Fish'n Conditions November 21st, 2013
Capt. Tom Loe
November 22, 2013
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
We are enjoying one of the best falls ever for large rainbows on the Middle Owens. The low flows have concentrated the bigs in the deeper pools making them easy targets from our drift boats. The Upper Owens is also kicking out some noteworthy rainbows with water conditions good here also. Old man winter has yet to take stage with access to all the year around fisheries excellent. The California general trout season closed on 11-15; however the Middle and Lower Owens River, Pleasant Valley Reservoir, & the Gorge remain open in Inyo County. The Upper Owens River, East Walker River, & Hot Creek are open in Mono County with special angling restrictions.
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Upper Owens River
Just in the nick of time Crowley has begun the long process of filling. This is crucial to the fish that migrate up from the lake during the fall spawn. Numbers of catchable sized bows and browns have increased recently. Flows remain on the low side here; however there is ample water for the rainbows and browns to make redds in the gravel sections at the tail out of the pools. The section from the Benton Crossing Bridge upstream to Big Springs is open year around with special angling restrictions. Pinch those barbs down flat and DO NOT USE BAIT OR SCENTED LURES, release all the fish you catch unharmed & you will be fine. Access remains good as of this report with no ice or mud on any of the roads. Nymphing is fooling some of the larger fish. Try using a properly weighted tandem rig with patterns like Assassins bird's nest, flashback pt's, broken-back midges, crystal leeches, San Juan worms, & glow bugs/roe imitations. You may find that removing your "under-cator" strike detector can get educated fish to hit especially on the brighter/sunny days. The surface action is waning; however the warmer days still have a few snouts sipping smaller mayflies and midges. Under current conditions the fish have really spread out and you will observe some bigs holding along the deeper channels near the under cut banks. Another tactic this time of year is to work downstream with a light sinking tip line swinging streamer patterns like Loebergs, punk perch, crystal leeches, & Spruce-A-Bu's along the cut banks and through the deeper pools & oxbows. You can cover nearly all the water with this method and get presentations to fish you would otherwise spook with conventional strategies. These fish are migrants and are not accustomed to people or shadows. A quiet, stealthy approach will most certainly get you more opportunities at a trophy fish.
Middle Owens River
At 80 cfs. you can virtually wade all the water in the section below the dam at Pleasant Valley Reservoir. Fly fishing here has been as good as it gets no doubt. The mild weather has triggered a consistent trico mayfly hatch that begins around 12:30-1 pm daily. Theses tiny adults are like candy to the wild fish and they are keying on this emergence. Small birds nest and pheasant tail patterns #20 are a good call for nymphing in between the hatch. The drift boat season is also proving to be a memorable one. I have not seen numbers of large fish like this coming to net consistently in many seasons. On the down side we have very limited water and are struggling to get the boats down in some sections. Light sinking tips with longer leaders are still the best method for hunting down the bigs. Spruce-A-Bu's, seal buggers, Loebergs, and punk perch patterns have all been productive. I like to use lighter colored patterns on bright days and during mid-day, switch to darker colors for more contrast on the cloudy days, or during lower light periods.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir/The Gorge (updated 11-21-13)
This is the only year around still water open in Inyo or Mono Counties. Levels here have got more friendly to fish the transition section near the inlet; however they remain on the high side for good access. The transition area is choked with heavy weed beds-more than I have ever seen. This is due to low flows and high water levels for an extended period this summer and fall. It pretty much sucks here right now in this section. The short creek section is fishing well for numbers in the deeper pools with some decent dry fly action occurring after lunch. Midge patterns and smaller mayflies are good choices for nymphing or dry/dropper combos in both areas. Tubing has also been very good overall with consistent action on larger rainbows here as well. The mild weather has kept the chironomids coming off on the warmer days and still water nymphing can be very productive along the drop-offs on the west side in 9-12 feet. Tiger midges, gillies, crystal pupa and emergers are hard to beat here fished below an Under-cator. If the wind picks up use a broken back tiger as the lower. Small Assassin birds nest work well for imitating the mayfly nymphs, use these under a stimulator or hi-vis para Bwo as your indicator. Streamer tuggers have a full sinking or heavy sink tip line. Loebergs, Agent Orange, & Spruce-A-Bu's will get you grabs near the inlet and launch ramp areas.
The transition area between the lake and moving water is choked with heavy weed and not fishing well.
The small river section between the lake and the powerhouse looks a lot like a mini-East Walker and fishes much the same.
The Gorge has been bumped up to 50cfs. below middle powerhouse. There is still a bunch of major work being done on the hydroelectric facility and flows are being bypassed through the Gorge. Dry/dry, or dry dropper bead head rigs using small mayfly and crystal olive caddis nymphs are good choices. The brush has really thinned out making it just difficult in some places to cast. This is not a place to practice false casting friends!
Hot Creek
Flows have come up a bit, but hardly a game changer here this fall. Fishing remains good in the limited sections that are deeper and not choked with weed. Take those indicators off when nymphing the pockets and small pools. Small midges and mayflies are on the menu, use a long leader and 15 foot rod (haha) to get a good drift in the slots and channels.
Conditions on the "crick" have improved somewhat since flows have come up. There are still weed issues that thwart extended drifts.
East Walker River
We can only hope for an early big winter. Flows are better than anticipated at 25 cfs. but fishing here at this release will be tough with limited water. The inversion that haunts this area has been making for some chilly mornings with temps near single digits at times on the river bed. Fish will become increasingly lethargic as the water cools. We have not been guiding here by choice.
Thanks for reading my report.
Be the fly….Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
760-935-4250
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