Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Report 08-16-2024

The summer doldrums are hitting the Eastern Sierra. Middle of the day fly fishing is tough on waters that are warming up towards that 70 degree mark and has little or no insect activity. Best fly fishing is in the morning when the insects are active and the water is in the mid 60’s or less. If the stream temperatures in the afternoons is in the mid-60’s or less try fly fishing with hoppers. Most of the hoppers I’m seeing on the water are small like sizes 12 or 14. Tan bodied stimulators, tan parachute hoppers and tan bodied Dave’s hoppers are the hopper patterns that are producing trout. Fly fishers need to implement volunteer Hoot Owl restrictions. Owls are most often seen or heard by fly fishers early or late in the day. This is the time fly fishers should be on the water fly fishing. When water temperatures are 68 to 70 trout need to be released quickly. No pictures of trout out of the water, no stomach samples and land them as quick as possible. At 70 degrees and higher the mortality rate of catch and release trout increases greatly. No catch and release fly fishing when the water temperatures are at 70 degrees or higher. Hatches of caddis, mayflies and midges are what is creating the feeding activity of the trout.

During the summer months fly fishers need to check the water temperatures of the waters they fish so they can stop fly fishing when water temperatures reach 70 degrees or higher.

Hot Creek

Interpretive Site:

No hatches makes it tough to get the trout to come to the surface. Look for trico hatches early in the morning. After that try fishing with flies that will bring trout to the surface like size 12 tan stimulators, size 12 Chernobyl ants, size 14 mini chubby Chernobyl’s and size 12 tan bodied parachutes hoppers. Try fly fishing late evening for the caddis activity with size 20 gray elk hair caddis, size 20 gray parachute caddis and size 20 gray X-caddis.

Working nymphs in the pools is one place you can use nymphs without getting hooked up in the weed beds.

Hot Creek

Canyon Section:

Middle of the day is tough fly fishing with no aquatic insect activity and the full growth of weed beds making nymphing next to impossible. You can try a dry and dropper in the deeper holes in the canyon section if you don’t mind snagging the nymphs on the weeds. Work tricos in the morning if there is a hatch. Working small gray caddis like X-caddis, parachute caddis and elk hair caddis along the banks where the trout are hanging out will produce a few trout. Offering the trout a bigger calorie meal will bring a few trout to the surface. Hopper imitations like mini Chernobyl’s, tan stimulators and tan parachute hoppers. For nymphs use olive quilldigons, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and SOS nymphs.

Crooked Creek arm of Crowley Lake is a good afternoon spot to fly fish when the rest of the lake is blown out from the afternoon winds.

Crowley Lake

Mouth of McGee:

Surface water temperatures are in the low 70’s by noon. Fishing should be done in the mornings before the water temperatures get too high for good catch and release mortality rates. Fly fishers from water craft are targeting the trout in the McGee inlet area. Midging with tiger midges, zebra midges, gray midges and albino Midges in 10 to 15 feet of water are producing trout. Fly fishers working damsel fly nymphs, callibaetis nymphs and perch fry imitations around the weed beds are producing trophy trout that are looking for opportunistic opportunities for a large morsel of food.

Euro nymphing the river is a great way to present your nymphs to the fish feeding on the substrate.

Upper Owens River

Above Benton Crossing Bridge:

The hoppers on the upper Owens River are small size 12 or 14 and not very abundant. Throwing a hopper patterns like a parachute hopper, tan stimulator or Dave’s hopper will bring trout to the surface particularly in the afternoon winds. There are hatches in the morning and mid-afternoon. Fly fishing with dries like size 16 elk hair caddis size 18 Adams parachute, and size 18 blue wing olive parachutes is fooling the surface feeding rainbows and browns. Nymphing continues to be productive throughout the day. Size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears and size 16 SOS nymphs are imitating the nymphs the trout are feeding on. Water temperatures need to be monitored, but so far they have not reached beyond 65 degrees. Fishing downstream with streamers like black wooly buggers, black matukas and black and white marabou muddlers are fooling trout in the deeper holes.

Fly fishing the soft edges next to the fast water sections of Rock Creek is producing wild brown trout up to 12 inches with a dry and dropper rig.

Rock Creek:

Opportunistic free stone creeks like Rock Creek are great waters to fish middle of the day when other waters are too hot to fish. Reduced flows are allowing fly fishers to work the pools and runs where wild brown trout are holding and feeding on dries and nymphs. This is prime dry and dropper water. Use a size 16 elk hair caddis, Adams parachute or royal Wulff on the surface. Using you favorite dry fly that you have confidence in will be the best pattern you can fish on waters with opportunistically feeding trout. For the nymphs use a size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear, size 16 Prince nymph or a size 16 tiger midge.

Evenings are still a great time to ply the waters of Bishop Creek Canal with the fly rod.

Bishop Creek Canal

Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:

Day time temperatures are cooling a bit in the Owens Valley allowing fly fishers to throw hoppers and nymphs in Bishop Creek Canal during the day. A good way to fly fish the canal is with a dry and dropper rig. A hopper and dropper is a specific dry and dropper rig. Throw a size 12 tan Morrish hopper, Dave’s hopper or parachute hopper with a three foot 5X fluorocarbon tippet tied to the bend of the hopper pattern. For the nymphs fish with a size 16 SOS nymph, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear.

Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Report 08-02-2024

Summer heat continues to pound the Eastern Sierra. Fly fishers should be implementing a voluntary hoot owl restrictions on Eastern Sierra waters that are having temperatures in the upper 60’s or higher. Most Eastern Sierra moving waters are fine, but the East Walker River is definitely a water that needs to be fished early and late in the day as day time water temperatures are in the high 60’s and low 70’s. Dry fly fishing has been productive on several waters in the Eastern Sierra. Grasshoppers are maturing into adults and now that they have wings they can be blown onto the streams in the afternoon winds. This is probably the only time as a fly fisher I hope for afternoon winds. Hatches of mayflies, caddis and midges are fueling the daily feeding habits of trout.

During the summer months fly fishers need to check the water temperatures of the waters they fish so they can stop fly fishing when water temperatures reach 70 degrees or higher..

East Walker River

Miracle Mile Section:

The waters in Bridgeport Reservoir are shallow and easily warm up in the summer time. These are the waters that flow through the East Walker River below the reservoir. This is a water that should be fished early in the morning as water temperatures are in the low 70’s by mid-day. For fly fishers getting on the water early fish with size 16 olive caddis emergers, size 16 olive La Fontaine sparkle emergers, size 12 stoner nymphs and size 12 golden stone nymphs to catch rainbows and browns to 16 inches. Fly fishers need to be off the water no latter then noon.

Zack Burns from Los Angeles fly fishing the East Walker River in the morning before the water temperatures get above 70 degrees.

