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Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.<\/p>\n
Patrick Griley\/Mammoth Lake Tourism<\/p>\n
For anglers looking to cast their lines on a glassy lake rimmed by the snow-capped\u00a0Eastern Sierra<\/a>, the best day of the year always comes on the last Saturday of April.\u00a0<\/p>\n It\u2019s the opening day of trout season<\/a>, a day so anticipated and cherished by the fly fishing community they\u2019ve turned it into an unofficial holiday: \u201cFishmas.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.<\/p>\n Patrick Griley\/Mammoth Lake Tourism<\/p>\n \u201cFishmas \u2014 it\u2019s been known as that forever and ever because it\u2019s like Christmas, but it\u2019s for fishing,\u201d said Fred Rowe, a longtime fishing guide who lives in Bishop<\/a>. \u201cFishing is such a big huge thing for people, it really is like Christmas.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 places like Lake Crowley, Convict Lake<\/a>, the Mammoth Lakes<\/a> Basin \u2014 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere are families that have been coming up for [the] opener in places like Convict for 30 or 40 years,\u201d Rowe said to SFGATE by phone. He\u2019s 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.<\/p>\n Patrick Griley\/Mammoth Lake Tourism Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.<\/p>\n Dakota Snider\/Mammoth Lake Tourism<\/p>\n In the leadup to Fishmas, lakefront marinas prepare to open for business. Fishing and outdoor gear shops along Highway 395<\/a> put up signs that read \u201cMerry Fishmas.\u201d Nick Lara, owner of Mac\u2019s Sporting Goods,<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Make SFGATE a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u201cEveryone comes up for opening day,\u201d 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.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n The night before opening day, anglers attend Fishmas Eve parties. Those who are serious about fly fishing don\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n \u201cAll lakes up to 10,000 feet are ice free, leaving anglers with more options on where to cast their lines,\u201d Fish and Wildlife senior environmental scientist Nick Buckmaster\u00a0said in a statement<\/a>\u00a0Wednesday.<\/p>\n Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.<\/p>\n Dakota Snider\/Mammoth Lake Tourism Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.<\/p>\n Dakota Snider\/Mammoth Lake Tourism Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.<\/p>\n Patrick Griley\/Mammoth Lake Tourism<\/p>\n Fishmas continues with contests and derbies<\/a>, giving\u00a0prizes to those who get the biggest catches. Convict Lake Resort is giving away $6,000 in resort-based prizes for\u00a0Fishmas<\/a>. Crowley Lake has a $1,500 prize<\/a> for the biggest trout.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n 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\u00a0Fishmases of the past, a springtime snowstorm won\u2019t deter the most avid and determined anglers.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not exaggerating, this always happens,\u201d Lawson Reif, outdoor recreation manager for Mammoth Lakes, told SFGATE by phone. \u201cThe weather is horrible but it doesn\u2019t matter. People are stoked. They want to come out and fish.\u201d<\/p>\n Fishmas is a big deal for the Eastern Sierra, a boost to the economy during the shoulder season, Reif said.<\/p>\n \u201cFishmas 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.<\/p>\n Dakota Snider\/Mammoth Lake Tourism Fishing in Mammoth Lakes, Calif.<\/p>\n Samantha Lindberg\/Mammoth Lake Tourism<\/p>\n 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\u00a0golden mussels<\/a> 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<\/a>, for more information about golden mussels and boat inspections.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cGolden mussels, they are not in Eastern Sierra waterways yet and we want to keep them out of Eastern Sierra waterways,\u201d Reif said. \u201cThe way they\u2019re going to get over here is through boats.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Locals said they\u2019re 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\u2019ll go fishing midweek, after the crowds go home. After all, the fishing season is only just getting started.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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