Looks like July is going to come in hot with the Owens Valley seeing are first temperatures of the summer in the high 90’s to low 100’s. This should start melting the snow in the 9,000 to 13,000 foot range. If these temperatures persist there will be peak runoff in most streams and creeks in the Eastern Sierra in the next week or two. Backcountry is snowed in and there have been avalanche warnings. Long Valley, from Crowley Lake to the head waters on the Owens River, is inundated with mosquitoes and no see ums. I can’t believe I got two mosquitoes bites through my hair into my scalp. Nymphing is the primary method of fly fishing right now as few trout are feeding on the surface of Eastern Sierra streams.
Now is a great time of the year to learn how to fly fish like the Trucksess family leaning to fly cast at Browns on the River Campground.
Lower Owens River
Wild Trout Section:
The flows have dropped from 750 CFS to 550 CFS. Fly fishers have been fishing in the wild trout section. It’s still too high to safely wade. I don’t wade customers over 300 CFS. Fly fishers fishing from the banks need to careful as a lot of the banks are unstable from the high flows. Nymphing has been the successful way of fishing the wild trout section. Be sure to us enough weight in the flies or on the leader to get the flies to bounce the substrate where the trout are feeding.
Lower Owens River flows have come down to 550 CFS and fly fishers are exploring the wild trout section of the lower Owens River.
Hot Creek:
Interpretive Site:
Mosquitoes and no see ums are taking the fun out of fly fishing on Hot Creek. The mosquitoes are finding any unprotected skin or places where repellant did not get applied. Fishing nymphs with lots of weight down on the substrate is getting hookups for fly fishers. Stoner nymphs, olive quilldigons, bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears and scuds are fooling the wild trout.
Elise Minichiello showing off a typical brown trout she got in Hot Creek Canyon nymphing a riffle section. Photo from Elise Minichiello.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
The water is clear, high and fishable. The mosquitoes and no see ums are atrocious. Put on lots of clothes and insect repellant. Working your nymphs in the slower sections of the creek is providing the best action. It takes a lot of weight and the right drift to catch fish in the fast riffle sections. When I think of fishing Hot Creek this time of the year, I’m thinking lots of eight to 14 inch wild brown and rainbow trout. Right now I’m only landing a few trout, but they are in the 14 to 18 inch range. I figured out a long time ago that pulling streamers through the creek during runoff is a great way to entice the trout of Hot Creek to take flies. I like throwing a size 6 olive wooly bugger. I fish it around obstacles in the stream like weed beds and rocks.
First time fly fisher Scarlett Trucksess from San Clemente is fly fishing the upper Owens River.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
Fishing is tough and the mosquitoes are thick. Walking the banks of the upper Owens River I was pushing up hunderds of mosquitoes. I’m buying a head net just to keep the mosquitoes off my face. Yes, they are that thick up on the river. Success here is working your flies on the bottom with enough weight on the flies or on your tippet to allow your nymphs to work on the substrate. Bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, stoner nymphs and green/gold wire Prince nymphs are fooling a few wild and stocked trout.
A typical Crowley Lake midge eating brown trout.
Crowley Lake:
Water levels are coming up and fly fishers are working hard for their fish. McGee Bay and Sandy Point is where most of the boats, float tubers and kayaks are fishing the lake. Successful fly fishers are moving around finding where the trout are concentrated and feeding. The trout are taking tiger midges, zebra midges, gray midges and albino Barron’s. Fish these midge pupae patterns from three inches above the substrate to several feet.
Randi Pritchard from Eastern Sierra Reality hooked up to a wild brown trout that took a size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph fished under an indicator in Bishop Creek Canal.
Bishop Creek Canal:
Behind the Old Ford Dealer:
This spot is getting a lot of fishing pressure from spin fishermen and fly fishermen. It’s been one of the few consistent spots to catch trout in moving water. This is a great spot for both seasoned and beginner fly fishers. The trout have been taking a variety of nymphs including bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, Prince nymphs, San Juan worms in red and copper John’s six feet under an indicator. The Euro rod is producing lots of fish on stoner nymphs, perdigons, olive quilldigons, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs and green/gold Prince nymphs.