Hot Creek

Interpretive Site:

Summer time is dry fly fishing time on Hot Creek. The interpretive site is one of the best places to dry fly fish. Consistent hatches of mayflies and caddis have trout feeding on the surface from early morning to early afternoon. The action starts in the morning with trico mayflies hatching. It starts with the nymphs hatching into the duns. The tricos quickly go from the dun stage to the sexually mature spinner stage. This hatch ends with the trico spinner fall. For the dun stage fish with a size 22 female dun parachute, or male dun parachute. When the spinner fall starts switch to a size 22 trico spinner pattern. When the spinner fall is just about over the blue wing olive may fly hatch starts. When the trout quit feeding on your trico spinner pattern switch to a size 20 blue wing olive parachute or olive sparkle dun. When the trout quit sipping mayflies off the water and start jumping out of the water in a showy, splashy rise form it’s time to switch to a size 20 gray elk hair caddis or gray caddis parachute. To be successful fly fishers need to know which stage of which insect the trout is feeding on and be able to make a drag free drift.

This time of year is when the weed beds in Hot Creek make fly fishing the canyon section tough with little room to float flies between the tiny lanes created in between the weed beds.

Hot Creek

Canyon Section:

The canyon section of Hot Creek requires fly fishers to make pin point accurate casts and drifts to fool the wary trout that are hanging out under the mats of weed beds that are always present at this time of the year. The right fly pattern on a drag free drift will produce trout in these tough conditions. I start the morning using a size 22 trico spinner pattern. If the trout are refusing my spinner pattern I switch to a size 22 trico female dun parachute pattern. As the trico hatch subsides the blue wing olive hatch begins. For this hatch I like to use a size 20 olive sparkle dun or blue wing olive parachute. As the blue wing olive hatch subsides the gray caddis hatch begins. For this hatch I like to fish a size 20 gray elk hair caddis, gray parachute caddis or gray CDC caddis. For the fly fishers that find these tiny dry flies hard to see on the water try fishing with a size 16 Adams parachute with a three foot tippet tied to the hook bend to attach the tiny dry flies to. This aids in seeing the flies on the water as well as the Adams acting like an indicator.

Brown trout are one of the species that fly fishers are looking to catch in Crowley Lake.

Crowley Lake

Mouth of McGee:

Working the weed beds from shore or with a float tube is a great way to present damsel fly nymphs, callibaetis nymphs and perch fry to trophy trout cruising the weed beds looking for a meal. The trout are feeding on the perch fry as they are big enough to offer the trout a big meal.  Size 10 balanced perch, silver bodied matukas and olive wooly buggers are just few of the perch fry imitations that will fool trout. Best way to fish around the weed beds is with a sink tip line or a full sink line. Use different retrieves with the different insect and perch fry imitations. The flotilla of boats continues to work the flats around the inlet of McGee Creek. Working midges in 10 to 15 feet of water is producing trout until the wind comes up late morning or early afternoon. Suspend your midges from three inches to four feet above the substrate depending on where in the water column the concentration of midge pupae are that the trout are feeding on. Use size 18 tiger midge, zebra midge, blood midge, albino Barron and a gray midge under an indicator.

Introduction to Fly Fishing client Jeremy Pipp from San Clemente hooked up to a rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.

Upper Owens River

Above Benton Crossing Bridge:

A major hopper hatch is not going to happen this year. As the hoppers become adults and start flying as fly fishers work the banks of the river a few hoppers will find their way into the river. Use size 12 tan bodied parachute hoppers, tan bodied stimulators and tan bodied Dave’s hoppers in the afternoon winds. Cast the flies into the wind against the bank the wind is blowing from. Nymphing with size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 20 tiger midges and zebra midges are producing wild rainbow and brown trout to 14 inches. Trout are taking Adams parachutes in size 16 and 18, elk hair caddis in size 16, and blue wing olive parachutes in size 18 on the surface. Pulling streamers in size 6 or 10 like black wooly buggers, black matukas and black and white marabou muddlers are producing hard hits from 10 to 18 inch trout.

Fly fishing the soft edges next to the fast water sections of Rock Creek is producing wild brown trout up to 12 inches with a dry and dropper rig.

Rock Creek:

As a freestone creek Rock Creek flows have started to subside. Fishing with a size 16 Adams parachute and a size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear tied onto a three foot tippet of 5X fluorocarbon to the bend of the Adams parachute is producing wild  brown trout. Successful fly fishers will cover lots of water working the slower pools and runs where the trout are staying out of the faster currents to conserve energy. Fly fishers fishing with their favorite dry fly and nymph combo will fish them with more confidence and therefore catch more trout.

Hot temperatures make fly fishing tough in the middle of the day on Bishop Creek Canal.

Bishop Creek Canal

Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:

Day time temperatures have risen back up to the low 100’s making mid-day fly fishing uncomfortable for fly fishers. Afternoon rain showers could cool off the temperatures enough for mid-day fly fishing with nymphs and dries. There have been adult grass hoppers on the banks of the canal. A hopper dropper rig is producing wild brown trout for fly fishers willing to fish in the mid-day heat. For the hopper pattern try a size 12 stimulator, parachute hopper or a foam hopper. For the nymphs fish with a three foot tippet of 5X fluorocarbon tippet with size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 14 green/gold wire Prince nymphs. With the heat during the day this is a water that fly fishers need to check water temperatures and stop fly fishing when the water temperatures reach 70 degree or higher.

Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Report 07-26-2024

The Eastern Sierra has been in a pattern of warm windless mornings and afternoon winds with summer rain showers. Hatches of mayflies, stoneflies, caddis and midges are bringing the trout to the surface. The sight of a trout rising from the bottom of the stream to take the dry fly you have gently presented to the surface is one of the most prized fly fishing experiences in the Eastern Sierra. Grass hoppers are turning from larvae to adults and are beginning to fly around and land on the water in the afternoon winds. The grass hopper hatch is the biggest insect hatch in the Eastern Sierra and is known to bring trophy trout to the surface. Sierra Bright Dot Guides have available dates in August and we are booking for fall.

Afternoon rain showers are cooling off the fly fishers and sweeping terrestrial insects off the banks into the rivers and streams of the Eastern Sierra.

Hot Creek

Interpretive Site:

Hot Creek is a selectively feeding trout water that is known for its dry fly fishing. Summer time is the peak of dry fly fishing on Hot Creek when hatches of mayflies and caddis flies have the trout feeding on the surface. The morning starts early, but not first light early, with a trico hatch that lasts tell 10:00 A.M. at the latest. It’s followed by a blue wing olive mayfly hatch. It ends in early afternoon with a gray caddis hatch. There is good evening caddis activity for those anglers fishing at dusk. For dry flies use size 22 trico parachutes, size 22 trico spinners, size 20 blue wing olive parachutes, size 20 olive sparkle duns, size 20 gray elk hair caddis and size 20 parachute caddis.

