|
 The
2010 Hot Creek outing is scheduled for April 30th to May
2nd. Location is the eastern Sierra about 5
hrs. drive from downtown Sacramento. It is close to Mammoth
Lakes for condo lodging. We stay at Convict Lake
campground; next to the campground is Convict Lake
Resort, 800-992-2260, which has cabins for rent. Hot
Creek is about 10 minutes from the campground.
The
lake can be fished along with the creek and there are
other waters within a short drive from the campground.
The weather can be 30º F. at night and 70º F. in the
day. 2008 fishing was the best it has been in 10 yrs.
More and bigger fish were caught that year. My son
Isaac's girl friend, with a little guidance from Isaac,
caught 5 fish the first day and she was a beginner,
first time out.
We
will help beginners and people not familiar with Hot
Creek as to flies, methods of presentation, and rigging.
We will also help on the stream. On-stream insect
samples will be taken to match fly selection to what is
in the water. Give us a call if you are interested
in going.
Ron
and Jeanne English
530
677-7169
To reserve sites at the campground call 877-444-6777.
You can also access information and reservations at
www.recreation.gov
Hot Creek Techniques & Rigs
(courtesy of Mike Tadlock at FlyTrip - link
discontinued):
Dead
drift nymphing a two fly rig under an indicator will be
your best bet for results throughout the day. Hot Creek
is rarely very deep so you won’t need a lot of leader &
tippet. A 9 foot leader will leave you plenty of room
for predation by the weeds. Make your best guess as to
the depth of the run you’re fishing and set your
indicator at 1.5 times the estimated depth. Success with
this rig will depend on you bouncing the flies across
the bottom. You will snag, but you’ll also catch a lot
more fish.
Look
to mix it up with a floating line running down to a
heavily weighted streamer or sculpin. Pulling this fly
with a tug-tug-rest retrieval will get you some violent
takes from Hot Creek’s big fish.
In the
afternoons, try a hopper with a midge dropper along the
bank to entice a rise. Terrestrials make up a large
component of the diet on Hot Creek.
When the evening micro caddis hatch is on, fish a
2-caddis rig with a small Elk Hair Caddis as the top fly
and an emerger as the dropper. Grease the line to the
dropper - you won’t need any weight. You’ll be imitating
an emerging bug as it struggles to break through
surface film of the water. A take on your emerger will
often look like a swirl of refusal on your dry. If you
see the swirl and your dry moves - set the hook. Be sure
to not give up on your presentation; swing the flies at
the bottom of the drift until your line trails straight
downstream from your feet. |
