Bishop Trout Derby

[Tim524]

Well, my goal was to hit The Sierras multiple times this year and the opportunity presented itself so I headed North Wednesday morning. The weather was not the greatest heading up the Cajon Pass but I had Pandora playing everything from Elvis to Van Halen for the long drive

 




Once I got over the hump, the sun was out and the mountains started to take shape.




I always get a warm fuzzy feeling when I see this cause the views keep getting better after passing it




Arrived in Bishop and stopped at Vons to grab a few things, the scenery from the parking lot is beautiful !


The Canal behind vons is always good for a few fish, got this little guy on a Hookup Bait


I still had time to burn so I hit Pleasant Valley Reservoir Power Plant, the trout were on the chew and I had a blast !


There is a Fish Ladder which is pretty cool too



After catching a few it was time to head towards Mammoth and get to the house in Crowley, the temps were dropping at 7000 feet   Got to the house and there was still snow.







Woke up the next morning to windy conditions so we headed back down the hill to Bishop and the Lower Owens area and the Reservoir again.



It was one after another all day !




We scouted around and found them, it was warmer in the valley I even got a couple Browns too





A storm was brewing so we had to head back up the mountain and have dinner, we arrived to 5 inches of snow






Saturday was Derby Day and the guys wanted to Float Tube the Reservoir, the water was cold and I already ate SH%T on the icy stairs that morning so I fished from shore. The two mile walk to the spot warmed us up as we pulled a wagon with all the stuff.




We couldn't buy a bite today but I managed to get 4 after moving spots   The days prior I had at least 25  



They gave us a ball and an App for our phones that measured the fish, it was a pain in the A$$ actually but oh well, we were having fun




Back to the Lodge for the Ceremony and Chit Chat. The locals dominated the Derby but it was a fun event, there were about 100 participants



I got up and left at 6am, it was 10 degrees as I got into Bishop it had warmed up to 17 Stopped at Bass Pro and had a bite to eat and grabbed a few things.




Got out of there for under $500, Janie wasn't with me
Sorry for the long post, hope to have another Bishop report soon

[jrodda]

Looks like a great trip, beautiful views with the snow. Making trout look easy! Some beautiful specimens in there. Hope you didn't break your ass on the icy stairs!

[Latimeria]

Right on Timmy!  Great trouting and fun to see those brown trout with the rainbows.

I only had to drive a half mile for trout 5x that big (although I don't usually get 25 in a day so I guess it all evens out).  lol


But seriously, what did you drop $500 on without the wife?  New reel?  New rods?

[Tim524]

Looks like a great trip, beautiful views with the snow. Making trout look easy! Some beautiful specimens in there. Hope you didn't break your ass on the icy stairs!

Luckily I only slid down two steps, sore a$$ cheek today

[Tim524]

Right on Timmy!  Great trouting and fun to see those brown trout with the rainbows.

I only had to drive a half mile for trout 5x that big (although I don't usually get 25 in a day so I guess it all evens out).  lol


But seriously, what did you drop $500 on without the wife?  New reel?  New rods?

Some fish were bigger and we did see some 6+ Lb'ers in one spot but they spooked. Most fish were 12" to 14" in the river and they fight pretty darn good with current. I just can't bait and wait, I need to keep moving and keep throwing lures to figure out what the wanted. Hookup Baits and green Rooster Tails were the hot ticket this trip

I didn't spend $500 this time cause Janie was not with me, she loves to shop   I got out of there for about $120, had a nice lunch and replaced my lures that got donated to the river rocks and tree stumps  

[KogaHead]

Killer looking fish and great trip.