FISHING REPORT >>
A Guides point of view on Eastern Sierras Hot Spots
July 7th Fishing Report
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The Eastern Sierras continue to provide many great opportunities for the fly fisherman this Summer! Most all of our waterways are in great shape right now and are fishing well. The weather the past few weeks has been phenomenal and it looks like that trend will continue for weeks to come.
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Crowley Lake has still been our primary stillwater fishery this season, and has been proving why it is known as one of the best stillwater fisheries in California. Midges are still equating for 80% of the trout's diet. They are keying in on the damsel and callibaetis hatch mid morning that last for a few hours. Still no sign of perch fry, but we shouldn't be waiting much longer!
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The Upper Owens has been providing some great dry fly action on small hopper patterns. There has also been some good caddis and pmd hatches that the larger specimens have been focusing on early morning.
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The Lower Owens flows have came back down to 250cfs, this is a perfect flow for fishing the river mid summer. There has been some dry fly action, but tight line nymphing has still been the most productive.
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The East Walker has been fishing decent, the water temps have begun to warm and the fishing definitely slows mid-day. Key times to be on the water are early mornings.
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Our Team of guides are on the water with or without clients daily, and are constantly doing the research to ensure you have an unmatched experience.
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We have open dates in the coming weeks and would love to have you out on the water!
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For Flies, Fishing gear or licenses make sure to go by Ricks Sport Center in Mammoth Lakes!
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Crowley Lake
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Midges: Albino Baron, Copper Tiger, Fillmore Midge, Albino Pupa
Streamers: Hula Damsel, Rickards Callibaetis, Black Leeches, Balanced Damsel, Balanced Pheasant tail
The Crowley lake fish have still been on the chew, and have been congregated of the drop-offs and deeper bays around the lake. There hasn't been one stand out spot the past week, as some days one spot is red-hot and the next day another spot is. Our team of guides have been spreading out and locating the best area to fish each day. It has still been a deeper water game so far, but look for this to change in the coming weeks as the other forage and water temps increase. We have been seeing the start of a good damsel hatch, the weed beds aren't fully developed yet but they are getting very close. As this happens the trout will begin to cruise the weed lines and search for damsel nymphs along with their usual food source the chironomid. The algae has started to build throughout the lake, it hasn't disrupted fishing at all, but the lake seems to be in the mid-stages of turning over. Once this happens water clarity will greatly improve and the shallow water action should be game on! The quality of the fish this season has been the best in the past 5 years, with many large wide bodied fish in all species. Lets get out on the lake and have some fun!
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East Walker River
Flows: 93 CFS
Dries: Mercers Missing Link, Yellow Sally, Fat Albert, Sparkle PMD, Chubby Chernobyl
Nymphs: Barr's Pmd emerger, Radiation baetis, Mercers Poxyback Pmd , GTI Caddis, Fox poppah, Split Case PMD, Solitude Stone, Pats Rubber Leg, Cdc pheasant tail
Streamers: Sculpzilla, Cravens Double Gonga, Slumpbuster, Meat Whistle
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The water temps on the river has started to climb in the past week. We have been fishing the river early in the mornings and continually checking out the flows through the day. We have been packing it up when the water temps reach the 68 degree mark. With the flows being low for this time of year and water temps climbing, please try your best to help protect this phenomenal fishery. The Rivers flows have been lower than normal due to less snowpack this season, which makes you have to switch up your game-plan a bit. The rivers substrate was never flushed this season, due to the flows not going above 200cfs. This has created some algae in the upper sections of the miracle mile. Nymphing in this section has required to cleaning your flies constantly, so lighter unweighted patterns have fished best in the upper stretches. As you move down the river the algae lessens. Caddis, Yellow Sallies, and Pmd's have been the key focus for the trout the past weeks, with some hatches providing some dry fly windows. Nymphing has still provided the most success over the past weeks, with Euro-nymphing being the most productive. If you are interested in learning how to euro-nymph, we would love to teach you and have specific gear and flies for you to use. This is one of our favorite methods of fishing the river due to versatility and function. It's shaping up to be another great season on the EW!!
