Lone Pine/Bishop

[fish'n fool]

Arrived in Lone Pine Creek sand trap at 0630 on 3/28. First 2 casts using a chartreuse/white tube jig got me 2 trout which were C & R'd. Great!! It's going to be a great day. Then no bites for 2 hours!! Didn't see many fish. Tried just upstream along Whitney Portal Rd. Didn't see much. Met a DWP worker and he said he didn't think the creek had been planted. After being frustrated my friend and I went to the Lone Pine campground. Didn't find one fish in the campground. My friend caught 2 small brownies. We headed over to the Tuttle Creek campground. Found fish and my friend caught 1. The fish were skittish. Tried sneaking up on them but were scared off when my lure hit the water. We gave up and checked in at the motel at 1400 hrs. Sat around and watched some basketball on TV. Headed over to Diaz Lake at 1600 hrs. There were no bites for about an hour. I was using a pink PW with a cast-a-bubble. Eventually started getting some bites after changing locations. Proceeded to catch 3 trout to 12" in a 5 minute span, then nothing for the next hour. Finally gave up at 1800 hrs to have dinner.

Woke up early the next morning and headed to Bishop to fish PVR. Hit the upper end of PVR at 0730 and made it to the Ramp at 0800. Fished the pink PW/cast-a-bubble for 8 trout C & R'd in 1-1/2 hours. It was a tough bite. Finally went back to Big Rock where my friend was fishing. By this time he had C & R'd about 25. We fished that area til about 1500 hrs with a constant bite. Left with about 30-35 trout C & R'd with big fish a 16 incher.

On 3/30, we hit the Owens River below PVR campground. Was using a rainbow trout Pin's Minnow with the barbs pinched down. Started at the bridge and headed downstream. Caught a RB and a brownie from the bridge. Kept moving downstream with bites frequent and many hookups. After 2-1/2 hours I had C & R'd 18 brownies to 14" and 1 RB. My friend C & R'd over 22 brownies.

After lunch we headed to PVR and started at the dam. The bite was slow but I managed 3 trout on a pink PW/cast-a-bubble. The biggest was 16". Began moving upstream, hitting various spots with very few bites. Caught maybe 3-4. I tried the Ramp for nada and headed to Big Rock. Fished Big Rock but the bite was way off. There was a strong current. The reservoir level was rising quickly. Finally gave up at 1400 hrs.

On 3/31, we tried the Owens River again for browns but the bite there was off too. Not like the previous day. Managed only 4 brownies to 14" after 3 hours. My friend had 12.

Packed up and headed for home at noon. It wasn't wide open fishing but it was a very good. The weather was great and the views spectacular. Can't wait for opening day.

[Joshua]

SOunds like a good time. I fish Lone Pine and my way up to Bishop and usually do rather well. Not the most scenic of all waters in the Sierra, but it is a great spot to break up that drive.
Thanks for the report.

[Sierra_Smitty]

Nice job on them brownies!