The Walker River takes its name from explorer Joseph Walker. Historian Francis P. Farquhar wrote, “Reliable knowledge of the Sierra Nevada really begins with the expedition of 1833.” In it, Walker’s party followed what is now the East Walker upstream into and through the Bridgeport Valley and then up to its headwaters near Virginia Pass. From there, the group proceeded across the Sierra Crest and made its way down into the San Joaquin Valley. This expedition is credited with being the first to peer into the depths of Yosemite Valley from a point on the north rim.
The East and West Walker Rivers rise between Sonora Pass and Virginia Lakes in the Bridgeport area. The rivers flow into Nevada, joining near Yerington to form the Walker River, which ends at Walker Lake, a body of water near Hawthorne. The West Walker starts at Tower Lake, flows through two large alpine meadows, joins the Little Walker River, and then turns north until reaching Topaz Lake at the California-Nevada state line. The West Walker travels 60 miles before it is impounded and some of its water diverted for irrigation in Antelope Valley.
The more revered and harder-fished East Walker is formed when the water from a spring in the southeast corner of Bridgeport Valley combines with Virginia and Green Creeks. The river flows along the east side of the valley until reaching Bridgeport Reservoir. From there, it flows for seven miles before crossing the Nevada state line (where it continues to provide fly-fishing opportunities). The East Walker is subject to variations in flow and very low water levels due to water demands from irrigators downstream in Nevada. Both the West and East Walker offer a suite of opportunities for the adventurous fly fisher, from exploring small headwater streams and serpentine meadow creeks to fishing classic freestone and canyon pocket water.
The West Walker
The West Walker is a classic freestone stream. The river runs through a succession of pocket water, riffles, and pools as it drops six thousand feet over 60 miles. The West Walker is subject to wide seasonal fluctuations in flow. As a free-flowing river, it is totally responsive to snowpack size and runoff timing. In the early season, the river is often raging, and the quality of the fishing can be poor. In most years, the effects of runoff have passed by the middle of June, and the river becomes more productive at flow levels of 150 cubic feet per second (cfs) or less. These good conditions persist into early autumn, when the river begins to dwindle in size and water temperatures climb. It is important to pay attention to flow levels and visit the West Walker before the fishing quality tails off in the latter part of the season. The river is also very responsive to the effects of larger rain events. For whatever reason, large rain cells seem to persist in the headwaters region, which can cause water levels to rise dramatically and produce seriously discolored water.
Headwater flows collect in Leavitt Meadows west of Sonora Junction on Highway 108. This is a large, two-mile-long meadow that probably contains close to four miles of stream. The river flows through a series of meanders, with pools, large boulders, and connecting riffles. It is home to a population of brook trout, along with stocked rainbows. The farther back into the meadow you go, the more remote the setting. Fish here are not large, but they are lovely and respond to a reasonably well-presented dry fly.
There is a quiet serenity to a high mountain meadow: the smooth water murmurs in its channel, and in the background, willow and aspen leaves rustle with the wind. Leavitt and Pickel Meadows are places where you can lose yourself in the rhythm of studying the water, casting, and taking and releasing brightly colored trout.
Below Leavitt Meadows, the stream falls through a canyon stretch to Pickel Meadow and then drops again to where it joins the Little Walker River near the junction of Highways 108 and 395. This canyon area is challenging to fish because of the terrain, but can be really rewarding. Pickel Meadow is a smaller area that is the home of the United States Marine Mountain Warfare Training Center. It is not unusual to see Marines conducting maneuvers in the area.
After the runoff has receded, the river in both meadows is easily waded, providing angling for feisty trout and open banks that offer unobstructed opportunities for fly casting. Despite the fish being a bit spooky, these meadows are still a good bet for beginners looking to work on technique. The meadow fish run on the small side, averaging something like eight inches. There are times when the meadow sections fish extremely well. Alas, depending on water levels and wind, there are also a lot of times when they do not.
