FISHING REPORT >>
A Guides point of view on Eastern Sierras Hot Spots
December 12th Fishing Report Happy Holidays!
Pyramid lake has continued to provide some great fishing and good weather through the month of December! This is a great time to come out and check out this world-class fishery! The average size of the trout has grown this year, and many of our catches are in the 8-9lbs range. With good amounts of 10-13lb fish around and the big boys 15+lbs have been showing up more! The streamer bite has been great throughout the day, and when there is some chop on the water the indicator fishing has been outstanding. Both methods have been providing good numbers and Large fish!
I highly recommend putting this on your list! Fishing the lake from the comfort of a boat opens up 70% more of the lake and gives you a chance to fish for the World's largest Cutthroat Trout in solitude!! Let's get out and search for the trout of a lifetime together!
The Lower o has been staying at stable flows for the past few weeks and has been fishing great! With warmer weather and still some decent hatches this is a great time of year to be out on the lower!
The upper o has seen a good push of migratory fish into the system this season. With the fish comes the people as well, most days have been busy on the river, so knowing the key areas these fish hold with greatly up your chances of success in a day. Our guides have been on both of these fisheries consistently and are ready to show you a great day!
We have open dates in the coming weeks and would love to have you out on the water!
Pyramid Lake, Nevada
Flies: Balanced Leeches , Midges, Mahalo Nymph, Booby Flies, Beetles, Buggers, Game-Changer
Pyramid lake continues to prove why its known by many as a world-class trout fishery. The consistency of large fish this season has been of the charts! The weather has been very boat conducive, and getting to fish areas with no pressure has resulted in great days! The water temps have dropped into the high 40's and the fish have moved into the shallower ledges of the lake, searching for their next meal. There are still some bait balls of tui-chub around. These schools have not been visible, but have been suspended and getting pushed around by the giant trout. We have been fishing these schools in anywhere from 10-25 feet of water and have had great success. Stripping flies has been best during low light or glassy conditions on the lake. The indicator has been preforming phenomenally when we have even the slightest bit of chop on the water and as the wind comes up it only gets better! Balanced leech patterns have still accounted for most of our fish while indicator fishing, however midges have proven there success for not only numbers but some of our biggest fish of the season during mellow chop or glassy conditions.
Keeping your flies in the water is always the #1 game at pyramid, your never know when the big one is going to bite. Low light periods have provided great action but we have also found many of our larger specimens mid-day. So try to stay focused and keep fishing hard, the next cast could be the one your after. If you would like to work on double-haul casting and want to have a shot at the fish of your dreams, there is no better place to do it then Pyramid lake. I would love to share with you what I have learned. Lets get out on this world class fishery and make some memories!
Lower Owens River
Flows: 87 cfs
Dries: Iwan-E dun,Hackle stacker Bwo , Grifiths gnat, Parachute adams
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
The Lower Owens flows have came down to 87 and this should be about as low as we see them for the winter hopefully. These are still great flow rates and allow access to many areas in the wild-trout section that are very tough to access during higher flows and fish effectively. Take this time as an angler to walk areas of the river that you frequently fish and make a visual map of key holding areas, and any structure. This will make you a much better angler when the water levels do increase. This is a great fishery to learn or hone your techniques on, with many different types of water to challenge an angler. Fishing the Lower o is the perfect place to enjoy a day pursuing wild trout with a fly rod!
Upper Owens River
Flows: 108 CFS Above HC Confluence
116 CFS Below HC Confluence
Dries: x-2 caddis, Mercers Missing Link, Extended body pmd, Griffiths gnat
Nymphs: Poxyback Pmd , Solitude Jig Pmd, Rainbow Warrior , Zebra Midge
Streamers: Muddler Minnow, Seal Buggers, Olive Zonker, Simi-Seal leeches
The migratory crowley lake trout have began to fill the upper owens river for the winter months. We have seen a great push of fish this season due to ladwp bringing additional water into the owens via the east portal. This has brought an influx of cold water into the owens and triggered a big push of Browns and Bows into the river. The majority of the river above the benton crossing bridge is holding larger specimens of fish, and knowing what areas they like to hold in are key to success. The migratory fish are primarily
sub-surfaces feeders and nymphing with or without and indicator tends to be most productive. Dead drifting, swinging and stripping streamers will also provide some arm wrenching grabs. Attractor patterns tend to fish best during the winter months, making dead drifts and having correct leader length and weight is key to success on the owens. There is still no snow around yet but that could change as we move into the winter months.
Hot Creek
Special Regulations: Barbless Artificial, Catch and Release Only. PLEASE DO NOT WADE!
Flows: 8 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
Fishing on the creek was great this summer, now as we move into the winter flow rate. Its time to start downsizing tippet and fishing small bugs size 18-24. There are still some decent midge hatches in the morning that have been bringing the smaller residents to the surface. One small emerger trailed by a small nymph pattern on a euro-nymping rig has brought the best success for us as of lately. The trail into the canyon is still clear of snow, but this could change any week now as we move into more of a winter pattern. Over all Hot Creek has been fishing great. It’s definitely worth the stop.
East Walker River
Flows: 16 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, rainbow warrior, tung poison midge
Streamers: Sculpzilla, Cravens Double Gonga, Slumpbuster, Meat Whistle
We have hung up the towel for the winter months on the East walker due to low flows. The flows will most likely stay this way until March-April. Great news for the EW is that Bridgeport Fish enchantment foundation stocked 2000 brown trout in the east walker yesterday 11/21. These fish should be fattened up and in great shape by next spring.
Crowley Lake
Closed for the 2020 Season.
Midges: Crowley Pupa, 007 Pupa, Fillmore Midge, Albino Pupa, Red Hot
Streamers: Yellow Hornberg, Pheasent Rump Bugger, Black Leeches
Thanks to everyone who came out and enjoyed a day or a few on the lake it was a great summer and we appreciate you coming and fishing with us! We are looking forward to next summer on the lake!
