Jim Stimson reports on 5.17.18

‘Tis the season for spawning cutthroats coming out of Crowley Lake. Please do not cast to fish that are sitting on redds. Also, if you need to cross the river, look for those lighter colored areas in the gravel beds and avoid them. These are their redds and are loaded with thousands of cutthroat eggs. Although it is really tempting to fish for large, colored up trout...

Jim Stimson reports on 5.10.18

I am loving the weather now. We are a ways away from wet wading temperatures but those days are coming soon. It is nice not having to fish with a thick jacket and layers of clothing. With the spring runoff about to kick in, some of the creeks and rivers will be experiencing high, cold flows from the melting snowpack high above. In a nutshell, some of the watersheds...

Jim Stimson reports on 5.3.18

Well, it was a wild week with the weather and the fishing opener. We had tons of people, boats, wind, snow, rain, and some good fishing. It was fun! I spent Saturday tucked into the thickets and brush on one of the northern county streams and got into some nice fish, but I had a rubber hook weekend. I was a genius at hooking but an absolute dunce when it came to...

Jim Stimson reports on 4.26.18

Merry Fishmas! After a week hiking around in Utah (Spring Break), we are back at it; cleaning lines, replacing old leaders, and tying some bugs for the Trout Opener on Saturday. It looks like we might actually have some decent weather for a change. See you out there!

East Walker

165 cfs! Damned near perfect! You can expect the flows to fluctuate this spring and they...

Jim Stimson reports on 4.12.18

Eastern Sierra

We had LOTS of rain on Saturday. I believe the snow line was above 11K which made many of the freestone rivers blow out. The West Walker crested at over 1600 cfs with all of the snowmelt and runoff from the rain. Everything is settling to back to normal flows and now we are left with lots of wind, my favorite. The temperatures around the area are very...

Jim Stimson reports on 4.5.18

Eastern Sierra 

The weather bureaus are starting to send out alerts for this coming weekend. It appears that we have at least one more big, warm, wet, storm system in store for the area with flood warnings being posted as the snow line is going to be somewhere above 11,000 feet. If the weather is as wet as they are forecasting, beware of the roads out on the Upper Owens...

Jim Stimson reports on 3.29.18

I believe we have turned the corner on winter. The morning temperatures are still crisp but it warms quickly with the sun being so high in the sky. The month of March turned out to be the “Miracle” as promised with a plethora of snow in the high country. The preliminary readings at Mammoth Pass indicate that we are close to normal for the season. This bodes well for...

Jim Stimson reports on 3.22.18

Whoa! The Eastside is getting some major rain and snow. The Town has received over a foot of heavy, gloppy snow just overnight. The ski area has over two feet and is expecting another two feet today. My wife is a teacher at the elementary school in Mammoth and they have called for a Red Day. The roads in Mammoth are a mess. We have not turned the corner on winter yet.

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Jim Stimson reports on 3.16.18

Don’t put away your warm clothes yet, winter still lingers in the Eastern Sierra. The ski area is reporting anywhere between a foot and two feet of new snow from this latest system with more on the way. A word of caution for the Upper Owens, be careful driving out there. With the new snow, some of the roads are sketchy. If it looks mucky, err on the side of caution....

Jim Stimson Report on 3.9.2018

Well, March has come in like a lion. The ski area reported over six feet of new snow over the weekend! Just when you think that winter is over, wham! Apparently we are in for more precipitation this weekend and into the following week. There are no drought busters on the horizon but every drop of moisture counts. A word of caution for the Upper Owens, be careful...