The West Walker joins the Little Walker River just west of Highway 395. There are campgrounds and parking areas along this stretch of water, and it receives a lot of visitors. The Little Walker runs for 15 miles from its origin at Emma Lake to where it joins the main stem. It is a lovely little stream, with the same qualities as its larger namesake: pockets and riffles, but on a smaller scale. The Little Walker is subject to less pressure, because much of the water it is not directly accessible from the highway. The river can be reached from a dirt road that leaves Highway 395 about a mile south of the intersection of Highways 108 and 395 at Sonora Junction. There are a number of parking spots along this road, which winds its way up to a trailhead at the confluence of the Little Walker River and Molybdenite Creek. The latter is a productive little creek that is extremely difficult to fish due to dense aspen groves, willows, and deadfalls. It takes every small-creek trick in the book to fish it. The reward for this perseverance comes from a population of beautiful brook trout.
Downstream from Sonora Junction, the West Walker drops through a canyon for six miles or so before emerging into Antelope Valley at the town of Walker. This section begins at a picnic area about two miles downstream from the junction. Upstream from the picnic site, the river is somewhat featureless, easily accessed from the roadway, and heavily fished. Although it looks really inviting there, the fishing is better in the canyon, where the river pulls away from the road and access is a bit more difficult. The West Walker is heavily stocked and heavily fished at the picnic area, the campgrounds, and near Sonora Junction. At the end of the canyon, the West Walker spills into rangeland between the town of Walker and Topaz Lake. This latter area holds some large fish, but the water is private and not easy to access.
Fly selection for the West Walker and Little Walker is pretty straightforward. Streamers and weighted nymphs are useful in high-water conditions. Popular patterns include Woolly Buggers and Marabou Muddlers in sizes up to 8 and Pheasant Tail, Hare’s Ear, Bird’s Nest, and A.P. Nymphs, size 12 and 14. Midge larva patterns can be productive in the deeper pools. Dry flies include Yellow Humpies, Royal Wullfs, Parachute Adamses, Elk Hair Caddises, and flying-ant patterns. Make sure you have hopper patterns if you are fishing the meadows. The most popular size range for dries seems to be 14 and 16, but Peter often fishes smaller flies, especially in the more heavily fished areas and later in the season.
The East Walker Headwaters
The East Walker has two main tributaries: Virginia Creek and Green Creek. Virginia Creek flows out of the Virginia Lakes Basin west of Conway Summit off Highway 395. Due to the steep gradient, the creek drops rapidly toward Highway 395. It is difficult to fish because of challenging access and the dense vegetation and deadfalls through which it flows. The creek holds a population of lively brook trout and is worth taking the time and trouble to explore. It can be reached off of several dirt tracks that branch to the left (south) from the road to Virginia Lakes or from the seasonal home area below Lower Virginia Lake. There is also a campground located on the creek. A more challenging approach is to scramble downhill from the paved road from above the campground and bushwhack your way to the water. The downhill scramble is a challenge due to the thick vegetation and downed aspens. Hiking back up to the road cannot be described as fun. Bring a fly box with the same basic dry patterns as used on the West Walker waters.
Just west of Conway Summit, Virginia Creek takes a hard left turn and falls into another deep cleft that is lined with willows and aspens. Like the upper section of the creek, it holds fish and is challenging to reach and work. Virginia Creek joins with Dunderberg and Dog Creeks near Dog Town, near the intersection of 395 and the road to the historic ghost town of Bodie. Dog Town is the site of the first gold discovery in the eastern Sierra. Now it is home to beaver ponds and the willow-choked creek. Virginia Creek holds brook trout that are generally rather small. Bring your small creek dry-fly selection and be prepared to deal with marshy ground. This is a good place for the wet wader.
About three miles north of Dog Town, Virginia Creek joins Green Creek. A marked dirt road branches to the west of Highway 395 and leads uphill for several miles to a point where the road to the left goes to Virginia Lakes. Stay to the right here, and after a short grade, you will reach Dynamo Pond. This small body of water marks the location of a power-generation plant that was built in 1892 by the Standard Mining Company to provide electricity to drive the mines, mill, and the community of Bodie. Legend has it that the power poles run in a straight line because of a concern that the electricity would not remain in the wires if they were curved.
