Hungry Packer Lake 6/7-6/9
Posted: Tue Jun 10, 2014 12:41 pm
6/5-6/6 Drove up and arrived at Crane flat around midnight to witness roving bear activity and our neighbor using his high beams on his car to illuminate his camp set up activities as well as 20 other sites. In the morning stopped at mobil for a breakfast burrito and was at the TH at 10:30. Hiked up from Lake Sabrina trailhead under breezy conditions (nice after the inferno that was Bishop). Hiked past Dingleberry lake and about a knee high ford of the inlet stream. Barely any snow - maybe short 20 foot sections in a gully but that's about it. Approaching Sailor lake some decent thunderclouds and we got a light misting. Camped at hungry packer lake, which was about 40% covered with floating ice when we arrived.
Many brook trout especially in the small outlet lakelets. And most importantly, absolutely ZERO mosquitos the entire hike. We had hoped to hit the sweet spot between the melt and the hatch and we scored.
6/7 Hiked around the basin flyfishing the streams with great luck of smaller brookies. Moonlight falls was flowing well.
We noticed that along with the lack of blood sucking insects there were no people to be seen. We saw about four fisherman day hiking to the upper basin but that's it. Better action and bigger fish at Moonlight. Went back to camp and toasted to California Chrome with perhaps the finest mountain cocktail - frozen mint julep. 6/8. Woke up and the lake was almost completely ice free at this point. Dramatic change over the two days. Got to the car happy and cooled off in Bishop creek. And not a whiff of DEET in the air. I believe in a few more days the skeeters will be cranking up.
Many brook trout especially in the small outlet lakelets. And most importantly, absolutely ZERO mosquitos the entire hike. We had hoped to hit the sweet spot between the melt and the hatch and we scored.
6/7 Hiked around the basin flyfishing the streams with great luck of smaller brookies. Moonlight falls was flowing well.
We noticed that along with the lack of blood sucking insects there were no people to be seen. We saw about four fisherman day hiking to the upper basin but that's it. Better action and bigger fish at Moonlight. Went back to camp and toasted to California Chrome with perhaps the finest mountain cocktail - frozen mint julep. 6/8. Woke up and the lake was almost completely ice free at this point. Dramatic change over the two days. Got to the car happy and cooled off in Bishop creek. And not a whiff of DEET in the air. I believe in a few more days the skeeters will be cranking up.
