The regular fishing season comes to an end on Friday November 15th, 2024 on waters of the Eastern Sierra. This primarily effects the lakes that have a marina or business on the lake. Starting Saturday November 16th, 2024 most moving waters go to catch and release with barbless lures or flies. To check the status of a water you want to fish check out the CDFW alphabetical list of waters with special fishing regulations. Nice days are interrupted by a day or two of stormy weather. Most of are storms come in with the wind and go out with the wind. The storms are bringing in snow that is slowly covering the peaks of the mountains. Mayflies, midges and caddis are the insects that the trout are feeding on the surface and on the substrate. Streamers are producing trophy trout in still waters and streams.
Fishing with two or three flies gives fly fishers the opportunities to land doubles like this brown and rainbow trout from the lower Owens River that took an olive quilldigon and SOS nymph on a three fly Euro Rig.
Lower Owens River
Wild Trout Section:
Fly fishing on the lower Owens River wild trout section is now open. Yes I know that the river is open to year round fishing, but once the flows drop from their summer high flows it’s like an opening day on the River. With little to no fishing pressure all summer the trout are eagerly taking flies presented to them. Flows on the lower Owens River in the wild trout section are at 200 CFS and dropping. Mid-day hatches of blue wing olive mayflies are feeding the trout. Nymphing with SOS nymphs, olive quilldigons, bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and hot spot pheasant tail nymphs in sizes 16 and 18 are producing wild brown and rainbow trout. If you’re on the right hole when the hatch brings the trout to the surface to feed on the mayfly duns fish with a size 20 blue wing olive parachute, size 20 blue wing olive sparkle dun and a size 20 Adams parachute.
Fly fishing season has begun on the lower Owens River as flows are now at safe wading levels and fish are taking nymphs.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
Mid-morning hatches of blue wing olive mayflies are bringing the trout to the surface. Success here is having a drag free drift with an imitation of the stage the trout are feeding on. On the interpretive Site fish a size 20 blue wing olive parachute, size 20 blue wing olive sparkle dun and size 20 Adams parachutes. I like to fish a dry and dry fly rig to allow the fly fisher the ability to see an indicator fly when they cannot see the tiny fly patterns that are imitating the hatching insects. For the indicator fly I like a size 16 Adams parachute. It’s highly visible on the water and some trout will take it off the surface.
It’s that time of the year when the crowds are gone from Hot Creek despite a good hatch of blue wing olive mayflies.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
The canyon section lends its self to nymphing. Nymphing with an indicator, Euro rig or dry and dropper rig will produce trout. I find that the dry and dropper rig is the most successful way to fly fish the canyon section. I use a size 16 Adams parachute on the surface with two feet of 5X fluorocarbon tied to the bend of the hook on the Adams parachute. For the nymph use size 16 hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 16 SOS nymphs and size 18 tiger and zebra midges.
Whiskey Bay and all of Crowley Lake will close an hour after sunset on Friday November 15th, 2024.
Crowley Lake
Whiskey Bay:
Crowley Lake and the Owens River from Crowley Lake to Benton Crossing Bridge closes on Friday November 15th, 2024. Pulling streamers from shore or from a float tube is producing trophy brown and rainbow trout. Winds and snow makes it miserable to fly fish on the lake. Fishing streamers on a full sink line allows fly fishers to work different depths to determine where the trout are holding in the water column. I use different retrieve until I can find the retrieve the trout want to take. I fish olive or black size 6 or 10 wooly buggers, slumpbusters and size 10 perch colored balanced leeches
Trophy brown trout are always special when you get the opportunity to land one in the Owens River in the fall.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
Trophy trout numbers in the upper Owens River are increasing. Fly fishing with size 12 stoner nymphs, size 12 green/gold wire Prince nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons and size 14 copper John’s in the deep holes, deep runs and cut banks are producing trophy brown and rainbow trout. An early afternoon blue wing olive mayfly hatch is bringing fish to the surface to feed on the hatching duns. Fish with a size 20 blue wing olive parachute, size 20 sparkle dun and size 20 Adams parachute. Throwing size 6 or 10 olive slumpbusters, black wooly buggers and size 10 hornbergs is fooling the trophy rainbows and browns.
Fall colors and low flows are typical fall fly fishing conditions on Bishop Creek Canal.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
There are lots of trout visible in the low clear water in Bishop Creek Canal. The trout are supper spooky and hard to get to take a fly. I like to stay way back and make 30 to 50 foot casts upstream with a dry and dropper rig. For the dry fly I use a simulator or an Adams parachute. For the nymphs fish with size 18 blood, zebra and tiger midges, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear, size 18 olive quilldigons, and size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs.