November 10th Fish'n Conditions
Capt. Tom Loe
November 10, 2014
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
Fly fishing near Mammoth and Bishop have been excellent recently. The Upper & Middle Owens Rivers are kicking out quality rainbow & brown trout. Guided fly fishing trips on the Upper Owens have been very good for migrating rainbows and browns. Drift boat excursions on the Owens are as good as it gets currently.
Quick look fish report 11/10/14
Middle Owens bite very good in wild trout section-small mayfly patterns for nymphing & dries. Drifting good, has slowed for the bigs. Upper Owens crowded for the holiday weekend but kicking out nice browns. Crowley fishing well from shore or tube, closes 11/15. Pleasant Valley very good for numbers-lots of smaller browns. Levels getting high currently. Flows remain very low on Hot Creek and East Walker. Cooler/windy weather forecast for end of the week-slight chance of snow.
Upper Owens River 11/10/14
I can't emphasize enough how important it is to keep a low profile and stay "on the tail" of the migratory fish here. They are very spooky. If the fish are looking at you-they will not be interested in your flies! Some nice pods of 14-17 inch browns, with a few "Zilla's" now in the upper sections. Steady action while nymphing the deeper holes above the bridge. The warmer days providing excellent adult mayfly activity for dry fly action. Water conditions are very good, although flows are very low. You will find substantial aquatic weeds in many sections down from the bridge; however there are ample "slots" to fish here and they are holding. Riverbed 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 tandem rig. Nymphing with Crystal Vanderleeches, 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 VanderLeeches, & Agent Orange will get takes when used with a light sinking tip line.
Special angling regs in effect. Open year around upstream from the Benton Crossing Bridge. Closed from the Bridge to the fishing monument until the Saturday of Memorial Day 2015. Same regs as Crowley Lake downstream from the monument to the lake proper, this section will then close on 11/15.
Middle Owens River (Bishop area) 11/10/14
The wild trout section is fishing as good as it gets. Nymphing & dry fly tactics will get you into numbers. There are solid hatches of tiny Trico mayflies, some PMD's, and caddis adults. Focus on the tailouts at the base of larger pools. The fish are keying on the afternoon trico, caddis emergences. Midge cluster patterns (Griffith's knat) will also get surface looks. 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. Drift boat trips remain good with a shot at a trophy rainbow. Numbers have slowed some the last couple days. The chub and sucker spawn was immense this fall, 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 moderate sinking tip lines. Go to patterns are Loebergs, Punk Perch dark & light (#14), Crystal Vanderleeches, & Spruce-a-bu's.
This fishery remains open year around. Special regs from the footbridge at Pleasant Valley campground to the fishing monument 4.7 miles downstream.
Crowley Lake 11/10/14
Shore & tube fishing have been very good thanks to some great weather. The lake remains open until 11/15/14. Consistent areas are Crooked Creek, Whiskey & Hilton Bays, Beaver Cove, Sandy Pt., Alligator Pt., Layton Springs, & Six Bays. 9-13 feet. Success using the still water nymphing method depends on position & conditions in a given area. The fish can be concentrated in a location, but wind direction & barometric pressure will dictate how your day will go. As a very general rule…try to position yourself in shallow water fishing towards deeper water. Fish the "lee", or down current side of a drop-off or peninsula. Streamer fishing has slowed down due to above average chironomid activity. It can still be a good option for off hatch periods. As the weather continues to become more seasonal patterns like Loebergs, Punk Perch, crystal Vanderleeches, & Agent Orange will once again be effective. Water temps are cooling & the fish are migrating to the "gut" of the lake. The "Islands" off Hilton Pt. are 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 ending, water clarity is very good. Hot flies if the midge hatch is off are Assassins and crystal leeches. 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. CDFW has planted sub-catchable sized fish, treat them kindly as they are the future of this fishery. Special angling restrictions now in place. Pinch those barbs down, love them and leave them, no scented or live bait please.
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.
Adobe Pond 11/10/14
The drought has kept us off Dobe for most of this summer. Now that the water is cooling, & the weeds thinning out there are some opportunities to get into some awesome wild browns on this special place. This is private water & we have exclusive rights to guide here, please call for booking info. Open until 11/15/14.
Hot Creek 11/10/14
Fish smaller mayfly/caddis adult patterns. Locate the slots in the weeds, short accurate drifts are necessary. Hot Creek is suffering from low water, silt, 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. There are a few sections that can be fished with a dry dropper nymph rig. Broken back zebras, flashback PT's, or assassin birds nest bead heads in #18 are good calls for the dropper.
This is a year around fishery with special regs in place.
*Tom Loe is under permit from the Inyo National Forest Service to guide Hot Creek.
San Joaquin River 11/10/14
Flows are at winter levels-very, very low.
This is a year around fishery. Hwy 203 closes to vehicles after the first significant snowfall.
*Tom Loe is under permit from the Inyo National Forest Service to guide the San Joaquin.
East Walker River 11/10/14
Flows currently at 20cfs. Limited fishable water.
This fishery is open year around with special regs in place.
Bridgeport Reservoir 11/10/14
Lake level is extremely low. This fishery closes on 11/15.
West Walker River 11/10/14
Flows are very low. 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.
This fishery is open year around along Hwy. 395 with special angling regs after 11/15.
Alpine Lakes 11/10/14
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.
Open from the last Saturday in April until 11/15. Some locations have special angling regulations year around.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir 11/10/14
Levels have come up a bunch and are currently at (4389′). This is high for access in the transition zone. There has been periodic hydro generation in the mornings. 4383′ is optimum in my opinion. 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.
This fishery is open year around.
Used Gear Sale
I have some great deals on 4, 5, 6wt. – 4 pc. Sage One & Redington Vapen rods. I also have Sage 4640 & Lamson LS-2 Litespeed reels at discounted prices. All this gear is in very good to excellent condition and ready to fish. Please contact me for pricing and packages.
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
760-935-4250
www.sierradrifters.com
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