Not often you can find a section of Hot Creek Canyon with no fly fishers to compete against.

Hot Creek

Canyon Section:

A lot of fly fishers find the weed beds of Hot Creek Canyon hard to fish over or around. The key to success is to work the tiny lanes between the weed beds getting a drag free drift. There are a few pockets worth fly fishing. A dry fly can be worked down the tiny channels between the weed beds. When fishing with size 20 or smaller flies use a bigger dry fly as an indicator like a size 16 Adams parachute. This technique is known as a dry and dry rig. Use size 20 gray elk hair caddis, size 20 parachute caddis, size 20 blue wing olive parachutes, size 20 olive sparkle duns, size 22 trico parachutes and size 22 trico spinners.

Stormy afternoons on Crowley Lake means wind driven waves which makes fly fishing from a boat or float tube tough.

Crowley Lake

Mouth of McGee:

The flotilla of boats is centered around the flats where McGee Creek enters the lake. Midging in 10 feet of water with a tiger midge, zebra midge, blood midge, albino Barron and a gray midge suspended above the substrate is producing rainbows, browns and cutthroats. This is a spot that is now accessible to float tubers, kayaks and paddle boarders. Besides midging, working in and around the weed beds with callibaeties nymphs, damsel fly nymphs and olive wooly buggers stripped on a full sink line or a sink tip line is fooling the trout cruising the weed beds looking for an easy meal.

A typical upper Owens River rainbow trout that took a size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph fished six feet under an indicator.

Upper Owens River

Above Benton Crossing Bridge:

How do you like to fly fish? Dries, nymphs and streamers are producing rainbows and brown from three inches to 14 inches. For dry flies fish with size 16 or 18 Adams parachutes, size 18 blue wing olives, size 22 trico spinners, size 22 trico parachutes, size 16 pale morning dun parachutes, size 12 stimulators, size 16 elk hair caddis and your favorite hopper patterns in size 12 or 14. For nymphs fish with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 Prince nymphs and size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears. A dry and dropper is producing fish with the nymph 18 to 36 inches below the dry fly on 5X fluorocarbon tippet. For those that love the response of bigger trout chasing down a fly, try fishing with size 6 or size 10 black wooly buggers, black matukas, black balanced leeches, black marabou muddlers and black slump busters. There are good hatches starting early in the morning and going through dusk. Any time you can get onto the river you will be able to fool the trout. Starting to see some hopper activity. So far not the epic hopper season I was expecting.

Bishop Creek Canal is flowing muddy and the banks are lined with the fresh dredging’s’ from the substrate.

Bishop Creek Canal

Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:

The Department of Water and Power for the City of Log Angles is dredging the canal. Where you can find clean water you can catch fish. Behind the veterinary hospital has been really dirty. When the cloud cover offers cooler day time temperatures fishing mid-day with dries and nymphs is producing trout. Broke out the Tenkara rod with a size 20 blue wing olive parachute and a size 16 Adams parachute. The Tenkara rod is designed to allow the dry fly fisher to finesse the dry flies on the surface. Eight to 12 inch wild browns offered lots of action on the dry flies. A dry and dropper rig would have smoked them, but I was having too much fun watching the trout rise to the surface to take the dry fly as it drifted over their lair.

Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Report 07-19-2024

It’s summer time in the Eastern Sierra and the trout are feeding on nymphs and dries. Midges, mayflies, caddis and stoneflies are hatching. Little yellow stoneflies, pale morning dun mayflies, blue wing olive mayflies, trico mayflies, callibaetis mayflies, olive midges, gray midges, olive caddis and brown caddis are the insects the trout are feeding on. Adult hoppers are starting to show up on Eastern Sierra waters. It’s hot out there and wet wading is the way to go. Been monitoring water temperatures and they have not approached the 70 degree level that would require fly fishers to voluntarily stop fly fishing. High country trails and waters are devoid of snow and offering good fly fishing opportunities. Now is the time to make those memories fly fishing the waters of the Eastern Sierra.

Hoppers are just starting to show up on the banks of streams, creeks and canals of the Eastern Sierra..

Hot Creek

Interpretive Site:

It’s summer dry fly time on the creek. The mornings start with tricos hatching, then moves on to blue wing olive mayflies followed by gray caddis hatching. For the trico hatch fly fishers need to determine what stage of the hatching mayflies the trout are feeding on. In the case of tricos the trout feed on the male or female trico dun and the trico spinner. I carry size 22 male and female trico parachutes and size 22 trico spinners. Blue wing olive parachutes in size 20 will fool the trout feeding on the hatching blue wing olive mayflies. For the gray caddis try fly fishing with size 20 gray parachute caddis.

Afternoon clouds are helping to cool off fly fishers fishing in the canyon section of Hot Creek where fly fishers are enjoying dry fly activity.

Hot Creek

Canyon Section:

Long sunny days and summer heat helps grow the weed beds in Hot Creek Canyon. This time of the year the weed beds are at full growth and fly fishers need to learn to float their flies in the narrow channels between the weed beds. Mas Okui was one of my mentors from Sierra Pacific Fly Fishers who taught me how to cast an overly long tippet so it would pile up in the tiny lanes between the weeds. The fly would float down the tiny lane pulling the piled up leader line giving the fly a drag free drift. This is a deadly method for fishing dry flies in Hot Creek when the weed beds are at full growth. Trico’s in the morning followed by blue wing olive mayflies, pale morning dun mayflies and then ending in early afternoon with a gray caddis. Fish with size 22 female trico dun parachutes, size 22 trico spinners, size 20 blue wing olive parachutes, size 16 pale morning dun parachutes and size 20 gray parachute caddis.

A windy afternoon on the shores of the north side of McGee Bay on Crowley Lake.

Crowley Lake

North Landing:

The North Landing Road opened up on Saturday July 13, 2024.  I drove the North Landing Road to North Landing and then to Sandy Point and back to the gate. The roads are drivable around the lake. It means fly fishers with floatation craft like paddle boards, float tubes and kayaks can access the north side of McGee Bay and the west side of the Owens River arm of Crowley Lake. Float tubing the inlet of McGee Bay with a full sink line or sink tip line in and around the weed beds with size 14 callibaetis nymphs, size 10 damsel fly nymphs and size 10 olive wooly buggers is producing cruising trout looking for food. Suspending a midge from three inches to four feet above the muddy bottom is where fly fishers need to be fishing their midge imitations with tiger midges, zebra midges, gray midges, blood midges and albino Barron midges in 10 to 15 feet of water.

Angela Linzay from La Berne showing of a fat juvenile brown trout that took a size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph fished under an indicator.

