Bridgeport Fish Report - July 13, 2021
We’re still in the midst of a heat wave up here in the Sierra, with the water flows low and the temperatures high, it’s best not to be on the river at all right now. We’re praying for the river to stay strong through this heat but it’s going to be a tough go. If you’re wanting to fish the East Walker it’s best if you can put off your trip until the weather and water cools, likely sometime in the beginning of September.
As with the California side of the river it’s time to let the ranch rest, most of the reservations we had for the next 6 weeks or so have been canceled, we have a couple still on the books that we don’t have contact information on, if you have a reservation between now and September, please give us a call and we can get you off the books and book dates for later in the season when the temperatures come down. 760-932-7707
Bridgeport has been pretty tough lately due to the low water levels and high water temps. The perch are still biting pretty well with most boats getting into 10 to 20 per day but the trout have been pretty shy. Trolling for perch still seems to be the best bet with nightcrawlers, needlefish and small Rapalas. If there are any hungry trout in the neighborhood they’ll eat these baits as well.
No new news from Kirman this week, since they planted those brookies last week. When we hear something, we’ll pass it on!
We’re seeing some nice 2 to 5 pound fish coming in from the Twins still, it’s not wide open up there but there are still some fish being caught. There are anglers reporting getting no fish but also some reporting getting into 1 or 2 nice rainbows per day. Early and late in the day is definitely the best time to be on the water as many of those fish will go to deeper water during the heat of the day. There’s been some fish caught with power bait, mice tails and inflated crawlers as well as trolling Kastmasters and Thomas Bouyants.
We’ve had both good and bad reports from the West lately, it seems as though the best section to fish has been along Highway 395 closer to the town of Walker. The water is very low so it’s important to search out the deeper pools and runs where there might be fish hiding. Drifting eggs and crawlers is a good bet for bait, slightly heavier spinners like Panther Martins will help you get down towards the bottom where the fish are likely to be. Dry/dropper rigs or straight nymphing will be the best for the fly anglers.
The Virginias are still producing some fish each day, it’s best up there if you can get away from the shore in a tube or kayak, this will increase your odds of catching fish during this hot weather. Mice tails, power bait and pinched crawlers have all been producing fish, mini jigs and Kastmasters have also been producing. Fly anglers can go with mini leeches, soft hackles and pheasant tails.
If you would like to receive this report via email, drop me a line at reidfly63@yahoo.com and I'll get you on the list!
RANDOM INFORMATION:
During this heat wave it’s important to give some of the local waters like the East Walker River a rest as stressing the fish too much will likely kill them, other waters that stay much cooler are the waters to focus on. Back country lakes and streams can produce nice wild fish and there’s typically no worries about the water temps being too high. It’s a great time to do some exploring and find some new water that you might not have been to before.