Hatchery trout and bait anglers dominate fishing in many eastern Sierra waters. However, even though fly fishers, including this writer, cast flies for these planted specimens, the vast majority of us strongly prefer targeting wild trout. A wild trout has adapted to its environment, learning to survive in all kinds of conditions. Fly fishing involves entering its perilous world and enticing it into accepting an imitation of its natural food, an experience most of us find both challenging and satisfying. To pursue a fish raised in a concrete pen and on pellets just doesn’t offer the same level of worth. (For more on hatchery fish, though, see my article “Hatchery Trout in the Eastern Sierra” in the March/April 2018 issue of California Fly Fisher.)
Historically, there were no trout of any kind in eastern Sierra waters, except in river drainages north of Bridgeport, where native Lahontan cutthroats evolved. The predecessors of today’s populations of brown, rainbow, brook, and golden trout were all first planted in this region over a century ago. Subsequent generations of fish born in the natural waters of their parents are what we call “wild” fish.
Determining whether a fish is wild or not gets a little more complicated as a result of the stocking practices of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. For instance, in addition to stocking hatchery-reared fish to support a put-and-take fishery, it regularly plants subcatchable and fingerling trout to grow in the off-season to maintain fish populations for anglers. Even though these holdover fish come to look and act like wild trout, technically, they are not. But offspring of these planted fish are labeled as wild, even though they are capable of weakening the gene pool of established wildtrout populations and giving birth to hybridized specimens.
The takeaway here is that self-sustaining populations of authentic, resilient wild trout are precious indeed, which is why regulations to protect them and the waters where they live are so important.
Here are fishable waters in the broader June Lake Loop region that hold wild trout. Articles on other eastern Sierra waters will follow in subsequent issues of California Fly Fisher.
Rush Creek
For most of my 25-plus years pursuing wild trout in the eastern Sierra, Rush Creek has been the most productive water I have fished. I am referring here to the long stretch from Grant Lake to Mono Lake — a run of approximately nine miles.
Back in the first half of the twentieth century, Rush Creek was renowned for its brown trout fishery, but as the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power began diverting water from the eastern Sierra to Southern California in the 1960s, Rush Creek was dewatered, along with the entire Owens Valley. Rush Creek happened to be the largest tributary to Mono Lake, which soon teetered on ecological collapse due to declining water levels. In a monumental 1983 decision, National Audubon Society v. Los Angeles, the Supreme Court of California mandated that minimum flows be maintained in Rush Creek in order to restore and sustain water levels in Mono Lake. The fishery in Rush has been rebuilding ever since, but never has approached what it once was.
The Rush Creek watershed is the largest in Mono County. It originates at Yosemite’s Mount Lyell and courses through the Ansel Adams Wilderness in the high Sierra Nevada. After a encountering series of dams and impoundments, it plummets down the canyon to feed Silver Lake, one of four lakes in the June Lake Loop — June Lake, Gull Lake, Silver Lake, and Grant Lake.
The outflow from Silver Lake begins a three-mile stretch of Rush Creek that ends at Grant Lake. This section is heavily fished, primarily for hatchery rainbows. But big browns swim up and down the creek on their fall spawning runs from Grant Lake, attracting anglers. The section of Rush Creek with wild trout begins with releases from the antiquated dam that created Grant Lake, the only artificial impoundment in the June Lakes Loop. From the dam, the regulations specify a zero limit and single barbless hooks for the entire nine miles before the creek runs under Highway 395 and enters Mono Lake. The CDFW got this one right. (See sidebar.)
My favorite stretch runs close to Highway 158, the June Lake Loop Road. In pools and runs there, I’ve caught countless wild trout, probably 90 percent browns. In one “secret” pool alone, tucked in among trees and bramble bushes, I and an occasional companion have hooked probably 200 to 300 fish over the years. It seldom has disappointed.
