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Fish'N Conditions February 6th 2013

Capt. Tom Loe
February 7, 2013
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report

The Upper Owens remains the best for trophy sized rainbows. Chris & Scott Linkletter punished the bigs while fly fishing nymph patterns

The weather has definitely taken a change for the better in the Eastern Sierra. The frigid air temps that plagued the region have given way to seasonable temperatures. We are enjoying the nice weather but are hopeful we get another bout of winter as the snow pack has slipped to just average, or slightly below for the region.

Access to the Upper Owens & Hot Creek have improved; however I strongly suggest you check out the feeder roads that lead down to the UO before you drive in. The ruts are deep and muddy. It is typically frozen in the mornings and thaws by late afternoon making the roads a mess. Mud/snow tires and all wheel drive are a must to avoid a costly towing bill. The East Walker still has a good amount of ice and snow along its banks, the roads leading into the "miracle mile" are also 4X4 only.

Flows on the EW have dropped again to the low 20 cfs range and there is very limited water to fish at this release rate. The majority of the water here is "alotta nada". The pools that are deepest are holding good numbers of healthy rainbows and browns. No BWO activity in the Cal section yet , Nevada has had a few come off; however it will not be long until the water temps hit that magical low 40′s consistently and the baetis begin to come off in numbers. Currently small midges, caddis larva or olive rock worms are good calls along with SJ worms, streamers & egg imitations. The fish are not super aggressive so keep your rigs near the bottom and the presentations on the soft side of the current.

Hot Creek remains good on the warmer days with a huge midge hatch blanketing the water on the high pressure days. Cluster patterns, or #22-24 parachutes that ride in the surface film are good choices for surface action. Flows are good here considering the time of year and the larger fish will be holding in the deepest pools. Redundant drifts while nymphing with, or without an Under- cator will get looks. I like small birds nests, broken back/articulated midge patterns, or #20 flashback PT's here for sub-surface attacks.

The Lower Owens has been very good for numbers with some very pleasant weather recently in the Owens Valley. The LO is much lower in elevation than it's cousin to the north, consequently it is about 30 days more evolved in aquatic emergences. The blue winged olives are coming off consistently now with the first generations of these critters pretty large. I call them #15′s. When the pop is on you can get grabs on just about anything that floats in the #14-18 range. Keep your adults riding high and well dressed. Lead your targets 3-5 feet upstream and remember this little phrase "Da foam is home-don't roam from da foam!"

Flows remain very low at 100 cfs below the dam at Pleasant Valley. We are doing drift trips in the lower sections and having good success tugging streamers like Spruce-a-bu's, Agent Orange, and olive Punk Perch with a light sinking tip line. It is fun switching to dries as the BWO hatch comes off and adds diversity to the drift.

Pleasant Valley Reservoir and the Gorge have really picked up the last week as the level at PV has dropped and big numbers of planted and hold overs have migrated up into the transition area and river below the power house. Dry/dropper bead head combos with a good ole tiger midge or Assassin birds nest as your nymphs will put the hurt on the pods feeding on the huge midge and BWO hatches coming off currently. Tubers are also enjoying some good "catching" using the still water nymphing method with chironomid imitations along the drop-offs or trolling full sinking lines from the launch ramp to the inlet area with streamer patterns in the #8-12 range.

The Gorge is a fun place to fish this time of year and during the warmer days the surface action can be non- stop using #16-18 BWO or Adams patterns. Access is good in the middle to lower sections, some ice up top. You will find eager wild brown trout in the Gorge if you make your presentations from a downstream position to avoid spooking them.

The Upper Owens has been spotty, and the bigs are less in numbers than a few weeks ago. We have had some great days here but had to cover a bunch of water to do so. The snow is nearly gone. The upper sections by Long Years are really tough to access by vehicle so it is quite a hoof to get up here. The surface action really picked up nicely this week with the warming temps and I saw the first few blanket midge hatches come off with some active feeding in the softer water on clusters of the tiny midges. We have been fishing dries for 2 hours a day this week! The bigs are still best to fool while nymphing the deeper pools and slots. Assassins, flashback PT's, broken back midges, SJ worms and roe patterns are good choices.

EAGLE LAKE-spring trip 2013

We have some good dates left in June to book for this years spring trip to Eagle Lake. For those of you who have not fished Eagle, it is the best public rainbow trout still water in the state with fish that average 2-3 lbs and are 18 inches in length. I have been guiding here for a decade and it is my favorite place to fish a still water. Give us a call or click on the trips and programs link at the top of this page, scroll to waters we fish-then select Eagle Lake for dates and details. Do Eagle, you won't regret it!

Thank you for reading the report.
Be the fly…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
760-935-4250

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Sierra Drifters Guide Service
HCR 79 Box 165-A
Mammoth Lakes, CA 93546
Phone: 760-935-4250
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