Heenan report 9/1/07

[BigBill]

Went to Heenan over the weekend. It was my first trip to this unique fishery. I arrived at the gate a little early and waited patiently with 15 other cars to enter the parking lot.

Launched my tube at 7am to 64 degree surface temp. Landed my first fish within 5 minutes trolling an olive Bugger. It didn't put up much of a fight for a 20" fish. I didn't even have to get it on the reel, just stripped it right in and released it clean w/o having to remove it from the water.

The next fish didn't come for about 2 hours. Then all of a sudden I took 3 in about 45 minutes time, all in the same general area of one another. I found a big school I guess. 2 were fooled by the ever popular Heenan Prince nymph size 14 and the last of these fish took my dropper, a BH Zug Bug size 16. All 3 fish would of taped to about 18-20" but I didn't take them out of the water all the way to fully examine them, as the temp had increased to 70 on the surface by this time. These 3 fish DID put up a good fight and needed to be resuscitated a bit when released. Heenan cutts tend to roll over and sink when released so make sure you support them with a wet hand under their belly and gently nurse them back to health so that they can live on to propagate the species.

Another couple of hours went by socializing with a variety of friendly neighbors trying not to hook each other on our back casts or drift over each others lines. Then I got the biggest fish of the day. A fat 24" lunker aggressively munched down a size 12 Damsel nymph. This monster put up a good 5 minute fight and I was really putting the wood to it with the confidence only 3x tippet can provide. I really wish I would of had a camera for this beauty, the colors were amazing. I cleanly released the specimen to a crowd of excited onlookers and proceeded to kick my way around the lake for another 5 hours to no avail. I saw or heard of only 2 fish being caught the entire rest of the day. Spotty is a great way to describe the bite at Heenan on this day.

I landed a total of 5 fish, all between 18-24" and apparently that is a pretty good day on Heenan lake. Although 5 fish in about 10 hours of fishing CAN get a little tedious when your baking in the sun at elevation, I am still glad I went and will go back at least once more, probably in October. Tight Lines!

[Bill Quinn]

Thanks Bill for the report. Sounds like it was a worthwhile trip up the hill. Can't beat burning off a few calories flipn round the lake.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

It gets better as it gets cooler in October.

Thanks for the great report.

[Hairstacker]

Great report Bill, thanks! You obviously caught some great fish. Sounds like there's no point in staying past noontime at this point.

[Mik]

Those Heenan rainbows look prehistoric.

[Reno Flytyer]

They're Cutts, not Rainbows. #-o What's a pre-historic Rainbow look like?:?:
RFT

[dtp916]

What's a pre-historic Rainbow look like?:?:
RFT

Like a cutt 8)

[Hairstacker]

Like a cutt
:lol:

[Reno Flytyer]

:shock: I shudda known! :lol:
RFT

[dtp916]

:lol: :lol: :lol: :D i should do stand up :lol:

[BigBill]

I went back again today, sooner than I had anticipated and caught the exact same number of fish as last week, 5. Although I didn't catch anything over 20" this time. I also missed about 6 or 7 strikes :oops: .

I left by 2pm today, which was actually a mistake. My buddy stayed and said the bite turned back on around 5pm and landed 4 more by sunset :? Oh well, still another good day on Heenan.

ALL fish today were caught on olive buggers and black leeches. Most of the fish I missed today were on nymphs. They just weren't hitting the nymphs with the ferocity they did last week. Or I was just off on my hook set. I can't wait for the water to get cooler so the fish will move up a bit. They are still mostly holding in 12-15+ft of water right now.

Oh and I was right next to a guy who caught a 4lb Rainbow today, and talked with another person who said he caught a 16" bow last week. So, there ARE bows in Heenan, not just cutts. A guy I was talking to today was saying something about them being the same strain as the Crowley bows. :?:

[dtp916]

How is that possible?....Heenan is supposed to be a CA Heritage Trout Water, how can they have Lahontan Cutthroat and Eagle Lake Rainbows in the same water? They will interbreed and ruin the breeding stock of the Cutts...? I read somewhere they use Heenan as brood stock for planting/preserving cutthroat population.

Are the bows sterile or something? Where can I read more on this?

[BigBill]

How is that possible?....Heenan is supposed to be a CA Heritage Trout Water, how can they have Lahontan Cutthroat and Eagle Lake Rainbows in the same water? They will interbreed and ruin the breeding stock of the Cutts...? I read somewhere they use Heenan as brood stock for planting/preserving cutthroat population.