Upper Owens River

Above Benton Crossing Bridge:

Now is the time to be on the upper Owens River if you are a beginner or accomplished fly fisher. Hatches of trico mayflies, blue wing olive mayflies, pale morning dun mayflies and caddis have the trout feeding on adults and nymphs. I’ve seen adult hoppers starting to fly around the banks of the upper Owens. Is this the start of the hopper hatch? Time will tell. If you’re on the water early you will find the trico mayflies on the water. Start with a parachute dun pattern. At the end of the trico hatch is the time to use a trico spinner pattern. There has been a blue wing olive mayfly hatch following the trico hatch. Mid-morning fly fishing with dries slows down until early afternoon when the pale morning dun mayflies hatch. If you’re on the water in the evening you will be treated to a caddis hatch. Nymphing under an indicator or with a Euro rig is producing trout all day. Working your nymphs in the pockets around the weed beds or in the deep pools and holes below riffles is producing  trout with size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 olive quilldigon, size 16 hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 split back pale morning dun nymphs and size 16 brown caddis emergers. For adults use size 22 trico parachutes, size 22 trico spinners, size 18 blue wing olive parachutes, size 16 pale morning dun parachutes and size 16 elk hair caddis.

Kelly Wagner from Bishop taking advantage of the cloud cover to float dry flies on Bishop Creek Canal for wild brown trout in the afternoon.

Bishop Creek Canal

Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:

Day time temperatures are high and uncomfortable on Bishop Creek during the day. On days when the cloud cover comes in fly fishers will find day time temperatures that are comfortable. Using elk hair caddis and hoppers during the afternoons, especially windy afternoons, will produce trout feeding on the surface. The evening caddis bite continues to be good and a size 16 peacock elk hair caddis will produce wild brown trout and stocked rainbow trout. Nymphing with a stoner nymphs and green/gold Prince nymph will produce trout during the day even in the hot temperatures.

Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Report 07-12-2024

There is a heat wave in the Eastern Sierra. Air temperatures in the Long Valley area have been in the low 90’s. It got up to 109 in the Owens Valley this week. Keep cool out there and be sure to drink lots of water. It’s time to be aware of water temperatures on the waters you fly fish. I’ve been tracking the temperatures of the rivers I fly fish and the water temperatures are staying cool enough to fly fish all day. Water temperatures at 70 degrees and higher is when fly fishers should voluntarily quit fly fishing because of the increased mortality rates to trout. Early morning and late evening water temperatures are normally low enough to allow fly fishers to safely practice catch and release fly fishing. Not seeing a lot of hoppers on Eastern Sierra waters right now. We do not get big numbers of hatching stoneflies in the Eastern Sierra, but right now is the time to fish the little yellow stone fly hatch. Caddis, midges (in the still waters) and mayflies are hatching and the trout are feeding on them. Nymphing and dry fly fishing is producing trout in Eastern Sierra waters.

Lupin flowering in the Eastern Sierra is a sign of summer while driving to the waters fly fishers fish.

East Walker River

Below Bridgeport:

Nymphing and dry fly fishing is producing fish in the East Walker River. Middle of the day heat is slowing the bite. Water flows are perfect for wading the river to present the flies to the trout. Caddis, mayflies and stoneflies are the hatches that are producing the trout. Nymphing under an indicator or with a Euro rig with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 12 stoner nymphs, size 12 green/gold wire Prince nymphs and size 16 rust La Fontaine’s sparkle nymphs. Size 16 Adams parachutes, size 16 elk hair caddis, size 16 X-caddis and size 16 Lawson’s little yellow stone fly are the dry fly patterns the trout are taking of the surface of the East Walker River.

A little yellow stone fly that hatched on the East Walker River.

Hot Creek

Interpretive Site:

Consistent hatches of mayflies, caddis and stoneflies have the trout feeding on the surface from early morning to early afternoon. Fishing with size 16 Adams parachute, size 20 blue wing olive parachutes, size 16 pale morning dun (PMD)  parachutes, size 16 PMD sparkle duns, size 22 olive female trico dun parachutes,  size 20 gray elk hair caddis, size 20 gray parachute caddis and size 20 X-caddis in gray are the dry flies that will imitate the hatching insects of Hot Creek.  Fly fishers should be on the water by 8:30 for the trico hatch and the day is over by 2:00 P.M. when the pale morning duns are done hatching.

The weed beds in the creek and the stinging nettles on the bank are hazards fly fishers need to avoid to successfully fly fish Hot Creek in the Canyon.

Hot Creek

Canyon Section:

Fly fishing in the canyon is fun if you know how to work your flies around the weed beds that are at full growth in the creek. The tiny slots between the weeds is where fly fishers need to drift their nymphs and dries. Drifting a dry fly in these narrow slots is much easier than drifting a nymph. During the hatch the trout are easy to find as they give up their location when they  rise to the surface to feed on the adult hatching insects. Nymphing with size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 12 stoner nymphs, and size 20 gray La Fontaine’s sparkle nymphs are producing trout if you can keep the nymphs from snagging on the weeds. Dry fly fishing with size 16 pale morning dun (PMD)  parachutes, size 16 PMD sparkle duns size, 16 Adams parachute, size 20 blue wing olive parachutes, size 22 olive female trico dun parachutes, size 20 gray elk hair caddis, size 20 gray parachute caddis and size 20 gray X-caddis are fooling the surface feeding trout when the fly fisher can get a drag free drift.

The North Landing Road continues to be closed keeping fly fishers without a boat from accessing the north side of McGee Bay and the Owens River arm of Crowley Lake.

Crowley Lake

North Landing:

The North Landing Road continues to be closed. No word on when it will open. Lake levels continue to be high and the North Landing Roads around the lake are flooded in places. McGee Creek inlet continues to produce lots of fish for the boating flotilla working the flats in this area with midges, callibaetis nymphs and damsel fly nymphs. Gray midges, tiger midges, zebra midges, blood midges and albino Barron’s suspended from three inches to three feet of the mud bottom is producing 16 to 22 inch hatchery rainbows, browns and cutthroats. Stripping size 10 marabou damsel nymphs, a size 10 olive wooly buggers, a size 14 callibaetis nymphs and a size 14 olive gold ribbed hare’s ear is producing trout when stripped around the weed beds.

Hooked up on a juvenile rainbow trout that took a size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph fished under an indicator on the upper Owens River.

Upper Owens River

Above Benton Crossing Bridge:

The Fourth of July crowds are gone and the upper Owens River continues to produce juvenile and adult trout from three inches to 14 inches. The trout are feeding on size 16 elk hair caddis, size 16 pale morning dun parachutes, size 22 female dun trico parachutes and size 18 blue wing olive parachutes. Nymphing with size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 16 hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 rust La Fontaine’s sparkle nymphs and size 16 peacock soft hackles has been consistently producing rainbows from three inches to 16 inches.