The fish have been mostly in the 10-to-14-inch range, bolstered by a handful of bigger ones up to two pounds. Fly pattern has made little difference. I usually start with an Elk Hair Caddis or any other high-floating dry. If that doesn’t entice a take, I switch to a weighted fly. The key is to locate fishable water in this heavily vegetated, swiftly flowing stretch. Although my predominant catches have been browns, in my last two outings there, of the 15 trout I hooked, 13 were fat, pretty rainbows, and in autumn, no less. I have no explanation for this, other than the normal dynamism of a living waterway and its resident creatures.
Unfortunately these runs have become hard to fish. Without the periodic high flows that is vital to a maintaining a healthy waterway, but that is restricted by the archaic dam, this part of Rush Creek has grown increasingly choked with willows, prickly native rose bushes, and other shrubbery, making access to the fish very difficult.
A few other promising possibilities are nonetheless available. One is the long channel alongside a dirt road below the dam. Aquatic grasses provide good cover for fish, but inhibit the angling. The brushy shoreline is no picnic, either. But large browns have been seen here in what resembles a spring creek. One possible tactic is to fish a nymph about 12 to 15 inches below an indicator (to avoid the grasses) and strive for a long drift. When I fished this stretch, I managed to hook a few browns and rainbows 12 to 14 inches by making long casts to holding water on the edges of the channel.
An option for those with the energy to tackle it is the Rush Creek Narrows. In this remote part of Rush, midway between Highway 395 and Mono Lake, the creek flows through a miniature gorge, with tumbling water and plunge pools. The time I was there with a friend, we caught mainly rainbows in the 8-to-11-inch range.
Beyond the Narrows is the more accessible Bottomlands. I have never found this section very productive, surely due to seasonal warming, but it might fish well in colder months. Choicer water, however, can be found at the very lowest part of the creek, where Rush flows into Mono Lake and where myriads of birds visually and audibly enrich the scene. This became a favorite place of mine to hang out (set up chairs on the bluff with wine, cheese, crackers, and my nonfishing wife), with the added dividend of good angling. We used to be able to drive here on a mile-long sandy road, but the Forest Service rightly gated it off to protect nesting birds. An angler now has to walk the road to fish this lower section.
Rush Creek today holds a rich wildtrout fishery, and ever since the historic court decision to maintain minimum flows, extensive efforts have been made to bolster its once rich habitat and productivity. To that end, the CDFW has been implementing various stream-restoration strategies, including planting vegetation in exposed areas, rewatering dry channels, and managing releases from Grant Lake to mimic natural flows that will move sediment, create deeper pools, and improve spawning opportunities. But in the view of this writer, some way must be found to reduce the extensive vegetation now choking the most fecund stretches of this once blue-ribbon trout stream. The good water and healthy fish are there — it’s a matter of reaching them.
Other Wild-Trout Waters
Wild trout occupy other waterways in this area. Two small fish-laden creeks are Glass Creek (the dirt road to it is accessed from Highway 395, south of the June Lake Loop) and Yost Creek (reached by trail from the June Mountain Ski Area or from a trailhead on Highway 158), both in high-mountain meadows and both loaded with brook trout. The larger Glass Creek holds bigger fish and especially merits an early summer visit when the wildflowers are in bloom. (Glass Creek Meadow is now part of the Owens River Headwaters Wilderness.)
Yost Creek, both above and below Yost Lake, like the lake itself, also holds profuse numbers of brookies, and one might keep these tasty chars for the frying pan and aid the fishery in doing so.
Another pair of creeks worth visiting are Parker Creek and Walker Creek. Each can be reached via a dirt road off of the June Lake Loop (look for signs) and are joined by a hike of a mile or so. Parker Creek starts at Parker Lake and has a long, productive run through a forested section, with enticing pools and riffles throughout. This is a delightful stream to fly fish for brookies and an occasional brown, particularly when the fall foliage is at its peak colors.
Walker Creek is a great early summer creek to visit in low-water years and throughout the season when the winter snow pack has been high. The creek meanders through a meadow and lightly forested area a mile or so below Walker Lake. Browns, rainbows, and brookies up to 12 inches can be taken, the mix being a plus. To reach Walker Creek on the dirt road, you will be stopped by a locked gate, which is the beginning of the mile trek to the meadow.
