The Upper Owens is fishing better and better as springtime rolls around leaving the ground wet and more accessable each day. A variety of sizes of trout are in the Upper Owens right now. Some people are battling the hogs of the river while others seem to get into a steady catch of 13-16 inch trout. Flow is down and perfectly managable at 87cfs. Mayflies and Caddis are seen over the water with repsonse from the smaller trout. For the bigger fish one must nymph or strip streamers.  SJ worms #8-12, Robo PT’s, Flashback PT’s, and Trigger Nymphs and in #’s 16-20, Hares Ears #16-20, Tigers and Zebras #16-20, Poly wing emergers #18-20. Prince Nymphs and various copper Jons are also some flies to fool the trout of the upper Owens with.

The East Walker was fishing great with some really good sized trout coming out up until they let this much water out. At 800+ cfs the release at the dam is one scary sight!. Look for this to drop down to somewhat reasonable flows in the future (hopefully near) After feeding and fighting  the river at current flows we will see  how the trout fare when the river is back down to reasonable levels. I am predicting we will see some pumped up, ,meat fed, fat, and very strong trout! 

The East Walker has patches of snow here and there adding beauty to the desert/mountain landscape. Flows are healthy and perfect for this time of year at around 112 cfs. Fish are hungry and being caught. Some larger bows and browns have been on the prowl recently! This year sets up to be a great year as a lot of snow runoff is poised above the Walker drainage.  Look for a higher CFS (riverflow) this year..but do not fear it! This will push many baitfish (meat) into the river system allowing the EW residents to grow at higher rates than eating larvae and nymphs alone! As of now the river is fishing great. Patterns to try are: Miracle Nymph #18-20, T-Midge emerger in olive and pearl #18-20, Flash Bang and JuJu Bee Midges in #’s 18-20, Barrs, poxyback, and Halfback Baetis emergers in sizes #16-20.  Different types of San Juan Worms can be fished with success as well.  Streamers will get attention but as spring rolls in we will see more action on our meaty offerings (slumpbusters, double bunnies, rock knocker sculpins, muddlers, Big head todds and Buggers just to name a few)….  A definate fishing destination for any angler no matter where they call thier home water.

Hot Creek continues to flow at a low winter rate.  The recent warmer winter weather seemed to spur the fish on to be less selective about patterns thrown once the bite is on. The half alive weeds have remained and there seem to be a few more than last year. That being said, there is still way less foliage then one would see in the summer months. A baetis hatch can come off Strong on some days anywhere from late morning to late afternoon. This hatch usually lasts 45 minutes to one hour.  Midges will be present most of the day with varied responses from the trout.  Many things can be fished here at this time.  For suggestiong on the surface try: Thorax BWO #18-22, Etha Wing BWO #18-22, Classic BWO #18-20, and CDC BWO #20. Under the water go to: WD-40’s #18-22, Tiger and Zebra Midges #18-22, Red Disco Midges #20-22, Half Back Baetis emergers #18-20, Epoxy Back Baetis #18-22, Loop wing Emergers #18-20, T-midge Emergers #18-22, Pheasant Tails #16-20 and even some small green caddis worm imitations will do here.

The Upper Owens is flowing at 130cfs and the fish are getting more hungry. A few people have been walking up from the Benton Crossing Bridge and getting into some action with very large Rainbows. Access by vehicle is limited for the moment because of the snowy roads conditions. We will see what this next storm will dump to determine when we can enter by vehicle. People have been taking fish of all sizes on: San Juan Worms #12-14, Prince Nymphs (peacock and purple) #14-18, Pheasant Tail Nymphs #16-20,  All sorts of Zebra and Tiger Combos in #’s 16-20.  Emerging BWO patterns (bubbleback, trigger, splitback) #16-20 and Copper Johns in copper, red and greens have all taken fish recently. Streamers of your favorite varitey fished correctly will also do well (large buggers, slumpbusters, zonkers, bunny strips and Grey Ghosts) fish these deep in black holes and close to the deeper undercuts for action.  One must move more when fishing streamers in this water at the moment.

Hot Creek is accessable by a small snowy hike of about 15-40 minutes from the entrance of Hot Creek Ranch. Once down there one can expect to find midge activity and BWO activity on warmer days. Water is low and probably as weedless as it will be this year. Small midge patterns in sizes #18-22 (tiger, zebras, poly-wing emergers) fish these in blacks- olives. Baetis (BWO) emergers (Epoxy back BWO, Split Back BWO and Half Back BWO’s are just a few of the patterns to try all in sizes #18-20. On the surface fish: 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.

The East Walker is running at a low winter flow of around 22-25 cfs. Temperatures are down and snow is up but whats important is the fish continue to eat, a lot! The thing is one must present the right flies to get these highly selective trout to take our carefully placed fly patterns. Look to nymph shallow and light in most holes and runs, a minimum amount of shot is needed to arrive at the bottom where the fish live. The same patterns hold true as in my last report:  #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. Recently, Flash Bang midges have really shined in cream and red colours in sizes #18, see these at the shop, they are very similar to JuJu Bee’s. Baetis Emerger patterns such as; halfback emergers and poxy back BWO emergers also take fish. Fish these in #s 18-20.  On the surface,for a suggestion, try a  cut wing BWO or Extended Body BWO in #’s 18-20 to trick these fish on top. Flash bang midges continue to get a ton of
attention on the east walker. Look for great fishing and some big fish on the move  from this water.