Eastern Sierras - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Fishon14 · 07-13-2020, 01:24 PM

Was finally able to go to the Eastern Sierras with my kayak. Loaded up the trailer and the car and got on the road about 3 am Thursday morning. Couldn’t check into our camp site at 4 Jefferies on the Bishop Loop until 2pm. So we hit Intake 2 and Lake Sabrina for a few hours, caught a few stockers and a small brook trout. Loaded the kayaks back on the trailer and went to the campground to unload the car. After getting the campsite was dialed in, headed up to North Lake. Fished until sundown for a few rainbows and a small brown trout. The mosquitoes were thick around North Lake. Once on the water they didn’t bother you, but getting to the water and leaving they were hungry. Went back to the campground and made dinner and planned the next day’s adventure. We decided to head up to Mammoth in the morning. Started to fishing Lake Mamie, I have always loved this lake. With the Kayaks it was some much more accessible. The fishing was slow in Mamie, so put the kayaks on the dollies and moved over to Lake Mary. Found a few larger trout in the logs near the outlet. I hooked and land a nice one on a Heavyweight mini jig (yellow and white). Fished the same area at the outlet, after lunch. We had our opportunities but the fish won their freedom. Went by Rick’s Tackle in Mammoth and weight my fish, 6 pounds 4 oz. my new personal best trout. Started heading back to our campsite in Bishop, but decided to stop and checkout Convict Lake. Didn’t catch any at Convict, fished the inlet and watched an eagle catch his dinner. The plan was to fish Lake Sabrina on Saturday morning. Launched the kayaks at the boat ramp and made our way back to the inlet. We caught several trout at the inlet. Chris caught a nice trout about 2 pounds, it made losing that bigger fish much less painful. Stopped by Cardinal Village to say to the owners and catch up with old friends. Hiked up to the old gold mine and the waterfall behind the village. Went back to the campsite and cooked some trout for dinner and had some beers by the fire. Sunday morning packed up the car and swung by Cardinal Village for some breakfast burrito’s for the drive home. There are some issues with some the hatcheries in California and the trout plants will be limited until they get the problem fixed. Had a great time and will be heading back up in August with the family.

Fishon14 · 07-13-2020, 01:25 PM

more pictures

Fishon14 · 07-13-2020, 01:27 PM

more photos

Fishon14 · 07-13-2020, 01:36 PM

more photos

dorado123 · 07-13-2020, 01:43 PM

very nice and beautiful
I think you have perfect day to be there
Usually lot of wind there

ProfessorLongArms · 07-13-2020, 01:48 PM

Thanks for the share and congrats on the PB!
I've been itching to get up that way for a bit. Did you have a reserved site where you camped, or was it FCFS camping?

katchfish · 07-14-2020, 09:43 AM

👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

Saba Slayer · 07-14-2020, 10:59 AM

Great shots...Thanks...especially the old gold mine photos...nice job on the personal best...

I'm headed back up for my second trip of the season to June/Mammoth on Saturday for a week...
I've got a perfect lakeside campsite reserved...picture a PA 360 and an Outback where that rowboat is...LOL...

Fishon14 · 07-14-2020, 01:19 PM

Jim,
Great looking campsite. I will be heading back up in August with the family to Mammoth. I was invited to join you at Silver Lake in June, was coming with Eric. But with the campground still closed it did not happen.
John

Oolie · 07-14-2020, 03:54 PM

Great hiking around the shaft!

AnglerBob · 07-14-2020, 10:58 PM

Great report and photos! Out of curiosity, do you know what the hatchery problem is and if it is expected to continue this season? I’m headed up in Sept. I went in fall of 2018 and discovered they’d ceased stocking the mammoth/June area from Labor Day for some reason. I found good fishing at Virginia and a few larger cutthroat out of June Lake. Anyway congrats on your 6lber, definitely a trophy!

Saba Slayer · 07-15-2020, 07:27 AM

Here's some info on the Hatchery Problems...
https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.a...=180567&inline

Saba Slayer · 07-15-2020, 07:30 AM

Silver Lake Resort Fishing Report from Andrew the Resort operator...

Well…….. You either are really happy that you caught a nice 3 to 6 pound Rainbow here at Silver Lake or you are a little grumpy because you didn’t catch a thing. To say the least, the catching side of fishing has been a struggle here at Silver Lake the last few weeks due in part to the hot weather and lack of stocking being done by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which has been zero stocking the past three weeks. (See website for more information on why DFW is not currently stocking https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.a...=180567&inline)

What we have been seeing here at Silver Lake is some really nice, healthy and fat Rainbows being caught, thanks in part to Ernie’s Tackle Shop that donated 100 pounds to each of the lakes in the June Lake Loop and an additional 500 pounds stocked of the big boys by Desert Springs Hatchery in Oregon courtesy of Silver Lake Resort. With the lack or none existent stocking by DFW over the near future, we are planning on doing our best to continue to purchase fish from Desert Springs in Oregon. We are hoping to do several loads (3-4) of 1 pound Rainbows and continue to do our traditional four or five loads of 3 to 5 pounders to help supplement this gap in stocking by the state. We should be getting a load about every two to three weeks starting the first week of August. Just keep in mind when you come in the store and are grumpy and unhappy about not catching fish that we are doing our best to help supplement the shortfall by DFW – You could even smile and say thank you but we never expect that!!! There is no Government Bailout for Lack of Fish so we will do our best to pick up the pieces.

