The flows on the river were bumped up to about 45 cfs a few days ago which is really good for the fish. There has apparently been some controversey surrounding my fish reports for the EW, this past week I made a point of reaching out to nearly a dozen guides and anglers who have been on the river a lot over the last several weeks and who all fish the river well over 100 days each per year. With the information I have gathered from these anglers, whose opinions I trust a great deal, I believe, at least at this point, it’s still safe to fish the river, at least early in the morning and late in the evening. The anglers I’ve spoken with have told me that when they are on the water before 9am and after about 6pm the fish are eager to eat, they fight hard and release without any issues. We would recommend finding somewhere else to go during the heat of the day as this is the time when it is the roughest on the fish and they may not release as well as early and late in the day. The conditions on the East Walker are constantly changing, sometimes every day, with these changes it’s important for anglers to pay attention to the river and the fish and how they’re feeling, if you are having trouble releasing fish, it’s likely that you shouldn’t be fishing at that time and it’s time to find somewhere else to go. The conditions I’ve described above can, and likely will, change sometime soon. I can assure you that if and when a time comes over the next several weeks that it is unsafe to catch and release fish on the EW, even early and late in the day I will let you know. The local anglers in Bridgeport as well as the guides that work on the East Walker that I’m in constant contact with enjoy the angling opportunity the EW has to offer and will gladly let me know when the conditions are such that we shouldn’t be fishing down there at all.

 

I spoke with a guide that fished the ranch last Friday and was told that the water temp at about 9am was 58 degrees then at about noon was about 63 degrees, the ranch section gets a little water from natural springs that flow into it so this time of the year it stays a bit cooler than other sections of the river. The fishing was good with dry/dropper rigs that day and the fish were happy and healthy. As with the California side, it’s best to get your fishing in early and late in the day, if you book some time on the ranch it would be best if you could check in the evening before so you can get out early and be done by 10:00 or 11:00.

 

The trout on the reservoir have been a little shy lately but the perch have been hitting strong. The best perch bite has still been trolling with streamers, night crawlers, Rapalas and needlefish with some boats reporting between 10 and 20 per day. There’s a trout or two being caught in between the perch but it’s mostly been perch lately. There has been some trout being caught off of Rainbow Point with power bait, mice tails and crawlers, the bite hasn’t been wide open by any means but there are some fish being caught. We haven’t heard any good news from the shore lately, it’s definitely helpful to be out in a boat or tube away from the shore.

 

No new news from Kirman this week, since they planted those brookies last week. When we hear something, we’ll pass it on!

 

The Twins are producing some good fish lately, like other waters not huge numbers but if you get out there early in the morning and late in the evening you should be able to pull some nice fish in. During the day it seems like lots of fish are moving into deeper water and are difficult to get to. The kokanee are biting well up there if you like to target them. Bait anglers are getting some fish with power bait, pinched crawlers, inflated crawlers and mice tails. Trolling is producing some fish near the shorelines with Rapalas, needlefish and crawlers. Fly anglers are getting into some fish with sinking lines and Twin Lakes Specials, leeches, soft hackles and zug bugs.

 

We’ve had some good reports from the West this past week both fly and spin fishing. We’ve heard the Town of Walker has planted a bunch of fish for their “How Big is Big” derby this month. Fly anglers are using some dry/dropper rigs with hoppers, chubby Chernobyl’s and prince nymph or copper john droppers. Bait anglers are using salmon eggs and night crawlers. Lure anglers have been having some success with Panther Martins and Rooster tails.

 

The Virginias are still producing some good fish lately, it’s best to be out in a tube or kayak but they are still catching a few from the shore. For bait you can go with pinched crawlers and mice tails, kastmasters, Thomas Bouyants and mini jigs are working well for lures. Fly anglers are having some success with matukas, wooly buggers, soft hackles and some folks are catching some with beetles on top.

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RANDOM INFORMATION: The 4th of July was a great success with lots of folks coming out to enjoy the festivities! The parade was great, as usual, the rodeo was a hit as well as the fireworks! Many thanks to all the hard working people who made the 159th annual celebration a blast!