FISHING
Hot Creek is one of the Eastern Sierra fisheries that’s long been open to year-round trout fishing, but new regulations that went into effect March 1 allow select waters to join the list, though winter conditions might make many of these lakes and streams inaccessible for awhile. (MONO COUNTY TOURISM)
ANGLERS WELCOME – IF YOU CAN GET THERE NEW REGULATIONS ALLOW FOR YEAR-ROUND FISHING IN SOME SNOWY EASTERN SIERRA TROUT SPOTS By Chris Cocoles
F
irst, the good news: Starting March 1, there will be more available fishing opportunities for anglers in the Eastern Sierra that weren’t year-round options in the past. Not so good news: There are no guarantees many of those waters will be accessible for a while. Remember, we’re talking about some of the highest-elevation fisheries in the state. The new regulations,
which were officially announced on March 1 and went into effect that day, are part of a long-term effort to streamline the statewide inland trout fishing regulations. They opened many lakes, rivers and streams that may have been previously closed during the winter months to anglers. “In the past, five of the seven state districts within the California Department of Fish and Wildlife really were year-round fishing. So that was part of the initiative to push the rest of
the state into that one big regulation,” said James Erdman, a Bishop-based environmental scientist with CDFW. “But the two parts of the state that were really left out of that were the Sierra district and pretty much the northern region – the Trinity Alps, the Lassen area; the two areas most affected by winter.” “(The decision) involved a lot of public input, revisions and time, and obviously you can’t please everyone all the time. But in general, it seems pretty
calsportsmanmag.com | MARCH 2021 California Sportsman
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