Anglers the past two weeks have seen the most consistent action early in the morning and later in the afternoons when the water is cooler using Night Crawlers, Berkley Pinch Crawlers, and Berkley Mice Tails. As the water temperature heats up throughout the day look to switching to good old power baits – all colors and flavors work good – and think about a longer leader line to get above the weeds as they grow in the mist of summer. The always consistent Thomas Buoyants and Kastmasters work well tossing from the shore or a boat and streamers like an Olive Matuka and Woolly Bugger do well trolling if you can get them deeper in the water. You have to search a little for that depth and cooler waters the fishies are hanging out at, but once you have found that zone you should do well.

I wish we had better news to post on the stocking side of things but as we all know, things are not as easy as they use to be in today’s new world. Remember to enjoy the little things, be kind to each other and when you are fishing in the Eastern Sierra remember to look up and enjoy the beauty surrounding you, breath in the fresh air and who knows, maybe you will catch a nice size Rainbow.

AnglerBob · 07-15-2020, 09:02 PM

Thanks for the info, Jim - wow, it's like the fish have their very own coronavirus. Perhaps the DFG will resume plants if they agree to swim 6 feet away from each other. Meanwhile, glad some of us are still getting some at least.

matthew7! · 07-16-2020, 11:48 AM

Nice fish!!!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

07-13-2020, 01:24 PM	#1
Fishon14 Member Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Huntington Beach Posts: 50	Eastern Sierras Was finally able to go to the Eastern Sierras with my kayak. Loaded up the trailer and the car and got on the road about 3 am Thursday morning. Couldn’t check into our camp site at 4 Jefferies on the Bishop Loop until 2pm. So we hit Intake 2 and Lake Sabrina for a few hours, caught a few stockers and a small brook trout. Loaded the kayaks back on the trailer and went to the campground to unload the car. After getting the campsite was dialed in, headed up to North Lake. Fished until sundown for a few rainbows and a small brown trout. The mosquitoes were thick around North Lake. Once on the water they didn’t bother you, but getting to the water and leaving they were hungry. Went back to the campground and made dinner and planned the next day’s adventure. We decided to head up to Mammoth in the morning. Started to fishing Lake Mamie, I have always loved this lake. With the Kayaks it was some much more accessible. The fishing was slow in Mamie, so put the kayaks on the dollies and moved over to Lake Mary. Found a few larger trout in the logs near the outlet. I hooked and land a nice one on a Heavyweight mini jig (yellow and white). Fished the same area at the outlet, after lunch. We had our opportunities but the fish won their freedom. Went by Rick’s Tackle in Mammoth and weight my fish, 6 pounds 4 oz. my new personal best trout. Started heading back to our campsite in Bishop, but decided to stop and checkout Convict Lake. Didn’t catch any at Convict, fished the inlet and watched an eagle catch his dinner. The plan was to fish Lake Sabrina on Saturday morning. Launched the kayaks at the boat ramp and made our way back to the inlet. We caught several trout at the inlet. Chris caught a nice trout about 2 pounds, it made losing that bigger fish much less painful. Stopped by Cardinal Village to say to the owners and catch up with old friends. Hiked up to the old gold mine and the waterfall behind the village. Went back to the campsite and cooked some trout for dinner and had some beers by the fire. Sunday morning packed up the car and swung by Cardinal Village for some breakfast burrito’s for the drive home. There are some issues with some the hatcheries in California and the trout plants will be limited until they get the problem fixed. Had a great time and will be heading back up in August with the family. Attached Images

07-13-2020, 01:25 PM	#2
Fishon14 Member Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Huntington Beach Posts: 50	more pictures Attached Images Last edited by Fishon14; 07-13-2020 at 01:32 PM.

07-13-2020, 01:27 PM	#3
Fishon14 Member Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Huntington Beach Posts: 50	more photos Attached Images Last edited by Fishon14; 07-13-2020 at 01:38 PM.

