A thunderstorm hit the Sierra to close out a week of heat leaving the air clean and fresh from the rain. This past week temperatures got into the low 80's which is unseasonable for mid July, and more heat is expected next week. It's clouding up again and we are expecting more T-storms. Fishing got even better for the 2 hours of rain. Lots of small browns were bending my long rod in the evenings including some nice brookies.

Lures: Red/gold, watermelon, rainbow and plain gold Buoyants took the honors for the week, and 3/8 gold Kastmaster, super dupers. Some homemade jigs did a nice job for a couple anglers.

Bait: Night crawlers, baby crawlers, grubs, crickets and power worms worked well most of the week and even marshmallows topped with a salmon egg.

Flies: Olive elk hair caddis, black ants, black gnats, para-gnats, flying ants, and just about any black for surface action. Fly draggers used mostly Rickard's Stillwater emerger, black wooly buggers, Doc's special black buggers and some 2-fly rigs were also getting tugged. Big Virginia did well on small olive flash buggers, and also rust. I've been doing a fly and bubble using a grey hackle yellow, yellow sally and small Griffith's gnat.

Big fish for the week:

Abe Smith of Simi Valley, 3lb 10oz Alper on worms 7.12.10 Little Virginia
Barbara Singer of Sylmar, 2lb 7oz Alper on worms 7.12.10 Little Virginia
Bill Power of San Bernardino, 4lb Alper on 7.12.10 LV
Dustin Sumrow of Elk Grove, 3lb 12 oz on power worm 7.12.10 LV and 5lb 7oz
Ron Norton of Mira Loma 3lb 7oz Alper on gulp Rainbow candy 7.12.10 LV
Kiana Wymore age 5 of Rancho Cucamonga, 5lb 2oz Alpers on Rainbow Glitter 7.12.10 LV
Ryan Flores of Hemet age 10, 3lb 5oz Alper on Hatchery Pellet 7.13.10 LV
Kevin Brown of Oakhurst 4lb 7oz Alper on Hatchery Pellet 7.13.10 LV
Sierra Klase of Lake Isabella 4lb 10oz Alper on worm/egg rig 7.15.10 LV
Cole Crook of Placerville age 9, 2lb 14oz Alper on Salmon Peach Power bait 7.15.10 LV
Scott Suga of Monterey Park, 4lb 5oz Alper on Crappie Jig 7.15.10 and, 4lb 12 oz on Kastmaster LV
Neil Aragaki of Corona 3lb 1oz Alper on Power worm 7.16.10 LV