The mountains are in need of snow. There may be a storm on the horizon. Time will tell. In the meantime access to waters in Long Valley that were snowed in last year are vehicle accessible this year. Catching trout on dry flies in December is a treat. Mayflies and midges are offering dry fly opportunities. Nymphing continues to be the most productive method of catching trout in Eastern Sierra waters. Persistence is the key to success for winter fly fishing. Just keep putting the fly in the water and eventually the trout will take it.
Landing brown trout on Griffith’s gnats dry flies on a Tenkara Tanuki rod in December on Pine Creek is a real treat.
Lower Owens River
Wild Trout Section:
Flows continue to be too high to safely wade the river. If the mountains continue to be dry there is a good chance the flows will drop below 300 CFS first of the year. Looking forward to fly fishing the lower Owens River this winter.
Flows are still too high on the wild trout section of the lower Owens River to safely wade.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
Easy access to the creek makes this the choice of a lot of fly fishers. Nymphing with 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, Frenchie’s and olive quilldigons are the imitations to use for imitating the mayfly nymphs in the creek. Size 18 or 20 tiger midges, zebra midges and brassies are good midge nymph imitations. This is a water that pays off for fly fishers who are persistent with their casts. The more casts you put in the water the more trout you will hook up.
Hot Creek Canyon gets cold in the afternoons as the shadows creep in this time of year.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
With the steeper gradient the trout feed more reactionary than selective. This makes the canyon a slightly easier to fish water than the interpretive site. Nymphing requires fly fishers to cover the water thoroughly with lots of casts to guarantee their flies float in front of the trout. More casts produce more trout. Midge nymphs like tiger midges, zebra midges and brassies in size 18 or 20 are productive patterns. Mayfly nymphs like bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, Frenchie’s and olive quilldigons are the productive mayfly imitations. Other flies worth fishing are scuds, egg patterns and worms.
Working nymphs on the outside bends of deep holes is how you get hooked up with trophy trout on the upper Owens River.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
Vehicle access is wide open right now with no snow on the ground. Trophy trout are in the water, but not in any quantity. Working the outside bends of deep holes with gold ribbed hare’s ears, stoner nymphs, green/gold Prince nymphs, egg patterns and squirmy wormies with lots of casts working the flies on the substrate is what is going to produce trophy trout for the persistent fly fisher. With the trout spread throughout the river fly fishers need to cover lots of deep pools, deep runs and cut banks to find trophy trout willing to take their fly patterns. A mid-day hatch has trout up to 12 inches coming to the surface to feed.
Las Vegas firemen Justin and Cameron learning how to properly work nymphs under an indicator and with a dry and dropper on Bishop Creek Canal.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind the Old Ford Dealer:
A mid-day hatch of blue wing olive mayflies has a few trout coming to the surface to feed on the emerging mayflies. Blue wing olive parachutes, Adams parachutes and olive sparkle duns in size 20 and 22 are fooling the surface feeding trout. Nymphing continues to be the most productive method of fooling the wild brown trout. Use size 20 and 22 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, olive quilldigons, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs , Frenchie’s , tiger midges and zebra midges. Best fishing has been between 10:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M.