The slower pools on Rock Creek is where fly fishers should float their dry and dropper rig.

Rock Creek

Iris Meadows Campground:

The creek continues to flow high and cold. The trout are looking for food. Fly fishing in the slow water pools and runs is where fly fishers can catch trout with a dry and dropper rig. The best dry fly to fish with is the one you have the most confidence in. I like to use size 16 Adams parachutes, size 16 elk hair caddis and size 16 royal Wulff’s because their very visible on the water. Any nymphs will work but I use size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears and size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs.

Trolling a size 12 olive wooly bugger behind a float tube, kayak or raft produces lots of hits from wild brown trout and stocked rainbow trout.

Bishop Creek Canyon

North Lake:

Mosquitoes are out in full force particularly when fishing from the flooded shore line at the inlet into North Lake. This is a great spot to fish with a dry and dropper. For the dry fly fish with a size 14 olive stimulator, size 16 Adams parachute and a size 14 elk hair caddis. For the nymphs use size 18 or 20 tiger midge, zebra midge, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph or size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear. There are olive damsel nymphs and olive scuds in the lake. Stripping a size 12 olive wooly bugger on a dry fly line or trolling the wooly bugger behind a float tube on a full sink line will produce trout. The stocked rainbows love to grab the wooly bugger.

Finding the slower pools on the middle fork of Bishop Creek is where you will find trout willing to take your flies.

Middle Fork Bishop Creek:

Working up the creek looking for the spots where you can find the trout hanging out in the slower pools and runs and casting an Adams parachute with a bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear on three feet of fluorocarbon tippet will produce wild brown trout and rainbow trout. Key to success right now is covering lots of water looking for those spots where the fish can see your flies drift by them. The water is still high and cold. The trout are looking for any insect that floats by them to eat.

Bishop Creek Canal is flowing at summer high levels and fly fishers will do the best to fly fish in the evening when the caddis are on the water laying their eggs.

Bishop Creek Canal

Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:

Temperatures in the Owens Valley this week reach 109 for a day or two. That’s way too hot to be out fly fishing during the day. Fly fishing in the evening when the caddis are on the water laying eggs is a great way to end a day in the Owens Valley. I like to cast my olive or peacock bodied size 16 elk hair caddis upstream and let it dead drift down the canal. When it gets to the bottom of the dead drift it will drag across the canal. Be ready to set the hook on the drag as that is where the fish will hit the fly. Across the middle of the canal I rarely get hit. When the caddis swings into the bank below me I get a lot of hits. I stirp in the caddis up stream. If the wind picks up the fly and smacks it against the water give some slack line to let the caddis pattern float downstream. If you don’t get hit pull the caddis upstream until its right in front of you on the water. Pick up the line and cast upstream repeating the previous drift.

Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Report 07-05-2024

Summer is here and now is the time to go fly fishing and make those memories to last a life time. July is the hottest month in Inyo and Mono county and July is starting off with a heat wave. Freestone creeks are cold and still running high. High elevation waters are open to hearty fly fishers willing to hike into the backcountry waters. Mosquitoes are thick particularly in swampy areas near still waters and streams. Hatches of mayflies, stoneflies, and caddis flies are feeding the hungry trout who occupy the waters of the Eastern Sierra. Nymphing, dry flies and streamers are producing trout for fly fishers plying the waters of the Eastern Sierra.

Now is the time to make fly fishing memories on Eastern Sierra fly fishing waters.

East Walker River

Below Bridgeport:

Flows are a at very fishable level and the fishing has been good particularly late and early in the day as day time temperatures have climbed. Nymphing continues to be the most productive method of fly fishing the river. Hatches of stoneflies and caddis have the trout working the surface and taking fly fishers dry fly patterns. For nymphs fish with bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, olive quilldigons, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, stoners and rust colored La Fontaine’s caddis emergers. On the surface fish with elk hair caddis, X-caddis, EC caddis, blue wing olive parachutes, little yellow stones and stimulators.

Rainbow trout in the East Walker River are feeding on nymphs presented under an indicator.

Hot Creek

Interpretive Site:

Pale morning duns are hatching and the trout are feeding on them as they float on the surface drying their wings. The pale morning duns are hatching mid-day. Size 16 pale morning dun parachutes and size 16 pale morning sparkle duns are fooling the trout. A drag free drift and 5X tippet is going to help you fool the surface feeding trout. The evening caddis hatch has been great. Skittering a size 20 gray elk hair caddis, gray parachute caddis and a gray X-caddis will keep you hooked up.

Steven Uyetanaka working a high vis pale morning dun in the middle section of Hot Creek Canyon.

Hot Creek

Canyon Section:

The weed beds are at full growth and you will have to work your flies through the small lanes between the weeds. If you can get a drag free drift in the tight lanes between the weeds you will catch fish. Nymphing with size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 split case pale morning dun and size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears are the flies producing for nymphing. Fly fishing on the surface has been good with pale morning dun parachutes in size 16, pale morning sparkle duns in size 16 and little yellow stones in size 16. Evening caddis hatch is worth getting on the water and fishing with a size 20 gray elk hair caddis, size 20 gray parachute caddis and a size 20 gray X-caddis.

Crooked Creek arm of Crowley Lake is just as green as the rest of the lake from an algae bloom.

Crowley Lake

North Landing:

The North Landing Road is supposed to open on Friday July 5th. I think the lake is still too full for vehicles to access all the lake side roads in the area of Sandy Point to Green Banks. Hilton Bay is still the place for boats and float tubers. There is a small flotilla of boats targeting trout at the inlet of McGee Creek. Tiger midges, zebra midges, blood midges, gray midges and albino Barron’s in size 16 or 18 suspended three inches to four feet off the substrate is producing trout feeding above the mud beds. For the trout feeding in the shallows and around the weed beds us a size 10 marabou damsel nymph, a size 10 olive wooly bugger, a size 14 callibaetis nymph and a size 14 olive gold ribbed hare’s ear.

Nymphing under an indicator is producing three inch to 12 inch wild rainbows and browns on the upper Owens River.

Upper Owens River

Above Benton Crossing Bridge:

Juvenile trout from three inches to 12 inches are feeding on nymphs and dries. The mid-day pale morning dun hatch has the trout actively feeding on the nymphs which are represented with size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare ears, size 16 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 spilt case pale morning dun nymph and the adults with are represented with size 16 pale morning dun parachute and a size 16 pale morning sparkle dun. Caddis are around all day, but the best time to be fly fishing with a brown or olive size 16 elk hair caddis is in the evening when the caddis are active on the surface.

