MILD WINTER MEANS WILD OPENER PLENTIFUL SEASON FOR TROUT.

Byline: Jim Matthews Special to the Daily News

Anglers attending this year's Eastern Sierra trout season opener can expect to hook more than average numbers of large, trophy-size trout.

Chris Boone, manager at the state Department of Fish and Game's Hot Creek Hatchery in Mammoth Lakes, said a mild Eastern Sierra winter produced a greater-than-usual number of large, Coleman strain broodstock rainbow trout for planting in waters north of Bishop.

``Normally when we enter our rainbow trout spawning season - November through January - the snow is deep and lakes are frozen in the high country,'' said Boone. ``So we plant most excess broodstock in southern Owens Valley waters. But this year, because it was so mild right on through January, we were able to stock broodstock fish throughout the Eastern Sierra.''

About 7,000 trophy-sized rainbow trout, each from four to seven pounds in size, were planted last winter in 17 waters north of Bishop, including Crowley Lake, the upper Owens River, Bridgeport Reservoir, Convict Lake, Topaz Lake, Lundy Lake, Ellery Lake, Trumble Lake, both upper and lower twin lakes at Bridgeport, and Virginia lakes.

Hot Creek Hatchery broodstock fish were also stocked in the four June Lake Loop lakes: June, Grant, Gull and Silver. Since March, Hot Creek Hatchery personnel have been busy planting surplus fingerling rainbow trout at Crowley Lake. Vern Carr, assistant hatchery manager at Hot Creek, said more than 145,320 fingerling trout were stocked at Crowley. Carr estimated the fish would grow to catchable size in time for the 2002 Eastern Sierra fishing season opener.

--Bonus trout: A year-around, shore-fishing-only lake for decades, Pleasant Valley Reservoir was opened to float tube anglers for the first time in 1999, which increased interest from anglers.

In an effort to step up fishing opportunities and accommodate the considerable rise in angler pressure, 5,000 six-inch-long, subcatchable Eagle Lake strain rainbow trout were stocked for the first time last year at Pleasant Valley. This was in addition to the normal catchable size rainbow trout plants, and another 5,000 Eagle Lakes are scheduled for planting in October.

Jim Eichman, DFG Fish Springs Trout Hatchery manager in Big Pine, said both plants are intended to duplicate a successful experiment at Crowley Lake, where Eagle Lake trout supplies a significant increase in Crowley's large-trout production. Eagle Lake fish typically fail to show in Crowley anglers' creels until the third year following introduction.

Unlike other trout strains, which are often landed within a year of planting, Crowley Eagle Lake fish most often grow 18 to 24 inches long before anglers land them, often some three years following the initial plant. DFG biologists are not certain why Eagle Lake strain trout can avoid anglers' lures for so long at Crowley, but the hope is that trait will duplicate itself at Pleasant Valley.

Eichman urged the few anglers who land small Eagle Lake trout at Pleasant Valley this season to release the fish. Allowed a little more time to grow in the nutrient-rich reservoir, fish in the two- to three-pound size may soon appear in sizable numbers, say biologists. Eagle Lake fish are distinguished from other rainbow trout by their fewer and larger side-body spots, Eichman said.

``Next year we'll mark Eagle Lake trout by removing the adipose fin, making it easier for anglers to identify those fish,'' said Eichman.

A trout adipose is the small fin on the back located between the large dorsal fin and tail. In addition to Eagle Lake subcatchable trout plants, more than 1,000, half-pound catchable size rainbow trout are stocked weekly in Pleasant Valley Reservoir waters every month except July and August. This is in addition to weekly stocks of eight 2- to 4-pound trophy trout.

Subcatchable brown trout planted in past years can also be found in the lake. An additional 10,000 pounds of surplus subcatchable trout, each fish approximately six inches long, was stocked in March. Pleasant Valley Reservoir, a 115-surface-acre lake located behind a Los Angeles Department of Water and Power dam, is approximately seven miles north of Bishop along the east side of Highway 395 in Inyo County.

--Gas prices: Anglers traveling north for the trout opener this weekend will find gas prices ranging from about $1.80 to $2.10 per gallon in less traveled areas.

This is at least 50 cents a gallon more than most stations were charging last year at this time.

--Bears watching: The Sierra locals take the bears for granted. Steve Gomez at Kittridge Sports in Mammoth Lakes said he'd seen three or four different bears already this year around town.

``They're definitely out of hibernation,'' said Gomez.

Karel Koble at Lower Twin Lake Resort in Bridgeport said they had their first bear in a dumpster 2 1/2 weeks ago, and ``one broke into the back of our truck and there wasn't anything in there to eat.''

They live with the animals and try to keep garbage in bear-proof containers. Campers should follow their lead and not leave food where you are sleeping. A bear accustomed to people isn't shy about opening up the side of a tent with it's claws and taking a Snickers bar out from under your pillow. Even if your head is on the pillow.

--Internet deluge: An increasing number of resorts and business in the Sierra are gaining a presence on the Internet with their own Web pages. Here are some good one's for anglers:

The Trout Fly in Mammoth Lakes has a great site for fly-fisherman at www.thetroutfly.com. Brock's offers an excellent fish report at www.fbn-flyfish.com/brocks.

The Convict Lake Resort can be found at www.convictlakeresort.com, and brown trout headquarters, the Lower Twin Lake Resort, has a site at www.lowertwinlakesresort.com.

Also check out the Crowley Lake site at www.crowleylakefishcamp.com.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos

Photo: (1 -- 2) Bob Groverf of Bishop, top photo, landed a 6-pound, 9-ounce rainbow on opening day in 1999; lower photo, a female angler weighs a catch in '99.

John McCoy/Staff Photographer