This report contains info from Sierra Drifters Guide Services and Jared Smith of Parcher's Resort, Rick and Patti of Lake Sabrina, and as well as many of our local fishing tackle shops

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For a current DFG fish planting schedule
Click here



Click here for Bishop Weather.

Click here for California Fishing License fees.

Click here for DWP water flows.



General Trout Season



The General Trout Season in the High Sierra opened on April 25, 2009 in Inyo and Mono counties.

However, the Owens River Gorge, Pleasant Valley Reservoir & the Lower Owens River near Bishop are open all year for great trout fishing. And reports have been very good for winter & spring fishing in these areas.
(Fishing in the waters listed below is legal only from last Saturday in April to November 15th each year in both Inyo and Mono Counties.)

These waters are planted by the California Department of Fish & Game (DFG) and Tim Alpers Hatchery.

Bishop Creek Canyon

The Bishop Canyon creeks are loaded with fish being stocked by the Department of Fish and Game. Intake II is wide open with a few spots of snow around the lake (although those may be gone by now). The road to North Lake is still closed and we haven’t heard any rumors on what North Lake looks like. Sabrina Camp is closed as is Bishop Park and Willows on the South Lake side. Intake II, Four Jeffrey, the Forks, Big Trees and BitterBrush (the new low campground between power plants 2 & 3) are open.



South Lake  (19 miles from Bishop)






Jared Smith at Parcher's Resort sent this update about The Bishop Creek Area conditions as of 6-21-09


South Lake staffers were caught off guard last Wednesday when not one, but two Alpers stocking trucks arrived at the marina with a total of 1,875lbs of Alpers trout in the 1lb to 3lb range. That is the single largest stocking of Alpers trout in South Lake in years. Southern California Edison, as part of their agreement with the US Forest Service, footed the bill for the stocking - THANKS GUYS! Since then, fishing has been excellent on stockers and Alpers with a lots of very heavy stringers. Folks are catching fish on all the usual stuff but fly-lined nightcrawlers, Chunky Cheese Gulp, brown mini-jigs and pink Gulp! egg clusters are working best. With the lake level as high as it is and the inlets to the lake raging with the summer weather, the fish have really started stacking up at the mouth of each inlet. The rock slide and dam are also holding fish but getting a lot less fishing pressure than the back of the lake.

Water Conditions

South Lake continues to come up and the lake is now only about 10ft from full. Boats of any size can now safely launch at the lake. Be advised that there is limited trailer parking at the lake.


Water Conditions
South Lake continues to each up shoreline and is coming up fast. The ramp is still a bit treacherous for longer boats but we've seen folks launch boats to up to 16ft long without a problem. Please note that anyone using the launch does so at their own risk.

Lake Sabrina (suh-brine-ah) (16 miles from Bishop) 

