Mammoth Fly Fishing: Upper Owens River – 8.12.10

The Upper Owens is fishing great with fish to be found in pods in certain deeper holes in the river. Parts of the river seem to hold a few fish while other holes show you they are full of trout. Walking the bank with a good pair of polarized lenses will help you figure this out. Fishing seems to be the best in the morning hours and only slows down a little for the afternoon session. Not much in the way of fish rising on the surface except for the occasional random attack here and there. Hoppers can get some attention here when fished on the move. Nymphing is the best way to get into decent numbers of trout here. Fish a SJ worm #12-14 with a #18-20 hares ear, trigger nymph, disco midge, UV midge or T-Midge. The trout in the upper Owens seem to be responding to flashier smaller patterns. Use a indicator that can be easily adjusted as the curves and straits of the Upper Owens vary in depth. A few big fish can be found in from Crowley and this large fish count will only improve as the year rolls on.