Fish'N Conditions September 14th 2013
Capt. Tom Loe
September 14, 2013
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
Fall fly fishing around Mammoth and Bishop is really getting good in some areas.
Sure doesn't feel like fall is approaching with all the warm weather the Sierra is experiencing. We still have the largest wildfire to ever hit the Sierra burning near Yosemite. The "Rim" fire (over 250,000 acres) is near containment but may burn in remote regions until we get some rain or snow. The Mammoth/Bishop area has experienced a few bad air quality days; however the smoke has for the most part stayed well to the west and north of this region.
Water levels are as forecast…low. Several fisheries that are normally fishing well this time of year have poor conditions with very low flows, weeds, and lethargic fish holding in the deepest pools they can find. Lakes are your best bet for consistent action, many of the alpine locations are fishing well-although you will see some that are poor due to low water levels. The Bishop Creek drainage and lakes are feeling some pain this fall, as is Bridgeport Reservoir and some lakes in the Mammoth Lakes Basin & June Loop. Flows have begun to drop on the Upper Owens leading into Crowley Lake & have been stable on the Middle Owens near Bishop and the wild trout section below Pleasant Valley Dam. Most of the freestone creeks are running very low, save for the West Walker which is by no means torrential, but does have decent flows considering other similar creeks.
The Quaking Aspens and willows are already turning orange in the upper north facing canyons, some yellows and changes occurring at the 7000 foot level. Looks to be an early color show this season. The extended weather forecast is calling for a significant change towards the end of September.
Fall is perhaps the most beautiful time of year to fish the eastern side of the Sierra. Hope you can make it up and fish with us soon.
Special thanks to my great friends at the San Diego Fly Fishers. We did several advanced fly fishing clinics and all learned some new tricks, knots, rigging methods and fishing techniques on the Upper Owens and East Walker. See ya next year guys, thanks again.
Crowley Lake
One day you'll get 50 hard downs while still water nymphing, the next 10. Such is Crowley this year and its peculiar bite pattern. If you ever wanted to catch a brown or a cutthroat on the fly, this is the season & the place. More of these rascals showing than rainbows on my hooks. The north end and McGee Bay are still the spots. 9-14 feet. No algae, although the buds are starting to show again & there is some cloudy water around Sandy Pt. (which is a good spot to hit in transition & can pay-off at times) Chironomids still emerging in force, damsel and perch fry activity lessening; however still a significant part of the larger trout's diet for sure. The bigs are punishing the perch during the low light periods & I suggest you think about tossing or trolling some Loebergs or Punk Perch at these times with an intermediate or heavy sinking tip line. *(We will guide you in float tubes here and instruct you how to get into the bigs this fall.) Fishing from the shoreline in the Six Bays area can also be productive. This area can go off under these conditions and you can use both still water nymphing and streamers while casting from the beach. Gillies, crystal emergers & pupa imitations #18/20-punk perch light or dark #14/16 as uppers. Broken back tigers and zebras, crystal zebras #14-18 near the bottom if you choose to still water nymph below an Under-cator.
If ya'll do not know where the navigation hazards are while boating I suggest you ask. There are some islands and high spots in areas you would not expect. Launch ramp still ok for large boats, it is steep and you will be off the concrete pad. The boating facility closes 1o-30 but the lake remains open until 11-15.
Middle Owens River
I have been very pleased with how the MO has fished this summer. The lower than usual release rates have made river conditions excellent. With the air temps beginning to cool some in the Owens Valley fishing has become more consistent and the trout are feeding into the mid-day periods now. We are targeting on imitating the numerous chubs and sucker fry that are holding in the softer water along the banks with streamers like Loebergs, punk perch, and Spruce-A- Bu's. My go to fly for the last two weeks has been the light hackled Loeberg used with a heavy sinking tip. 300cfs is the current release; however I suspect this will drop well before the typical reduction in November. Water clarity/temps are excellent & there is strong Trico mayfly emergence, sedge caddis & midge activity. The wild trout section is very fishable at this release, you will have sections that are difficult to cross and navigate unless you are a very strong (and tall) wader. Nymphing with a couple BB or AB shot will get you down to the fish. Use flashback/poxyback PT's with or without beads, Assassin bird's nest- both light & dark, broken back tigers & zebras, and crystal olive caddis larva patterns #14-20. #16 elk caddis imitations fished in the lower light periods will get surface looks.