Lake Sabrina on 6-21-09- courtsey of Lake Sabrina Boat Landing



This report is from Rick and Patti of Lake Sabrina

Eighteen Hundred pounds of Alpers (yeah – that’s 1800 pounds) average 2-pounds at Lake Sabrina were stocked at Lake Sabrina Thursday courtesy of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON. Thank you, SCE! And on the same day, the Department of Fish and Game stocked us with pan-size fish. What a time to be at the Lake! And the next GREAT NEWS - Lake Sabrina at about 3:00pm Sunday, June 28th was about 3 inches short from being full – we’ll make it before July. WOOHOO! We should start spilling Sunday night. Hard to believe when you look at the pictures from the beginning of the season. The lake looks absolutely gorgeous! (Is it working – wish you were here!) Fishing this past week was on the slooooooow side – not the lazy side – but the slooooooow side, but after we got all those fish, you can imagine what happened. It had been a bit slow during the morning and picking up in the afternoon, but Sunday was good in the morning and afternoon. I’m sure by now you all pretty much know what to use in the lake, but for the newcomers – here we go – fishing the DingleBerry (back right corner) and Little George (back left corner) Inlets with NightCrawlers, PowerBait, Gulp or (something new) Pink PowerWorms. If you’re into trolling try flashers with a NightCrawler, or just a NightCrawler (don’t forget your swivel or you’ll be hatin’ life) or Olive WoolyBugger. Dam or shore anglers might want to try PowerBait or NightCrawlers and the same for those just drifting around the lake. We have one more something new to try – Little Caesars’ Garlic Dipping Sauce – go figure. SUMMER HAS ARRIVED (but still pack a jacket)! The temps are now in the mid 70s and the lows in the mid 40s. We may get some afternoon thunder-boomers – few clouds building Sunday afternoon – no rain yet today! Try this website for a pretty good weather guess for the Bishop Creek Canyon area, www.weather.gov, enter ASPENDELL, CALIFORNIA, in the search area and that will give you information about the weather in the small community you pass just before getting to Lake Sabrina. Hey, guys, a few words about the parking, actually pictures which say a 1000 words, but I’ll throw in a couple. BE COURTEOUS! The pick-up with the boat trailer - only took up one space - thanks – then check out the motorhome – not the way to park! There is additional parking in the lower lot - probably the best place for large RVs to park unless you park by the restrooms. * * * NEWS FLASH * * * Verizon will be removing the payphone out in front of Lake Sabrina Boat Landing this week. Cardinal Village will be your closest option as not very many cell phone providers work in the area, Bishop Creek Lodge and Creekside RV Park are your other choices They’re coming . . . you know . . . they’re here every year - the skeeters are ready for another assault. With the return of warmer weather the skeeter returns and with all the moisture we’ve had in the last 3 weeks (YIKES), so remember the bug juice and COMMIT TO MEMORY, IF YOU PUT ON BUG JUICE, SUN SCREEN OR FOO FOO JUICE, WASH YOUR HANDS! THEN RUB THEM IN WORM GOO, TROUT ATTRACTANT OR POWERBAIT - GET THE OTHER SCENT OFF! Also, don’t forget your sunscreen and dark glasses, the glare on the water is soooo bright, they just might blind your eyeballs. PONCHOS or COATS MAY ALSO BE NEEDED - YOU NEVER KNOW! ALWAYS PACK A JACKET! ! ! !






North Lake (18 miles from Bishop)
open April 25th

North Lake was on fire this week following DFG and Alpers plants. Some of the resort staff fished the lake on Saturday morning and found wide open fishing on rainbows to 3lbs with a few browns mixed in. Brown jigs was the hot ticket. Shore anglers were also seen doing very well at North.







Weir Pond (pictured below) 
(1/2 mile below South Lake)
open April 25th



Weir Pond in the Fall
Wading Weir Pond has also been excellent on a combination of wild Brook and Brown trout and stocked rainbows to 2lbs. Some big fish to 4lbs 10oz coming out of Weir Pond this week. Chunky Cheese Gulp and Salmon Eggs were best baits. The creek flows on the South Fork are still on the moderate side at present but flows on the Middle Fork below Sabrina are extremely high!






Intake II 
(12 miles from Bishop)
closed for the season until April 25th






North & South Forks of Bishop Creek
(9 to 19 miles from Bishop, Bishop Creek Canyon)
Creek fishing really picked up this week following a DFG plant. White mini-jigs, Gold Mepps, Salmon Eggs, Gulp Eggs and Crawlers were the best producers. Parchers Hole, Willow Camp and the Tyee Bridge were the hot spots. Limits were the rule and some lucky angers reported catching and releasing as many as 20 fish in a day. According to hatchery staff at Mt. Whitney Hatchery, the stocking schedule will return to weekly plants this summer which is highly preferable over the every-other-week stocking last season.






Year-Round fishing in the Bishop Area
(It is legal to fish in the Owens River Gorge, Pleasant Valley Reservoir & the Lower Owens River all year long although regulations on limits change during the winter months (November 15 to the last Saturday in April).
Owens River Gorge 
(15 miles from Bishop)

The Owens Valley Gorge
The caddis hatch has got them on the chew down here and this is a great location to escape the crowds if you are willing to hike a half hour- forty five minutes. Use a small strike detector or #12-16 dry as the upper to suspend a #16-20 bead head PT, olive caddis emerger or larva pattern

Pleasant Valley Reservoir (6 miles from Bishop)
Fishing remains pretty good overall. There was a lot of debris near the inlet after the flows first went up but conditions have improved a bunch lately. Tubers have got into some really nice holdover fish around the launch ramp, and near the dam. Concentrate your efforts while there are shadows on the water, and fish the drop-offs. Keep your streamers and still water nymphing rigs 10-15 feet deep. PV gets warm quick this time of year and the fish tend to go deeper if there is not a lot of flow coming from the inlet at the powerhouse.

