A Fish Report for 5/30/14
Capt. Tom Loe
May 31, 2014
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
Fly Fishing for trophy trout in the Sierras near Mammoth and Bishop has been awesome this spring. Guided trips are producing large rainbows, browns, and cutthroat trout consistently for our clients fishing quality waters like Crowley Lake, the Upper Owens River near Mammoth, Hot Creek, & the Middle Owens River near Bishop. Guided drift boat excursions on the Owens produced some of the largest trout we have seen in years. Early season numbers are indicating a banner year for Crowley Lake with late spring storms supplying ample water to provide good access in most locations. Book a fly fishing guide trip with us soon and get your picture on the wall of fame!
Quick look fish report 5/30/14
Crowley Lake consistently good. Some wind forecast the next couple days that could slow down the bite. First significant algae rafts starting to appear. Look for concentrations of trout deeper than 12 feet. Upper Owens beginning to have near perfect flows-down to 130cfs. Middle Owens around Bishop is currently 275cfs and has dropped considerably the last few days Trending down :) Hot Creek seeing highest flows of the year. East Walker dropped down to 65cfs today. Bridgeport Reservoir, Mammoth Lakes Basin, June Lake, got jugged with some Oregon trophy rainbows last week, they should be on the bite now. Road into the San Joaquin/Devils Postpile now open. Some wind & cooler temps next couple of days.
I try to update the fish report daily, & will advise you on significant changes to all the mentioned fisheries as soon as I get first hand data. Some information may be repeated, so read each paragraph thoroughly as I may only change parts of any section daily.
Crowley Lake:
The most consistent fly fishery in the area currently. Algae is appearing in some spots. It has been steady in 12-18 feet most days the wind is not howling. Weeds are beginning to form out to 12 feet so locating a weed free mud bottom is key to success. Water level will begin to drop slowly as flows increase on the Middle Owens. This is a good thing for the near future. Remember that the lake level was much, much lower last fall. This essentially wiped out the larva on the dry/frozen lake bed. As the lake fills the fertile bottom remains in deeper water. So…as the lake level drops again, the fertile bottom will begin to be at lower depths. Some nicer fish are showing up more consistently. McGee Bay proper is not consistent. Sometimes Bay to the north can be a hot spot , no lack of boats here. Hilton, Sandy, Alligator Pt., & Crooked Creek also have fish at times. Depth to target is 12-18 feet. Sacramento Perch are staging on the sand in some areas, so you will get "drive- bys" from them. Gillies #18/20, crystal emergers & pupa #18/20. (Broken back tiger & zebra midges) good when you have some texture on the surface. Tiger & zebra midges #14/18 also good choices for the lower or larva imitation.
Upper Owens River 5/30/14
Numbers of migratory fish out of Crowley have decreased a bunch in the last week. You may see a few beat up rainbows and cutts with white fuzzy patches on them. This is cold water fungus, and it attacks post spawning fish. It can be lethal if it is in the gills or eyes. Flows are nearly perfect & have fallen to 130 cfs. You will still need plenty of weight to get those SJ worms, crystal egg patterns, flashback PT's, Assassin bird's nest, broken back midges, crystal olive caddis & zebra larva patterns near the bottom. Lengthen your standard nymphing leaders 2-3 feet friends, you will get better results! I prefer to use a clear or yellow Under-cator on moving water as they are less conspicuous. The pink & orange work better on the still waters like Crowley and Bridgeport. Streamers like Loebergs, Punk Perch, Crystal Leeches, & Agent Orange will also get takes when used with a light to medium sinking tip line. As it warms up you may see some off colored water and floating weed due to run-off below the confluences of Hot Creek, & downstream from irrigation canals used to flood the pastures. Keep your bugs clean every cast!
Owens River (Bishop area) 5/30/14
Flows are 275cfs. There was a "flushing flow" for a couple days that spiked at 430cfs. The good news is that they appear to be dropping, not going up. Wading and crossing is not a good idea at this release below Pleasant Valley Dam. Drift boat trips will be good as the flows have come way down recently. This is a unique opportunity to float the Owens in late spring. Give us a call for information on how to book a trip.
McGee Creek 5/30/14
Mediocre at best. Pods are scattered. Still a beautiful place to fish if you don't mind the thirty minute trek to the lower sections. Drifting attractor patterns like SJ worms & crystal eggs are good calls. Dry/dropper bead head rigs using a stimulator, hi-vis para BWO, or caddis as the upper, and an olive crystal caddis or midge larva pattern as the dropper can be deadly. Broken back midges, assassins birds nest, and flashback PT's should also be in your box if you plan on the 30 minute hike to the promised land.
