One the best times of the year to fish for trout up in the Eastern Sierra is the fall season. The weather is usually nice with Indian summer like days, but the nighttime temps can be on the chilly side often dropping into the 20’s/30’s and occasionally you might encounter a snowstorm. For those that like to photograph the changing colors of the Aspen trees, then the Eastern Sierra is the place you want to visit. These days, the photographers can outnumber fisherman when the colors are in full bloom.The prime weeks to fish usually occur from the last two weeks of September to the first two weeks in October. Kids are back in school, and the summer crowds are mostly gone. Hotel/motel pricing may also be reduced after Labor Day to entice visitors to come up to visit. Places to fish are limitless but I like fishing the Bishop Basin lakes and streams, Mammoth Lakes, June Loop Lakes, Crowley Lake, Convict Lake, and the Virginia lakes especially Little Virginia Lake. For those who like driving a little further, you might consider Bridgeport Reservoir and the Upper/Lower Twin Lakes. All of the mentioned waters have produced big trout in the fall months.Key times of the day to fish would be in the very early morning and just a few hours before dusk. Large broodstock size trout seem to be more active during those times of the day. Taking advantage of low lighting on the water can trigger reaction bites in which fish can’t identify moving lures quite as well as in full daylight hours. During bright daylight hours finding shaded water to fish in might be a wise choice of tactics. When fishing in lakes, trout often like to hold up on the edge of where clear shallow waters drop off into darker water when the sun is up high.Fishing where the feeder creeks empty into lakes can offer good action, but heavy fishing pressure might drive fish into deeper waters just out of sight. Learning to adapt to both weather changes such as the wind, cold, rain, heat, and snow conditions all play a hand in successful fall fishing. Using the wind to your advantage when fishing in a boat, might just be the ticket when drift fishing. Using light 2–4-pound test lines and mini-jigs in the 1/32nd to heavier 1/16th sizes can trigger some big trout to bite especially when not using a gas motor. Having an electric trolling motor to make minute corrections while drifting along a lake’s shorelines is the hot ticket. The less the gas engine is used the better your chances of a hookup will be. It’s possible under the
right wind conditions to drift the whole side of a lake without touching the gas engine. At times using the oars might be all that’s needed for minor corrections when drifting. Stay at least 20 yards or more from shorelines when drifting both in the morning and especially at dusk. Let the wind move the boat and your lures. The more natural the lure presentation the better your chances of catching fish. Early morning and dusk mini-jig colors in Pearl White, Perch, and Clear Sparkle with red/blue metalflake are good choices. Adding a piece of Fluorescent orange plastic worm can help entice trout to bite. Using heavier spoons such as Thomas Bouyants in the 1/6 th - ¼ ounce in Gold with red dot and Silver with red/black dot patterns can work well if there are strong windy conditions present. Other lures that can work well are Rapala CD countdowns when wind conditions aren’t extreme. Try Silver body /black top and Rainbow Trout color combinations in 2 and 3 inch sizes. Fall is also a time of year when the Brown Trout become more active feeders. Using large Rainbow and Brook Trout sinking lures, slow trolled near feeder creeks can trigger a large Brown trout to bite, especially in the late dusk hours when there is very low light left on the water. Places to fish at each lake vary greatly but several key spots in the Bishop Basin lakes such as South Lake along the western Rockslide areas and the three feeder streams in the back bay have consistently produced big fish. At Lake Sabrina the feeder creek at the back of the lake and along the dam outlet have produced good amounts of larger trout. At North Lake, try fishing at the lake’s stream inlet at dusk. Intake II is a very popular fishing hole, and it can be hit or miss for fishing. Fishing on days when stocking occurs can be something most locals pay attention to.In the Mammoth lakes basin fishing at Lake Mary can be a good choice. They have a good stocking program and receive a fair number of big trout throughout the summer months. Fish off the feeder creeks. Berkley power worms and Mice tails are a good choice of lure offering here, when fished using a water filled sinker. Other areas to fish would be the sunken logs on the Northeastern side of the lake. Ask lake personnel as to what colors are working.Lake George is another popular destination for fishing in the Mammoth Lakes area. Fishing along the marina outlet with mini-jigs and Berkley Orange body/white or green head Mice Tails and another good area is the big rock cliff across the lake where there
is a small feeder creek at the cliff’s base. It’s a hike but the fishing can be epic there. Just watch out for the hungry bears that frequently roam the shoreline looking for unattended fish stringers. Pearl White mini-jigs and Perch color offerings work well here, along with Brown/Black mini-jigs tipped with orange plastic worms.One of my favorite fishing areas in the Eastern Sierra to fish is the June Loop Lakes. There are four lakes to fish. June Lake has their own stocking program as does Gull Lake for big fish. Both lakes produce big fish. Key fishing areas on June Lake are the Tule reeds at Big Boulder Lodge just to the right of the marina. Also, the Tule's outside the marina to the left. Both areas fishing with Berkley Mice tails and Power Bait have caught large trout. Trolling along the shoreline road going into June Lake Village has also yielded some big fish. There is generally good fishing all year round off “Oh Ridge” beach. At Silver Lake, the feeder stream in front of the cafe is often a popular place to fish. Casting spoon lures can trigger trout bites. The log jam area at the lake’s outlet can also be a good spot to try your luck. Be aware of local fishing restrictions in this area. Fishing the largest lake in the loop is Grant Lake. Its reputation is known for a large population of big Brown Trout. This lake is generally known for trolling, but a fair number of trout have been caught down at the dam area on the usual Power bait offerings.Virginia Lakes offer three lakes to fish. There is Big Virginia, Trumbull Lake and Little Virginia Lake. The most popular lake there is Little Virginia right in front of the cafe/store. This lake receives a good number of big trout in the summer months. Popular areas to fish are at the feeder creek on the far side of the lake and the Eastern side going to the feeder creek. Using Mini jigs at this lake, especially at the feeder creek, has worked well. Big Virginia lake doesn’t have much fishing access around the entire lake but does have a decent amount of shoreline for fishing. Trumbull Lake is the least fished lake of the group. Using Berkley Powerbait and Mice tails should get limits at all three lakes depending on lake conditions and weather.Try fishing the Eastern Sierra this fall. Bring a camera and decide for yourself whether the colors of the trees are captivating to your eyes, or the fishing is something special. Either one is a winner