Above the pond, Green Creek is a freestone creek for about three miles. It flows away from the road that leads up to the Green Lake trailhead. When the road meets the creek again, it is in a meadow area that features a number of beaver dams. It is boggy here, with willows and aspen groves. Be on the lookout for arbor-glyphs carved into the trunks of the aspens by Basque sheepherders. Some of this art is more than a hundred years old. Because it is next to the roadside, this area receives a good deal of fishing pressure. Extreme stealth is required for success in the ponds, because the marshy soil carries and magnifies the vibration of your feet as you approach. If you want to explore a little, work up or downstream from the meadow, where the creek is no longer next to the road. The same fly selection and approach you would use at Virginia Creek will meet your needs at Green Creek.
Virginia and Green Creeks combine and flow along Highway 395 to join the outflow of a set of springs to form the East Walker proper above Bridgeport Valley. The stream is fishable, although with some degree of difficulty due to its dense willows. Because of that difficulty, the relatively small size of the stream, and the fact that it is not easily seen from the road, it is seldom fished. There are brown trout there, and they will respond to dry flies throughout the summer. Be advised that the gorgeous pasture land in the Bridgeport Valley is private and posted.
The East Walker River
The East Walker River is famous for its large rainbows and even larger brown trout. Because the water is mostly off-colored, you seldom actually ever see them, which provides just enough doubt to question that reputation. For that reason, many anglers hire a guide to give them some sort of advantage. This is not the place for a novice, as Lisa discovered when she was first learning how to fly fish.
Below Bridgeport Reservoir, the East Walker flows for seven miles before reaching the California-Nevada border. The most famous single spot on the river is the “Big Hole,” a huge pool right below the dam. Large trout are attracted to the abundance of aquatic life and the highly oxygenated water released from Bridgeport Reservoir. The Big Hole is also easily accessible, which in combination with the potential for an 18-plus-inch trout makes it irresistible to most anglers.
Good water continues downstream to the river crossing at Highway 182. The “Miracle Mile,” as it is known, functions essentially as a tailwater fishery, and the most consistent numbers of fish and the largest fish are caught here. This section is characterized by riffles and runs and slow water with undercut banks and deep pools. Getting to the river is easy, with several trails weaving through the sagebrush and across the meadows. Anglers can search out shallow riffle water to gain easy wading access.
Once the East Walker crosses Highway 182, the river’s demeanor changes. Here it is a freestone, faster-flowing system, and access is much more difficult. Most of the river is not visible from the highway or from the multiple dirt parking areas, and anglers will need to navigate through the willows to get a view of potential fishing sites. Because of the thick vegetation, wading is a must, and the algae-covered rocks call for all the appropriate safety measures: solid wading boots, a wading staff, and lots of common sense, especially during high flows. But the flip side is that challenging access and less pressure can yield surprising and satisfying results.
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) now owns this section of land and river access from Bridgeport Reservoir to just shy of the Nevada state border. Once private, the land was purchased in 1994 by the Trust for Public Land and then deeded to the CDFW to protect and manage it for public use.
After the East Walker enters Nevada, it flows through a sagebrush steppe before combining with the West Walker near Yerington. The combined rivers then flow into Walker Lake, a terminal Great Basin lake once home to a native population of Lahontan cutthroat trout. Through the years, water diversions, coupled with drought conditions, have reduced freshwater inflow, altering the water chemistry, and have made Walker Lake uninhabitable even for the resilient Lahontan cutthroats. Conservation efforts are underway to restore this fishery and return Lahontan cutthroats to Walker Lake. Once the East Walker crosses into Nevada, it flows for approximately two miles on private property. The Sceirine Ranch is a fourth-generation working cattle ranch, but the owners have managed the river as a pay-to-play fishery, limited to four rods per day and catch-and-release angling with barbless hooks. Below the Sceirine Ranch, the East Walker resumes its public status. Although once private, the Rosaschi Ranch is now owned by the U.S. Forest Service and managed by the Nevada Department of Wildlife as a wild brown trout fishery. To get there, follow Highway 182 and watch for a rather sharp left heading toward Wellington. Anglers will want to turn toward the right, due east, on a dirt road (aptly named Sweetwater Road) for the best public access on the Nevada side. Before you reach a bridge that crosses the river, there will be a parking area and an information kiosk.
