Weather should warm up for the weekend. A spring storm left snow at upper elevations and very little rain in Bishop. With spring comes warmer weather and hatches of mayflies, midges and caddisflies. Dry fly activity will increase as more insects go from nymphs to the adult terrestrial stage. Nymphing will continues to be the most productive method of fly fishing Eastern Sierra waters. There will be a few more winter type storms before spring becomes summer.
Spring weather in the Owens Valley makes fly fishing on the lower Owens River a perfect water to nymph and dry fly fish.
Lower Owens River
Wild Trout Section:
Flows are down to 100 CFS and the trout are taking nymphs. Dry fly activity has been slowed down by the change in water flows. Trout are feeding on mayfly nymphs mid-day. Fish with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 SOS nymphs, size 16 hot spot pheasant tail nymph, size 18 Frenchie’s and size 18 jedi Master Baetis. The fish are feeding on midges and caddis during the day. Fish with size 20 blood midges, tiger midges and zebra midges, size 16 gold ribbed hare’s ears and size 18 Duracell nymphs.
Nymphing holes right below riffles with nymphs under an indicator or with a Euro rig is fooling the wild rainbow trout and brown trout in the wild trout section of the lower Owens River.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
Hatches of midges and blue wing olives are bringing trout to the surface. The midges are too small to imitate as an individual. The best way to imitate them is to use a cluster midge pattern like a Griffith’s gnat in size 24. Using size 20 blue wing olive parachutes, size 20 Adams parachutes and size 20 sparkle duns are fooling a few of the rising trout. Nymphing has been producing trout with size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 SOS nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons and size 20 blood midges, zebra midges and tiger midges.
Nymphing the pools in the Interpretive Site with nymphs are fooling the wild rainbow and brown trout..
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
Access into the canyon section of Hot Creek is wide open and the few fly fishers that are taking advantage of the nymphing are finding wild rainbow and brown trout willing to take nymphs bounced along the substrate. Work the nymphs in the flats and through the holes. There are trout all through the waters in the canyon. Fishing with a dry and dropper or a Euro nymph rig is the way to offer the nymph patterns to the trout. Nymph with size 20 tiger midges, size 20 zebra midges, size 20 blood midges, size 20 soft hackle brassies, size 18 SOS nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 18 Jedi Master Baetis.
Fly fishers fishing mid-day with blue wing olive dry flies and nymphs are fooling 8 to 12 inch wild brown and rainbow trout in the upper Owens River.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
There are mud puddles and muddy roads to contend with when driving out to the upper Owens River above Benton Crossing Bridge. The winter trophy rainbow trout run has just about finished for the year. There are a few trophy rainbow trout sprinkled throughout the river for the die hard fly fishers looking to catch one of the trophy rainbow trout. Use size 12 gold ribbed hare’s ears variations, size 12 green/gold wire Prince nymphs and size 12 stoner nymphs fished in the deep holes, deep pools and cut banks. Eight to 12 inch wild brown and rainbow trout can be caught mid-day during the blue wing olive hatch. On the surface fish with size 18 blue wing olive parachutes, size 18 olive sparkle duns and size 18 Adams parachutes. A size 18 elk hair caddis will fool a few of the resident trout. Nymphing with size 18 tiger midges, size 18 zebra midges, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 18 olive quilldigons on the substrate will fool the trout. Cutthroats will start to appear in the river end of April or beginning of May. Now is the time to plan your trophy cutthroat trip to the upper Owens River.
It's hard not to spook the trout in the flat sections of Bishop Creek Canal with the low clear water.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
Spooky trout are what fly fishers will find in most sections of Bishop Creek Canal due to the clear low water levels in the canal. The best spots to fish are the deeper holes and the faster riffle sections. Holes below DWP weirs are a great place to fish without spooking the trout. Nymphing is producing the bulk of the trout in the canal. Nymph with size 16 SOS nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 20 tiger and zebra midges.