migrate back to the shallow waters of the north end of the lake to bulk up for the winter.

Bait fishing: Bait fishing from a boat or from the shore typically utilizes a nightcrawler under a slip bobber or an inflated nightcrawler with a sliding sinker. Popular shore spots are the rock jetty at the Eagle Lake Marina and the shoreline along Highway 139 at the northern end of the lake.

Fly fishing: Work in and around the tulles with stillwater imitations for leeches and freshwater shrimp in the northern sections as well as the west shoreline south of Spaulding. Popular patterns include Woolly Buggers and Denny Rickards’ Stillwater Nymph.

Trolling: During the spring troll slowly with a nightcrawler along the shoreline. Small lures behind flashers are popular. Favorite lures include Needlefish, Triple Teasers, and a variety of Rapalas. As the water becomes heated by the summer sun, trollers work their lures down in deeper zones using lead core lines with long leaders or downriggers.

Closest town or supplies: Spaulding

Contacts: Lassen National Forest (530) 257-2151; BLM (530) 257-0456; Eagle Lake Marina (530) 825-3454; Spaulding Marina and Resort (530) 825-2118; Eagle Lake RV Park (530) 825-3133; Eagle Lake General Store in Spaulding (530) 825-2191

Facilities: Lodge, marina, grocery store, bait and tackle, RV campground

Nearest campgrounds: National Forest Campgrounds: North Eagle Lake, Christie, Merrill, Aspen Grove Walk-In, Eagle. BLM Campgrounds: Rocky Point-East, Rocky Point-West and primitive, dispersed camping sites.

Boat launches: Eagle Lake Marina (full service) on the southern end of the lake (530) 825-454; Spaulding Track mid-way up the lake on the west shore and Stones Landing at the northern end of the lake.

Mariner’s Resort (public launch facility) (530) 825-3333

Fishing season: Opens on the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend and closes December 31.

Favorite lures or bait:

Favorite fly patterns: Denny Rickards, in his book Fly Fishing the West’s Best Trophy Lakes, recommends targeting the shoreline in late fall fishing with his Stillwater Nymph in size 10 when the scuds migrate to the shallows.

Stocking information:

Additional information:

Directions: From Highway 395 continue on Highway 36 to Susanville. Continue on Highway 36 west to A1/Eagle Lake Road. Turn north on Eagle Lake Road and drive 18 miles to the lake.