BSR
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| Miracle Mile Brownie - This East Walker River brown trout caught by Harry Blackburn fell for a size 22 Micro Mayfly nymph. |
| Photo by: Photo courtesy of Wilderness Outfitter Guide Service of Mammoth Lakes |
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| Personal Best - Last season, these beautiful rainbows (8 and 10 lbs.) fell to Ron Planovsky of Torrance who was fishing Bishop Creek using nightcrawlers behind a bubble on 4-lb. test line. |
| Photo by: Photo courtesy of Ron Planovsky |
Cries of "There's gold in them thar hills!" first drew people to the Eastern Sierra back in the late 1800s. Unfortunately, most of those who came in search of striking it rich left busted after short-lived booms.
It was about a half-century later, in the 1930s, when the cry was heard again, "There's gold in them thar hills!" This time around, though, the cry wasn't referring to a mineral - it was referring to fish. That's when word first leaked out, like Sierra snow into a mountain creek, that the "Eastside," as the region is called, is literally a gold mine for trout anglers.
Legend has it that as early as the 1930s, there were a few secret spots on the Eastside where you could actually catch golden (sometimes called mountain, Volcano Creek or Kern River) trout, even though the species was native only to the Kern Plateau at the extreme southern tip of the Sierra Nevada. As the legend goes, miners carried the fish to high mountain lakes and streams to make sure they'd at least eat and fish well, even if the mining was lousy. Obviously, these miners were men of genius.
1947 was the year that the golden trout became California's state fish, and it was about this time that the waters of the Eastern Sierra first officially began to get stocked with "goldies" or "goldens," as they're commonly called. Goldens are now considered the signature fish of the High Sierra and are sometimes referred to as the "Fish From Heaven."
Besides being native to the Golden State, what makes goldies so unique is that they live at extremely high altitudes - usually above 10,000 feet - and their striking coloration. Their sides are the golden yellow of miners' dreams with a red stripe that hints to close relations with their more common cousin, rainbow trout. Unlike rainbows, however, goldens like to live in places that are difficult for humans to get to.
"Goldens are a prize catch," Jeff Franke said. "To catch one, you've got to do some hiking. You've got to earn it."
Franke is an Eastern Sierra fishing guide and one of the region's foremost golden addicts. He explained that another thing that makes goldies such a prize, and a challenge to catch, is that most of the estimated 300 or so High Sierra lakes that are home to the trout stay frozen until July.
"It can get cold when you're fishing up there, but that's how they like it," Franke said. Fortunately, there are places in the Eastern Sierra where you don't have to hike for the better part of a day or freeze off the better part of your buns to catch goldens, or other types of trout for that matter.
Places to Strike Gold
The Eastern Sierra is essentially divided into two enormous counties, Inyo in the south and Mono (pronounced Mo-No) to the north. Scenic Highway 395 runs like a paved river right through the heart of the Eastside, and offers breathtaking views of the usually snowcapped Eastern Sierra, as well as access to all kinds of world-class trout fishing. The main fishing season in these counties runs from the last weekend in April to the last day in October, but there are spots, like the Lower Owens River near Pleasant Valley Dam, that do allow fishing all year long.
For the easiest access to goldens, Inyo County is the place to go. Just east of Lone Pine (a town famous for its backyard, the Alabama Hills, used as a location for numerous old Westerns) and some 10,000 feet high in the Sierra, lies Cottonwood Lakes. Cottonwood Lakes is part of the Golden Trout Wilderness and offers campsites within an easy cast of streams practically glowing with goldies.
Another spot fairly easy to access lies farther north, just outside the town of Bishop. Treasure Lakes, which is also at about 10,000 feet, offers quality camping and, for what is considered an easy hike of 3 miles, some big fishing opportunities. It is said that the biggest goldens in the Sierra can be found in the Treasure Lakes area.
In Mono County, using the 8,000-foot-high ski resort town of Mammoth Lakes as a base, the summer months offer dozens of hikes to High Sierra lakes where skilled anglers can catch goldens, brooks or rainbows. Please be advised, though, the peaks in this region are large and rugged, home to both the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness areas, where it can snow any day of the year. Bears abound and permits for overnight stays are required from the Forest Service, located at the entrance to Mammoth along Highway 203.
It's also a good idea, whether you're fishing the Eastside for the first time or the 400th time, to stop in at one of the region's many knowledgeable tackle shops before heading off in search of trout. There are different rules and regulations for just about every body of water in the Eastern Sierra, and the experts at the Eastside's fine tackle shops like Mac's in Bishop, Rick's in Mammoth Lakes, Ernie's in June Lake and Ken's up in Bridgeport, are always helpful.
It's up in Bridgeport, the northernmost California town in the Eastern Sierra, where some of the region's most acclaimed trout fishing takes place. 5-lb. rainbows and browns are considered common at the Bridgeport Reservoir.
Farther south in Mono County, near the headwaters of the Owens River, Crowley Lake is world-renowned for its rainbow and cutthroat fishing. Crowley Lake also has a healthy population of Sacramento perch.
Reeling 'Em In
What the trout of the Eastside are looking to feed on greatly depends on the type of water you're fishing. On the creeks and streams, Rooster Tails on a spin rod or Pheasant Tail nymphs on fly rods tend to be a safe bet year-round. Crickets also work well in the creeks, and some Eastside anglers are big fans of Rapala lures for such cascading conditions.
When fishing on lakes, floating baits like Power bait and inflated nightcrawlers floating a few feet from the bottom work well. Most Eastside spinners swear by spoons, like Thomas Buoyant red on gold or silver/blue. Legendary local guide "Old DB" says the best bet for trolling is needlefish.
Regardless of which bait or lure you use, unless you're trolling for record-breaking browns in Bridgeport, light line (2-to-4-lb. test) is best. The light line will cause less reflection, making the bait look more natural. Plus it's more fun to tangle with an acrobatic tough-minded trout when the line is light.
From goldens and rainbows to brooks, browns and cutthroats, whether you like to troll or shore cast, fish with flies or through ice, if trout's your game, it's tough to find a better place to play than the Eastern Sierra, where the cries of "There's gold in them thar hills!" from a century and a half ago have turned out to be true. For the Eastside is a literal gold mine for trout anglers and one of the best places in the world to catch some goldens, as long as you're willing to earn them.
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