Angling in the Range of Light

There’s something magical about the Eastern Sierra that beckons anglers the way juicy night crawlers soaked in PowerBait call out to hungry trout.

Perhaps it’s the breathtaking views of well-stocked, crystal clear mountain streams tumbling from the snow-capped peaks of the High Sierra that haunts the dreams of the anglers.

Maybe it’s catching a monstrous rainbow trout at Convict Lake, or reeling in a beastly brown at Bridgeport Reservoir, or landing a cranky cutthroat along the June Lake Loop that instantly makes you addicted to angling on the “Eastside.” Whatever the reason, rare is the angler who casts in the waters of the “Range of Light” and never returns again for more.

The Range

For the most part, the Eastern Sierra is made up of the two massive counties of Mono and Inyo, which are snuggled in between the Sierra Nevada and the high desert of the Great Basin.

Mono County (3,044 sq mi) is three times the size of Rode Island, and its sibling to the south, Inyo County (10,142 sq mi) is larger than Vermont. Despite their expansive space, or perhaps because of it, less than 30,000 people call the two counties home.

The main reason these counties have remained so barren is also the same reason they’re so popular with outdoor enthusiasts; only about 6% of the total land is privately owned. The bulk of the land is federally controlled, most notably as the Inyo National Forest and the John Muir and Ansel Adams Wilderness Areas. The state of California, Bureau of Land Management and the LA Department of Power and Water own the rest, the vast majority of which is open for public use.

It was the naturalist John Muir who argued in his classic book, “The Mountains of California,” that the Sierra should not be called the “Nevada, or the Snowy Range, but the Range of Light … the most divinely beautiful of all the mountain-chains I have ever seen.”

Popular Spots

Scenic Highway 395 is the main artery on the Eastside, and offers plenty of spots for terrific roadside angling. There are also all kinds of options for those who want to do some hiking and get away from the crowds. Here’s a south to north rundown of some favorite Mono County spots.

Crowley Lake: Crowley Lake is considered the “Grand Daddy of them all,” and is the hub of the Eastern Sierra fishing season from the general opener in April up until the end of July, when Crowley’s seasonal regulations change it into a catch and release fishery. Crowley Lake is also unique because its healthy aquatic insect population allows for fast growth rates in fish. So both it and many of its tributaries are usually stocked with young trout, making it a “put and grow” fishery.

Crowley Lake is a popular spot for trolling and camping, and is legendary for its trophy rainbows and browns. It also has arguably the healthiest population of Sacramento Perch left in the world.

Mammoth Lakes Basin: The Lakes Basin sits in the morning shadows of Mammoth’s world famous ski area, and is located just a few miles up the road from Mono County’s largest town, Mammoth Lakes.

The area offers numerous angling opportunities like shore casting, float tubing or trolling for rainbows at Twin Lakes, Lake Mary, Mamie or George (all of which offer daily boat rentals), to fisheries that require some hiking like McLeod Lake for catch and release Lahontan cutthroats, or chasing after aggressive brookies in the lakes that line the trial up to Duck Pass (10,700’).

The Lakes Basin is an extremely popular spot for camping—and for bear sightings. It’s always a smart idea to book campsites for the crowded summer months in advance, and to have bear proof containers for food (no matter where you’re camping in the Sierra). It’s not uncommon to hear of a black bear stealing an unsuspecting angler’s stringer along the shore of Lake Mary.

June Lake Loop: There are four interconnected gems in the June Lake Loop: June Lake, Gull Lake, Silver Lake, and Grant Lake, with Rush Creek connecting most of them.

The Loop is another popular spot for campers, and is a great place to catch cutthroats, rainbows and brookies. The California state record brook was caught at Silver Lake back in 1932, a 9 lb 11oz monster. June Lake is best known for its Monster Trout Derby on opening day, when they give out prizes for a long list of categories including the heaviest fish, ugliest fish, biggest fish caught by a lady and biggest fish caught by a child.

Bridgeport: The fisheries around the small town of Bridgeport offer plenty of opportunity for trophy browns, or as some local anglers call them, “God’s brown fish.” They’re pretty wily, though, especially when compared to hungry hatchery-raised rainbows, and it’s the browns’ illusiveness that attracts many anglers.

There’s plenty of camping around the Bridgeport Reservoir and Twin Lakes areas. The East Walker River is also favorite spot for fly fisherman chasing big browns, rainbows and mountain whitefish. The only real downer about fishing on the Eastside of the Range of Light is that it’s easy to get addicted to its magic, and even a lifetime doesn’t seem long enough to enjoy all it has to offer.