Since my last post the Lower Owens has dropped to a perfect flow of 126cfs. The drift boat has been out and roaming the waters of the Lower O. Fish have been more than responsive with many holes holding incredible numbers of fish and some holes having a few.. Overall the fishing has been great! Small baetis and midges are bringing fish up to the surface for some dry fly action. Nymphing small PT’s, Tiger and Zebra Midges and small Soft Hackles will get you into fish all day long #’s 16-20.!! Streamers are also on the menu.. Fish your favorite streamer pattern here to feel many 30+ft handshakes…Also getting many good reports from anglers coming in the shop off the water here… A++ winter trout river!

Photos taken on 11/20

Unique spots of the the Brown above

The East Walker remains at a very cool 19cfs…. The water temps waiver around mid to high forties making it a safe temp for any trout.. The spawning action I have been witnessing has seemed to stop with no spawning action spotted as of 11/20..The nests are not clean looking anymore, although I would not step anywhere near these until the river has filled them in. Very light nymphing is what is needed to be successful here. No lead needed!.. . All small Midge patterns, PT’s and Robos in #18-20 are working well….Lots of midge and small mayfly surface activity for decent sized fish as well. The fish are also obviously eating perch (streamers are getting more attention now)as you can see in the photo of the much over eager brown I came across below. He really makes the phrase “biting off more than you can chew” come to mind…

ALMOST TIME TO FLOAT!!
The Lower Owens still produces fish to the die hard Lower Owens angler.. As of today the flow is 269 cfs, which is way down from last week and actually very fishable… Wait another week or so for the flows to drop below 200 cfs and it will be on even more!!. Fish midges, Hares Ears and caddis in #16 -#20..Streamers always get attention here.

(Fish caught on November 10th, 2009 by B. Priest)

The Upper Owens is flowing at a steady 58 cfs and has for some time… The BIG Crowley fish are still in and can be found in any pool or foam seam that has substantial depth to it. Though not every hole holds a trophy fish, one must move around from hole to hole to seek out these trophys fishing it correctly. Streamer action can still be found but the colder water has slowed the streamer bite down recently. Nymphing is the way to go with small black and red Poxy or Tigetr and Zebra midges #18 or so, and some SJ worms, hares ears and Small Pheasant Tail type stuff in midge sizes.

Upper Owens is coming along nicely with some nice trout coming out of this caldera spring creek. The entire river has fish of some sort or another.. Stockers can be found below the bridge.. Further on down toward Crowley Lake, some large lake fish can be found seeking refuge from the algae of Crowley in the oxygen rich waters on the Upper Owens… On above the bridge, my clients have been getting into some great crimson striped wild pointy tailed rainbows.. The river is getting better as the fall temps roll on in.. One can land fish on Hoppers and Beetles #10’s and 12’s. Caddis dries (EHC) in #14-18….Streamers in a couple of sizes larger, try #6 -12 in your favorite streamer pattern..Twin lakes specials are a good place to start or go straight to the double bunny depending on your mood. Nymphing deep with Red Copper Johns #12-16, Red Soft Hackles #14-18, Hares ears and PT’s #16-18 and small San Juans will get you fish all day. Also try small Zebra and Tiger midges in pearl and red..

Hot Creek is still being fish friendly by maintaining its stream bed covered with weeds! Things will start changing as the temps drop lower every night up here in the Eastern Sierra. Flows continue to be about the same as they have been this summer. Fish are still eating mostly caddis throughout the day .. I have recently seen active caddis in certain parts of the stream throughout the day and intensifying towards the evening and on into the night. Small mays can also be seen coming off in the morning with the fish giving them some attention.. Still a remarkable place to practice our art of fly fishing! For flies try small caddis dries off 6x; Elk Hair Caddis in #18-22, Hemmingway Caddis #18-20 and Partridge Caddis in #18-20 also.. #18-20 Adams, Sprout Baetis and Trico patterns are also good to have along. Hoppers and various attractors (ants and beetles) in #10-14 can also provide an accurate fly angler with action. Nymphs include #18-22 poxy back tricos, PT’s, Hares Ears, WD-40’s, furmiskys epoxy midge and various other similar patterns.. This is the true dream stream when fished properly!