The Upper Owens is a classic spring creek which originates from a ground water spring called Big Springs. The river meanders through open grassy meadow for 26 miles with the mid-upper sections flowing through two private ranches until reaching the northern end of Crowley Lake. Void of trees and bushes, the angler here concentrates on approaching the water as to not spook fish instead of worrying about losing your fly on the backcast.

During spawning runs many brown and rainbow trout find their way up the Upper O and remain there for some time. In these times anglers can experience some of the hottest fishing around. These fish can be found residing in the Upper O throughout the summer. On occasion a cutthroat will make the journey up river to call the Upper O its home. The classic hairpin turns, undercut banks and large pools harbor the resident and migrant spawning trout allowing for large numbers of large fish! Streamers pulled by the undercut banks can produce some aggressive takes as the fish appear out of nowhere, this can also filter out the bigger fish.

The whole area is surrounded by the eastern sierra to the west and north, and the white mountain range to the east making it a beautiful panoramic valley. The upper O is worthy of being any fly anglers destination.