Jim Stimson reports on 6.6.18

Sierra Nevada

There is a mixed bag of fishing conditions now. The weather has stabilized and we are having warm, summer-like conditions. I have been wet wading with pants (mosquitos) on the Upper Owens. The initial step into the river always comes with a gasp and pucker as the chilly water hits your skin but in general this is only shallow wading. The warm temperatures...

Jim Stimson reports on 5.31.18

Sierra Nevada 

The spring runoff is underway. As you drive along US 395, while keeping a wary eye open for migrating deer, check out Convict and Mammoth Creeks and of course the West Walker. The West Walker, in particular, is raging, off-color, and spectacular to see. Convict and Mammoth Creeks have spilled over their banks and are flooding the adjacent meadows....

Jim Stimson reports on 5.24.18

Sierra Wave

The spawn of the cutthroats is just about complete. There are fewer and fewer fish to be seen in the Upper Owens and nearby creeks. That said, if you do see some late spawners, please do not cast to fish that are sitting on redds. If you need to cross the river, look for those lighter colored areas in the gravel beds and avoid them. These are their spawning...

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 5.10.18

I am loving the weather now. We are a ways away from wet wading temperatures but those days are coming soon. It is nice not having to fish with a thick jacket and layers of clothing. With the spring runoff about to kick in, some of the creeks and rivers will be experiencing high, cold flows from the melting snowpack high above. In a nutshell, some of the watersheds...

Jim Stimson reports on 5.3.18

Well, it was a wild week with the weather and the fishing opener. We had tons of people, boats, wind, snow, rain, and some good fishing. It was fun! I spent Saturday tucked into the thickets and brush on one of the northern county streams and got into some nice fish, but I had a rubber hook weekend. I was a genius at hooking but an absolute dunce when it came to...

Jim Stimson reports on 4.26.18

Merry Fishmas! After a week hiking around in Utah (Spring Break), we are back at it; cleaning lines, replacing old leaders, and tying some bugs for the Trout Opener on Saturday. It looks like we might actually have some decent weather for a change. See you out there!

East Walker

165 cfs! Damned near perfect! You can expect the flows to fluctuate this spring and they...

Jim Stimson reports on 4.12.18

Eastern Sierra

We had LOTS of rain on Saturday. I believe the snow line was above 11K which made many of the freestone rivers blow out. The West Walker crested at over 1600 cfs with all of the snowmelt and runoff from the rain. Everything is settling to back to normal flows and now we are left with lots of wind, my favorite. The temperatures around the area are very...

Jim Stimson reports on 4.5.18

Eastern Sierra 

The weather bureaus are starting to send out alerts for this coming weekend. It appears that we have at least one more big, warm, wet, storm system in store for the area with flood warnings being posted as the snow line is going to be somewhere above 11,000 feet. If the weather is as wet as they are forecasting, beware of the roads out on the Upper Owens...

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...