Most people use this as the starting point and go either upstream or downstream from here. If you continue on the dirt road, you will eventually reach what is known as “The Elbow,” a large meander where the river turns back on itself. Most anglers don’t venture below this point, because the prime water is upstream. Often, the Nevada section will be “on” when the California side is not, especially during summer, when flows are low and water temperatures high. Cold water inflows from tributary creeks moderate the stream temperature in the Nevada section.
Although always known as a blue ribbon trout stream and arguably the best fly-fishing water in the eastern Sierra, the East Walker has had its share of challenges in recent decades. Releases of water for agriculture use in 1988 drained the reservoir, flushing large amounts of silt downstream, killing fish and destroying the fishery. Then, in December 2000, a tanker truck overturned on Highway 182, spilling 3,600 gallons of oil into the river. Intersperse some drought years, including our most recent multiyear dry spell, and there’s no doubt that this famous fishery has suffered.
But the East Walker always comes back. Last year’s epic winter has certainly helped. Flows peaked at over 1,000 cfs and remained high until early fall. Despite the short season, the high flows have left their mark on the river in very good ways. Pools have been scoured out, adjacent banks have been inundated with water, rejuvenating riparian vegetation, and accumulated sediments have been moved downstream and dispersed.
Flows can vary greatly from year to year and within a particular season. This sounds obvious, but with the East Walker, it is perhaps the most important variable in predicting angling success. Ideal releases are between 175 and 225 cfs. When the flows reach 350 cfs or higher, anglers will be wading in deep water, and safe locations will be limited. Of course, as mentioned earlier, the flows can also get as high as over 1,000 cfs or as low as 20 cfs in a drought-year winter.
Many believe the best time to fish is in the fall, when the brown trout are starting to move upriver in advance of spawning. The water level is lower, the water has cooled, and the crowds have thinned.
The East Walker holds roughly 50 percent brown trout and 50 percent rainbow trout, with some whitefish. Both trout species gain trophy size quickly, with the giant browns being the fish of anglers’ dreams. Andrew Sears has guided on the East Walker River for over 20 years and attributes the impressive growth rates not only to the normal smorgasbord of midges, stoneflies, caddisflies, and mayflies, but also to an abundance of forage fish, including tui chubs and speckled dace. Nonnative perch and carp from Bridgeport Reservoir find their way downstream and can also provide a hearty meal for brown trout.
Andrew’s favorite hatch is the Skwala Stonefly. It tends to come off in late March to early April in Nevada and slowly moves upstream to California. According to Andrew, “If you time this hatch right, it will bring some of the largest trout in the river up to the surface for dry flies such as Chubby Chernobyls, Designated Hitters, and Parachute Madam Xs. Fish all these patterns in size 10 to 12. The best action tends to happen in the afternoons, when the female insects get blown into the river.”
Keep an arsenal of terrestrials handy — beetles, ants, and, in summer and fall, grasshoppers. You’ll know it’s grasshopper time as you walk across the sagebrush and meadows. They’ll be everywhere.
The often tea-colored water of the East Walker will allow anglers to use a 3X leader or heavier, especially when fishing streamers and targeting the larger fish. Effective streamer patterns include Hornbergs, black and olive Matukas, and Muddler Minnows.
But when the water is clear, usually in the winter and early spring, long, light tippets are necessary, especially when fishing small midge nymphs. The midge patterns of choice during this time are Brassies, Zebra Midges, Disco Midges, and WD-40s.
When nymph fishing, if the flows are high, using weight and a longer leader to get your fly down is essential. Some anglers use a sink-tip line for this reason. Nymphs to have on hand include the standard Hare’s Ears and Pheasant Tails, size 10 to 16.
When the Golden Stonefly hatch begins in May or June, patterns such as Little Yellow Sallies and Golden Stones are effective. Large patterns such as Stimulators and Madam Xs can also work well on the surface.
