Scenic 395 - The Official Guide 2021/2022

41 2021-2022 Scenic 395 Fishing pounders with some bigger browns tucked up beneath deep undercut banks. Below Independence, the river becomes a warm water fishery with bass, bluegill, and catfish in its pools and backwaters. There is a good smallmouth bass fishery in this stretch of river, but that is a se- cret. It is amazing this river can be a major component of the Los Ange- les City water supply and still provide incredible fishing along its whole length. Twin Lakes, Bridgeport The biggest brown trout in California are caught each year in Up- per and Lower Twin Lakes out of Bridgeport. So far in 2016, the biggest was a 17-pounder caught and released from Lower Twin. A brown trout just under 10 pounds won the opening day derby. These two lakes have been producing humongous brown trout for decades. The state record brown is a 26-pound, eight-ounce fish that was caught the beginning of trout season in 1987 by Danny Stearman of Bakersfield from Lower Twin. If your goal is a giant brown trout, there is no better place in Cali- fornia. That trophy fish will be taken at first or last light by an angler who is willing to troll big, rainbow trout-like lures for weeks on end without getting a strike. It will probably be caught early in the spring – the first week or two of trout season – or late in the fall when the big fish are staging at the creek mouths for the spawn. Is that you? East Walker River The East Walker River below Bridgeport Reservoir is one of the finest brown trout fisheries in the entire West. Protected with a one- fish, 18-inch minimum size limit and gear restrictions that mandate barbless hooks, the river abounds with big fish over that minimum size, and most anglers practice complete catch-and-release fishing. How good is the fishing? Fly-fishermen frequently report 20 to 30 fish days and at least a couple of the trout topping the 20-inch mark. In September and October, when the brown trout stack up in the first mile of water below Bridgeport Reservoir, six to eight-pound trout are caught and released daily. If you want to fish in total solitude on this river, you can drive downstream and toss flies on the publically-owned Rosaschi Ranch stretch in Nevada. You will likely not see another angler during the fall on this stretch. The best part is that you can get short-term Ne- vada licenses at Ken’s Sporting Goods in Bridgeport. Kirman Lake If you hear someone in Bridgeport say that he was fishing in Labrador, Canada, when showing someone a photo of a huge brook trout, it is an inside joke. It is code that means he was fishing nearby Kirman Lake, which grows brook trout the likes of which most people think are only found in remote Canadian waters. Because of an incredible aquatic food base (mostly scuds), brookies planted in Kirman lake as fingerlings quickly grow into “air-brushed footballs.” A 14-inch fish will have a 12-inch girth and weigh nearly three pounds. The 16 to 18-inch brookies will weigh four to six pounds. Cutthroat trout, which are also planted in the lake now, don’t get as fat as the brookies, but sleek 26-inch fish that weigh eight pounds have been landed. The limit is two-fish over 16 inches here, and you have to use barb- less artificial lures. You also have to walk or mountain bike about two miles from Highway 108 (just west of Highway 395 at Sonora Junc- tion). The reedy shoreline makes float tubes a wise option. The best fishing is spring and fall, but it’s worth the trip. While fishing is always fishing, these five spots are the best options in the region. JOSH WRAY/MONO COUNTY TOURISM Crowley Lake is one of the top fishing spots in the Eastern Sierra, with plenty to catch. DAKOTA SNIDER/MONO COUNTY TOURISM Fishing is a popular sport on Crowley Lake, and local companies offer tours including boats with radar systems to find the best fish- ing. Continued from Page 40