Jim Stimson Reports on 10.23.2019

Yikes! November is barking at the door…. say it isn’t so! I saw the first hint of Christmas decorations at the local supermarket. The autumn colors are slipping past their prime. Once we get a hard frost and some wind, fall will be over. The temperatures are cold now with morning lows in the 20’s. Fishing, and catching are good, depending on where you go.  The fishing is stellar with large rainbows and browns cruising up the Owens River from the Crowley Reservoir. Stripping leeches and perch fry will get you some major grabs and porkulent trout. Have fun out there!

East Walker

The East Walker is cruising along at 140 cfs and the water temps are dropping with the frigid nights. Game on! There are a potpourri of bugs cruising around but they seem to prefer small mayflies, like sized 22. The river fishes really well at these current flows.

West Walker

The river has dropped considerably thru the canyon and is at 67 cfs. Try patterns like San Juans or Prince Nymphs, big attractors, and fish the margins. Dry droppers work really well at these flows.

San Joaquin

The road is open and the flows are 11 cfs. The shuttle busses are no longer running so you are allowed to drive your own vehicle down into the canyon. You still need to pay an entrance fee for access. I fished down there a couple of weeks ago and the river is really “boney” with crystal clear water. There are lots of nice little browns and rainbows if you scout around.

Hot Creek

The creek is flowing through the canyon at 180 cfs. Target your casts to the feeding lanes between the weeds and rocks, plus the overhanging grasses along the margins. You may not see fish, but they are there. Try a dry-dropper setup with a caddis above and a midge or small mayfly below.

Upper Owens River

The flows are 112 cfs but these are readings taken high in the river system. Once Hot Creek dumps into the mid-section the flows are closer to over 165 cfs. More and more trout are pushing up into the river system from the reservoir. There are some really nice fish to be had with balanced leeches and punk perch.

Lower Owens River

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is doing a flushing / scouring purge of the Gorge and the lower river, mandated by Fish and Wildlife. The Lower Owens flows have been bumped up to almost 703 cfs. I would avoid these sections of the river until normal flows are reestablished. These high flows will be good for the health of the river down the line as it cleans out years of sediment and debris.

Jim Stimson Reports on 10.17.18

Mid-October! The autumn colors are in their prime. Once we get a hard frost and some wind, fall will be over. The temperatures are cold now with morning lows in the 20’s. The fish seem to be edgy and charged up for autumn. The fishing is good with large rainbows and browns cruising up the Owens River from the Crowley Reservoir. Stripping leeches and perch fry will get you some major grabs and porkulent trout. Have fun out there!

East Walker

The East Walker is cruising along at 140 cfs and the water temps are dropping with the frigid nights. Game on! There are a potpourri of bugs cruising around but they seem to prefer small mayflies, like sized 22. The river fishes really well at these current flows. 

West Walker

The river has dropped considerably thru the canyon and is at 67 cfs. Try patterns like San Juans or Prince Nymphs, big attractors, and fish the margins. Dry droppers work really well at these flows.

San Joaquin

The road is open and the flows are 38. The shuttle busses are no longer running so you are allowed to drive your own vehicle down into the canyon. You still need to pay an entrance fee for access. I fished down there a couple of weeks ago and the river is really “boney” with crystal clear water. There are lots of nice little browns and rainbows if you scout around. 

Hot Creek

The creek is flowing through the canyon at 51 cfs. Target your casts to the feeding lanes between the weeds and rocks, plus the overhanging grasses along the margins. You may not see fish, but they are there. Try a dry-dropper setup with a caddis above and a midge or small mayfly below.

Upper Owens River

The flows are 114 cfs but these are readings taken high in the river system. Once Hot Creek dumps into the mid-section the flows are closer to over 165 cfs. More and more trout are pushing up into the river system from the reservoir. There are some really nice fish to be had with balanced leeches and punk perch.

Lower Owens River

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is doing a flushing / scouring purge of the Gorge and the lower river, mandated by Fish and Wildlife. The Lower Owens flows have been bumped up to almost 703 cfs. I would avoid these sections of the river until normal flows are reestablished. These high flows will be good for the health of the river down the line as it cleans out years of sediment and debris.

Jim Stimson Reports on 10.3.2019

October…. scheesh! Where does the time go? We received a dusting of snow over the weekend. Sonora and Tioga Passes have were closed temporarily but have reopened. The temperatures are cold now with morning lows in the 20’s. The fish seem to be edgy and charged up for autumn. I fished yesterday on the Upper Owens and it was ridiculous good. I had one of my best days of trout fishing ever, anywhere. It was crazy fun. The rainbows especially were on the “chew.” They are keying in on perch fry…… 

East Walker

The East Walker is cruising along at 222 cfs and the water temps are dropping with the frigid nights. Game on! There are a potpourri of bugs cruising around but they seem to prefer small mayflies, like sized 22. The river fishes really well at these current flows. 

