The Upper Owens continues to be a popular fishing destination with a panoramic view that is as beautiful as any… Flows are still low and water temps are good… The fish are not as concentrated as years past so spend less time in a hole if you are not getting trout attention. Small fish are up on the surface eating small dries here and there all day long… Most of these fish seem to be small browns. In the larger holes fishing can be excellent if you can find pods of fish are residing there. Hoppers can be flopped down for a bit of attention, but move around a lot if you are fishing hoppers as the fish usually pound them on the first presentation if they are willing. Streamers are always getting attention on the Upper O… Cast these to the opposite bank and tug back quickly… The fish will also usually hit these on the first presentation if they are feeling carnivorous… Fish the larger pockets with quicker strips leading into slower strips for a deeper presentation. Nymphing your basics will get you into fish here… Hares Ears, Pheasant tails, Red Copper Bobs, and Prince nymphs will get bitten if presented properly… the best method for the Upper O right now is to move from hole to hole covering lots of water while spending more time in the deeper holes where larger populations of fish reside..

The Upper O is fishing fair to good…. Flows are moderate at 65cfs and hatches of small caddis continue to come off in the AM and PM..Nymphing and stripping streamers will get you the most action on this water if there is NO surface activity.. Tiger midges, small PT’s, Hares ears and WD-40 type stuff are all still getting action.. Some small red Copper Johns as the top fly on the nymph string recently took some fish for me as well… Small Elk Hair Caddis and Griffith Gnat style patterns will see fish mouths when they are looking up.. For streamers one can tie on your pattern of choice and have some pretty good luck most times of the day.. Dont spook the fish with the streamers though, cast past them and have the proper set-up to get the pattern down to the fish..

The Lower Owens is now flowing at 192 out of PV dam. http://wsoweb.ladwp.com/Aqueduct/realtime/norealtime.htm
This is an excellent level for floating and fishing! The mid morning- afternoons seem to be when the fish really perk up and are on the prowl for food.. Caddis are a major player right now on this river. Nymphing with baetis and caddis emerger patterns will get you fish until they start looking up. Nymphing deep will also produce! PT’s, Hares Ears, z-wing caddis and the like will get you into fish.. Mid afternoon the fish start looking up and the river really becomes fun then! Elk Hair Caddis in size #16 will trick fish throughout this hatch. Comparaduns and Adams patterns will also imitate some of the mayflys that are on the water as well.

Hot Creek is running high but not too dirty at this point. Mammoth creek is feeding in the water at its upper parts and Hot Creek is flowing at 80 cfs as I write this report. Hatches seem to still roll off on this amazing fishery that can challenge the most educated fisherman.. Midges come off in the morning and seem to be around most of the day.. Later on BWO’s make an appearance with a few PMD’s mixed in. Caddis also put themselves the chow line and make a small appearance in the afternoon. Once again for flies use WD-40’s, Zebra or Tiger midges in sizes 18-20.. Tie on Pheasant Tails, Hares Ears, z-wing caddis in sizes #16-20..Don’t be afraid to experiment with different patterns that represent what I have mentioned above. For dries; partridge caddis, griffiths gnats, comparaduns, different CDC patterns, and adams patters will bring fish up. All in similar sizes to the nynmphs. I will sometinmes start with the slightly larger flies and then go down in size to determine the optimal setup. Adjust the indicator based on the creek characteristics for the pools and weed lanes.. Have fun!

Hot Creek Flow link.. http://wsoweb.ladwp.com/Aqueduct/realtime/lvrealtime.htm

The Upper Owens has some interesting flows going on right now below and above the Hot Creek confluence.. Both sections are fishable, yet high, with some dry fly and nymphing and streamer action. Water is cold yet fishable with heavy set-ups… look for the slower pools with definate seams to fish along.. if there is foam holding there is probably fish under it.. Tiger Midges, Disco midges, and midge dries will take fish.. Pheasant Tails, Hares Ears and bright Egg patterns will also get fish.. Fish the nymphs is sizes #16-18.. Midges #18-20.. Larger Streamers in browns and blacks will also produce.. On top Elk Hair Caddis, Griffiths Gnats, and Adams patters with trick upper o fish to the surface.. This fishery will get better as the water warms and the flows subside a little..