ESCAPE BRAVING THE WEATHER, URBANITES WILL RUN FOR THE HILLS FOR THIS WEEKEND'S TROUT-SEASON OPENER IN THE EASTERN SIERRA.

Byline: Michael A. Anastasi Sports Editor 

A couple of bucks will buy you a trout at Ralphs, but that misses the point.

Trout season opens Saturday in the Eastern Sierra, and as usual about 50,000 city folk from throughout Southern California will race to the rivers, mountains, streams, lakes and beauty of Inyo and Mono counties in pursuit of five brilliantly colored fish. But that misses the point, too.

What they're really after is an escape - for many, the only flight from the mortgage payment they'll make all year.

``The trout are swimming around wondering where the hell everybody is. It's absolutely glorious,'' said Convict Lake's David Desurra. ``I'm telling ya, they're hungry. Hungry!''

So, too, are the anglers. About 10,000 of them will swarm Crowley Lake aiming to get their share of the nearly half-million trout of various varieties that were planted there last fall - 150,000 Eagle Lake, 150,000 Coleman, 100,00 Camloops, 30,000 Cutthroat and 50,000 Browns. ``Most weigh about a pound by now,'' said Curtis Milliron, the Department of Fish and Game biologist whose job it's been the last 15 years to manage the fishery and make memories.

The rest of the fisherwomen, children and men will populate waterways along Highway 395 from Lone Pine, five hours from the San Fernando Valley, to Bridgeport, 200 miles farther up the road, and all points, hotels, motels, condos, campsites and campershells in between.

``The town,'' June Lake tackleman Jeremy Ross said of the Eastern Sierra's unofficial capital, Mammoth Lakes, ``is capacitated.''

Dictionaries are optional in the great outdoors.

As usual, though, the focal point until Saturday won't be the fish; it's the weather.

The mountain range that provides Los Angeles with its water is notoriously cranky this time of year. The skies can be a gorgeous, deep purplish blue and the temperature in the 70s and 80s - as they've been for the past week or so. ``No ice, no snow, no wind,'' June Lake's Mickey Frederickson said on Monday. ``It's a perfect day.''

Or, a foot of spring snow can fall in two days and leave residents shoveling out their cars, as happened the week before last.

Then there's the wind. It, too, can be fickle. Calm on Friday, gale force on Saturday, calm on Sunday.

Veteran anglers are prepared for every contingency. Bring rain gear, and be prepared for freezing temperatures at sunrise (4:52 a.m. at Crowley, 5:02 at Convict). By noon, you'll probably be in shorts and shirtsleeves and feeling the sting of sunburn. (Use sunscreen, even if it's cold; UV rays reflect off the water's surface).

The latest forecast from the National Weather Service calls for a system to move into the area today, with a chance of showers and afternoon thunderstorms and snow above 7,500 feet. It should be partly cloudy beginning Friday and continuing through next week, with lows from the upper 20s to upper 30s and highs reaching 70. And it's supposed to be windy Saturday and Sunday.

But the weather can change quickly, and often does. ``In all honesty,'' said Jim Reid of Kens Sporting Goods in Bridgeport, ``you never know in the Sierras.''

No matter, for outstanding fishing is anticipated. It always is.

This year in particular should see many early limits. The mild winter and early thaw have allowed the water to warm much sooner than normal. In turn, the fish - sluggish in frigid water - are active and actively searching for food, of which there will be precious little considering their numbers until Saturday.

``An angler's approach should be to get out there earlier,'' said Rick Flamson, owner of Ricks Sporting Goods, the landmark Mammoth Lakes tackle shop that itself is an annual destination for hundreds who can have their line replaced there for $1.50 a spool on Friday.

``The bites are going to be there first thing in the morning,'' Flamson said. ``You'll see a lot of guys coming back to town for breakfast with limits by 7. This year is not the year you want to sleep in.''

The warmer winter also has cleared the waters at higher-elevation lakes, meaning those who fish there, especially those who prefer ice fishing, must be wary.

Everything below 8,000 is generally clear of ice, and Cpl. Mike Booher of the Mono County Sheriff's Dept. said he personally wouldn't risk stepping on the ice at anything below 11,000 feet.

``If you're ice fishing this year, you better be very careful,'' said Booher, whose department is activating its ice-water search-and-rescue team for the weekend. ``A lot of lakes are thawing, then refreezing at night, giving the appearance that the ice is strong. But it's not. It's brittle, and you'll fall through. Just exercise good common sense. A place where you fished on the ice last year probably won't be a place where you can fish on the ice this year.''

Lake Sabrina and South Lake in the Bishop area, the June Lake Loop and Twin Lakes in the Mammoth region and Upper and Lower Twin lakes near Bridgeport should be open and clear. The road to Mary, George and Mamie lakes is closed, but the waters fishable for those who snowmobile or walk. In the Lee Vining area off Highway 120, Lundy Lake is open and dry; the Virginia Lakes road is clear, but the water is surrounded by snow and the resort is closed. The ice at Tioga and Ellery lakes is dangerously thin.