Both Parker and Walker Creeks can also be fished near Highway 395. They hold lots of browns and brookies there, but fishable water is tough to uncover.
A creek holding golden trout, golden-rainbow hybrids, and brook trout is Alger Creek, which cascades down a steep hillside near Silver Lake. It can be reached either via a hike or a horse trip to the three Alger Lakes and the start of Alger Creek or from Silver Lake up to its lower section, a shorter, but brutally rigorous undertaking. (Any intrepid hiker attempting this latter trek should know that the vegetation is thick in places, and circumventing a waterfall is necessary.)
Wild trout also occupy several lakes in the region. The best one is Grant Lake, where browns have been established for decades. Although the dominant fishery in Grant is for hatchery rainbows, a float tuber can expect to catch wild browns, particularly by probing the shorelines or the lake’s depths for larger specimens. Trophy browns have also been targeted by anglers during their fall spawning runs up Rush Creek.
Silver Lake holds a small population of wild browns, which I’ve caught up to 12 inches by casting to the edges where they are apt to be feeding. They can also be caught in Rush Creek above the lake, which is popular with kayakers. Silver Lake may also harbor a big brown or two that migrated up from Grant Lake, but a hookup with one is rare.
A good wild-trout lake is Walker Lake (sometimes referred to as Little Walker Lake). In addition to planted rainbows, it holds resident populations of browns and brookies. The same can be said for nearby Parker Lake. At both of these lakes, it’s worth hauling in a float tube and kicking about in beautiful surroundings, with Walker being the better bet for fishing success and Parker for outstanding scenery.
The Alger Lakes (Upper, Middle, and Lower) are golden trout lakes at an elevation just somewhat shy of 11,000 feet. Horse packers bring customers here, so the lakes and creek experience some fishing pressure. The best bet is Upper Alger Lake, which few anglers visit, and where one-to-two-pound goldens can sometimes be seen cruising about.
Protecting Wild Trout
June Lake businessman and fish commissioner Don Morton has been in strumental in protecting wild trout in the eastern Sierra. In what he calls The June Lake Loop Wild Trout Project, Morton’s primary goal has been to protect the browns that leave Grant Lake and Silver Lake on their spawning runs up and down Rush Creek, trophy fish that have been annually targeted by anglers. Jessica Strickland, the field coordinator for this region for Trout Unlimited, has also been active with this effort.
These efforts have been successful. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has just recommended new regulations for Rush Creek between Grant Lake and Silver Lake as follows: from October 1 through the Friday before Memorial Day, the regulations will specify a zero limit and single barbless hooks. The large brown trout that spawn in Rush Creek will now be protected, although they can still be caught and released. If Morton and Strickland had their way, such regulations would be applied widely to other waters hosting spawning fish, such as the upper Owens River.
— Bob Madgic
If You Go . . .
The June Lake Loop, a horseshoe-shaped canyon located about twelve miles south of the town of Lee Vining, is often called the Switzerland of California. It has long been a recreational destination for thousands of visitors each year, with skiing popular in the winter and fishing, boating, and hiking in the spring, summer, and fall. Autumn also attracts hundreds to view and photograph the brilliant foliage. It is also close enough to Yosemite National Park for day trips.
Every kind of accommodation is available in the 16-mile loop, from high-end vacation homes and luxurious condos to tent camping. For the economy-minded, there are six campgrounds that accommodate varied types of RVs, as well as tents. There are numerous motels, lodges, and cabins. The usual online booking and reservation services can be checked for any of the above.
For a taste of history, check out the Heidelberg Inn, situated right in the center of June Lake Village, which used to be frequented in the first half of the twentieth century by Hollywood notables. The interior, with its photos of this romantic past, is worth a visit. The Double Eagle Inn and Spa, with cabins and rooms available for stays, is often listed among the country’s top spas. It also has a catch-and-release trout pond on the property.
Dining options are numerous, with top restaurants being The Eagle’s Landing Restaurant at Double Eagle and the historic Carson Peak Inn. The Tiger Bar and Café in June Lake Village offers a standard menu of burgers and other plates. It was established in 1932 and is still the favorite place of locals.
— Bob Madgic
