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Winter storms move through the Eastern Sierra. After the storms comes periods of sunshine and warming days. Its predicted that the Eastern Sierra will have a week to 10 days of sunshine and warm days. Right now we are in what I call the winter doldrums, December 15, through mid to late January. The shortest sunshine day has come and gone. As daylight increase so will the insect activity. For now midge and mayfly nymphs are what the trout are feeding on. With the cold water temperatures the trout’s need for calories is at its lowest. Nymphing is the most successful method of fly fishing. Proper weight is what is needed along with multiple drifts through the area that the fly fisher thinks the trout are holding to catch the trout.
Sometimes you run into unexpected wildlife as you wander the Eastern Sierra fly fishing.
Lower Owens River
Wild Trout Section:
There are rainbows and browns to be caught in the lower Owens River on nymphs. Present your nymphs with an indicator rig or a Euro nymph rig. Key to success is to thoroughly cover the water with lots of casts. The trout will not move to take your nymphs. You need to put the nymphs right in front of the trout’s nose. This is not a guarantee the trout will take your nymph pattern. Be sure you have the proper weight on your tippet or in your flies to allow the nymphs to slowly bounce over the substate. Midges are the trout’s main diet this time of the year. Use size 20 midge nymph and midge pupae in blood, zebra and tiger coloration. Trout are taking blue wing olive nymph patterns like bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs in size 18, olive quilldigons in size 18, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs in size 16 and Jedi Master baetis in size 18.
Ryan Haggerty from Woodbridge learned how to Euro nymph and managed to land a pretty rainbow before the day was over.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
As the weather warms up it will be easier to access the Interpretive Site. On the right days there will be trout feeding on the surface mostly on midges. There will be the occasional blue wing olive mayfly hatching. Fish with size 20 Griffith gnats, size 20 mosquitoes and gray midges on the surface during the hatch. Nymphing with midge nymphs, midge pupae and blue wing olive nymphs is the most productive way of fishing the creek. Use size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 20 midge and pupae nymphs in zebra, tiger and blood coloration.
The most recent storm left a little bit of snow on the banks of Hot Creek at the Interpretive Site.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
It requires a little more effort to get into the Canyon Section of Hot Creek. It’s a great area to be nymphing in the winter time. Use a dry and dropper rig to present the nymph to the trout without spooking them in the low clear water. For the dry fly use a size 16 Adams parachute, a size 12 mini Chernobyl Ant and a size 14 stimulator. For the nymphs use size 20 blood, zebra and tiger coloration midge patterns, size 18 slim shady, size 18 Jedi Master baetis, size 12 olive scuds, size 12 olive burlap caddis, size 18 olive quilldigons and size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs
Trophy rainbow trout are what fly fishers are looking to catch on nymphs in the upper Owens River.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
The roads are muddy, full of snow and have frozen mud puddles requiring fly fishers wanting to access the river above Benton Crossing Bridge to use four wheel drive vehicles if you want to drive beyond the parking area at the old bridge abutments. There are trophy rainbow trout in the river. The key is covering lots of water to find them. Successful fly fishers are making 40 to 80 casts into deep runs, deep pools and alongside cutbanks. Size 12 stoner nymphs, size 12 green/gold wire Prince nymphs, size 12 gold ribbed hare’s ears variations, size 14 copper John’s and size 12 rainbow warriors are the flies fooling the trophy rainbow trout when fished on a Euro nymphing rig or indicator rig.
Low clear water in Bishop Creek Canal means fly fisher need to find deeper holes and riffle sections where they will not spook trout.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
Approaching the trout in the canal is tough as the water is low and clear. Try fishing the deeper holes and faster riffle sections. Fly fishers are less likely to spook fish in these spots. Success here is nymphing with size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 20 midges in blood, zebra and tiger coloration, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 12 stoner nymphs and size 16 SOS nymphs. Wild browns and holdover rainbow trout are taking a properly fished nymph pattern.