THE GLORIOUS EASTERN SIERRA WITH CHRIS LEONARD
Many of us have favorite spots in our home waters around Bishop, Mammoth and Bridgeport, but only a few have studied them with a guide’s eye. As we make the four hour drive up 395, the questions arise. Lower O in the morning, Hot Creek or the Upper in the afternoon? Carry on to Bridgeport and the East Walker? Where are the flows and is the wind going to blow us out of Long Ears (or Years, if you prefer.) Our July presenter, local guide and Mammoth resident Chris Leonard can help. His program looks at times of the year, fly choice, and tactics for the major Eastern Sierra streams. Veterans of these waters and those just starting their Sierra adventure will all learn from Chris’ insights. As the area is starting to re-open because of COVID, there is no better time to get the latest reports.
Chris will bring to the club his local knowledge of how to improve your odds of a successful day on three of his favorite fisheries: Hot Creek, the Upper Owens, and the San Joaquin River. Hot Creek is undoubtedly Chris’s favorite moving water fishery. He averages about 75 days a year on this blue-ribbon creek. The Upper Owens is one of the most beginner friendly rivers in the area. And the San Joaquin River is an absolute gem. It is second to none in regard to the pristine beauty of its natural surroundings. Chris will discuss where, when, and how to best fish these waters. He will also touch a bit on two of his other favorite fisheries: The East Walker River and Crowley Lake. Please join us as we gear up for what is going to be a productive and lengthy summer of fly fishing in the Mammoth Lakes region.
Tune in by ZOOM and stick around for the Q and A at the end – that’s often the best part!
Chris is a Southern California native, having graduated from La Canada High School in 1993. He continued his education at Chico State, earning a BA degree in International Relations in 1998. Upon finishing his education at Chico, he enlisted in the US Peace Corps, and served as a TEFL teacher at a public middle and high school in Central Transylvania. This began his career as an educator, having taught at Foothills Middle School in Arcadia, California from 2001 – 2004, before moving to his current home in Mammoth Lakes, California in 2004. Chris Leonard is a teacher at Mammoth High School. His greatest passions are education and fly fishing, making him a choice fly fishing instructor and on-water guide. He guides through Kittredge Sports during the summer, also weekends and holidays during the school year. Rivers and lakes. Tenkara and Western rods. He began fly fishing when he moved to Mammoth Lakes, California. His favorite waters to fish and guide include the Owens River, Hot Creek, Rush Creek, Rock Creek, San Joaquin River, and Crowley Lake. A seasoned traveler, he has chased trout as close as the Western US, as far away as the Midwest, Eastern US (he earned his MA in Education at the School for International Training in Brattleboro, Vermont), Central America and South America. He has hooked chrome in the Pacific Northwest, redfish in NOLA, and bonefish, permit, and tarpon in Belize. Ask Chris about the Mammoth High School Fly Fishing Club. He takes local Mammoth kids out on the water to teach them how to fly fish!
