SIERRA SOLITUDE LATE TROUT SEASON IS FINE TIME AT HOT CREEK.

Byline: Roland Muschenetz Special to the Daily News

If you're looking for great trout fishing before the season ends, consider Hot Creek in the upper Owens Valley. There are just as many big trout feeding in that rushing water in October as there are in the beginning of the season because Hot Creek is one of California's zero-limit flyfishing streams.

With a trout population of more than 3,000 fish per mile, according to the Department of Fish and Game, even novices can hope for success.

Late-season angling has so many advantages. Most of the tourists and fishermen are gone. Motel rooms and RV sites are plentiful and the rivers and creek are deserted. To attract offseason visitors, the motels in Mammoth Lakes, Lee Vinning and Bridgeport offer low rates. Waitresses at Josh Slocums in Mammoth, at Tom's Place, and at all the Ma and Pa diners along the highway have the time again for a smile and some small talk, which usually begins with the weather.

Hot Creek is hard to miss at this time of the year because of the billowing clouds of steam which rise like smoke signals from the boiling springs in the canyon. Driving toward the creek, from my campsite at nearby Benton Crossing, on a bouncy gravel road, I yield the right of way to a lean jackrabbit which lazily crosses the road ahead of me. Its huge ears look pink, almost translucent against the rising sun. Above, a flight of ducks etches the cloudless sky like a golden arrow.

As remote as Hot Creek might seem in the still morning hours, it is only five minutes south of the Mammoth Lakes Resort and easily accessible from Interstate Highway 395. In order to enjoy the sunrise and reach the gate to the canyon just as the ranger opens it, I take the longer way around. Hot Creek is closed from dusk to dawn.

When I finally reach the rim of the canyon, my usual parking spot under an old, weather-beaten juniper tree is empty. So is the rest of the parking area. I pull my fishing vest over the heavy wool pullover and take the steep trail down to the creek. My hands are freezing and I am glad I rigged my No. 4 graphite fly rod last night by the warmth of my little campfire.

The river runs low and moves like molten lava between the boulders. River weeds wave in the current, creating the perfect cover for brown and rainbow trout. My eyes search the water for any indication of an early rise as I walk slowly along the bank. A few silvery flashes in the deeper pools are tell-tale signs of hungry trout digging in the weeds to dislodge larvae of insects and other morsels.

In a pool farther down the creek, I see several trout fanning below the surface, waiting for breakfast. It is too early in the day for the insects in the stream to hatch, but I do not want to wait any longer. Carefully I select and tie on a tiny No. 22 imitation of a caddis fly. The buoyancy of the elk hair with which it has been tied will make it float high and dry on the surface.

A whole series of casts go unnoticed. The tiny artificial fly moves undisturbed over the water. Finally, one of the smaller fish rises to the top for a closer look. After a couple of more successful floats, the temptation is too great for the hungry brown. There is a quick movement in the water and a strong pull on the line signals a solid take. It is not a big trout, maybe nine inches, but it is the first fish of the day. I bring it in quickly and admire the red and black spots on its golden flanks. After wetting my hands in order not to injure the protective coating on the fish's body, the tiny barbless hook is carefully removed from its jaw and the fish moves lightning-fast back to the middle of the stream.

During the next hours, two more browns and a fat 15-inch rainbow trout fall for the artificial flies. The dark-colored rainbow puts up a good fight and is also released unharmed. The hatch is on. Fluttering caddis flys are everywhere. The smacking sound of the trout feeding mixed in with the murmuring of the stream and swishing of my fly line are the only sounds to be heard. There is no other angler on the creek.

Just before noon, the wind comes up and the hatch is over. I sit on a log, unpack my lunch and enjoy the sunshine. On a rock above the canyon, a hungry great blue heron waits for me to leave. He is by far the most successful fisherman on the creek. The zero bag limit and the ``fly fishing only'' signs posted by Fish and Game is of no concern to him. For all the other anglers, the big signs along the canyon are reminders that only artificial flies with barbless hooks can be used. All fish have to be released quickly as possible. Not a law but written down is also a plea to all fishermen not to wade Hot Creek. Wading does great damage to the fragile fauna and flora of the stream bed which is needed to support the tremendous trout population.

Besides the Hot Creek and the Owens River, with their self-supporting wild trout population, the Eastern Sierra offers anglers other fish-rich waters, ranging from tiny, brushy creeks to large reservoirs. I have fished most of them, but my favorite is Hot Creek, with Robinson Creek and the East Walker River close runners-up. All can be fished at this time of the year in blissful solitude. Only at Twin Lakes above Bridgeport do I encounter other anglers, trolling from their aluminum boats all day long for that monster trout that lurks, at least according to the local tackle shop owners, in those mysteriously deep lakes.

What brings me back to the Upper Owens Rive year after year is my attraction to those wide-open spaces and the starkness of the high-desert landscape, a landscape more reminiscent of Wyoming than California.

Fishing is only a part of this annual soul-cleansing journey. I can hike for hours or lay in the hazy midday sun and breathe in the stillness. The nights can get frigid this late in the year. Warm clothing is a necessity. If you plan to set up your own little camp, a well-insulated sleeping bag and basic camping gear are musts.

In the evenings, I sit in front of my low-burning campfire with my cup of coffee or a glass of good California wine and read by the dim, flickering light. I listen for the song of the coyotes that comes through the velvety stillness of the night - it helps me go to sleep.

It will be weeks before Highway 395 comes back to life again with Southern Californians in their four-wheel-drive vehicles and sports cars loaded down with high-tech ski equipment and designer gear rushing to get their condos at nearby Mammoth and June Lake. But until then the roads are empty and the sagebrush-covered hills belong to the coyotes, the jackrabbits and a few happy souls disguised as fishermen.

AT A GLANCE

HOW TO GET THERE

Hot Creek is in the upper Owens Valley, 42 miles north of Bishop and five miles south of Mammoth Lakes. It is easily accessed by going south on Highway 395 from Mammoth Lakes to the Hot Creek fish hatchery exit. Pass the hatchery and from there on it is only a couple of miles on a dusty gravel road to the rim of the canyon.FISHING INFORMATION AND TACKLEThe Troutfly at Mammoth Lakes Resort is a shop that offers a daily updated bulletin board with angling information on all the streams and lakes in the area. The knowledgeable staff will give advice freely. Information: www.thetroutfly.com. Phone: [phone].

PLACES TO STAY

Mammoth Lakes:

Snow Goose B&B from 10/1- to 11/15 $55.-1p. $85.-dbl

Wildwood Inn, fall rate $65.-1p., $80.-dbl

Alpenhof Lodge 9/10 to 10/31 $65/-1p. and $70.-dbl

Campgrounds:

Browns campground at Benton Crossing, which is a meadow along the Owens River. No hookups. It can be windy and cold in the fall, but the view of the Sierra makes up for it. $12-per night Convict Lake, open from 4/20 to 10/31, with nice quiet campsites along the creek. No showers.

CAPTION(S):

3 photos, box

Photo: (1 -- 2 -- color) There are just as many big trout feeding at Hot Creek in October as there are in the beginning of the season.

(3 -- color) Hot Creek is a fun place to fish, but there is one catch. You have to release everything you catch.

Roland Muschenetz/Special to the Daily News

Box: AT A GLANCE (See text)