Throughout the Eastern Sierra, the DFG has been planting trout in every open waterway, and Tim Alpers as usual has been frequenting some of the most popular places to dump his trophy Alpers trout. Convict alone took 50 Alpers averaging 4 pounds apiece.

Crowley remains the Mecca for many of those who make this annual pilgrimage, and for good reason. Huck Valleyite can catch a trout there with a bamboo pole and worm. ``I am charged up,'' the DFG's Milliron said. ``The department takes a lot of pride in this great fishery, the quality of the fish, the great recreation the lake supports and the fact an angler's overall opportunity to get larger trout there has dramatically improved in the last 15 years.''

Still, combat fishing - where people conditioned by traffic on the 405 for the past 364 days have no problem intruding on the place you staked out at 3 a.m., and then have the gall to catch more trout than you - often prevails.

Those seeking a more mellow experience might consider the extra drive time to Bridgeport, home of the state's last two record Browns, and where six Browns exceeding 10 pounds were caught in the first four days of the season a year ago.

``The crowds are a lot less intense, and the fishing is every bit as good,'' Reid said. ``The winter up here is pretty slow, you know, so we're getting pretty excited.''

Or stop short of the crowds and consider Lone Pine or Bishop. ``You can,'' said Jeff Brackney of Lone Pine Sporting Goods, ``still fish by yourself here.''

In Bishop, which allows year-around fishing, a fire suspected to have been set by an arsonist has freed up extensive roadside access along the Owens River just outside of town and has angered boat guides who make their living inside the previously impenetrable banks.

Whatever locale, many from the Southland undoubtedly will return to their own urban sprawl Sunday night still smiling about their latest great escape. The smile will draw them back to the mountains again next April.

``It's intrigue. It's adventure,'' said Van Nuys angler Arnie Mellman. ``If you love fishing, it's the place to go. It's the sportsman's toy.''

RECIPES

TROUT IN BEER SAUCE

Yield: 6 servings

4 tb Vegetable oil

1 lg Onion; diced

2 tb Flour

1 1/2 c Beer

2 tb Brown sugar

1/4 ts Pepper

2 ts Worcestershire sauce

3 lb Trout or bass (6 pieces)

In a large skillet, saute diced onion in hot oil until it becomes translucent. Add flour to onions and, stirring constantly, cook for 2 minutes. Add beer, brown sugar, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce to skillet and heat until sauce thickens. Stir constantly. Carefully place fish pieces in skillet. Cook until fish flakes easily with a fork.

PAN-FRIED TROUT

Yield: 4 servings

2 lb Trout; Whole Or Fillets

1/2 c Cornmeal 

3 tb Butter

Salt & Pepper; To Taste

Rinse the trout under cold running water. Pat dry. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in a large heavy skillet on medium-high heat. Coat the trout in corn meal and shake off the excess. When the butter is melted, place the coated trout, flesh side down, in the skillet. Fry 4-5 minutes, then turn and fry 4-5 minutes or until the flesh is golden brown and flaky. (Trout may be seasoned with garlic or onion powder before frying, if desired.)

BAKED TROUT

Yield: 6 servings

6 Trout fillets (4 oz. each)

1 Lemon

2 ts Celery salt

1 ts Salt

1 lg Onion

1/2 c Butter (or marg.); 1 stick

Place trout filets in rectangular-shaped aluminum cake pan. Sprinkle several drops lemon juice over each fillet. Sprinkle salt and celery salt over each filet. Slice onion into 18 thin slices. Place three sliced on each filet. Slice one stick butter into 18 pats. Place one pat on each onion slice. Cover pan with aluminum foil and place in preheated 325-degree oven. Bake 1 1/2 hours. If desired, you may remove pan from oven, halfway during baking period and baste filets. Return to oven and finish baking process.

TROUT IN WINE

Yield: 2 servings

1 Whole Trout

Chopped herbs (marjoram,Parsley, thyme)

Butter

1/2 bottle white wine

Inside the cleaned trout place the chopped herbs and a tablespoon of butter. Place the fish in an oven dish and add salt and pepper to taste. Pour two cups of wine over the fish. Cook in hot oven about 25 minutes. Add a little more melted butter, stir in and cook for another 5 minutes.

TROUT OPENER AT A GLANCE

What: Eastern Sierra trout opener.

When: Saturday, with season continuing through Oct. 31.

Where: Waterways in a roughly 200-mile stretch along Highway 395 from Lone Pine to Bridgeport. If you don't know where to go, head for Crowley Lake near Mammoth Lakes. It's the most accessible, best-stocked and largest fishery. Drive time is about six hours from Los Angeles.

Cost: Licenses are $30.45, available at any sporting-goods store. A second-rod stamp is $9.70. Children under 16 do not need a license.

On the Web: www.easternsierrafishing.com, www.dfg.ca.gov

CAPTION(S):

photo, 3 boxes

Photo:

Fishermen figure to flock to places like Silver Lake, top, and Convict Lake this weekend for the opening of trout season.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer

Box:

(1) RECIPES (see text)

(2) TROUT OPENER AT A GLANCE (see text)

(3) WEEKEND WEATHER OUTLOOK

- National Weather Service