West Walker

The river has dropped considerably thru the canyon and is at 67 cfs. Try patterns like San Juans or Prince Nymphs, big attractors, and fish the margins. Dry droppers work really well at these flows.

San Joaquin

The road is open and the flows are 20. The shuttle busses are no longer running so you are allowed to drive your own vehicle down into the canyon. You still need to pay an entrance fee for access. I fished down there a couple of weeks ago and the river is really “boney” with crystal clear water. There are lots of nice little browns and rainbows if you scout around. 

Hot Creek

The creek is flowing through the canyon at 57 cfs. Target your casts to the feeding lanes between the weeds and rocks, plus the overhanging grasses along the margins. There are some nice fish lying in ambush for hoppers falling into the creek. You may not see fish, but they are there. Try a dry-dropper setup with a hopper above and midges or caddis below.

Upper Owens River

The flows are 111 cfs but these are readings taken high in the river system. Once Hot Creek dumps into the mid-section the flows are closer to over 170 cfs. More and more trout are pushing up into the river system from the reservoir. There are some really nice fish to be had with hoppers and Chernobyl ants. The grasshopper infestation is still happening but as the mornings temps are in the 30’s, I cannot imagine the hoppers to be around much longer.

Lower Owens River

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is doing a flushing / scouring purge of the Gorge and the lower river, mandated by Fish and Wildlife. The Lower Owens flows have been bumped up to almost 700 cfs. I would avoid these sections of the river until normal flows are reestablished. These high flows will be good for the health of the river down the line as it cleans out years of sediment and debris.

Jim Stimson reports on 9.26.2019
Enjoy these last days of summer for the weather is about to take a turn, at least temporarily. Expect some precipitation, wind, and temperatures dipping into the teens this weekend. Make sure you bring extra clothing, a Jet Boil to make some hot beverages, or a bottle of Schnapps. 

East Walker 

The East Walker is cruising along at 224 cfs and the water temps are dropping with the frigid nights. Game on! There are a potpourri of bugs cruising around but they seem to prefer small mayflies. The river fishes really well at these current flows.

West Walker

The river has dropped considerably thru the canyon and is at 74 cfs. Try patterns like San Juans or Prince Nymphs, big attractors, and fish the margins. Dry droppers work really well at these flows.

San Joaquin River

Hot Creek

The creek is flowing through the canyon at 54 cfs. Target your casts to the feeding lanes between the weeds and rocks, plus the overhanging grasses along the margins. There are some nice fish lying in ambush for hoppers falling into the creek. You may not see fish, but they are there. Try a dry-dropper setup with a hopper above and midges or caddis below.

Upper Owens River

Lower Owens River

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power is doing a flushing / scouring purge of the Gorge and the lower river, mandated by Fish and Wildlife. The Lower Owens flows have been bumped up to almost 700 cfs. I would avoid these sections of the river until normal flows are reestablished. These high flows will be good for the health of the river down the line as it cleans out years of sediment and debris.

Jim Stimson reports on 5.17.18

‘Tis the season for spawning cutthroats coming out of Crowley Lake. Please do not cast to fish that are sitting on redds. Also, if you need to cross the river, look for those lighter colored areas in the gravel beds and avoid them. These are their redds and are loaded with thousands of cutthroat eggs. Although it is really tempting to fish for large, colored up trout...

Jim Stimson reports on 3.29.18

I believe we have turned the corner on winter. The morning temperatures are still crisp but it warms quickly with the sun being so high in the sky. The month of March turned out to be the “Miracle” as promised with a plethora of snow in the high country. The preliminary readings at Mammoth Pass indicate that we are close to normal for the season. This bodes well for...

Jim Stimson reports on 3.22.18

Whoa! The Eastside is getting some major rain and snow. The Town has received over a foot of heavy, gloppy snow just overnight. The ski area has over two feet and is expecting another two feet today. My wife is a teacher at the elementary school in Mammoth and they have called for a Red Day. The roads in Mammoth are a mess. We have not turned the corner on winter yet.

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Jim Stimson reports on 3.16.18

Don’t put away your warm clothes yet, winter still lingers in the Eastern Sierra. The ski area is reporting anywhere between a foot and two feet of new snow from this latest system with more on the way. A word of caution for the Upper Owens, be careful driving out there. With the new snow, some of the roads are sketchy. If it looks mucky, err on the side of caution....

Jim Stimson reports on 8.10.17

Do you like fishing with hoppers? Who doesn’t like hurling out large dry flies, plopping them onto the water’s surface with not a care in the world for delicate presentations, and then actually being able to see the fly bobbing high along the river’s edge? And the grabs?! Hang on! There is no sippy-slurpy subtleties…. there is chaos as the water explodes when Mr.Trout...