Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters:

The opening month of the 2012 season is turning out to be as expected-great! The catching has been good in many areas with the only negative being a seemingly endless string of windy fronts that have blasted the Sierra with gusty winds. We received a fresh coat of snow on the Sierra's and White Mountains over the Memorial Day weekend and some frigid temperatures to remind us of how the transition into summer can be diverse. The forecast is calling for a warming trend with more seasonal and stable conditions to start the month of June.

Heavy spring run-off from snow melt has not been an issue, and even the tail water fisheries of the East Walker and Lower Owens Rivers are flowing below historical averages for this time of year. As the days lengthen and warm, you will see the freestone creeks and rivers begin to swell, however the roaring high water conditions we typically have in June are not forecast this year.

The Alpine lakes are also thawing early and most of the upper elevation areas are a month ahead of their normal cycle. Tioga and Sonora passes are open, the road into Reds Meadow remains closed due to storm damage from downed trees. The INFS reports it is expected to open soon and the San Joaquin River will be in great shape earlier than usual.

The tributaries to Crowley and Bridgeport still have the last wave of spawning fish holding in the redds, however the numbers are dropping quickly as the rainbows and cutthroat migrate back into the lakes.

Bridgeport Reservoir and Crowley Lake are fishing very well and have great water conditions currently. They are both full and have not begun to turn over and get green with algae yet. The weeds are beginning to grow at the 12 foot level so you need to fish off the grass and pond weed to have consistent action.