Big Winter Bow- Mammoth Lake, CA Upper Owens River

Mammoth Fly Fishing : Upper Owens Dec 2010

The Upper Owens continues to be inhabited with some really way above average sized  fish! You can continue to walk along the bank and see large torpedo shaped objects shooting off for cover as you move from hole to hole… marking those areas and returning a while later after they forget of your passing can also be successful. As of now you can drive about 3/4 of a mile up towards the first gate until you hit a really large snow drift where the road has a dip adding to the depth of the snow. Those are my tracks that attempted to cross it and got denied with .5 hours of digging after that.  Don’t expect crowds on the Upper Owens right now. We have been the only people up there the last few weeks in our visits.   Going under the water for the BIG trout nymph with #14-18 PT nymphs of different styles (robo, crystal, sparkle), Hares Ears Bead Head and Flash Back in sizes #14, 18,  Tiger and Zebra Midges in a variety of colours in sizes #16-20, Poly Wing Midge emergers #’s 18-20, Trigger Nymphs #16-20.  A San Juan worm is also always a good choice for these oversized river inhabitants.  For surface activity expect to see baetis (BWO) and small caddis over the water. Streamers sunk deep will also get you large fish.. Try Slumpbusters, Double Bunnies and large Wooly Bugger style streamers to bring out the larger inhabitants of the river after you have put a array of nymphs by their lips.