West Walker Opens to Year-Round Fishing March 1 (press release)
MONO COUNTY, Calif., (Feb. 26, 2014) – Early-season fishing is about to get even better in Mono County with the West Walker River opening for year-round fishing March 1.
The West Walker River is located in northern Mono County, just north of state route 108/U.S. Route 395 at the 395 highway bridge to the Topaz Lake inlet. It is one of a handful of rivers that will be open for year-round fishing this winter/early spring. Other spots already open include the East Walker River, Hot Creek, Owens River, and the Owens River Gorge.
Year-round regulations (catch and release on public land with barbless artificial flies and lures only) are in effect until April 26, when the regular fishing season begins. Approximately 1500 pounds of fish will be planted in the West Walker River before it opens March 1.
“We have worked hard to get the year-round fishing of the West Walker River approved by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. This provides a few more months of fishing to our visitors, which we feel will be very successful. We hope that the West Walker River will become a blue ribbon trout stream in the not-too distant future,” said Robert Dunn, one of Mono County’s fishery commissioners.
For conditions or expert advice, check in with Walker River Outfitters or Ken’s Sporting Goods, both located in Bridgeport. Also, the Sierra Drifters website posts frequently updated reports on fishing conditions although this site tends to be more focused on the Owens River and Hot Creek, which are located further south in Mono County.
Located approximately 315 miles north of Los Angeles, and 280 miles east of San Francisco, Mono County accesses the east entrance to Yosemite National Park and beckons visitors in all seasons. Whether taking advantage of convenient direct flights from Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) to Mammoth Yosemite Airport (MMH) or arriving by car on the all-weather US Hwy. 395, the Eastern Sierra’s vast playground is an easily reached destination. US Hwy. 395, which traverses Mono County from north to south, is a State Designated Scenic Byway offering motorists tremendous vistas right from the steering wheel and side-roads, hiking trails, lakes, and roadside villages and towns to explore. For more information or to request guides, visit MonoCounty.org or call 800-845-7922.
Been fishing the Sierras for . still great fishing.
like bobk I also believe the small fish are a result of overpopulation. when dfg reduced the limit from 10 a day to five a day and more people were catch and releasing the number of fish went up and the size of the fish went down. if your willing… Read more »
Yes still a lot of great fishing left. Dont b lazy and hike. Maybe u can loose a few pounds and not fish.The more u hike the less people.
Be aware that fishing is under threat in the backcountry where frog critical habitat is proposed (much of Inyo county).
Speaking of fishing season,the Southern Inyo season has started…the day before the season started,I noticed Lone Pine Creek was stocked with some really big trout at a spot about 1/2 mile from the Whitney Portal Road turn-off from HWY 395…a spot known as the short-bridge.Problem was,the creek is too low… Read more »
Desco: The reason for your 3″ Brookies in the upper Rock Cr area is that they are stunted do to being more fish than the body of water can handle, which means no or very little food. More fish need to be harvested in those areas to return the fish… Read more »
There is only one reason we have great trout fishing up here. Stocking. And all the money that pays for it comes from fisherman’s license fees.
I thought fishing was supposed to be fun.
I quit fishing because I felt like I was experiencing nature in Disneyland. It was all fake. The lakes are artificial and the fish are brought in by truck. And then I have to find a spot that is not already occupied and look at all the debris left behind… Read more »
Agree with u on this one KW
Yeah, if I had the time and energy to find and fish the right streams and creeks, I’d probably have a different opinion. But I’m just not that into it.
Oh come on Ken !!!….plenty of spots here in the Owens Valley and Mono County where you can go fishing at 7 A.M till 5 P.M. and see few people around,if any,if you go to the right spots…especially if done during the week….but I do agree about all the trash… Read more »
Catch and release, barbless hooks. What’s the problem?
Humanity in general and the dishonesty of many “fishermen”.
The number of treble hook lures hanging in the trees and bait containers along the “catch and release” section of the Owens is testimony to this.
If it wasn’t for the license fees and taxes these fisherman pay for, we wouldn’t have any fish in our waters.
Very little of the fishing license fee goes to planting. And the fee goes up every year. The planting truck shows up once a week. The streams get planted by the net full. A net holds about twenty fish. Maybe four nets per spot. That spot can be cleaned out… Read more »
what’s more important huge public pensions or Huge Fish…
Govt gone Wild…
Yes, public pension debt is a problem — now — but problems have solutions. The problems started with the Bush recession that put a lot of people and financial entities in a hole.. I don’t have any answers. It’s a complicated question. But “The Sky is Falling” rhetoric. isn’t going… Read more »
Catch and release, barbless hooks. What’s the problem?
This will decimate the wild fish population regardless of revenue. Most ES locals aren’t looking to catch stockers.
Resort- I’m guessing you mean native fish. Inyo and Mono County has no native trout from what I have been told.
To Trouble, Yes, in the grand scheme of things there are no native trout in the local mountains. But, the almost century old long attempts of people to plant trout in the area has succeeded beyond most peoples wildest dreams. Look at the monsters hanging on the wall in Jacks… Read more »
2 Cents- your comment is clueless. Bishop makes a small fortune on year round fishing in the Owens and the Reservoir .It has nothing to do with the natural spawning season of trout. It’s called STOCKING!
Bye bye fish population 🙂