The Eastern Sierra has been getting snow storms at upper elevations and rain in the Owens Valley since the beginning of November. Mammoth Mountain is reporting a record snow pack of 695 inches at Main Lodge. There is a ton of water up in the mountains. It’s just waiting for it to warm up so that it can turn in to water and fill up the streams and lakes. It’s going to be a huge runoff this year. Road crews throughout Inyo and Mono counties are working on getting all of the snow cleared up. It’s a slow process that gets slowed down every time there is another snow storm. The freestone creeks are running clear and offering good fly fishing opportunities in the foothills and the Owens Valley.
This lake is flowing over Pleasant Valley Dam Road on the way into Pleasant Valley Campground.
Lower Owens River
Wild Trout Section:
Pleasant Valley Dam Road is now open to Pleasant Valley Reservoir. Chalk Bluff Road is open to the cattle grate at the bottom end of Pleasant Valley Campground. City of Los Angeles is pumping water down the Owens River. The spawning channel is flowing like a river once again. Fly fishers can try fishing with streamers or lots of weight on their nymph rigs. Fishing right now is tough and I’m not going to fish in these high flows.
This is the spawning channel at the intersection of Pleasant Valley Dam Road and Chalk Bluff Road.
Hot Creek:
Interpretive Site:
Hot Creek Hatchery Road is now open to Hot Creek Ranch. There is enough parking at the end of Hot Creek Hatchery Road, end of plowing, for four vehicles. There are no tracks into the interpretive site and there is a four to five foot wall of snow to scale to get on top of the snow to walk out. It is not doable without snowshoes. I’m rating this as inaccessible at this time.
Way out in the background at the base of the hill is the interpretive site buried in four to five feet of snow with a layer of fresh powder on top.
Hot Creek:
Canyon Section:
The walk into the canyon section had a trail and was easier then accessing the interpretive site. I saw a number of tourist walking out the trail without snowshoes. I think getting in and out of the canyon is going to require lots of work. Access to the canyon is only for the energetic angler willing to work to get into the canyon to fly fish.
There was one lane plowed as far as I could see on Benton Crossing Road which continues to be closed.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
No access to the upper Owens River as Benton Crossing Road continues to be closed at the Green Church. Road crews are continuing to work on the road, snow storms allowing.
I took advantage of clearing water on the canal to work my trio of Euro nymphs to fool a few browns and this pretty rainbow trout that took a perdigon.
Bishop Creek Canal:
Behind the Ford Dealer:
Flows are up and the water was clear enough for me to try fishing for a couple of hours. The faster water sections did not produce any fish. Working the slower pools and flats in the canal produced a nice rainbow on a perdigon. Rainbow trout seem to be suckers for brightly colored flies. Bishop Creek above the canal produced three wild brown trout that took the stoner and the pheasant tail nymph.
Gorge Road is closed to accessing the gorge and control power plant.
Owens River Gorge
Upper and Middle Gorge:
The road to the gorge is closed and there is no access for fly fishers at this time. Flows in the gorge are running above 500 CFS which is making it unsafe to fly fish in the gorge at this time.