Outdoors with Don Q: Experience California Opening Day for Fishing April 28

It’s almost time to have fun in the High Sierras once again.
On Saturday, April 28 the 2012 fishing season will open for all applicable lakes, reservoirs, streams, creeks and rivers in California. The season will then remain open until Thursday, Nov. 15.
If you’re new to the Carson City area, here’s some information that can be useful if you would like to fish on that Opening Day or the entire Opening Weekend:


Some of the nearby streams, creeks and rivers that will open:
The West Carson River, the East Carson River, the West Walker River, the East Walker River, the Little Walker River, Truckee River, Bishop Creek, Buckeye Creek, Convict Creek, Red Creek, Robinson Creek, Rush Creek, et al, will all open, just to name a few of the countless moving waters.

Your best bet for fishing moving water:
It will probably be the East Walker River, between the Bridgeport Reservoir Dam and the Nevada/California state line. That section is the result of controlled water flow from the dam at Bridgeport Reservoir. It has some very special fishing restrictions: Minimum size on trout is 18 inches in length and you can only use artificial flies or lures with barbless hooks.
Be sure to read and know those regulations before fishing that area.

Some of the nearby lakes and reservoirs that will open:
Bridgeport Reservoir, Convict Lake, Crowley Lake, Intake No. 2, the June Lake Loop (Grant Lake, Gull Lake, June Lake and Silver Lake), Lundy Lake, the Mammoth Lakes Basin, North Lake, Sabrina Lake, South Lake, Upper Twin Lake and Lower Twin Lake, Virginia Lakes, etc. are some that will be opening (weather and road conditions permitting).

Your best bet for fishing lakes and reservoirs:
1. If you have a boat, a good choice will be either Upper Twin Lake or Lower Twin Lake, about 15 miles west of Bridgeport via a paved road.
The last two California state record brown trout (25+ pounds) came from each of those two lakes. And, who knows, with lots of luck (and a little bit of skill), you might be the one to break that record at either lake.
Troll with silver flashers and large lures along the deep drop-offs on the back sides of both lakes. You’ll have plenty of other boats for company.
2. Another good location for fishing in that same general area is Bridgeport Reservoir, which is just out of the Town of Bridgeport, along S.R. 182.
It contains some very impressive brown and rainbow trout.
You can do equally well from shore, a float tube, trolling in a boat or still-fishing from a boat. Be sure to fish early in the morning, as this reservoir is prone to being windy, usually by mid-morning.
If you catch a trophy-sized trout, take it into Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport to have a photo taken of you and your catch. Remember to smile!

Huge crowds:
If the weather is decent and warm, you can expect to encounter huge crowds of Opening Day and Opening Weekend fishermen all along the east side of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range, no matter where you go.
Those crowds will be at a number of popular fishing destinations such as: Crowley Lake, Convict Lake, Convict Creek, all of the waters in the June Lake Loop, Upper Twin Lake and Lower Twin Lake, Bridgeport Reservoir, the East Carson River, the West Carson River, the East Walker River, the West Walker River, Buckeye Creek, Rush Creek and Robinson Creek.

Part of the reason for the big crowds is that many of the waters in Inyo and Mono Counties will have been planted with thousands of rainbow trout by the Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game (with normal-sized planters), plus Alpers Trophy Rainbow Trout, which can run up to 7-8-9 pounds.

Closer to home, some Alpine County waters will have been planted by the Alpine County Fish Commission, which receives its rainbow trout from a private hatchery in Susanville. Those trout will also run up to 7-8-9 pounds.
So, there will be some nice trophies waiting for some lucky anglers.
If you do plan to fish any of those waters, don’t say that you weren’t warned about crowded conditions, both on shore and out on the water.

Nearby walk-in waters that will open:
The opening of the annual fishing season also means that once the winter snow pack recedes and the surface ice melts, hikers and backpackers will be able to fish at countless, backcountry lakes such as: Burro, East, Fremont, Gilman, Upper and Lower Hover, Lane, Nutter, Upper and Middle and Lower Par Value, Poore, Roosevelt, Secret and West, plus many others.

At this time of the year, you can normally expect to still encounter snow drifts and ice-covered lakes, just about anywhere above an elevation of about 8,000-8,500 feet.
If you are thinking of going to one of those high-altitude lakes you had better be prepared with snowshoes, cross country skies or a snowmobile (where legal) because you’re going to need them.
And, don’t forget to take an ice auger. You’re definitely going to need it when you reach your high altitude backcountry fishing spot.

Where will we be on California’s Opening Day?
Well, Elaine and I are planning to hike the three miles from the Leavitt Meadows Campground (on S.R. 108 – the Sonora Pass Highway) to my all-time favorite Opening Day destination of Roosevelt and Lane Lakes in the Hoover Wilderness Area.

This year, we will be accompanied by our brand new neighbor, Stephanie Parker, a recent arrival from Las Vegas. She has never hiked in the High Sierra, and it should be an interesting experience for the three of us.
When you hike into those two lakes, with luck, you might be able to see and photograph mule deer, coyotes and perhaps even an occasional black bear. Heck, many years ago, I saw an otter swimming at Roosevelt Lake.
You can fish for Brook Trout and nice-sized Cutthroat Trout at those two inter-connected lakes, where our best success, through the years, has been to spincast from shore with red/white lures.
My largest-ever Brook Trout came out of Lane Lake many years ago.
It was caught on a red/white lure and measured 21 inches. Not too shabby!
If you also decide to hike into those lakes, remember that they have a special restriction: The bag limit is two fish. So, if you’re lucky in catching fish, you better be choosey about what which two you decide to bring home.

Finally:
If you go on Opening Day or for the Opening Weekend, good luck to you.
No matter where you go, it’ll be fun to be fishing again in the Golden State.

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can’t tell you when is the best time of the day to catch fish at Roosevelt and Lane Lakes.
If he grins and says, “The best time for fishing at both lakes is before the sunlight hits the water in the early morning or after the sun is off the water in the late afternoon,” he has fished at those two lakes in past years.

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now and www.SouthTahoeNow.com. He can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com