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A Fish Report for 10/9/14

Capt. Tom Loe
October 9, 2014
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report

Fly fishing the trophy trout waters of the Sierra near Mammoth and Bishop have been excellent this fall. The Owens River and Crowley lake have been providing quality rainbows, browns, and cutthroat trout for fly fishers booking guided trips off drift boats, and state of the art lake flats style boats. Guided fly fishing trips on the Upper Owens have been very good for migrating rainbows and browns.

Quick look fish report 10/9/14

Cloudy with light winds forecast. Come on big brown trout! Middle Owens continues to fish very well for wading & drifting. Flows running between 170-180cfs. Crowley continues to provide good numbers of eighteen inch plus trout for still water nymphers and streamer fishers. Upper Owens kicking out good numbers with a few bigs in the mix. Pleasant Valley Reservoir level rising quickly, getting more difficult to wade the transition. Hot Creek, San Joaquin, & East Walker all have poor conditions. West Walker very low but fishing ok in the deeper pools. Warming trend forecast for the weekend- back into the 70′s on Crowley.

Crowley Lake 10/9/14

The excellent weather & high barometer have the fish on the chew after the frost comes off. 9-14 feet off Alligator Pt, Layton Springs, & Six Bays have been the hot spots early. Sandy Pt. & Big Hilton can go off late morning. GUIDE TIP: When you are adjusting your depth for stillwater nymphing; make sure you are setting for the depth that your flies will be suspended-NOT WHERE YOU ARE LOCATED. This is a common mistake, and I see it on a regular basis. It is the most prevalent reason some fly fishers do not get grabs while in a good location with reasonable midge patterns. That is not an optical illusion you are seeing in the middle of the lake north of Hilton Bay. McGee Bay & the North Landing areas have really thinned out recently. Water temps are cooling & the fish are migrating to the "gut" of the lake. The "Island" is now totally protruding and look likes a volcano has popped up! We are seeing very low water on Crowley this season. The fall turnover is beginning with some algae bloom around. It will increase as the water continues to cool. There are solid chironomid hatches (midges); however the larger fish prefer small TUI CHUBS & perch fry. Use an assassin, drifters punk perch, or crystal leech as the upper fly for perch or chub imitations. My killa-baetis (callibaetis mayfly) imitation is a great trail fly behind a Loeberg or punk perch. Try a broken back gillie, crystal emerger, midge pupa, or standard gillie for your upper fly during chironomid emergences. Hang a broken back tiger or bb zebra midge, dark or copper crystal tigers, or crystal zebras as the larva/lower fly. Give those flies some action if the surface is calm. You are competing with swimming/wiggling critters, and the movement of your flies is crucial to getting grabs. Streamer fishing using perch fry & chub patterns is very good currently. Work the drop-off around Six Bays. Loebergs and #12/10 Punk Perch, Agent Orange, & Crystal leeches are great patterns for streamer fishers here. The fish have begun to spread out so there is ample room for tubers to work the perimeters of the boat parking lots. The perch fry and chubs are perfectly sized for streamer fish'n right now. CDFW has been planting micro sub-catchable sized fish-big brown trout food for sure! Special angling restrictions now in place. Pinch those barbs down, love them and leave them, no scented or live bait please.

Upper Owens River 10/9/14

Good "catching" here for medium rainbows and a few browns. Steady action while nymphing the deeper holes above the bridge. Hopper activity slowing down with the cooler weather in the morns. Water conditions are very good, although flows are very low. You will find the river choked with weed in many sections down from the bridge. River conditions are better above the confluence of Hot Creek. Tandem nymph rigs in the deeper pools are doing the trick. You can also dead drift broken back midges & egg patterns without an Under-cator. Flows consistent at 49 cfs. Short water tactics are necessary to fool the wild fish here. Look for the deeper pools and runs during off hatch periods. Caddis (#18 or smaller dark bodies) and mayfly adults are good choices for the open riffle water. Hi-vis para bwo and caddis # 16-18 will get grabs. Some hoppers showing up now. Use a Stimulator or larger hi-vis pattern with a bead head nymph as the dropper 2 feet beneath the dry for a deadly tanden rig. Nymphing with SJ worms, crystal soft egg patterns, flashback PT's, Assassin bird's nest, broken back midges, crystal olive caddis & zebra larva patterns near the bottom. 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. Think about streamers in the stiff afternoon winds. You will have to hunt down pools large; or deep enough to cast a streamer-they are very limited under current conditions. Patterns like Loebergs, Punk Perch, Crystal Leeches, & Agent Orange will get takes when used with a light sinking tip line.

Middle Owens River (Bishop area) 10/9/14

Flows are between 160-175cfs, & conditions are near perfect for drifting the lower sections, & wading the wild trout area. Numbers have been excellent off the drift boat, with a few bigs ripping line daily. There are solid hatches of fall caddis, tiny Trico mayflies, and some PMD's. Birds nest patterns like Assassins, flashback PT's, and hares ears make for good profiles of a mayfly nymph and caddis pupa. Crystal olive caddis larva, & olive zebra midges are also good choices for a lower fly imitation of caddis larvae, green rock worms, or midge larva. Have some hi-vis caddis adults & hi-vis para mayfly adults for the morning hatch. The chub and sucker spawn was immense this summer, and we are seeing "balls" of these small baitfish in the pillow water and along the weeds. Streamer fishing is the best way to imitate these small forage fish by using the "dip & strip technique" with heavy to moderate sinking tip lines. Go to patterns are Loebergs, Punk Perch, Crystal leeches, & Spruce-a-bu's.

