A Fish Report for 11/19/14
Capt. Tom Loe
November 20, 2014
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
Fly fishing the year around waters of the Upper and Middle Owens Rivers, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Hot Creek, & the East Walker River located near Mammoth and Bishop Ca. will give you opportunities to catch trophy rainbows and browns while being guided by expert fly fishing pros. We use top of the line drift boats, snowmobiles, and float tubes to access these blue ribbon trout waters.
Quick look fish report 11/19/14
A series of cold fronts to move into the Sierra through the weekend. Snow forecast for Thursday 11/20. Slower fishing due to wind and cooler weather on the Upper & Middle Owens. Flows remain low; but fishable with good access and water conditions to all the year around waters. Pleasant Valley Reservoir fishing fair/good, lots of small fish. Hot Creek & East Walker poor/fair. General trout season for Inyo & Mono Counties now closed. Go to the bottom of this page, click on the icons- and LIKE us on Facebook, or check out our You Tube videos.
Upper Owens River 11/19/14
Fishing has got tougher here due to heavy pressure and much colder air temps. Access remains fine, no mud or ice to be found. You will need to cover alot of water to locate the fish and deeper pockets. The bulk of the fish are holding in the larger river section (downstream from the Benton Bridge) that is now closed to all fishing. As Crowley slowly fills, the communication between the lake and river improves giving the trout a more favorable pathway to migrate upstream. This is why winter fishing here can be so great! The colder air temps force the fish to seek refuge in the deeper pools. Due to the currently low flows (48cfs above Hot Creek), these are few and far between this fall. Nymphing below an Under-cator is the best method to get the larger migratory rainbows and browns to take a fly. Use attractor patterns-appropriately weighted, and in tandem such as San Juan Worms, & roe imitations. Flashback PT's, Assassin birds nest, broken back midges, tiger midges, Agent Orange, & Crystal Vanderleeches are also good choices especially after the gravel warms up in the afternoons. You will see a decent midge hatch and small mayflies during periods of warmer weather. Small para BWO's or duns, and midge cluster patterns are good surface profiles. Streamer fishing can also be a good call during windy days. Stay along the deeper/channel side of the river and use the "dip & strip" technique with a light sinking tip, or floating line. Loebergs, Spruce-A-Bu's, & Punk Perch #10-6 can get those big boys out from under those deeper cut banks where it is difficult to dead drift a nymph rig.
We have a fleet of snow mobiles with expert guides to take you in when the snow flies here. We pioneered guided "snow bow" trips many years ago and have perfected specialized nymphing techniques to consistently get you on trophy trout during the winter months. This may be the most unique fly fishing experience you may have in the Sierra. Whooohooo, bring on the snow!
Special angling regs in effect. Open year around upstream from the Benton Crossing Bridge. Closed from the Bridge downstream to Crowley Lake until next season.
Middle Owens River (Bishop area) 11/19/14
Flows at 83cfs below the dam at Pleasant Valley. We are seeing a more seasonable weather pattern develop with the big fall hatches of mayflies & caddis slowing down. Smaller midges will become more prevalent as the days shorten. Fishing remains good during the warmer periods in the wild trout section. Nymphing with tandem rigs properly weighted will get you into fish consistently. I suggest you use Flashback PT's, Assassin birds nest, broken back midges, tiger midges, olive crystal zebras, & caddis larvae (to imitate caddis larva & rock worms). You can use dry/dropper bead head rigs for the warmer days working the tailouts of larger pools, & riffles. Have some high vis para BWO's for the uppers & keep them dressed with desiccant to suspend your bead head nymphs. Guided drift boat trips are a great vehicle to reach the secluded, and less fished areas of the river. We predominantly fish streamers like Loebergs, Spruce-A-Bu's, Punk Perch, Agent Orange, and Crystal Vanderleeches. Using a light sinking tip line we position the boat upstream from the target water, casting about 35 feet down towards larger pools. We then insert the rod tips below the surface to get the streamers down without using excessive weight. Stripping the line in an erratic series of short and long pulls imitates the swimming motion of injured baitfish. The "dip & strip" technique is a fun way to get into numbers and large rainbows that hold in the lower sections of the river well below the wild trout section. Check out my "be the fly" video by clicking on the videos link at the top of the page to see how we do it. "Catching" has been mixed due to cooler/windy weather on our last few drifts.
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 (closed until next season)
Hot Creek 11/19/14
Access is good, no snow or ice. Fish smaller mayfly/midge 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.
East Walker River 11/19/14
Access is good, no snow or ice. Flows currently at 20cfs. Limited fishable water.
This fishery is open year around with special regs in place.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir 11/19/14
Reservoir levels fluctuating- currently at (4385′). Roll casts needed along the trees at this level. As the level drops, be cautious when the mud along the river bank thaws. 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 a great deal on a 690-4 Sage One Rod., 6wt., 9 foot – 4 pc. I also have Sage 4640 & Lamson LS-2 series IV 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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