We are very excited and looking forward to spending another great summer on one of the best tailwater fisheries in California with you! If you haven't came and fished the east walker it is a must and will definitely have you coming back.
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Lower Owens River
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Flows: 249 cfs
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Dries: x-2 caddis, Mercers Missing Link, Sparkle Pmd, Extended body pmd
Nymphs: Hogans S&M Nymph, Caddis Pupa, Rainbow Warrior, Caddis Larva, Cdc Pheasent Tail
Streamers: Pheasant Rump buggers, Rj Special, Zoo Cougar, Matuka, Gray/Silver Buggers
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The Lower Owens flows have came back down to perfect flow rates for summer fishing. Tight-Line Nymphing in the upper stretches of the river has been phenomenal this season and will continue! We have been seeing great hatches this spring/summer and the trout have been very active. The Nymph fishing has been productive through the morning but picks up as the day progresses . The Dry fly fishing has been best mid morning till mid afternoon and keeps you on the river without lunch until generally around 2pm. The Spring has always been my favorite time to fish the lower and it is in great shape right now!
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Upper Owens River
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Flows: 66 CFS Above HC Confluence
81 CFS Below HC Confluence
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Dries: Stalcups hopper, Parachute hopper, Mercers Missing Link, Extended body pmd
Nymphs: Poxyback Pmd , Solitude Jig Pmd, Rainbow Warrior , Zebra Midge
Streamers: Muddler Minnow, Seal Buggers, Olive Zonker, Simi-Seal leeches
The hoppers have created a feeding frenzy throughout times in the day! The upper o has been a blast the past few weeks, with fish consistently looking up. Caddis & pmd's have also been on the trout's menu in the mornings. As the wind picks up its time to put on the hopper and have some fun. Hopper dropper fishing has also been providing some solid action during windless periods. This action should continue for the next couple of weeks! The upper has also been a great option for a combo trip starting on Crowley in the morning and finishing the day on the upper for some great hopper fishing.
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Hot Creek
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Special Regulations: Barbless Artificial, Catch and Release Only. PLEASE DO NOT WADE!
Flows: 15 cfs
Dries: Hackle stacker BWO, Mercers Missing Link, Hot Creek Caddis
Nymphs: Iron Lotus, Walts Worm, Mercers Micro May, Hot Spot Scud, BTS, Zebra midge
Streamers: Muddler Minnow, Matuka, Balanced Leeches
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Hot Creek is back!
Fishing on the creek has continued to impress. There is no need to get up at sunrise in order to “catch the hatch.”
Make your breakfast, sip your coffee and stroll down at a reasonable hour. You will find midges and beatis working if you happen to be an early riser. As the morning progresses, take note of the hopper activityty and rig yourself up a classic hopper / dropper rig. Drop a hot creek caddis emerger as your bottom fly and you will not be disappointed. There are abundant healthy smaller fish to keep you entertained while you search for some bigger targets. 5x will work on the surface while using larger patterns like a hopper but if you choose to downsize match that tippet with 6x fluorocarbon. Keep your eyes peeled for PMD’s as fish will definitely key in on these when present. Over all Hot Creek has been fishing great. It’s definitely worth the stop. Remember to check out Ricks Sports Center for the best fly selection in the Mammoth Lakes area. Their knowledgable staff will provide you with the right recipe.
Pyramid Lake, Nevada
Currently closed will re-open October 1st
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Flies: Balanced Leeches , Midges, Mahalo Nymph, Booby Flies, Beetles, Buggers, Game-Changer
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Lets get out on the Lake and Search for your next Giant when the Lake Re-Opens!
If you would like to come out and experience this World Class Fishery, or have any questions regarding Trip Details or Accommodations Contact me by Phone at (951) 764-7146
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