Drifters Trophy Pond 10/9/14

You will find the largest rainbows in the entire Sierra here-bar none, They are not planted fish, some have been here for nearly a decade. TWENTY POUND bows & TEN pound browns can be expected if you have the skills. You need to have a Drifters guide accompany you for a session on this totally private fishery near McGee Creek. Pond will be available to fish through October, it closes for fall spawning until spring. We do private casting instruction here also. Call us for booking and availability please.

Hot Creek 10/9/14

Hot Creek is suffering from low water and extensive weed growth. This limits the available water you can fish. Dry flies are the most effective patterns to use. I suggest a 10 foot leader and rod to keep the fly line off the weeds. This is hopper time in our region. Windy periods are best to toss terrestrial patterns. My hi-vis caddis & hi-vis para BWO are good choices to fish the faster slot water that has less weed. Hopper imitations are good call in the early fall-use a stimulator or grass hopper imitation if the wind comes up. Para ant patterns are also a good choice if the wind is gusting in the canyon. There are a few sections that can be fished with a dry dropper nymph rig. Broken back zebras or assassin birds nest bead heads in #18 are good calls for the dropper.

*Tom Loe is under permit from the Inyo National Forest Service to guide Hot Creek.

San Joaquin River 10/9/14

Flows are at winter levels-very, very low. The wading easy in all sections. Fly fishing has become more difficult due to very low flows. The fish are holding in the limited pools and deeper slots. Attractor dry patterns like Stimulators, hi-vis para bwo's & caddis are good choices that are easier to see in the plentiful pocket water that defines the SJR. Use a bead head flashback PT or assassin birds nest as a dropper in the limited deeper pools and runs. Sotcher and Starkweather Lakes were planted this summer and have decent conditions for tubing.

*Tom Loe is under permit from the Inyo National Forest Service to guide the San Joaquin.

East Walker River 10/9/14

Flows currently at 21cfs. I was taught if you do not have anything nice to say, don't say it ay all…

Bridgeport Reservoir 10/9/14

The RV Parks are open. Shore/tube fishing is possible. Water levels very low.

West Walker River 10/9/14

Flows are very low but the water is clear. You will be hard pressed to find a pool that is 3 feet in depth. Hit the canyon and Pikel meadows sections. Dry/dropper bead head nymphs like crystal olive caddis, tiger midges, broken back tigers, assassin birds nest, & flashback PT's are all good calls fished below a Stimulator or hi vis caddis or BWO adult as your indicator. If you can find a deeper pool around stocking points the LOEBERG is a deadly fly here. Light sinking tip, or just let it settle with a floating line.

Alpine Lakes 10/9/14

Some of the "hike in" lakes like Kirman, Parker, & McCloud can be excellent during fall. The wild browns and brookies are in spawning mode. They are more aggressive, & cruising in shallower water near inlets. The scenery alone is worth the walk! Packing a tube in is the best means of getting into consistent fish. Bring both floating, and full sinking lines to cover the water more effectively as the fish go deeper when the sun climbs. Tubing the inlets & drop-offs on the "drive to" alpine lakes with full sinking lines and streamer patterns is a good way to locate "pods" of planted fish. The holdover, or wild browns and brookies in some areas are better fished using the still water nymphing method below an Under-cator. You can also try dry/dropper bead head combos with flashback PT's as the nymph & hi-vis para BWO's as the dry on the calm sun down bite days. Still water nymphing with scuds, assassin bird's nest, flashback PT's, & broken back midge patterns will work near inlets and along tulles or drop-offs. 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. Keep those streamers in the 10-15 foot range working the steep ledges or deeper sections near the inlets. Callibaetis or pheasant tail trailers can be deadly in some locations tied to a streamer.

Pleasant Valley Reservoir 10/9/14

Water levels are on the rise and currently on the high side for fishing the transition area. 4383′ is optimum in my opinion. They are now 4386′. The small river directly below the powerhouse is awesome when the flows are low, or stable. Forget fishing the river, or inlet if the hydro station is ramped up. The quiet water at the inlet can be great for tubers during this period. Dry dropper combos using Stimulators, hi-vis para BWO's or hi-vis caddis, may be used as the upper fly-use crystal olive caddis larva, flashback PT's, Assassins, broken back or crystal tiger & zebra midges as your dropper bead head nymph. Streamers like Loebergs, Agent Orange, Crystal leeches, & Spruce-A-Bu's will get you into some nice browns in the rez proper. Use a full sinking line to get down to 10-15 feet quickly. You can also fish "Crowley midge style" in the rez near the drop-offs. Fish the same chironomid patterns below an Under-cator. Gillies, broken back midges, crystal emergers & pupa patterns. Tiger & zebra midges are always a solid choice for your larva pattern.

We 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 7 days a week. They open early, so you can get flies and tackle and still be on the water for the hatch! 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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