Eastern Sierra Fly Fishing Report

The flows have been holding steady at 350 cfs, which for a lot of rivers in the West, doesn’t seem like much water, but keep in mind the Owens River flows down a fairly narrow river channel. 350 cfs is rippin’ fast when it is squeezed between the river banks. When the water is rippin’ try fishing the margins. Trout don’t like to “tread” water all day, it’s too tiring. They like to hunker down in the quiet water along the banks. Just beware, the river is very swift now and not for the faint of heart. If you must make a crossing, choose your route carefully. Always have an “exit” in mind in case you get swept away. The trout are in there, but they are a lot of work. Make sure you add plenty of split shot, a couple of BB’s, to get down to the fish. Attractor patterns like copper johns or prince nymphs with a green caddis worm dropper was working well. 

There are a lot of fish up high in the river system, above the Hot Creek Confluence and the Longyear Ranch. This part of the river is flowing steady at about 50 cfs. The water is cold and clear with many fish having made the migration out of the Crowley Reservoir seeking cooler water. The most successful fishing is in the faster, disturbed water and the shady undercut river banks. Because the water is so transparent, these areas give you the best cover to make your drifts. Copper johns, prince nymphs as attractors with drowned trico spinners worked well in the morning. And don’t ignore the tried and true, almost redundant pheasant tails. What a great bug, still.