Are the bows sterile or something? Where can I read more on this?

I actually don't know a lot about it. You make a good point about interbreeding. The guy I was talking to was saying something about them coming in through the creek. His name was Jeffrey and he fishes Heenan pretty much every wknd, usually on Fridays. He was there with a group of people that I later learned to be guides for an outfit called troutfitters :?: somewhere down by Mammoth. Maybe he is a guide there also and could be contacted at the shop. Or Maybe someone else at the shop might know more. Let us know if you find out more.

[BigBill]

Actually, I just thought of something right after I posted my last message. I think the cutts from heenan are bread by humans. That is, when they swim up the creek to spawn, their eggs are collected manually by humans at the egg taking station and the fertilization process is done artificially.

I could be wrong but I believe this is what I read about heenan previously and what I'm guessing controls the interbreeding. If somebody knows for sure please post.

[dtp916]

Ok, after a brief search on the web, and looking at multiple Heenan fish pics - it appears they are all cutts, but some hybridized strain of them, as pure Lahontans are very rare.

Many of the fish look a lot like bows, but as of the moment, they are cutthroat. At least what I can gather online.

[Darian]

If these fish are CutBows, might they be sterile (many hybrids are) :?: :?: That would answer the question about how to separate them for spawning purposes.... :? :? :?

[dtp916]

Where did you read they were cutbows?

There is an active Lahontan Cutt egg facility on Heenan according to the maps I've seen and articles I read on the DFG website.

[Darian]

I didn't research it. It was just a surmise.... Since they apparently look like Rainbows and the guy BigBill was talking to said that they (Rainbows) could have come from a local creek. All from prior posts. 8)

Unfortunately, DFG isn't able to control what is done out of their sight and, since it seems that someone in this state is determined to carry out their own stocking program, it follows that it's not impossible to have Rainbows, CutBows or any other breed in Heenan or anywhere else for that matter.... 8) 8) 8)

[Dan L]

I've always enjoyed a day on Heenan and 5 fish is a pretty good day. As for there being rainbows in the lake, I doudt it. There are none in the creek running into the lake and if they migrated up from the Carson they would have to jump the dam. As long as I can remember there has always been a strain of silver cutts in the lake, especially the smaller fish.These fish probably are not pure strain cutthrout and they can spawn naturally in the creek that flows into the lake. The DFG know this and address it in how they manage the hatchery there. Go to: Cutthroat Trout Management at Heenan Wildlife Area. Many questions will be answered in this article.
I just feel fortunate to fish there.

Dan

[BigBill]

Ok, after a brief search on the web, and looking at multiple Heenan fish pics - it appears they are all cutts, but some hybridized strain of them, as pure Lahontans are very rare.

Many of the fish look a lot like bows, but as of the moment, they are cutthroat. At least what I can gather online.

I'm pretty sure I know the difference between a cuttthroat and a rainbow. I'm 90% certain I saw a very big rainbow yesterday. And, the guy who claims to have caught a 16" bow last week in Heenan, was a guide. So, I'm assuming he knows the difference too. There are probably rainbows in Heenan, I just don't know how they got there or how they are managed. Go there, fish, talk to your neighbors while on the lake, see for yourself first hand.

[jayclarkflyfishing]

Yes there are rainbows in Heenan as I landed one last season that was confirmed by Phil(DFG's representative at Heenan) and 2 other fisherman.I also caught a cuttbow last season.The LCT's in Heenan are Independence Lake strain and are a pure strain.The rainbows wash into the lake from the creek during high water years.There is now way for any fish to move up into the creek past the egg taking station as there is a barrier in place that diverts all cutts to be milked into the egg taking station.
As far as "silvery" looking LCT's these are juvenile females.I've caught lots of these guys at Heenan.
I hope this post clears up some misconceptions about the fish in Heenan.
Jay

[BigBill]

Yes there are rainbows in Heenan as I landed one last season that was confirmed by Phil(DFG's representative at Heenan) and 2 other fisherman.I also caught a cuttbow last season.The LCT's in Heenan are Independence Lake strain and are a pure strain.The rainbows wash into the lake from the creek during high water years.There is now way for any fish to move up into the creek past the egg taking station as there is a barrier in place that diverts all cutts to be milked into the egg taking station.
As far as "silvery" looking LCT's these are juvenile females.I've caught lots of these guys at Heenan.
I hope this post clears up some misconceptions about the fish in Heenan.
Jay

Cool, thanks for the clarification.