-There was a lot of debris near the inlet after the flows first went up but conditions have improved a bunch lately. Tubers have got into some really nice holdover fish around the launch ramp, and near the dam. Concentrate your efforts while there are shadows on the water, and fish the drop-offs. Keep your streamers and still water nymphing rigs 10-15 feet deep. PV gets warm quick this time of year and the fish tend to go deeper if there is not a lot of flow coming from the inlet at the powerhouse. courtesy of Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com

Lower Owens River Wild Trout Section
(2 miles from Bishop)

courtesy of Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
Lower Owens River: The flows went up, and the quality of fishing went down for a time. The LADWP and Edison are changing release rates at the PV outlet and Bishop Creek hydro plants and this is causing substantial fluctuations in the LO. The DFG has limited planting in the lower sections of the river. There were a bunch of disappointed people fishing at the bridges along the LO for the opening weekends waiting for the “fish trucks” to come by. I am looking into the why of it for sure and will let you know. The wild trout section is still a good choice as long as the flows hold in the 200-250 cfs range. The closer you are to the dam, the quicker the conditions stabilize and the fish adjust to the new levels. Caddis and PMD (pale morning dun) hatches each day dependant on the weather conditions. Nymphing with flash back PT’s, hares ear, and WD-40’s will get results. Once again, I like my crystal olive caddis, or zebra with a copper or black nickel bead head #16-20 as the lower fly on a tandem nymph rig. You will need a couple of BB, or AB shots to get you into the “glory holes”. Look for the fish in the limited riffle water, or at the tailouts of the larger pools. We have had some slow days drifting during the flow increases with the numbers being way off the averages. Conditions look to be stabilizing and we may have a great May shaping up on the LO drift trips. The “TroutZillas” don’t seem to mind the high water as much, and despite the slower fishing we are still getting some really nice rainbows and browns most days while drifting. Check out the “bigs” that got fooled on some recent drift boat trips using the dip and strip method of fishing streamers. Spruce-A-Bu’s and Loebergs have got us into fish using a heavy sinking tip line.
www.sierradrifters.com/fish.htm to view the pics.

Crowley Lake (About 30 minutes north of Bishop)
Fish Report courtesy of Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
The weather has been spanking us during the early parts of the season. The conditions on the lake are currently very good and I fully expect some great fishing as soon as we get a more stable period of weather.Historically the “Mothers Day Hatch” of chironomids has been one of the more memorable periods in the seasonal cycle of Crowley and the weather forecast is looking to align with this event. Look for an earlier than normal “turnover” this season as the ice has been off for a substantial amount of time and although we have had some stormy weather, it has been warmer than usual this spring. I am seeing the “algae buds” already and water temps are climbing daily. You will find concentrations of trout in 11-14 feet in the North Arm, Hilton bays, Sandy Pt, and some excellent snaps at times near Sometimes Bay. There are also some fish in Whiskey Bay and Crooked Creek if you need to get out of the wind. Still water nymphing has been best overall, with the streamer tuggers having a tougher time getting grabs. I suggest you use a full or heavy sinking tip line with a “blood sucking Vanderleech”, or Agent Orange #12-14 trolled and fished slowly near the bottom if you enjoy streamer fishing. Don’t be surprised if you get into a jag of Sacramento Perch while suspending those new “Broke Back” midge patterns, they are in full spawning mode and are holding in the 8-14 foot range. With a little practice and some observation it is not difficult to differentiate the difference between a light perch sip, and the T-bone hit of a Kamloops rainbow. I always say, find reasons to set the hook- not excuses for missing one! As the water temps warm and the chironomids begin to become more prevalent in the trout’s diet you should look to have a good selection of pupa or emerger patterns. Select them as your upper fly. If the hatch is coming off; lift your rig off the bottom a foot or so higher than usual and attach twin emergers. Use larva patterns for the lower fly like tigers and zebras #18-16. Gillies, crystal pupas, and emergers #18-20 are excellent choices for calmer, flat days. If the surface becomes “nervous” or a chop develops try the new Broke Back articulated midge patterns we are offering at the shops that carry our goods, or at our online store. They are truly deadly and work better when they are wiggling. Check out the pics of some early Crowley trips by visiting thier website at:www.sierradrifters.com/fish.htm

Upper Owens and Crowley Tributaries:
(runs a few miles north & east of Bishop)

Fish Report courtesy of Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
The Upper O has been good for numbers but they are really on the small side on average with a small percentage being quality models. It is still fun on the calmer days and you can get some fine surface caddis activity that makes you disregard the size of the fish. The ranchers are flooding the fields to irrigate the meadows, and there is a drop in flows in the Long Years section, you will see some tannin stained, or off colored water with a good amount of debris in the sections below HC. I have been very surprised by the increase in migrating fish moving up the tribs. There has definitely been an improvement in the numbers of fish in the Crowley tribs after the opener for sure. Worth a look if you are in the area. Flows are still moderate for this time of year and nymphing the gravel beds is a good choice for the schoolies, look at the deep “pits” for the hogs. Egg patterns, San Juan worms, tiger midges, and flash back PT’s will get you into fish. Numbers have also gone up in the section above HC on the UO.


The Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce contracts with Tim Alpers to plant his trophy size Alpers' Rainbow Trout in the Pleasant Valley Reservoir and the Owens River in the Bishop area from November through April of each year.




Lower O. "Dip & Strip" Bow for John S. from the Diablo Valley Flyfishers...



Fishing reports courtesy of Fred Rowe of Sierra Bright Dot Guide Service, Dale Miller of Mac's Sporting Goods, Gary Olson of Bishop Creek Lodge; Jared Smith of Parcher's Resort/South Lake Boat Landing; Tom Loe of Sierra Drifters Guide Service, Patti Apted of Lake Sabrina Boat Landing; & Brocks Flyfishing Specialists. See links below for these resorts and outfitters.


Resources
 

Brock's Flyfishing Specialists
100 N. Main St.
Bishop, CA 93514
760-872-3581
Brock's Flyfishing Specialists

Bishop Creek Lodge (South Fork of Bishop Creek Canyon)
Bishop Creek Lodge (760) 873-4484
www.bishopcreekresort.com

Culver's Sporting Goods
156 S Main Street
Bishop, CA 93514
760-872-8361

Parcher's (South Fork of Bishop Creek Canyon)
Parcher's Resort
(760) 873-4177
South Lake Boat Landing (760) 873-4177
www.parchersresort.net

Lake Sabrina Boat Landing (North Fork of Bishop Creek Canyon)
Rt.1, Box1
Bishop, CA  93514
(760) 873-7425
www.lakesabrinaboatlanding.com

Mac's Sporting Goods
425 N. Main Street
Bishop, CA 93514
760-872-9201

Sierra Bright Dot Guide Service (Fred Rowe)
1509 Lazy A Dr.
Bishop, CA 93514
760-873-3948

Performance Anglers
26 Old Mammoth Rd # L2,
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
Click for video Fish Report here

Sierra Drifters Guide Service
HCR 79 / Box 165-A
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
(760) 935-4250
be-the-fly@sierradrifters.com
www.sierradrifters.com

Remember fishing is legal year around near Bishop in the waters of the Owens River and Pleasant Valley Reservoir. The Bishop Chamber contracts with Alpers Trout to plant his big fish in both the reservoir and river during the winter months. The general Trout Season reopened on Saturday April 25, 2009.

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Bishop Creek Canyon
Summer Classic Trout Derby
was held in June.
[click here for a list of the winners!]

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41st Annual Blake Jones Trout Derby

The Bishop Chamber's Blake Jones Trout Derby was held at the Pleasant Valley Reservoir on Saturday, March 15th. In spite of chilly winds and the threat of snow over 1000 anglers entered the derby. Even more big trout came of the reservoir and the Owens River than we have seen in quite a few years. Lots of 4 and 5 pounders. Dwayne Millicin caught a 9lb. 8 oz. winner of the Big Fish Prize at the 2009 Blake Jones Derby caught in the Owens River. bridge. There were also lots of nice stringers of Browns, mostly caught in the river and on the reservoir.

Click here to see video of the derby taped by Performance Anglers!




A nice 9lb Alpers Trout caught during the derby of 2008.
Photo by Mike Cheuvront




 
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