Welcome! It's the beginning of another fantastic fishing season here in the Eastern Sierra, and we all know what that means. I hope you have your rods cleaned with fresh line, and all your lures, flies, and bait organized and ready to go!!

Before you make your way up to the mountains this year, I wanted to let you in on a few "lesser known" hot spots that often get over looked, though the fishing is incredible. So sit back, enjoy the ride, and try your hand a few spots that you may find "off the beaten path"...Intake II will still be there when you come back...

Weir Pond
This is a section of the South Fork of Bishop Creek, just downstream from South Lake. It holds lots of nice fish for you to catch, and since it is in the outlet of South Lake, it is reasonably well regulated, providing excellent opportunities when other areas could be overrun with snow melt run-off or other anglers. It is, techinically, Bishop Creek, but it is dammed up on both ends, creating a large, slow-moving "pond" with generous vegetation and plenty of room and fish. This early in the season, I would expect to do well with earthworms drifted on top of the water using no weight, small salmon eggs, also without weight, small silver or gold colored lures, or spinners retrieved slowly up through the current. Flies I would try would be small Griffith's Gnats, size 18-22, small Parachute Adams(18-20), Parachute Hare's Ear(18-20), small Copper John nymphs, caddis nymphs, or small Hare's Ear nymphs anywhere from size 16-20. I might also try some Zebra Midges in sizes 20-26 or an Olive, Black, or Purple Wooly Bugger in sizes 10-14. Fish you can expect to see here are large Alpers Trout, both recently stocked and holdovers from last season's stocking program, decent brown trout, and scattered, smaller Brook trout. Please be aware that the brown trout and brook trout populations are wild, and are not stocked. To maintain a healthy and vibrant fish population here, please consider releasing brown trout and brook trout unharmed. Alpers and rainbows will be stocked throughout this area again this season, so if you must keep your fish, try to keep the ones that will be replaced by the stocking trucks, and let the wild ones go. To find Weir Pond, drive towards South Lake on Line St. Follow the South lake turnoff all the way up, passing all the roadside sections of the creek, until you see the large, open "pond" on the right hand side of the road. This is Weir Pond, and the fishing should be excellent. If you get to South Lake proper, you have gone too far.

North Fork Bishop Creek
If the weather cooperates, and the road to North Lake is open this early, The inlet to North lake can be a very challenging, but extremely rewarding, area to fish. Loaded with rainbows, browns, brooks, and Alpers trout, this meandering creek can provide hours of quality fishing for the angler that is willing to work for their fish. There is a lot of vegetation and bushes lining the banks, making shore-casting difficult, so don a pair of waders, and get in the water for your best chances. There is also the chance you might get into some big mating pairs coming up from the lake for their pre-spawning rituals. Try floating worms or slamon eggs on top of the water surface, small gold or silver lures, small rainbow-colored spinners, Griffith's Gnats, Zebra Midges, Hare's Ear nymphs, or Copper Johns. Your flies should not be any bigger than a size 18, and your worms or salmon eggs should be allowed to drift naturally in the current. If you're using a lure, retrieve it slowly upstream through the current, accasionally pausing as you retrieve. Don't overlook the deep eddies as the creek meanders around corners, and the deeply undercut banks where the "big dogs" like to hang out. Drive around North lake and park in the area just past the Pack Outfitters. The creek runs through the meadow in a very lazy "S" pattern, creating lots of fishable water in a much smaller area. Be aware that this early in the season, the dirt road leading to North Lake will be very muddy, very loose, and possibly unstable. I would recommend 4-WD, high clearance vehicles ONLY attempt this trip this early.

Rush Creek
Running between Grant Lake and Silver Lake in the June Lake Loop, is an often overlooked section of Rush Creek that holds an absolutely incredible amount of fish, if one is willing to walk a little bit to find them. Occasionally visible from the roadside, Rush Creek is often shallow, with deep eddies, tiny plunge pools, undercut banks, and long runs. Use the same early season tactics here as listed above, and you should find yourself getting into plenty of nice fish. Browns, rainbows, and Alpers can be expected through this section of the creek, and for the angler willing to wade between the bushes lining the banks, and seek out their quarry, the fishing can be quite rewarding. As with other areas, the brown trout in this creek are NOT stocked by the DFG, and should be released unharmed to perpetuate the wild trout populations in this area. The Alpers and the rainbows are readily replenished through DFG and private stocking programs, and they taste better. So stock up on the stocked fish, and let the wild ones go to make babies for next season.

That's it for now, folks.
Try some of these different locations if you want to avoid fishing "shoulder-to-shoulder", but still want to catch fish. These areas are easily accessible, providing great "roadside fishing", and incredible fish. The opportunities are endless here in the Eastern Sierra. So check back frequently for updates on where to go and what to use, as well as some insight into some other "out-of-the-way" places that you might find enjoyable throughout the season. All of the "regular spots" will still be there, so why not take a day and fish some water you've never tried before? Keep your ears open on the water, and keep checking back with us here, and you might find a new "Favorite Spot" this season.

In closing, I want to make mention of a few important things to remember this season. First, it is fishing...it is supposed to be fun. Be nice to each other on the water, and show the respect you want to recieve to your fellow anglers. If we all try to be just a little bit nicer to each other on the water, we will all have a better day. Second...wild trout don't get stocked. If you catch a brown trout or a brook trout, try to remember that those fish are wild, never get stocked, and cannot replenish their populations if the adults are removed from the stream. Catch, photograph, and release these wild ones. There are plenty of stocked rainbows and Alpers trout to fill your bellies and your freezers with, so let the wild ones go, and let them grow. When you come back next season...they will be bigger. Finally...don't be afraid to try something new. Don't let yourself get stuck in the same old rut of boring fishing. Go to a new spot, fish with a stranger, try a new setup, give fly fishing a try...you never know if you're going to like something until you give it a try. We all love to fish, but we all sometimes feel like it might be just a little bit boring. So instead of packing it in and going home, try something new. Find that "child's spirit" that helped you fall in love with fishing by trying the same sport from a completely new perspective. By using a different setup, or new bait, or a completely different way of fishing, or even simply trying that spot you saw, but never fished before, you can keep the spirit alive, and remember what it is that we love so much about fishing.

See you on the water, and Tight Lines to everyone!