Scenic 395 - The Official Guide 2018/2019

2018-2019 Scenic 395 53 Fishing By Jim Matthews www.OutdoorNewsService.com F or a region that historically never had trout of any kind south of Conway Summit, the Eastern Sierra Nevada has become known across the country for the quality trout fishing that exists there now. Here are the five best spots for anglers inter- ested in landing a quality trout. Crowley Lake: For Eastern Sierra Nevada anglers, Crowley Lake is the water all other fisheries are measured against. The Crowley watershed has a complex regime of regula- tions, an aggressive and creative stocking program, and an increasing number of wild trout. Throughout the long fishing season (last Saturday in April through Nov. 15), Crowley Lake produces more and bigger fish than all other waters in the region. For the first half of the season, Crowley Lake is open to all types of fishing – bait, lures, and flies – and it has a five-trout limit. From August 1 through the close of the sea- son, Crowley has a special two-fish, 18-inch minimum size bag limit and anglers are re- stricted to using artificial lures with barbless hooks – fondly known as the trophy season. Surveys done by the Department of Fish and Wildlife show that the average size of the trout caught opening day of the season is 13 to 14 inches most years with those fish weigh- ing in at a pound. Most of those are fish that were planted by the DFW the fall before as three- to six-inch trout and have grown that Top 5 Eastern Sierra fishing spots JOSH WRAY/MONO COUNTY TOURISM The Owens River is a popular spot for trout fishing. JOSH WRAY/MONO COUNTY TOURISM Crowley Lake is a popular spot for fishing, and is considered by many to be the water other Eastern Sierra fisheries are measured against. Continued on Page 54