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.

Anjanette C. and John D. at the net with a great Lower Owens Wild Brown

The Lower Owens has been turned up and then back down since my last report. Going up to a very driftable flow of 325 cfs it is now down to 275cfs and almost guaranteed to fall from there. Fish have been on the prowl and hungry the entire time. Some really nice sized fish are coming out of the Lower Owens this year. Bugs are abundant and the river bottom is very healthy. The entire system seems to be in great shape this year.  Some dry fly top water action is being found on certain parts of the river.  These are usually Blue Winged Olives and they are a favorite food of the wild brown trout that reside in the Lower Owens. Try a Throax BWO in sizes #18-20, etha wing (cut wing) BWO’s, Para BWO and Classic BWO patterns all in #18-20 will get fish as they are surfacing to adult baetis. On the underwater side try; Robo PT’s #16-20, Sparkle Trigger #16-20, Crystal PT, #18-20, Bubble Back Emergers and Half Back emergers in #18-20, Poly wing emergers, and Zebra and Tigers Midges in greens, browns and creams seem to do the best  in sizes #18-20. Look for flows to drop even more around ThanksGiving time.

The East Walker is down to the mandated flow of 22cfs of fishing flowing water. Some fish are spawning so watch for frest gravel which also always reveals a red (fish nest) of some sort.  The river is healthy and the bottom is full of healthy weeds (bug sanctuary). While a small population of the trout are spawning most are eating to their hearts content.  Light nymph and dry dropper setups are the best way to trick the inhabitants of the East Walker. #18-22 pearl T- Midge poly wing emergers, Poly Wing Emergers in lighter and darker shades in sizes #18-22, Miracle Nymphs #18, WD-40’s in browns and grey in sizes #18-20. Baetis Emerger patterns such as; halfback emergers and poxy back BWO emergers also take fish. Fish these in #s 18-20.  On the surface, starting in the later morning baetis are on the surface with fish eating them in certain holes. A cut wing BWO or Extended Body BWO in #’s 18-20 will trick these fish on top.

Kai landed this 22" Fall Brown on Nov. 13 2010

Water is clear and continues to hover around 100cfs which is about right for the Upper O.  We are seeing  large fish and smaller fish with some being very large.  If your fish a dry fly expect the smaller fish of the population… Go down in the deeper holes and hook on to something that might leave you with your heart pounding as you realize what you should of done when he went for that undercut…… 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. 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. 

Jon Landed this Upper Owens Slab on a nymph setup Nov. 2010

Jeff K. with a Huge Hot Creek Brown 11.18.10

Hot Creek  is in good shape as the blasts of cooler weather have lowered the water temps- Weeds continue to die out of the lanes and collect in pads on the fronts of rocks downstream. Water is cool and low and some fish are starting to show spawning behavior. Caddis are left behind as BWO’s emerge and fish key on the adults on the surface. Dry fly action is what Hot Creek is known for and that is what is going to happen throughout the winter here.  On the surface fish a: Thorax BWO #20, Cut-Wing BWO patterns in #18-22, CDC Baetis and Para BWO’s in sizes 18-22 are a few suggestions that work well for this hatch. Under the water you can fish; #18-20 Halfback Emerger BWO’s, #18-20 loop wing emergers and poxy back BWO emergers, Poly Wing emergers #18-20, Small Tiger and Zebra midges in #18-22 and WD-40’s in #18-20. Some large fish are starting to move as this weather closes in…