Mammoth and Eastern Sierra 5/31-6/4

[AnglerBob]

Quick report on an enjoyable trip to the Eastern Sierra last week.

We were all set to go last fall during the pandemic “intermission” - but then the fires shut down the entire area. We rescheduled for the first available slot this year, the week following Memorial Day. (I would not have gone up there Memorial Day weekend for anything).

Even arriving on the 31st, as massive crowds were headed down the hill, there was no shortage of people in the area as vacationers enjoyed their first taste of freedom after over a year of travel deprivation.

The bite was a bit slower than usual given the triple whammy of 1) unusually warm weather, 2) reduced stocks by the DFG due to hatcheries apparently being infested with fish Covid, and 3) intense, unrelenting angler pressure. Nonetheless, we managed decent numbers of small fish, at least. I mostly shore fished, but took the kayak out on lake Mary for nada (like Disneyland out there) and Gull lake (a few stockers). Despite the slow action, it was a blast using my new Garmin Striker CV Plus fishfinder, which in the clean water could see every detail. I'd drop a bait down, view it on the sonar, and watch as a behemoth rose from the deep, inspected the offering, and sank back down. Nothing like having your angling failures confirmed by technology.



Fish were caught on a variety of baits. Metal lures not working well. Had best luck on more old-school offerings like salmon eggs. Fish were very close to the surface, and often swimming within a few feet of shore. Water temps ranged from 55 in high-elevation lakes up to 64 in the June Lake loop. With the heat wave, that may be changing.

Best bite was early to mid-morning, with an afternoon lull, typical summer pattern. I had good luck with a fly and bubble, a technique I haven’t tried in a while. Really fun fishing that way.



Not sure of it, but I think some of the fish I caught may not have been recent stockers but held-over fingerling plants from last year due to their coloration. Otherwise, no native species (brooks or browns). I still find them in creeks occasionally but haven’t caught a native fish in a sierra roadside lake in a long time.


If you go, recommend getting up early and fishing super light line with the best looking presentation you can manage…lots of anglers out there and the trout are super wary. Good luck out there...