Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to all for this March 2008 fish report from the Eastern High Sierra.

The weather pattern has once again become more stable after another series of cold storms dumped more snow and rain into the region. The last group of storms deposited a few inches of snow in the upper valleys and conditions have not changed much around Hot Creek, the Upper Owens R., and the East Walker R. With the longer days the snow will begin to melt off at a faster pace than before and conditions will improve greatly on the EW, but will not alter much with regards to road conditions in the Hot Creek/Upper Owens areas. The morning temps remain very cold with low teens registering on Crowley Lake and Bridgeport Reservoir. It has been a very cold winter here and the ice and snow remain very thick in this area currently.

If it gets warm for an extended period of time in April and early May look for moderate to heavy early run-off on the moving waters due to the substantial low elevation snowpack this season. The issue this season especially in the Crowley area is the above average amount of wind blown snow drifts that have accumulated in the valley. If the trend of cold weather continues you may see some areas that are historically accessible for the opener not easy to reach around here. Crowley and Bridgeport will thaw very late this year and may not have a wide open start due to the late ice. It will be a solid year on Crowley and Bridgeport overall with a good summer and fall to look forward to.

Speaking of Crowley Lake this summer?ĶThe Second Annual Crowley Lake Still Water Classic is on the books for August 9th which is the second Saturday in the month of August. We will release the details and structure of the Classic, the 2008 rules, and how to register in future reports. For all of you who participated in the First Annual Still Water Classic the format will be pretty much the same. There is however, going to be some surprises and additional great prizes for this season's fisheries enhancement tournament.

The premise of the Still Water Classic is a catch and release fly fishing tournament open to boats, and float tubes that has been created to provide funding for the fisheries benefit of Crowley Lake. Last seasons event raised $10,000.00 that went directly into the purchase of brown trout from the locally based Inland Aquaculture Group. Those 2400 hundred fish were planted last fall and are going to provide some great opportunities this season and in the future.

If you fish or cherish Crowley like we do, or are affiliated with a club or organization, or if you own a business that benefits from this resource please consider participating or donating in the Classic this year and help maintain the five star fisheries rating that Crowley has earned over the years. Feel free to contact us by email if you have questions after we post the rules and registration links.

The rainbows are beginning to migrate and the populations of mature fish will increase greatly in the next couple of weeks in the tributaries of Crowley. The year around waters like Hot Creek and the Upper Owens R. will remain difficult to access in March and April. Sticking the peak of the spring fishing in some areas will require you to put forth the effort and hike to your favorite bend or pool in the Long Valley region this season as these fisheries will probably be washed out in late April/early May.