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SIERRA TROUT OPENER BIG SUCCESS --
Jim Matthews
4/30/03
Eastern Sierra produces trout to 11-pounds during opener
MAMMOTH LAKES -- The largest trout caught opening weekend of trout season in the Eastern Sierra Nevada was an 11-pound, one-ounce rainbow landed by Chris Coston of Placentia while fishing from his float tube in Convict Lake early Saturday morning.
Coston said he and his fishing partner were tubing the upper end of the lake when big fish came up and started rolling through the wind-whipped water, chasing other trout. The bite started about 7:30 a.m. and lasted about an hour before the wind died down and the water glassed up.
"The wind was really blowing," said Coston. "But we could see these big ol' backs coming out of the water as the big fish chased the little rainbows. At first I thought they were big browns.
"I had one fish that really smoked me. We snapped off several with our two-pound test before I landed this one," said Coston of his big rainbow caught on Crave Bait.
Coston said that the fish he saw all looked to be in the 10-pound class, and some of the fish they hooked and lost might have been bigger than the 11-pounder he eventually managed to land. They also caught had fish at five, 3 1/2 and three pounds.
David DeSurra, the owner of the Convict Lake Resort, said the lake had been planted with "hundreds of pounds" of trophy Tim Alper's hatchery rainbows before the opener, including a number of 10-pound class fish. He said the Department of Fish and Game also planted the lake the previous fall with 30,000 two-inch brown trout, which had probably grown into the five- to six-inch range by opener and might have been menu items for those big, Alper's rainbows.
As usual, Crowley Lake was the destination for many of those who ventured up Highway 395 for this annual event. The DFG reported that some 65,000 trout were caught from Crowley by Monday afternoon, but the catch hardly dented the lake's population of fish. Crowley is planted with around 500,000 trout each year, and many survive in the lake two or three seasons after they're planted.
While noted as a rainbow trout fishery, the two biggest trout from Crowley Lake opening day were not rainbows. Bob Jungman of Fresno landed a 4.76-pound brown trout on a nightcrawler, while Donald Bucio of Lancaster caught a 4.75-pound cutthroat trout on a Rapala.
The second biggest fish of opening weekend was caught in the Bishop Creek drainage by Zane Greig of Perris. He landed a nine-pound rainbow out of Bishop Creek fishing with Crave Bait. Intake II was the hot spot in this region. The small pond had been drained and dredged last year and it was heavily stocked for the opener and anglers reported nearly non-stop action on small jigs and floating baits.
In the June Lake Loop, perhaps the best trout stringers of the weekend was posted by Bill DeNault of Bishop. Not only did he landed the biggest trout caught in the loop opening weekend at 7.11 pounds, but he also caught fish at 6.63 and 5.62 pounds along with two smaller, pan-sized fish, all from June Lake. He was using a half a nightcrawler with a Crave Amino Egg on the eye of the hook, a popular Southern California bait combo.
Trout season in the Sierra continues through Nov. 15 in Mono County and Oct. 31 in Inyo County.
Jim Matthews
4/30/03
Eastern Sierra produces trout to 11-pounds during opener
MAMMOTH LAKES -- The largest trout caught opening weekend of trout season in the Eastern Sierra Nevada was an 11-pound, one-ounce rainbow landed by Chris Coston of Placentia while fishing from his float tube in Convict Lake early Saturday morning.
Coston said he and his fishing partner were tubing the upper end of the lake when big fish came up and started rolling through the wind-whipped water, chasing other trout. The bite started about 7:30 a.m. and lasted about an hour before the wind died down and the water glassed up.
"The wind was really blowing," said Coston. "But we could see these big ol' backs coming out of the water as the big fish chased the little rainbows. At first I thought they were big browns.
"I had one fish that really smoked me. We snapped off several with our two-pound test before I landed this one," said Coston of his big rainbow caught on Crave Bait.
Coston said that the fish he saw all looked to be in the 10-pound class, and some of the fish they hooked and lost might have been bigger than the 11-pounder he eventually managed to land. They also caught had fish at five, 3 1/2 and three pounds.
David DeSurra, the owner of the Convict Lake Resort, said the lake had been planted with "hundreds of pounds" of trophy Tim Alper's hatchery rainbows before the opener, including a number of 10-pound class fish. He said the Department of Fish and Game also planted the lake the previous fall with 30,000 two-inch brown trout, which had probably grown into the five- to six-inch range by opener and might have been menu items for those big, Alper's rainbows.
As usual, Crowley Lake was the destination for many of those who ventured up Highway 395 for this annual event. The DFG reported that some 65,000 trout were caught from Crowley by Monday afternoon, but the catch hardly dented the lake's population of fish. Crowley is planted with around 500,000 trout each year, and many survive in the lake two or three seasons after they're planted.
While noted as a rainbow trout fishery, the two biggest trout from Crowley Lake opening day were not rainbows. Bob Jungman of Fresno landed a 4.76-pound brown trout on a nightcrawler, while Donald Bucio of Lancaster caught a 4.75-pound cutthroat trout on a Rapala.
The second biggest fish of opening weekend was caught in the Bishop Creek drainage by Zane Greig of Perris. He landed a nine-pound rainbow out of Bishop Creek fishing with Crave Bait. Intake II was the hot spot in this region. The small pond had been drained and dredged last year and it was heavily stocked for the opener and anglers reported nearly non-stop action on small jigs and floating baits.
In the June Lake Loop, perhaps the best trout stringers of the weekend was posted by Bill DeNault of Bishop. Not only did he landed the biggest trout caught in the loop opening weekend at 7.11 pounds, but he also caught fish at 6.63 and 5.62 pounds along with two smaller, pan-sized fish, all from June Lake. He was using a half a nightcrawler with a Crave Amino Egg on the eye of the hook, a popular Southern California bait combo.
Trout season in the Sierra continues through Nov. 15 in Mono County and Oct. 31 in Inyo County.
