Outdoors with Don Q: Expect Sierra snow ahead of opening day of California fishing season

Opening day of fishing in California is Saturday, April 26 and while thousands of anglers will be looking for their own sweet spots along rivers, lakes, reservoirs and streams, there is little doubt that most favorite waterways have been affected by the ongoing drought.

As of Thursday the California Department of Water Resources says the central and southern Sierra has 23 and 16 percent of average snowpack, respectively, while only 6 percent of the average late-April snowpack remained in the northern Sierra Nevada and the Trinity Range. What water will be running through rivers and streams will be the last of the winter's Sierra snow.

Fishing may not be affected as much if at all, but natural lake rims won't be near as what they are in normal snow years, and reservoirs are already well below their banks. When fish are hungry, they'll bite regardless, but your favorite spots along lake shorelines or river beds probably will likely have less water in them or running through them.

Ironically a weather system will arrive Friday into early Saturday bringing possibly up to a foot or more of snow in the higher elevations. So if you're headed to your favorite Sierra campground Thursday or Friday, pack some extra layers, bring your rain gear and prepare for snow above 7,000 feet and icy conditions over mountain passes.

As for Saturday, most California water ways, with a few exceptions, are open for fishing through Saturday, Nov. 15. Locally, streams that lead into Lake Tahoe do not open for fishing until July 1. This includes Trout Creek, Upper Truckee River and Taylor Creek, located on the south end of Lake Tahoe.

If you’re new to this area, here’s some information that can be useful if you would like to fish on that Opening Day or for 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 open, just to name a few of many 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 special fishing restrictions: Minimum size on trout is 18 inches in length and you can only use artificial flies or lures with barbless hooks. So, 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-plus 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 becoming 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!

Crowds:
After the weather system arrives and then, hopefully, leaves by Saturday morning, you can expect to encounter heavy fishing 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 waters in the June Lake Loop, Lundy Lake, Upper and Lower Twin Lakes, 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 California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

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 can 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, even in a drought year like this one, you can normally expect to encounter snow drifts and ice-covered lakes, just about anywhere above an elevation of about 8,500-9,000 feet.
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.

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 where Elaine and I will be on the 2014 Opening Day of the California fishing season.

If he grins and says, "They are planning to fish at Davis Lake (north of Portola), which is open year-round and does not attract big Opening Day hordes of fishermen," he could be one of our regular fishing partners.

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