The key to successfully fly fishing middle fork of Bishop Creek is to fish the edges of the riffles and the pools .

Bishop Creek Canyon

North Lake:

Fishing the inlet with a dry and dropper is producing lots of four to eight inch wild browns and rainbows. For the dry fly try an olive stimulator in size 14, a peacock bodied elk hair caddis and an Adams parachute in size 14. For the nymphs use bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs in size 18, bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears in size 16, tiger midges and zebra midges in size 18. The flooded margins of the lake are full of mosquitoes. Float tubing out in the lake and casting into the inlet area of North Lake reduces the number of annoying mosquitoes.

Fly fishing with a dry and dropper produced wild brown and rainbow trout off of Richard Lancaster’s Stealthcraft boat casting into the inlet of North lake.

Middle Fork Bishop Creek:

The creek is still swollen with icy cold water coming from the melting snow high up in the Sierra mountains. With the high fast water fly fishers need to concentrate their efforts in the slower pools and edges of the riffles. The trout are looking for food and are feeding on nymphs and dries. Making it the perfect time to use a dry and dropper rig. The dry fly needs to be very buoyant like a stimulator, Chernobyl ant or foam hopper and the nymphs can be a pheasant tail nymph or gold ribbed hare’s ear.  Covering lots of water to find the few places where trout are feeding is how to be successful on the creek.

The inlet of the south fork of Bishop Creek in to Weir Pond is a great spot to fish with a dry and dropper for wild brook trout, rainbow trout and brown trout.

South Fork of Bishop Creek:

This fork of Bishop Creek offers more fishable water than the middle fork of Bishop Creek. Fishing a dry fly in the slower flat sections will produce trout. The trout are feeding on the surface when insects float by them. Fishing your favorite dry fly will produce more trout as the fly fisher will fish the fly with more confidence. Three great flies to fish in opportunistic waters are Adams parachutes, elk hair caddis and royal Wulff’s. These three flies have bright wings which makes them highly visible both to the trout and the fly fisher.

Gravel from last year’s heavy flows have filled in the upper end of Weir Pond.

Weir Pond:

With the high water there is lots of standing water around the pond which is prime mosquito habitat. Be armed with insect repellant. Last year’s flows have changed the topography of the inlet to Weir Pond. A dry and dropper is the rig to fish at Weir Pond. Use an Adams parachute, elk hair caddis or royal Wulff for the dry fly. For the nymphs use a bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph or bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear.

Waiting on Bishop Creek Canal for the sun to go behind the Sierra Mountains and the egg laying caddis to show up for the trout to feed on.

Bishop Creek Canal

Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:

Day time temperatures in the low 100’s makes fly fishing during the day hot and uncomfortable for fly fishers. The evening time is good for imitating the ovipositing caddis which show up at dusk to lay their eggs. Skittering a caddis, especially in the wind, is a great way to imitate the egg laying caddis. Use an olive or brown size 16 elk hair caddis.  

Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Report 06-28-2024

Hatching insects, warm days, mosquitoes and feeding fish makes fly fishing the Eastern Sierra the place to be. Summer time is the time to camp and fly fish on the waters of the Eastern Sierra. Hatching mayflies, caddis flies, stone flies and midges is fueling the trout’s ravaging appetite. Dry flies, nymphs and streamers are fooling the trout. Still waters, streams and backcountry waters are the places to be fly fishing right now. High elevation lakes are just starting to ice out and offering the opportunity to fish for trophy trout.   

Summer time is camping and fly fishing on the waters of the Eastern Sierra like camping at Browns on the River Campground and fly fishing on the upper Owens River.

East Walker River

Below Bridgeport:

The Miracle Mile section of the East Walker River continues to produce trout for fly fishers nymphing and dry fly fishing. Hatching caddis and mayflies continue to provide the stimulus for the feeding wild brown trout and rainbow trout. Nymphing under an indicator or with a Euro rig with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 16 hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, size 12 stoner nymphs, size 16 tungsten Duracell’s, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears are fooling the trout feeding on nymphs. On the surface fish with size 16 elk hair caddis, size 16 E/C caddis, size 18 Adams parachutes, size 18 blue wing olive parachutes and size 18 olive sparkle duns. Pulling streamers can produce some of the biggest fish of the day.  

Shannon and Brian Chastain with a nymph caught brown trout from the Miracle Mile section of the East Walker River.

Hot Creek

Interpretive Site:

Consistent dry fly activity makes fly fishing the interpretive site with dry flies the most productive method to fly fish the creek. Hatches of pale morning dun mayflies, blue wing olive mayflies and gray caddis are the insects the trout are feeding on off the surface of the creek. Size 16 pale morning dun parachutes, size 16 pale morning dun sparkle duns, size 20 blue wing olive parachutes, size 20 blue wing olive sparkle duns, size 20 gray parachute caddis and size 20 gray elk hair caddis are the dry flies that are fooling the surface feeding trout.

Water condition in Hot Creek Canyon are perfect for nymphing under an indicator or with a Euro rig.

Hot Creek

Canyon Section:

In the right sections the trout are feeding on the surface on hatching mayflies, caddis flies and stoneflies. Nymphing continues to be the productive method of fly fishing the canyon section of the creek with a dry and dropper rig or under an indicator. Size 12 stoner nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear nymphs, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, and size 20 gray La Fontaine’s sparkle caddis are the nymphs the trout are taking on the substrate of the creek. The hatches start around 9 in the morning and are over by early afternoon.

Sandy Point Pond is back and there is no lake bed vehicle access as the lake is all the way up to the sage brush at Sandy Point.

Crowley Lake

North Landing:

Crowley Lake is the place to be in Southern Mono County on the Fourth of July to enjoy the fireworks. The North Landing Road continues to be closed due to flooding of the roads along the north arm of Crowley Lake and in the area of Sandy Point. Tentative opening date for North Landing Road is after the Fourth of July. Maybe on the 5th of July. Float tubers and boaters are hooking up on rainbows, browns and cutthroat trout in Hilton Bay with midges suspended above the mud bottom of the lake. Tiger midges, zebra midges, blood midges, gray midges and albino midges in size 16 or 18 are fooling the trout feeding on the midge pupae. The midge pupae are slowly ascending to the surface of the lake to hatch in to the adult stage of the midge. As the midges progress up the water column the fly fishers need to move their flies up the water column. Start the morning with your midges three to 12 inches above the mud bottom of the lake. Finish the morning with your flies at four to five feet above the substrate of the lake.

Rainbow and brown trout are consistently taking nymphs and dry flies all day on the upper Owens River.