Hot Creek 5/30/14
Highest flows of the year running currently. Decent caddis & mayfly activity occurring daily during warm spells. The small spring caddis are like candy to these wild fish and you will enjoy the best snap during this hatch. #18/20 hi-vis elk hair imitations will suffice, try some crystal olive caddis larva patterns for nymphs. San Juan Worms and egg patterns are good choices for spring conditions on the crick. Dry dropper rigs using para midge or hi-vis para BWO or blue wing olive adult patterns #14-18 as an upper, while dropping a broken back zebra or tiger midge, assassin bird's nest, or crystal olive caddis/zebra larva pattern will get you into fish in the slots between the weeds. Lengthen your leaders to ten feet here, 5X is a good tippet size. The deeper pools can be fished with weighted attractors like SJ worms and egg patterns hung beneath an Under-cator. A hot rig is an olive or light Punk Perch as your upper fly with an assassin or PT as a dropper. You may also "swing cast" a Punk perch or crystal leech across the deeper slots and pools for a shot at one of the bigs that hunker along the weed lines or in the gut of the larger holes. Use the yellow, or clear for short water nymphing. Midge cluster, or para midge adults in the #20-24 range are hot flies for surface action. BWO adults fished high in the suds #16/18 also good calls afternoon when the baetis/PMD's start to emerge.
*Tom Loe is under permit from the Inyo National Forest Service to guide Hot Creek.
San Joaquin River 5/30/14
Expect higher lows through June. Road open to Reds Meadow. Nymph or use dry/dropper bead heads in the slower water and meadow sections.
East Walker River 5/30/14
Flows have recently dropped to 65cfs. Good for the lake however; & this will help the river during the hot periods. Fish will retreat into the deeper pools. So-so at best here.
Bridgeport Reservoir 5/30/14
Good reports from anglers that fished here over the holiday weekend. Jeffery continues to do a stellar job getting his rental boats out. There is a functioning launch ramp near the dam that he has put a courtesy dock to use as well. The lake received 400 lbs of Oregon trophy rainbows along with a double allotment of catchable trout from the CDFW. It will be good here early on this summer. Try Loebergs, punk perch streamers near the dam with full or heavy sinking tip lines. Please support my good buddy by stopping buy the RV Park or store, say Baaaah for me!
West Walker River 5/30/14
High and off colored. Poor conditions.
Alpine Lakes 5/30/14
HEAVILY PLANTED alpine lakes in June and Mammoth are beginning to pay off. Lake Mary Road now open. Streamers like Spruce-A-Bu's, Agent Orange, Loebergs, & Crystal Leeches used with a heavy sinking tip, or full sinking line will get you into them. Fish deeper than normal 15-20 feet, and work the steep ledges or deeper sections near the inlets.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir/Gorge 5/30/14
Continuous power generation, and fluctuating water levels will make for some lousy conditions for fly fishers in the river or transition section. Tubing the inlet can be productive using streamers like Loebergs, Agent Orange, crystal leeches, & Spruce-A-Bu's with a heavy sinking tip, or full sinking type 4 line. The Gorge can be very good this time of year if they lower flows back to 32 cfs. Dry/dropper bead head nymph combos with hi-vis para mayflies and hi-vis caddis dries as the upper; assassin birds nest or flashback PT's #18-20 as the nymphs. Caddis/mayfly adult patterns are the correct selections while working in the channel casting upstream.
I am happy to announce that the we will have a fully stocked fly box and Under-cators in Reagan's Sporting Goods in Bishop! The Drifters fly box will carry all the guide tested patterns you see on the fish report including patterns for Pyramid Lake, Eagle Lake, Lake Almanor, & other great trout fisheries in the west. This is a great shop with knowledgeable and super friendly people that is open daily 7-5 during the winter. They are located on Main St. with easy access and parking. This store has everything you need for fishing, hunting, camping. They sell licenses too!
I have added a picture gallery to the website this year. You can click on it at the top of any page of this website. My apologies to any of our wonderful clients who have been with Sierra Drifters for the last seventeen seasons and do not have a picture posted. I just can't post the 30,000 pics we have taken! I will make an effort over time to post what I have. Click on the "gallery" button and do a search for your name, or scroll through the pages. You can double click on the picture to enlarge it once it is located.
Thanks for reading my report.
Be the fly….Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
760-935-4250
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