Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Patrick Griley/Mammoth Lake Tourism
For anglers looking to cast their lines on a glassy lake rimmed by the snow-capped Eastern Sierra, the best day of the year always comes on the last Saturday of April.
It’s the opening day of trout season, a day so anticipated and cherished by the fly fishing community they’ve turned it into an unofficial holiday: “Fishmas.”
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Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Patrick Griley/Mammoth Lake Tourism
“Fishmas — it’s been known as that forever and ever because it’s like Christmas, but it’s for fishing,” said Fred Rowe, a longtime fishing guide who lives in Bishop. “Fishing is such a big huge thing for people, it really is like Christmas.”
This year, Fishmas takes place on April 25 and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife expects thousands of people to make the pilgrimage to idyllic lakes in the Eastern Sierra and across the state — places like Lake Crowley, Convict Lake, the Mammoth Lakes Basin — and kick off the fishing season. It’s a tradition embraced by families of fishing enthusiasts and passed down from one generation to the next.
“There are families that have been coming up for [the] opener in places like Convict for 30 or 40 years,” Rowe said to SFGATE by phone. He’s been fishing since he was 4 and started guiding fly fishing in 1982 after moving to the Eastern Sierra. Today, he continues to guide clients through his company, Sierra Bright Dot.
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Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Patrick Griley/Mammoth Lake Tourism
Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Dakota Snider/Mammoth Lake Tourism
In the leadup to Fishmas, lakefront marinas prepare to open for business. Fishing and outdoor gear shops along Highway 395 put up signs that read “Merry Fishmas.” Nick Lara, owner of Mac’s Sporting Goods, a 70-year-old fishing and outdoor sports store in Bishop, said this weekend will be the busiest of the year. The store is extending its hours to open earlier and later to accommodate the rush.
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“Everyone comes up for opening day,” Lara said. Lara left a corporate career in Anaheim about 10 years ago to move to Bishop to live in one of the most iconic and beautiful fly fishing destinations in the country.
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The night before opening day, anglers attend Fishmas Eve parties. Those who are serious about fly fishing don’t stay out too late, though, because the season starts exactly one hour before sunrise. The earliest to rise are rewarded with quiet, calm lakes and hopefully a bite on their line.
“All lakes up to 10,000 feet are ice free, leaving anglers with more options on where to cast their lines,” Fish and Wildlife senior environmental scientist Nick Buckmaster said in a statement Wednesday.
Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Dakota Snider/Mammoth Lake Tourism
Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Dakota Snider/Mammoth Lake Tourism
Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Patrick Griley/Mammoth Lake Tourism
Fishmas continues with contests and derbies, giving prizes to those who get the biggest catches. Convict Lake Resort is giving away $6,000 in resort-based prizes for Fishmas. Crowley Lake has a $1,500 prize for the biggest trout.
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Most of the lakes in the Eastern Sierra have thawed for opening day following a mild winter. The only hitch is that the forecast this weekend calls for snow showers. But like on many Fishmases of the past, a springtime snowstorm won’t deter the most avid and determined anglers.
“I’m not exaggerating, this always happens,” Lawson Reif, outdoor recreation manager for Mammoth Lakes, told SFGATE by phone. “The weather is horrible but it doesn’t matter. People are stoked. They want to come out and fish.”
Fishmas is a big deal for the Eastern Sierra, a boost to the economy during the shoulder season, Reif said.
“Fishmas is that big event between that summer camping season and the end of ski season that brings a lot of economic vitality to Eastern Sierra communities,” he said.
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Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Dakota Snider/Mammoth Lake Tourism
Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.
Samantha Lindberg/Mammoth Lake Tourism
Wildlife officials and community leaders are spreading the word of a new policy this year that will impact all anglers and boaters heading to the Eastern Sierra: Every boat must be inspected before launching on the water as part of a region-wide effort to prevent golden mussels from invading Eastern Sierra waters. Inspection stations are located in Bridgeport, Crowley Lake and Bishop. Officials are pointing anglers to a new website, EasternSierraWID.com, for more information about golden mussels and boat inspections.
“Golden mussels, they are not in Eastern Sierra waterways yet and we want to keep them out of Eastern Sierra waterways,” Reif said. “The way they’re going to get over here is through boats.”
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Locals said they’re expecting crowds at all the most popular and well-known fishing spots this weekend. But many of them, like Lara, will be spending the weekend working while business is good. Lara said he’ll go fishing midweek, after the crowds go home. After all, the fishing season is only just getting started.