Upper Owens River

Above Benton Crossing Bridge:

Fly fishing on the upper Owens River has been great for six to 20 inch wild browns and rainbows. These trout are taking dries and nymphs. On the surface fish with size 16 brown elk hair caddis, size 18 blue wing olive parachutes, size 16 pale morning dun parachutes and size 16 Adams parachutes. Nymphing with size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons and size 16 hot spot pheasant tail nymphs. The trophy trout are taking the nymphs and the six to 12 inch juvenile trout are taking nymphs and the dry flies. Success on the upper Owens River is thoroughly covering the water making sure your flies float by all the trout holding waters. Pale morning dun hatch is been in the early afternoon. It’s mosquito season and fly fishers need to be prepared by carrying insect repellant.Bishop Creek Canyon

A dry and dropper rig produced lots of wild rainbow and brown trout for Jamie Metzger from Woodland Hills on the waters of North Lake.

Bishop Creek Canyon

North Lake:

North Lake is a quantity fishery for fly fishers. Using a dry and dropper rig is producing lots of five to 10 inch wild brown and rainbow trout. For the dry fly use a size 14 olive stimulator, size 14 Adams parachute, size 14 olive elk hair caddis and a size 12 mini Chernobyl ant. For the nymph use a size 18  bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear, size 18 or 20 tiger midges and zebra midges. A float tube or other water craft gives the fly fisher complete access to the shore line. Wading fly fishers will find lots of feeding trout at the inlet to North Lake. Size 12 olive wooly buggers stripped or trolled behind the float tube is fooling trout and in particular the bigger stocked rainbows. Bishop Creek Canal

Euro nymphing in the morning with a stoner nymph, olive quilldigon and a hot spot pheasant tail nymph is producing wild brown trout and stocked rainbow trout.

Bishop Creek Canal

Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:

It’s that time of the year that the Owens Valley is heating up. With temperatures in the high 90’s to low 100’s it’s hot fly fishing on the canal middle of the day. Best fly fishing is early or late in the day. Fishing in the evening from when the sun goes behind the Eastern Sierra tell dark is a great time to be skittering a size 16 elk hair caddis. The caddis are ovipositing in the evening and the trout are responding feeding on the female caddis laying their eggs.

Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Report 06-21-2024

Summer is here and the trout are feeding on adults, nymphs and emergers. Mosquitoes are out and about on the streams and lakes of the Eastern Sierra. Sunny days, windy days, overcast days, hot days and cool days have been what fly fishers are finding on any given day. Run off is on the downhill side and is most evident on the freestone creeks draining the eastern escarpment of the Sierra. Numerous waters are producing trout that are feeding on hatching mayflies, midges, and stoneflies. Now is the time to be out fly fishing the waters of the Eastern Sierra.

High altitude lakes like North Lake are offering fly fishers the opportunity to fly fish for wild rainbow, brown and brook trout.

Hot Creek

Interpretive Site:

Flows are decreasing as runoff is subsiding. Trout are feeding on the surface on blue wing olive mayflies and pale morning duns mayflies. When fishing tiny dry flies that are hard to see on the water fish with a dry and dry. Use a size 16 Adams parachute that the fly fisher can see and use as an indicator fly. Tie a three foot tippet of 5X or 6X monofilament to the bend of the Adams parachute and a size 20 blue wing olive parachute on the other end of the tippet. The big fly allows the fly fisher to see it on the water and then find the little fly. If you can’t find the little fly set the hook on any rise in a three foot circle around the Adams parachute. Size 16 pale morning dun parachutes, size 16 pale morning dun sparkle duns, size 20 blue wing olive parachutes and size 20 blue wing olive sparkle duns are the dry flies that are fooling the wild brown and rainbow trout of Hot Creek.

Nymphing under an indicator with a size one split shot, a size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph and an indicator is producing trout in the faster sections of Hot Creek Canyon..

Hot Creek

Canyon Section:

Nymphing with an indicator or a dry and dropper is producing trout in the canyon section as the water levels subside. In the faster sections of the canyon the increased weight need to drift the nymph on the bottom is too much for the dry fly to float. In these areas use an indicator three feet above the nymph. In the slower sections where you do not need additional weight us a dry fly like a stimulator or mini Chernobyl ant. Nymphing with a size 18 olive quilldigon, size 16 hot spot pheasant tail nymph, size 16 Frenchie, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear and size 16 Mercer’s poxy back pale morning dun is fooling the trout during the mid-morning to early afternoon hatch.

The north shore of McGee Bay is at full pool and the road around the lake is flooded in spots making it impossible to access with a vehicle.

Crowley Lake

North Landing:

The North Landing road continues to be closed. A tentative opening date is set for after the fourth of July. Hopefully it will be open on the 5th of July. There are section of the road that are still undriveable.  For now there is shore access at Layton Springs, South Landing and Crooked Creek. Float tubers in the Hilton Bays are producing trout on midges fished three inches to four feet off the substrate. Browns, rainbows and cutthroats are taking tiger midges, zebra midges, blood midges, gray midges and albino Barron’s. The flotilla of boats have been concentrated in Hilton Bay and on the south side of McGee Bay.

Jimmy Steinmetz from Las Vegas took a beginners class from Sierra Bright Dot and was able to fool this wild brown trout on a fly.

Upper Owens River

Above Benton Crossing Bridge:

Flows on the upper Owens River have subsided and are at a great level to fly fish with nymphs and dries. Midges are hatching early morning followed by blue wing olive mayflies. After lunch time look for the pale morning duns to start hatching. Fly fishers need to move around to find concentrations of the hatching pale morning duns. Nymphing with an indicator or a Euro rig is producing five inch to 20 inch browns and rainbows. The trout are taking bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs in size 18, bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears in size 16, olive quilldigons in size 18, size 18 Frenchie’s, size 16 hot spot pheasant tail nymphs and size 12 stoner nymphs. Thoroughly covering the water with casts is the way to find the trout that are willing to take your fly. For dry flies fish with size 16 pale morning dun parachutes, size 18 blue wing olive parachutes and size 16 brown elk hair caddis. Particularly on the overcast days be sure to have bug repellant as the mosquitoes are thick.

Jamie Metzger from Woodland Hills used his inflatable kayak to ply the waters of North Lake with a dry and dropper rig to fool wild rainbow and brown trout.

Bishop Creek Canyon

North Lake:

Using motorless water craft like a float tube, kayak, inflatable kayak or Stealth Craft drift boats allows fly fishers total access to the lake. Fly fishers willing to walk into the inlet will find lots of fly fishing opportunities for wild brown and rainbow trout hanging out in the current waiting for food to drift to them. Working the vegetation lined banks with a dry and dropper is fooling trout. Use a size 14 Adams parachute on top and fish with a size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph on three feet of 5X fluorocarbon tippet. Other fly patterns that are working to fool the wild trout are size 14 olive stimulators, size 12 orange stimulators, size 14 elk hair caddis, tiger midges, zebra midges and blood midges in size 20 and bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears in size 16. Trolling or striping a size 12 olive wooly bugger on a full sinking line is fooling the stocked rainbows. Bring the bug repellant as the mosquitoes are thick on the lake.