For dry-fly fishing, hatches include Baetis mayflies, Pale Morning Duns, and Tricos (in that order of frequency) and the typical afternoon and evening caddis hatch. For the mayflies, use your favorite pattern. (Confidence is everything.) And for the caddis hatches, consider either a standard Elk Hair Caddis, Z-Wing Caddis, or Cutter’s E/C Caddis. For all dry-fly fishing, use the strongest tippet you can get away with, just in case an extra large trout decides to take your fly.
Most people fishing the East Walker fish streamers and nymphs, but when the hatches come off, especially in the upper section, and large trout are rising to dry flies on the surface, you could easily imagine you were fishing Silver Creek or the San Juan River.
Although the East Walker is a year round fishery in both California and Nevada, special regulations protect it and keep it healthy. For the California section, only artificial flies or lures with barbless hooks can be used. And from November 16 to the last Saturday in April, it is strictly catch and release (zero limit). The rest of the year, one fish over 18 inches is the limit.
In Nevada, the regulations are the same for the Sceirine and Rosaschi Ranches — catch and release (zero limit) at all times, and only lures and flies with barbless hooks can be used.
Although it is not a formal regulation, to prevent fish mortality, some business owners and guides recommend not fishing when flows are at low levels and water temperatures reach 70 degrees. Thankfully, this was not the case this past season but if (when) we see drought conditions return again, consider making this difficult, but respectful decision.
The East and West Walker Rivers provide opportunities to fish for trout in every habitat type in the eastern Sierra, from high-alpine headwater creeks down to basin-and-range sagebrush communities. The country is beautiful, especially in the fall, with crisp, bright days and the colorful aspens that border both streams. An angler could easily spend a week or more based in the Bridgeport area, following the footsteps of Joseph Walker and enjoying angling for wild trout in high-elevation meadows or fishing classic freestone waters in search of a trophy brown or rainbow.
If You Go…
The West Walker River in California is mostly accessed by Highway 395 from the bridge below Sonora Junction all the way to where the river enters Topaz Lake at the state line. The headwaters area is reached from Highway 108 to the west of 395. The road follows the river all the way to Leavitt Meadows, where it bends right and starts up the eastern slope of Sonora Pass. There are campgrounds at Leavitt Meadows, upstream from Sonora Junction on the Little Walker and downstream in the West Walker canyon. Lodging, gas, food, the iconic Walker Burger, and some groceries are available in the town of Walker. There are no services upstream from there.
The little town of Bridgeport is the hub of Walker River country. The town is located in the northeast corner of Bridgeport Valley near where the East Walker enters Bridgeport Reservoir. It has a beautiful old courthouse that chimes the hours throughout the day. Campgrounds can be found on Robinson and Buckeye Creeks above the valley. Bridgeport has famously priced gas, a small grocery that also makes good deli sandwiches, lodging options, restaurants, including the eastern Sierra favorite Cleo’s Burger Barn, and a few places to grab a cold beverage. Fly-fishing gear and information can be found at Ken’s Sporting Goods, where almost everyone stops to look at the large trout in the freezer outside the front door.
— Peter Pumphrey and Lisa Cutting
A New State Park
A new Nevada state park — the Walker River State Recreation Area — was officially designated this past year. The new park contains 28 miles of the East Walker River and over 12,000 acres of land. The Nevada Division of State Parks will manage the land for recreational uses, including fishing, hunting, and camping. Park managers intend to work closely with the Nevada Department of Wildlife to ensure that wildlife conservation of the bi-state sage grouse continues and that other wildlife species, such as bighorn sheep, mule deer, and upland birds are managed correctly.
The land and river frontage was acquired by the Walker Basin Conservancy, which then donated the property to Nevada State Parks. The Walker Basin Conservancy’s mission is to help restore and maintain Walker Lake while protecting agricultural and watershed interests along the Walker River.
Camping facilities are planned to include a full-hookup campground, primitive camping locations, and day-use areas. For more information, go to http://parks.nv.gov/about/explore-your-nevada-initiative.
— Lisa Cutting
