ALTITUDE BRINGS SOLITUDE; LAKE EMMA IS GRAND, IF YOU CAN BRAVE THE COLD : HEAD EAST.

Byline: Dan Lazar Special to the Daily News

Fly-fishing guide Mike Henry wished the wind hadn't returned.

``Mariahhhhhhhh!''

This is what Henry calls the wind, and that is how he sings her name.

She brought snow on this day, and she shoved the temperatures down another 20 degrees. Her metallic gusts chaffed Henry's hands.

No matter.

Henry and a companion came here, to this lake called Emma, because no one else would. Thousands of feet below, on waters called Owens and East Walker and Crowley, Mariah was kinder and the fish were bigger - but the anglers flocked and seclusion was impossible.

And seclusion was Henry's goal.

In the fall, everyone comes to the Eastern Sierra for trout. But what would happen if a couple of fools ventured up high, to 9,300 feet, where no one but Mariah sets foot in the fall?

Henry cast a line into Lake Emma - west of Bridgeport and accessible only by foot - and pulled from the water the most brilliant fall brook trout the land could know.

Mariah blew furiously. Snow began to fall.

Henry called out her name again. A smile wrinkled his face.

``Ohhhhhhh, Mariahhhhhh!''

The day began below Emma, on a skinny snake of water called the Little Walker River.

Henry, who guides out of Kittridge Sports in Mammoth Lakes, has fished all the bigger Eastern Sierra waters north of Bishop Lakes since 1970. But he had not set foot on the Little Walker for some 10 years.

The few who do chase the rainbows and brooks of the Little Walker usually do so down by Highway 395, where the river flows into the more popular West Walker. But even this confluence is largely neglected.

``They just don't realize it's there,'' said Rick Rockel, co-owner of Ken's Sporting Goods in Bridgeport, some 13 miles east of the river as the crow flies. ``What's special is the access is easy, there's a diversity of fish and it's an underfished resource.''

Henry and I drove and then walked miles from the confluence, to a section of the Little Walker nestled in an isolated meadow called Willow Flat. A few modest cabins sat recessed from the river, but not a sign of human life surfaced anywhere.

Henry, a strong and handsome man, tied on a Royal Wulf. An hour of casts produced nothing. But the rewards of autumn - brilliant gold aspens against the burnt-orange trunks of ancient western junipers - pounded our chests.

Mariah blew, and snow fell heavily. And still, no fish.

``To get a 12-inch wild trout on a dry fly,'' said Henry, ``can be a whole lot harder than dragging a nymph down in front of a 4-pound brown that tugs, tugs and rolls over and says, `Tickle my tummy.' ''

The occasional fat planted rainbow trout is said to make its way to this upper stretch of the river from time to time, but small wild brook and rainbow trout mostly live here.

The river's banks are deliciously undercut and its beds are largely free of algae; the water is clear and full of food. It is the perfect trout stream.

Though it wasn't always as such.

Steve Parmenter, associate fisheries biologist for the Department of Fish and Game in Bishop, said that years of recreation-vehicle use compacted soil along the Little Walker's lower stretches, damaging its banks.

But thanks to rehabilitation work by the department, the river looks better than it has in years.

``Over the years the meadow has really recovered,'' Parmenter said. ``That's a gold mine for fishermen. It might be worth seeing.''

The Little Walker also suffered from drought from 1988-94. But Chuck Selover, a resident of the river and the only other human Henry and his companion saw that day, said the fish are looking healthy again.

``Three years of good winters has helped bring the river back,'' he said.

After a couple hours of fishing, Henry finally enticed a nine-inch brook trout. These fish are small, but smart.

``To go into a new river is always a challenge, but there are always certain constants,'' Henry said. ``I would say it's a good technical river, but it's not difficult to fish.''

It was time to begin the second half of the secluded day trip.

Above Lake Emma towers Mount Emma, a stunning granite peak standing 10,522 feet high. Both are the daughters of a prehistoric glacier that left an austere moraine - steep and barren terrain leading up to the landmarks that are known to few.

The lake itself is tiny. Its northwest finger, according to Selover, is the most productive spot for fishermen. That's where we headed.

Through the crystalline water, Henry saw a submerged shelf - the perfect habitat for trout. He walked the banks of the lake until he found a good spot for casting and went to work.

Then, for the next hour, Mariah became predaceous. She brought 20-degree temperatures, snow flurries, clouds, sun and snow drift.

Henry paused every few casts to clear the ice from the guides in his fly rod. His hands stiffened into frozen slabs. Mariah blew his line all about.

But his streamer took three brook trout from the lake. Food for these fish is scarce in these cold temperatures, resulting in specimens that look like slimy lollipops - big heads and skinny bodies.

But their brilliantly warm orange hue made up for any lack in girth.

Henry and I had no one with whom to share this but each other. Which was the whole point.

``Would I come up here just to fish? I don't know,'' Henry said. ``But I'd combine a day hike and fishing.''

Finally, we made our way back down the mountain.

And Mariah retired for the evening.

Fishing in the Eastern Sierra is often hottest - and most popular - at the season's extremes, April and October. Following is a late-season outlook for promising lakes and rivers:

Crowley Lake: Wide open for fly-fishermen. Up to 60 fish a day per angler. Concentrate on the north end of the lake.

Upper Owens River: The brown trout should start migrating upstream from Crowley any day now. Rainbow trout are hitting San Juan worms and grasshoppers.

Convict Lake: Recently stocked with 100 Alpers trout; another 50 get dumped in today. Fishing is tremendous.

Hot Creek: Very steady, though stream is beginning to get choked with algae. Pheasant-tail nymphs and caddis nymphs work best in evenings, size No. 18 Adams in the morning.

Mammoth Lakes: Excellent. Worms are the ticket. Olive Matukas and Doc's Twin Lake Special also working.

June Lake Loop: Cold and windy, but fish still being taken. Black wooly buggers and Doc's Twin Lakes Special for fly-fishermen. Rainbow Powerbait for baitfish anglers.

East Walker River: Tremendous below Bridgeport Reservoir Dam. Bead-head Prince and bead-head gold-ribbed hare's ear for nymph anglers; black Matukas, black-and-white marabous and Hornbergs for streamer fishermen. Dry fly activity has been slow.

Bridgeport Reservoir: Excellent off the face of the dam. Rapalas and Powerbait hitting best.

West Walker River: Planted heavily last week with Alpers and hatchery broodstock. Fish the Pickle Meadows area near Highway 108.

IF YOU'RE GOING

To get to the Little Walker River, take Highway 395 west of Bridgeport for 16 miles. Turn left on Little Walker River Road. Travel 1-1/2 miles and park at the second bridge. Willow Flat is about a half-mile upstream.

For a day trip to Lake Emma, continue driving up the dirt road for 2 miles following the right-hand fork until it ends. Hoof the trail about 30 minutes to the lake.

The river and the lake are found on the Fales Hot Springs 7.5-minute series topographic map.

Remember that temperatures get much colder at Lake Emma, so dress appropriately. For further information, call the Bridgeport Ranger Station at [phone].

What to use: On the river fly-anglers can use yellow humpies, grasshoppers, olive and black flash buggers, Prince nymphs and zug bugs. For the lake, use Doc's Twin Lakes Special or nymphs.

CAPTION(S):

Photo, 2 Boxes

Photo: (color) Fly-fishing guide Mike Henry fishes Lake Emma because few else dare to visit the site at 9,300 feet, where the wind blows hard and cold.

Dan Lazar / Special to the Daily News

Box: (1) HEAD EAST (see text)

(2) IF YOU'RE GOING (see text)