07-13-2020, 01:36 PM	#4
Fishon14 Member Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Huntington Beach Posts: 50	more photos Attached Images

07-14-2020, 10:59 AM	#8
Saba Slayer Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Palos Verdes Posts: 1,857	Beautiful Photos Great shots...Thanks...especially the old gold mine photos...nice job on the personal best... I'm headed back up for my second trip of the season to June/Mammoth on Saturday for a week... I've got a perfect lakeside campsite reserved...picture a PA 360 and an Outback where that rowboat is...LOL... Attached Images __________________ Jim / Saba Slayer

07-13-2020, 01:43 PM	#5
dorado123 Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Garden Grove,CA Posts: 210	very nice and beautiful I think you have perfect day to be there Usually lot of wind there

07-13-2020, 01:48 PM	#6
ProfessorLongArms Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2017 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 401	Thanks for the share and congrats on the PB! I've been itching to get up that way for a bit. Did you have a reserved site where you camped, or was it FCFS camping?

07-14-2020, 09:43 AM	#7
katchfish Paddle for Mahi Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Doing the happy paddle! Posts: 849	👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

07-14-2020, 01:19 PM	#9
Fishon14 Member Join Date: Mar 2019 Location: Huntington Beach Posts: 50	Jim, Great looking campsite. I will be heading back up in August with the family to Mammoth. I was invited to join you at Silver Lake in June, was coming with Eric. But with the campground still closed it did not happen. John

07-14-2020, 10:58 PM	#11
AnglerBob Junior Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: So Calif Posts: 17	Great report and photos! Out of curiosity, do you know what the hatchery problem is and if it is expected to continue this season? I’m headed up in Sept. I went in fall of 2018 and discovered they’d ceased stocking the mammoth/June area from Labor Day for some reason. I found good fishing at Virginia and a few larger cutthroat out of June Lake. Anyway congrats on your 6lber, definitely a trophy!

07-15-2020, 07:27 AM	#12
Saba Slayer Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Palos Verdes Posts: 1,857	Hatchery problems... Here's some info on the Hatchery Problems... https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.a...=180567&inline __________________ Jim / Saba Slayer

07-15-2020, 07:30 AM	#13
Saba Slayer Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Palos Verdes Posts: 1,857	Silver Lake fish report... Silver Lake Resort Fishing Report from Andrew the Resort operator... Well…….. You either are really happy that you caught a nice 3 to 6 pound Rainbow here at Silver Lake or you are a little grumpy because you didn’t catch a thing. To say the least, the catching side of fishing has been a struggle here at Silver Lake the last few weeks due in part to the hot weather and lack of stocking being done by the Department of Fish and Wildlife, which has been zero stocking the past three weeks. (See website for more information on why DFW is not currently stocking https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.a...=180567&inline) What we have been seeing here at Silver Lake is some really nice, healthy and fat Rainbows being caught, thanks in part to Ernie’s Tackle Shop that donated 100 pounds to each of the lakes in the June Lake Loop and an additional 500 pounds stocked of the big boys by Desert Springs Hatchery in Oregon courtesy of Silver Lake Resort. With the lack or none existent stocking by DFW over the near future, we are planning on doing our best to continue to purchase fish from Desert Springs in Oregon. We are hoping to do several loads (3-4) of 1 pound Rainbows and continue to do our traditional four or five loads of 3 to 5 pounders to help supplement this gap in stocking by the state. We should be getting a load about every two to three weeks starting the first week of August. Just keep in mind when you come in the store and are grumpy and unhappy about not catching fish that we are doing our best to help supplement the shortfall by DFW – You could even smile and say thank you but we never expect that!!! There is no Government Bailout for Lack of Fish so we will do our best to pick up the pieces. Anglers the past two weeks have seen the most consistent action early in the morning and later in the afternoons when the water is cooler using Night Crawlers, Berkley Pinch Crawlers, and Berkley Mice Tails. As the water temperature heats up throughout the day look to switching to good old power baits – all colors and flavors work good – and think about a longer leader line to get above the weeds as they grow in the mist of summer. The always consistent Thomas Buoyants and Kastmasters work well tossing from the shore or a boat and streamers like an Olive Matuka and Woolly Bugger do well trolling if you can get them deeper in the water. You have to search a little for that depth and cooler waters the fishies are hanging out at, but once you have found that zone you should do well. I wish we had better news to post on the stocking side of things but as we all know, things are not as easy as they use to be in today’s new world. Remember to enjoy the little things, be kind to each other and when you are fishing in the Eastern Sierra remember to look up and enjoy the beauty surrounding you, breath in the fresh air and who knows, maybe you will catch a nice size Rainbow. __________________ Jim / Saba Slayer

07-15-2020, 09:02 PM	#14
AnglerBob Junior Join Date: Jul 2017 Location: So Calif Posts: 17	Thanks for the info, Jim - wow, it's like the fish have their very own coronavirus. Perhaps the DFG will resume plants if they agree to swim 6 feet away from each other. Meanwhile, glad some of us are still getting some at least.

07-16-2020, 11:48 AM	#15
matthew7! Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2020 Posts: 183	Nice fish!!! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk