ICE BREAKER TROUT OPENER HAS WARM START.

Byline: Story by Bill Becher

MAMMOTH LAKES - The sun warmed the crowds of anglers casting lines at daybreak at this year's opening of the trout season. The sun was a welcome sight because a hard winter has left plenty of snow on the ground in the Eastern Sierra, and many lakes are still frozen.

At June Lake, Ben Cleveland of Long Beach plowed his boat through the several-inch-thick ice to find a fishing spot. He has fished opening day with family and friends for a decade.

``We're a little more hardcore than the others,'' he said.

The group's icebreaker efforts were rewarded with seven fish up to 3 pounds.

Crowds at the June Lake Loop were a down this year, according to Jeremy Ross of Ernie's Tackle, who blamed the U.S. Forest Service's decision to not open area campgrounds because of the winter-like conditions and the danger of freezing pipes. Ross said anglers didn't need water to camp, just to fish on, and there was enough of that.

Gull Lake was clear of ice, as was Grant Lake. Anglers tried their luck in the 30-foot wide stretch of open water at Silver Lake and at Rush and Reverse Creeks.

Pete Vincoini of Moorpark pulled an 8-pound, 2-ounce brown trout out of Gull Lake, likely the biggest fish caught the first day.

The Mammoth lakes, including Mamie, George and Mary, were still frozen and buried under many feet of snow. Fly fishers did well at Hot Creek, where midges and caddis flies put in an appearance.

Upper and Lower Twin Lakes and Bridgeport Reservoir were clear of ice and rewarding patient anglers with limits. The biggest fish from the area was a 6 1/2-pound rainbow trout caught at Bridgeport on a trolled Rapalla. This year Bridgeport Reservoir is nearly full - its highest level in the past seven or eight years - according to Jim Reid of Ken's Sporting Goods in Bridgeport.

At Convict Lake, clear of ice although rimmed with snowfields, anglers were catching fish.

Crowley Lake saw slightly more anglers than usual, according to Department of Fish and Game biologist Curtis Milliron, who flew over the lake and counted 555 boats at 9 a.m.

Milliron said, based on preliminary numbers, this was one of the best years in the past 20 at Crowley in terms of fish size.

Crowley Lake, part of Los Angeles' water system, is managed as a ``put-and grow'' trophy-trout fishery. Special regulations limit catch-and-keep fishing to the first three months of the season. After Aug. 1, only two fish over 18 inches can be kept, and most anglers release all the fish they catch at Crowley.

The DFG stocks after Aug 1, so the fish have eight months to get bigger. Cutthroat trout planted in Crowley several years ago seem to be doing well and are still being landed by anglers. No cutts have been planted recently because of the reduction in funding for DFG fish hatcheries.

Eastern Sierra businesses, which depend on ``Fishmas'' - what locals call ``the Opener'' - to bring visitors to the area, are worried that massive cuts in money for the hatchery system the past few years will devastate the area's popular trout fisheries.

Well-known trout rancher Tim Alpers said that the DFG's fish planting cutbacks are not fair to anglers, who paid $6 million more to fish last year because of increased license fees. Alpers and Eastern Sierra businesses and government leaders aren't waiting for the DFG to play fair. They have formed the ``Hot Creek Hatchery Foundation,'' a nonprofit organization that is raising money to pay for the fuel and food costs to operate the hatchery near Mammoth Lakes that was threatened with closure.

Local groups also are supporting AB 7, the bill by Assemblyman Dave Cogdill (R-Modesto) that would require the DFG to spend one-third of sportfishing license fees on hatchery and wild-trout fishery operations. The bill recently cleared its first committee hearing in Sacramento.

Maybe the Grinch won't steal next year's ``Fishmas.''

CAPTION(S):

3 photos

Photo:

(1 -- 2 -- color) Jay Tidwell of San Diego, above, casts his lure while perched at the end of a log at Convict Lake on opening day of trout season. Below, Breanna Ross, 10, of Winnetka works her lure Saturday at Convict Lake in the Eastern Sierra.

(3) Shawn Vooght, 16, of Colton, shows off his five-pound rainbow trout that he caught on the opening day of trout season.

Photos by John McCoy