A footnote: The "Middle Owens" is the section of river emanating from below the dam at Pleasant Valley Reservoir just north of Bishop & terminating at Tinemaha Reservoir near Big Pine. It was designated the Lower Owens before the re-watering project that put flow back into the old channel that flows into Owens Lake-called the LORP project, hence the re-labeling of the Lower Owens.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir/the Gorge
The key to hitting the inlet section near the powerhouse is fishing between power generation cycles, and the level of the reservoir which is not available at this time due to issues with the LADWP real time link. It can be very productive here using dry/dropper bead head combos like Stimulators, hi-vis mayflies, hi-vis dark caddis as your upper & a tiger, broken back midge, assassin bird's nest, or FB/PB pheasant tail as the dropper nymph. If you see turbulent flows when you pass the powerhouse, hit the lake inlet with a tube or head up into the lower gorge. Still water nymphing tactics with chironomids (just like you use on Crowley) & streamer patterns like Loebergs and punk perch #10/12 will get grabs in the reservoir proper. As fall rolls on this can be a great location to fish if the weather turns for the worse in the upper elevations. Still on the warm side for a full day of rock hopping in the gorge; however you can have some fun with a 20 minute walk and just dry fly patterns like caddis and Trico mayflies-#16-22. Look out for the stinging nettle and thistle!
Upper Owens River
This is the section of river that flows into Crowley Lake. Hot Creek joins the UO in two places above the Benton Crossing Bridge. Numbers have been good recently during the mid-week periods after just so-so "catching" during the Labor Day traffic. Look for the fall migration of browns out of Crowley to begin soon. With the amount of browns I have seen this season in Crowley we may have an epic spawn *IF* they can get out of the lake. Flows have been significantly reduced, water levels are low for this time of year. Clarity is great, weeds are not an issue here. Tis' the time of year for a "hopper and a dropper"- hang a flashback/poxyback PT, crystal caddis, or birds nest under a Stimulator, Sofa Pillow, or your favorite hopper pattern #14-12. The ones I have seen are dark brown this year. San Juan worms, roe patterns, & broken back midges are also good selections for nymphing the deeper pools.
Do not overlook streamer fishing during migration periods on the UO. Stripping Loebergs & punk perch along the deeper channels and along the under cut banks can pay off with a trophy fish on those windy/cloudy days.
The section of river downstream from the bridge to the CDFW regulation sign will close to ALL anglers after 9-30-13. Monument to Crowley open until 11-15 with special regs, up from the bridge is year around with special regs.
Bridgeport Reservoir
Love this still water; however very low water here friends. The public boat ramp remains open for smaller rigs. Jeffery at the marina is towing his rentals here, RV Park is a great place to stay. Fish will be concentrated in the section nearest the dam, towards Rainbow Pt. Tubing will be good soon. I believe some really big browns will be caught here this fall-they are confined so to speak. Let's go get them! Give us a call and we will put you on them from a drift boat or tube.
Hot Creek
Fishing is good in the limited areas that are not filled with weed. Very low water currently. The fish are stacked in the deep slots, under the cut banks, and in the holes that are 2-3 feet deep. Hoppers, caddis, trico mayflies. Experienced dry fly fishers can have good success here at times, nymphing is so-so and there is very limited water to fish.
East Walker River
Flows are running at 45-70cfs. Low for this time of year and the weeds have consumed the riffles and channels in many sections. Once again, the fish are here-there are just very limited areas to fish. A comment that has stuck in my mind from a very experienced SDFF member "we could not find a place to fish, all the pools were shallow or had someone on them" Water temps are cooling; however you will not see any miracle spikes in flows this fall.
San Joaquin River
I would really like to tell you that the SJ is on fire-drop what you are doing, pick up a 3/4wt. & get down here as fast as you can with any dry flies you can dig up.. Not so this fall friends. The water is very low & conditions are fair at best. Hit the deepest pools & runs, you will need to cover more water than usual in all beats.
West Walker River
As far as tail water fisheries go on the east side this fall, the WW is better than most with regards to flows. Aggressive stocking from the CDFW & local businesses have also boosted fish counts. Hit the campground areas and Pikel Meadows with dry/dropper bead head combos. A Stimulator and a tiger midge or crystal olive caddis work super here most of the time. Look for the darker water-this color change will tell you where the deeper pools are & the majority of the fish.
Alpine Lakes
I suggest you check each alpine location you wish to fish/visit before making the trek into elevation. They vary greatly and because we do not guide many of them I will not give specific information as to how the conditions are in each location. This is a very low water year and some are out of business for boat rentals and launching. The larger resorts are getting ample stockings with some CDFW brood fish this fall. Lakes are doing much better than creeks and rivers this fall so it will pay off to hit these fisheries with a tube for more consistent action weather permitting. Streamer fishing with full or heavy sink tips using Agent Orange, Spruce-A-Bu's, Loebergs, & crystal Leeches is a constant in these locations (stockers are opportunistic) and you will also find some holdover fish taking midge and callibaetis nymphs in some locations. Find the drop offs and inlets, or sub-surface structure like tree stumps and rocks – suspend nymph patterns below an Under-cator to fool these rascals.
Thanks for reading my report friends.
Be the fly…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
760-935-4250
www.sierradrifters.com
[email protected]
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