Early mornings and late evening are the best times to be on Bishop Creek Canal as the day time temperatures are too hot to be comfortable.

Bishop Creek Canal

Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:

If you can put up with the mosquitoes fishing the caddis ovipositing in the late evening is offering good fly fishing for eight to 12 inch wild brown trout. Fish with size 16 peacock elk hair caddis and olive elk hair caddis. Early in the morning fish with bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, olive quilldigons, stoner nymphs, copper John’s and hot spot pheasant tail nymphs.

Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Report 06-14-2024

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.

Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Report 06-07-2024

Well we traded in the wind and now we are getting the heat. This should warm up the upper elevations and get the last of the snow melting. This should be the beginning of the end of the snow runoff. What’s left to melt off is above the 9,000 foot elevation. When this snow is gone the backcountry waters will be accessible. For those able to do multi day back packs now is the time to explore the backcountry lakes that hold trophy golden trout. June has the greatest number of hatching aquatic insects. For the dry fly purist now is the time to be on the water. Mayflies, stoneflies and caddis flies are the insects the trout are feeding on. Now is warmwater fly fishing time in the Owens Valley as bass, bluegill and carp are getting active and taking flies. Have you booked your June fly fishing trip with Sierra Bright Dot yet?

June is the month with the most hatching aquatic insects like this mayfly nymph.

Owens River Gorge

Middle Gorge Power Plant:

It’s June and the stands of stinging nettles, high day time temperatures and the increased rattle snake activity is enough to keep me out of the gorge till Fall. Dry and dropper rig is the way to fly fish in the gorge for the hearty angler willing to make the trek into the gorge this time of the year. For the dry fly in the dry dropper rig use a size 14 or 16 elk hair caddis or Adams Parachute, or a size 14 stimulator. I run the nymphs on three feet of  4X or 5X fluorocarbon tippet. These fish are feeding opportunistically and will take a number of nymphs. I like size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 14 copper John’s.

Tenkara Tanuki owner Luong Tam hooked up to a wild brown trout in the Owens River Gorge.

East Walker River

Below Bridgeport Reservoir:

Fly fishing continues to be excellent as a dry fly hatch of blue wing olive mayflies and caddis flies have the trout feeding on the surface. For the dry fly use size 18 blue wing olive parachutes, olive sparkle duns, Adams parachutes, brown elk hair caddis, X-caddis and CDC caddis. Nymphing with an indicator or a Euro rig is producing lots of rainbows and browns on size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 16 soft hackle gold ribbed hare’s ear, size 18 tiger midges and zebra midges. The East Walker river is a great place to throw streamers. Size 2 ,6 and 10 olive matukas, olive or brown wooly buggers, olive sculpins, balanced leeches and olive stump busters.

Brian Chastain with a rainbow trout he fooled with a pheasant tail nymph fished under an indicator on the miracle mile section of the East Walker River.

San Joaquin River

Reds Meadow to  Agnew Meadow:

The road to the San Joaquin River is Scheduled to open this Friday June 7th, 2024. Access to the San Joaquin River will be Friday through Sunday. It will be shut down during the week so crews can rebuild the road. There will be extended hours on holiday weekends.

The San Joaquin River is a classic opportunistic fly fishing water that lends its self well to a dry and dropper rig.

Hot Creek

Interpretive Site:

Dry fly fishing is beginning on Hot Creek. The question is going to be if this heat wave moving through California is enough to cause the creek to become high and dirty slowing down the dry fly bite. If the dry fly bite holds out fly fish with size 20 blue wing olive parachutes, olive sparkle duns, Adams parachutes, size 20 gray elk hair caddis and gray X-caddis. Nymph with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 16 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 tiger midges and zebra midges.

Waterflows in Hot Creek are unstable as runoff from Mammoth Creek is changing the water clarity and water flows daily.

Hot Creek

Canyon Section:

This is good Euro nymphing and indicator nymphing water before and after the hatches. Besides the blue wing olive and caddis hatch look for the pale morning duns and the little yellow stoneflies. These are the two biggest aquatic insects that hatch on the creek. Use size 16 pale morning dun parachutes, pale morning dun sparkle nymphs and Lawsons little yellow stone fly. For nymphing use bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, copper John’s and stoner nymphs.

The flotilla of Crowley Lake fly fishing boats can be found in Big Hilton Bay where the trout are concentrated and feeding on midges.

Crowley Lake

North Landing:

Weather is warming up and so is the fly fishing. The fish are in 20 feet of water in Hilton Bay and in the north arm of the lake. The weed beds are starting to develop and fly fishers are working the mud beds around the weed beds. Suspending your midges off the bottom from three inches to 12 inches in the mornings is where the trout are feeding on the midge pupae as they come out of the mud. Later in the morning raise your midges of the bottom as the pupae work their way up the water column towards the surface to hatch. The standard midge patterns are working. Use size 16 or 18 tiger midges, zebra midges, gray midges and albino Barron’s. Shore access is still limited as roads around the lake remain flooded.

Juvenil rainbow trout are feeding on nymphs and adults of mayflies, midges and caddis flies.

Upper Owens River

Above Benton Crossing Bridge:

Juvenil brown trout and rainbow trout are offering the fly fishers lots of action on dries and nymphs. Pale morning duns, blue wing olives and caddis are hatching and the trout are feeding on the nymphs and the adults. For the dry flies fish with size 16 brown elk hair caddis , size 16 Adams parachutes, size 18 blue wing olive parachutes and size 18 olive sparkle duns. For the nymphs use size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 12 stoner nymphs and size 12 green/gold Prince nymphs.

Hayden Grant learning to fish a nymph under an indicator in Bishop Creek Canal.

Bishop Creek Canal

Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:

If you can put up with the heat during the day than Bishop Creek Canal is worth fly fishing. Otherwise try fishing in the early morning and late evening when the temperatures outside are comfortable for people. Waiting for the sun to go behind the Sierra mountains is when you want to fish a size 16 peacock body elk hair caddis. The brown trout are feeding on the ovipositing caddis as they return to the canal to lay their eggs. The fishing is good from the time the sun goes behind the Sierra mountains for an hour or two. Cast the elk hair caddis across and upstream. Let it drift naturally until the fly is dragged across the stream. Though you may get a hit during the drag free portion of the drift, most of the hits will come when the fly drags across the current. If you do not get a hit slowly strip the caddis up stream. If the winds up and causes the fly to be pulled of the water and then slapped back on the water let the fly dead drift down stream for a foot or so. When the hits come they are savage as the trout know the insects do not stay on the water for long.