Summer Tips for Catching Trout in the Eastern High Sierra

Summertime in the High Sierra means that the fish are jumpin’, and if you’re lucky, it’s at the end of your line.

Much like recordings of “Summertime,” there are almost endless options for fishing around Mono County in the warm weather months. The front country is full of drive-to and boat-able lakes that regularly get stocked with chubby trout and the backcountry, and its countless lakes full of feisty fish, becomes much more accessible.

To help anglers make the most out of the summer in the Eastern Sierra, I asked a couple of long-time local fishing pros for advice: Don Meier of CPR Guide Service and Kittredge Sports in Mammoth, who is well respected for his trolling abilities; and Jim Reid, the owner of Ken’s Sporting Goods in Bridgeport, who has been fishing in the backcountry of the High Sierra since he was a kid.

Get Out There!

Finding fish in the summer can be a bit more challenging than it is during the spring run-off or fall spawn. As a cold-water species, trout don’t necessarily care for the heat of summer. So the time of day that you fish and the depth you in angle in can be very important in the summer, especially in the larger, drive-to lakes of the Eastside.

“We fish completely different places in the fall and spring than we do in the summer. In the mid-summer you’re got to go deeper,” Don said, explaining that the key is finding the layer of water in a lake that has the perfect trout temperature.

“Thank goodness for electronics,” he joked, about the help of fish finders.

Don was raised in Southern California and originally moved up to Mammoth in 1971 to “ski one season, but I never left,” he said. During his early ski bum days he fished to help supplement is diet, but Don now spends the warm weather months offering a rather unique guide service.

Don guides catch-and-release trolling trips. While most trolling and lure or bait guides usually keep and kill nearly everything they hook, Don usually lets `em all go after his clients catch `em. That’s why he calls his guide service CPR: Catch-Photo-Release.

Don can usually be found on Crowley Lake, except during the algae blooms in August, but he also likes Lake Mary, as well as Gem and Grant lakes on the June Lake Loop in the summer. The cooler parts of the day, especially early mornings and late afternoons, tend to be the most productive times in the summer.

Rapalas and Tasmanian Devils are Don’s lures of choice, and he will throw in Thomas Bouyants and needlefish now and again, too.

Don’s advice for fishing in the front country in the summer is pretty simple.

“Fish where there's fish. Don’t leave fish to find fish, and always check in with your local tackle shop. We’ve got a lot of good ones around here. I would never go to a new area without checking in with a local tackle shop,” Don said. He added that the real keys are simply to just go do it and enjoy it.

“The fishing is always good, it’s the catching that gets tough,” he joked. “I never caught a nice fish while sitting on my couch. You’ve got to get out there!”

Go Further Out There!

Jim Reid was just nine years old when his family moved from the capitol city of Sacramento to Bridgeport’s eastern edge of the Sierra in 1973. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said.

While Jim’s dad was known for fishing Bridgeport Reservoir daily, Jim was always a fan of angling in the backcountry. The high mountain lakes that surrounded “Big Meadows,” as Bridgeport was once called, always called to him. “I grew up throwing lures out there,” Jim said. And even though Jim has now been exploring his mountainous backyard for over 40 years, there are still places he wants to cast. Jim’s Bucket List seems to grow each spring and summer.

Instead of taking Thomas Buoyants or Rooster Tails into the backcountry, Jim now usually takes a wide variety of wet and dry flies, so he can either match a hatch or pull streamers. Jim pointed out that trout at higher elevations tend to be a bit more aggressive for a variety of reasons.

“It helps that they don’t see a lot of traffic. It also helps that they have a pretty short growing cycle so they need to be more aggressive,” Jim said. Jim recommends that anglers get into the water or pack a float tube to help reach fish that will be in deeper water during the hotter months. “Those wild fish tend to be a bit shy of the sun,” he said.

Even though most lakes in the High Sierra were stocked at some point, much of the backcountry lakes don’t get stocked regularly and trout survive by their own natural accords. The prominent trout species in the Sierra backcountry are brilliantly-colored brookies (technically a char), cutthroats, goldens, rainbows and the odd browns here or there. And there’s no better time to chase after them than in the summertime, when the living’s easy and fish are a jumpin’.

For an all-star lineup of off-the-beaten path angling options for Mono County, check out Monica Prelle’s Back Country Bucket List