Ep. 61: Marshall Smith — Live From the Sierras on Trout Fishing the Eastern Range

Guest: Marshall Smith (Rick’s Sport Center) | Hosts: Daniel Dahlin ([FISH]rx), El Charly, Luke Dean (Bait Slingers / Artemis Charters)

Episode 61, recorded live on October 15, 2024, is a first for the show — a live field episode, with Luke and Marshall calling in from Bishop while actually on the ground in the Eastern Sierras. Marshall works at Rick’s Sport Center in Mammoth and knows the high country fishery intimately: which lakes hold bigger fish, why fly fishing is essentially required for the streams, and what the fall window looks like in the Mammoth Lakes area.

In This Episode

• Lakes vs. streams in the Eastern Sierras — Marshall’s framework: bigger fish come from the lakes, not the streams. The streams are productive but the fish are smaller. If you want size, target lakes. The streams near Mammoth feed the lakes — fish the inlets and outlet areas for the connection between them
• Crowley Lake — the lower portion below Bishop is considered its own section. Crowley has a wild trout section with special regulations. Marshall planned to take Luke out float tubing on Crowley the following day. One of the premier Eastern Sierra trout lakes
• Fly fishing as essential for streams — Marshall’s point: fly fishing isn’t mandatory in the Sierra streams, but it’s strongly advantageous. The presentation angle, the ability to mend line in current, and the low-profile entry into tight pools all favor fly gear. Conventional gear works but limits your options
• Spring and fall as peak windows — spring and fall are when lake trout are most accessible at depths and temperatures conventional anglers can reach. Summer pushes fish deep and the bite becomes more technical. Fall brings them up
• Live from the field format — this is the first episode where Luke was fishing while on the show. The concept of calling in live from the water is a format the show hadn’t tried before. The connection issues and spontaneity are part of what makes it memorable
• LA Fishing Fest recap — Daniel had just come back from LA Fishing Fest, where he ran two booth spots — one for [FISH]rx product and one for conversations. Meeting anglers who were already fishing his baits and connecting faces to usernames

Beyond the Rod & Reel with Marshall Smith

The live-from-the-field format was a genuine departure from the usual studio setup, and it worked because Marshall had the local knowledge to back it up. He wasn’t speculating about Sierra fishing — he was standing in it. The lakes vs. streams framework he laid out is the most practically useful thing in the episode for anyone planning a first Sierra trip: go to the lakes if you want size, know that fly fishing opens doors the streams won’t otherwise give you.

Marshall’s Crowley Lake knowledge is worth sitting with. The inlet/outlet structure logic he described — fish the points where streams enter the lake in spring, follow them to the outlets in fall — is the same current-and-transition thinking Daniel applies in the harbor. Different water, same reasoning. The spring and fall windows Marshall flagged as peak times line up with the same temperature-driven logic that governs SoCal inshore fishing. The species are different. The framework travels.

Watch the full episode on the Time On The Water YouTube channel. New episodes every Tuesday at 6 PM.