July 6, 2000
Greetings from a cool and breezy Rock
Creek. A cooler than normal pattern has been the norm here in the Eastern
Sierra for quite a few days now, with lows in the low 30's and highs in the
upper 50's. Today warmed into the low 60's and temperatures are expected
to warm slightly over the next few days. A slight chance of thunderstorms
is also in the forecast for the afternoons of Sunday and Monday. The cold
temperatures caught several campers off guard during the holiday weekend,
forcing many to scramble into the resort for warm clothes and hot drinks.
***FOURTH OF JULY INSANITY***
Speaking of the fourth, what an insane weekend. As business goes, everyone
in the area did great, but I'm not so sure that the environment fared as
well. Along the one-lane road going up to Mosquito Flat, cars were strewn
throughout all the turnouts and anywhere else they could find a place to park,
since every parking space was taken in all 3 parking areas. There was
heavy use of the trails, the lake, and all the campgrounds. Like Memorial
Weekend, every campsite in Rock Creek Canyon was full. I'm afraid to walk
around the lake for fear of what I will find lurking between the rocks, in the
willows and aspens, and in the lake itself. The amount of trash gathered
would be sickening. Should we do a bi-monthly trash walk around the
lake?? Do you think people would show up if they got nothing out of it
except personal satisfaction?
***FISHING***
Since my last newsletter, fishing in Rock Creek has gotten considerably
better. Alpers have been stocked recently, and DFG continues its weekly
stocking schedule. Several 3-5 pound rainbows have been caught in the past
2 weeks. Trolling wet flies and lures in the lake has been especially
productive. Frog Super Dupers and red/gold and perch Thomas Buoyants have
been great lures, both from shore and trolling. Flies that are working
well trolling are olive matukas, olive and black wooly buggers, and Twin Lakes
Specials. These same flies would also be great from a float tube or from
shore with either a fly/bubble combo or flyrod. Surface action has
increased dramatically in the past few weeks in the creek, lake, and
backcountry. Consequently, dry flies in the evening are also
advised. Try an elk hair caddis, female adams, mosquito, light cahill, or
other small dry (#16 or #18) that matches the hatch. As for bait, inflated
worms and Power Bait have been most productive in the lake. I will be
updating the current fishing conditions on the site by Sunday, so get the very
latest then.
***BEARS***
Bears have been cruising the campgrounds nightly looking the one camper that
forgot to store his food properly. Luckily, the bears have done little damage to
personal property since early June, except toss around the coolers of a few
careless campers. The bear boxes that were installed at the lake's tent
sites, Upper Pine Grove, and Pine Grove seem to be helping. Hopefully more
boxes will be installed in East Fork later in the summer. Each box costs
roughly $500, so to equip every campsite in the canyon would require a small
fortune. The company managing the campgrounds is slowly but surely working
on making this a reality, but it will take time. In the meantime, if your
site doesn't have a bear box, please do your part by storing your food and trash
responsibly, both day and night.
***WILDFLOWERS***
The wildflowers in Rock Creek are becoming more abundant by the day.
Shooting star, meadow penstemon, indian paintbrush, iris, tiger lily, mariposa
lily, columbine, monkshood, rain orchid, lupine, prickly poppy, wild rose,
onion, and many more can be found in various sections of Rock Creek.
Several of these can be found in the meadow near the pond between the resort and
Upper Pine Grove campground. I don't think this will be the most
impressive flower season due to the early snowmelt, dry spring weather, and
below normal snowfall this year, but what's out there is still very
impressive. Many have yet to materialize. The best time to catch the
flowers will be from now through the end of July.
***BUGS!!!!***
Yes, there are mosquitoes and a few biting flies around, especially around dusk,
but they are not nearly as bad as in years past. In the backcountry,
mosquitoes are far more active and prevalent than they are here at the
lake. Still, bring repellant to ensure they feed the fish, not feed off of
you.
That's about it for this newsletter, I guess. We never have anything
overly exciting happening here. Just a lot of fishing, hiking, mountain
biking, and relaxing. Well, that's fun if not exciting. Have a great
weekend, take it easy, and THINK CREEK!
Tim