Afternoon thunder clouds have been slowing the amount of runoff entering streams. This is good for the snowpack as we do not want it to melt all at once. Unfortunately over the Memorial Day weekend there were a couple of water related incidents and one of them was a fatality. I cannot stress enough the seriousness of the stream conditions during this record snow runoff. I fished McGee Creek this week and was more cautious than ever walking the banks and wading in the stream. This is a creek that I normally wade in the water anywhere I want. The water was high and extremely cold. I’m continuing to find spots to fly fish and catch fish. Nymphing or pulling streamers have been the productive methods. Owens River Gorge will be closed for three weeks for springtime riparian flows from June 6 to June 25, 2023. Long Valley Dam to Control Power Plant will be closed.
Heading back to the vehicles on 395 from the confluence of McGee Creek and Convict Creek as the storm roles in.
Lower Owens River
Wild Trout Section:
This section of the river is closed to vehicle access and is unsafe to fly fish. I will be fishing here this fall, probably October, when the flows slow down to 300 CFS or less.
The left bank of the lower Owens River was graded and straightened out leading into the Five Bridges Crossing to keep the lower Owens River form eroding the bank and taking out Five Bridges Road.
Hot Creek:
Interpretive Site:
This is one of the few creeks that fly fishers will be able to access and fly fish during runoff. Nymphing will be the primary method of fishing the creek. I’m using bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, stoner nymphs, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs and gray caddis pupae. Key to success here is fishing in the mornings before the wind comes up and using enough weight to get the flies bouncing on the substrate. I find heavy snow runoff a great time to be throwing olive streamers.
Hot Creek is high and off color, but is offering the best spot for fly fishers to catch trout during the runoff with nymphs and streamers.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
This section is being the most effected by the runoff and spring conditions. I would be in the canyon in the morning and gone as soon as the wind comes up in the early afternoon. Nymphing under an indicator or with a Euro nymph rig is the most productive method. Some riffles in the canyon require two to three BB shop to keep the flies on the substrate where the trout are feeding. I like throwing a size 6 olive wooly bugger across the stream and strip it back making it work around instream structures like boulders where the browns are hanging out. The fish are not feeding on the wooly bugger, but being territorial and hitting the fly to get the bugger out of their territory. Expect lots of hits, but not necessarily a lot of hookups.
Upper Owen River is tough to fly fish right now with high off colored water and no concentration of cutthroats in the river.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
Roads are not totally dried out yet and I would be careful where I’m driving. I’ve gotten stuck in the mud on the upper Owens River is the past and do not want to dig myself out again or call Frosty 4 Wheeler to recover my truck. Cutthroats are not in the river in any kind of concentration. Water levels continue to be high and off color. Tough fly fishing here right now.
Fly fishing with midges in 20 feet of water in the north arm of Crowley Lake produces hookups.
Crowley Lake:
While the streams are dealing with runoff problems the lake has stabilized and is offering good fly fishing with midges and balanced leeches in 15 to 20 feet of water. The bulk of the guides and boats are fishing in the north arm of the lake from Sandy Point to Green Banks. Tiger midges and zebra midges are consistently producing trout when fished three inches to three feet off the lake bottom. I’ve been using a balanced leech to help get the midges down on the lakes substrate. Perch balanced leeches and black and blue balanced leeches are producing perch, browns and cutthroats. Most fly fishers are quitting by early afternoon when the wind comes up.
High dirty water is not keeping the trout from feeding on nymphs like the brown trout Marco Chu is hooked up to.
Bishop Creek Canal:
Behind the Old Ford Dealer:
The water is high and off color and looks unfishable. I guided on the canal twice last week and was surprised to be catching trout in these runoff conditions. I’m fishing the Euro rod and using 9 to 11 mm worth of tungsten beads on three fly patterns in the canal. Stoner nymphs, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, olive quilldigons, and rainbow warriors are the flies producing trout for me and my clients. Key to success is having the right weight to keep the flies in contact with the substrate and fishing slow and deliberately covering all the water. The canal is a great water to learn new techniques.