The heat and mosquitoes say it’s summer time. Upper elevation waters are warm during the days. Snow runoff is swelling waters, but they’re still fishable. Hatching insects are fueling the trout’s feeding frenzy. The trout are feeding on midges, mayflies, caddis flies and stoneflies on the surface and on the substrate of streams and lakes. With the warm weather backcountry waters are becoming available to hikers and fly fishers. Carp, bluegill and bass are hitting top water flies as well as nymphs and streamer. Now is the time to visit the Eastern Sierra for great fly fishing. Sierra Bright Dot Guides are available to take you fly fishing on the waters of the Eastern Sierra.
Snow runoff is increasing the flows of freestone streams in the Eastern Sierra to their highest levels of the season like Rock Creek.
Owens River Gorge
Middle Gorge Power Plant:
With the warm weather, an increase in rattlesnake activity and the growth of stinging nettles it’s time to leave the Owens River Gorge alone tell fall.
It’s way too hot to walk in and out of the Owens River Gorge during the summer months.
East Walker River
Below Bridgeport Reservoir:
Mayfly and caddis hatches continue to offer good dry fly opportunities for fly fishers. On the surface fish with Adams parachutes, blue wing olive parachutes, elk hair caddis, EC caddis and X-caddis. Nymphing is producing fish every day when Euro nymphing or fishing under an indicator. Nymphing is the most productive method of fishing the river right now. On the Euro rig fish with stoner nymphs, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, olive quilldigons, olive burlap caddis, cream caddis and Duracell jigs. On the right days trophy trout can be enticed with streamers. Use patterns that resemble Sacramento perch, trout or sculpins. Olive matukas, olive sculpins and balanced leeches are fooling trout.
Nymphing under an indicator or with a Euro rig is producing nice size rainbow trout on the East Walker River.
San Joaquin River
Reds Meadow to Agnew Meadow:
No report on the opening of the San Joaquin River yet as I’m busy guiding on Hot Creek, the upper Owens River and Bishop Creek Canal.
Wild brown trout are feeding on the emerging blue wing olive nymphs in Hot Creek Canyon.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
Runoff is still effecting the flows on the creek. This is not slowing down the mayflies, stoneflies and caddis that are hatching. The trout are coming to the surface to feed on blue wing olives, pale morning duns and caddis. Best dry flies have been size 20 blue wing olive parachutes, size 20 Adams parachutes, size 20 olive sparkle duns, size 16 PMD parachutes, size 16 PMD sparkle duns and size 20 gray elk hair caddis. Nymphing continues to be productive during the snow runoff with size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears nymphs, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 18 olive quilldigons.
Mid-day nymphing is producing trout when fishing with an olive quilldigon under an indicator..
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
Nymphing in the faster water sections of Hot Creek Canyon is producing wild trout from 8 to 16 inches. Nymphing with an indicator three feet above the nymph with a size 1 split shot 12 inches above the fly is the rig that is producing trout. Fish with olive quilldigons, bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, stoner nymphs and hot spot pheasant tail nymphs. The hatch starts by 9:00 A.M. and is over by early afternoon. On the surface fish with PMD parachutes, little yellow stones and Adams parachutes.
McGee Bay on Crowley Lake is as full as it gets and is a long walk from HWY 395 to fish from shore.
Crowley Lake
North Landing:
North Landing Road continues to be close as roads around the lake in this area are flooded. The flotilla of boats is spread out in the McGee – Hilton Bay areas of the lake. The fish are in 20 feet or less of water and taking tiger midges, zebra midges, gray midges and albino Barron’s. If you’re not getting hits than change your flies and or change the distance off the bottom of the lake you’re suspending your nymph. Float tubers are working big and little Hilton Bay. There is float tube opportunities in the Crooked Creek arm of the lake for fly fishers without a boat.
Todd Eliassen from Santa Barbra showing off a brown trout that took a size 18 olive quilldigon on a Euro rig.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
An increase in flows makes the fly fishing in the river improve. With runoff the margins of the banks are flooded making walking the edges of the river wet and mucky. Midges and mayflies are hatching and the trout are feeding on them. There are some larger brown trout taking nymphs bounced of the substrate. Euro nymphing is the most productive method of fly fishing the river right now. The trout are taking stoner nymphs, green/gold Prince nymphs, Frenchie’s, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs and olive quilldigons. The browns are running from six inches to 20 inches. There are a few juvenile rainbows feeding on the nymphs. Griffiths gnats, PMD parachutes, blue wing olive parachutes and Adams parachutes are producing trout on the surface.
Flows in Bishop Creek Canal are up and muddy, but the trout are still taking nymphs.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
With day time temperature pushing towards the 100 degree mark fishing on the canal is hot middle of the day. Best fly fishing has been early in the morning or late in the day. The evening caddis hatch is fun and producing good numbers of wild brown trout. Skittering a size 16 peacock elk hair caddis, olive elk hair caddis and brown elk hair caddis in the evening is a great way to end a hot day in Bishop. Be sure to use lots of insect repellent as the mosquitoes are thick in the evening.