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June 04, 2001
The week of June 3-11 is
National Fishing Week and National "Take a Kid Fishing"
week. Free Fishing Day is this Saturday, June 9th. No license is
required to fish in California waters on this day.
The fishing has been great in
the high country. All the lakes and streams have been producing and
everything is accessible with the exception of Highlands at the top
of Ebbetts Pass. This road should be plowed open by Alpine County
soon. Most of the snow has disappeared and the flows are lessening
in the streams. The water is extremely cold in the high lakes so the
fish are still shallow.
At Lake Alpine and Spicer
Reservoir, trollers are scoring by toplining with a dodger/worm or
spoon combo and the bankies are picking up nice Rainbows with power
bait and worms. Flycasters are float-tubing with floating line and
wooly buggers or prince nymphs and dries like black gnats and
mosquitos are working in the early morning and evenings.
The fish at Spicer still have
tapeworms and are running small but the Alpine trout are big and
healthy. Hobart Creek near the boat ramp at Spicer is closed to
fishing until July 1st. Spicer Res. is quite low and small boats are
recommended. Launching is from the granite below the ramp.
Spicer will not fill this
year.
The road to Union and Utica is
open and Fish & Game will be planting Union soon. There are a
few holdovers being caught there now.
The North Fork of the
Stanislaus and Beaver Creek are recieving regular plants and small
spinners are producing lots of trout. Power bait and salmon eggs
will catch fish near the bridges and crickets or worms are working
well farther up or downstream. Below Boards Crossing on the North
Fork, Jason Altomare used a Rapala to score a beautiful 23 1\2"
4 1/2 pound Female Brown last Friday and returned to catch a
23" male the next morning. Two trophy Browns in a row!
Congratulations Jason!
Steve Mountjoy caught a really
nice 18" Rainbow out of the North Fork of the Mokelumne at
Hermit Valley last week. This is a huge fish to come out of those
small waters in the high country above Lake Alpine.
Don't miss the 7th Annual
Fishing Derby at White Pines Lake on Fathers Day, June 17th for your
chance at some trophy Rainbows! Sign ups and information at Ebbetts
Pass Sporting Goods in Arnold.
Call (209) 795-1686.
May 22, 2001
Most of the campgrounds in the
high country will be open for Memorial Weekend. There are still snow
drifts blocking the forest roads above 6500 feet but the major roads
are clear. Spicer Res. Rd. is open and bankies are scoring small
rainbows on most baits and lures. Hobart Creek (the channel near the
dam) is closed to fishing until July 1st and Fish & Game Wardens
will be patrolling the area to enforce this special regulation.
The lake itself is low and will not fill this year. Most of
the Rainbows in Spicer Res. still have tapeworms and this
keeps the fish rather small but easy to catch. They're always
hungry!
The dock should be in the
water at Lake Alpine by the weekend. The lake was very low when
it iced over this year and the water got extremely cold right to the
bottom. The trout there are still lethargic and the bite is very
light, making them hard to hook. There have been some nice 2 to 3
pounders taken in the last week by trollers with dodgers and worms
toplining. Make sure to troll very slowly.
Mosquito Lakes and Kinney
Lakes will most likely still be frozen over this weekend but it
won't be long before the thaw due to the unusually warm weather.
Flows in the North Fork of the
Stanislaus are being regulated upstream and are staying pretty
mellow and fishable. The water is still extremely cold in the rivers
and streams. The warm weather is triggering lots of hatches though
and there is lots of surface activity in the evenings. Flycasters
can use attractor patterns like Royal Wulffs or Trudes and a Prince
or Hares Ear dropper for the best action.
Paul Moore brought in a nice
16" 1 3/4 lb. Rainbow he caught on salmon eggs at the Sourgrass
bridge last Saturday and young Camille Marvin was fishing White
Pines Lake with worms and landed a very nice 15" 1 lb.
Rainbow-her biggest trout ever.
California Fish and Game will
be planting heavily for the weekend so salmon eggs, power bait and
lures will all catch fish.
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By
Keith Kerrigan of Sierra Angler's Guide Service