Fish'N Conditions September 30th 2013
Capt. Tom Loe
September 30, 2013
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
The Sierra received it's first dusting of snow in the upper elevations, and we are enjoying seasonal temperatures with the onset of fall. Plan on morning temps to be in the twenties in the upper valleys, thirties and low forties in the Owens Valley from here on out. Lot's of color to look at in the canyons as the deciduous trees change for winter.
The water conditions in some areas remain poor due to low flows & levels. We can only hope for a big winter to help these locations out for next year.
The fires are out & no longer a factor here in the Sierra. Great to have that clean, fresh air again!
The crowds of summer are gone and there is some fine fly fishing to be had currently. The general trout season will remain open until Novemebr 15th, many waters are open year around so don't put those rods away folks. Hope you can make it up to fish with this fall.
All the flies I mention in this report can be bought online with Paypal or Visa/MC. Just click on the "fly sales" link at the top of the page.
EAGLE LAKE. I have one day open for my fall trip, October 18th/Friday. I have a single experienced angler who is looking for a partner for this date if you are interested, or have a group that would like to fish for the fall slammers here. Call 760-935-4250 for info, or click on "waters we fish/Eagle Lake" at the top of the page please.
Middle Owens River (year around)
Perfect conditions currently. Flows have been lowered to 225cfs for the time being and we are enjoying some near epic fishing on our drift boat trips. The streamer fishing has been excellent & the cooler weather has kept the fish on the chew even into the afternoons. The fall sedge caddis are still prevalent; the tiny, but abundant Trico mayflies are also getting the trout looking up in the wild trout section below Pleasant Valley Dam. Flows may go back to 300 plus in the near future, this will only be a temporary inconvenience as they have been up to 350 already this summer. Most aquatic insects are smaller as the last generations emerge, so think about going down a size or two on your nymphs and adult dries this fall. PT's, bird's nest, midges, and caddis larva patterns should be in the #18-22 range. Trico adults are very tiny- #24 is an accurate profile, but a #20 will get you looks in a good hatch. I suggest you use Loebergs, olive Punk Perch, and Spruce-A-Bu's for streamer fishing in conjunction with a moderate sinking tip line. There are oodles of small chubs and sucker fry along the edges in the pillow water.
Upper Owens:
The flows have been reduced and this has concentrated the fish into just the deeper pools and runs. There is a decent migration of rainbows up from Crowley occurring now with some of these babies in the 24 inch class. I am seeing a few nice browns; however not nearly the population I anticipated earlier this summer. Crowley has the most browns I have seen in many years, so I expected this fall to be huge for spawning browns in the Upper Owens. It's still on the early side, and we have not had an extended cold snap yet, so I remain optimistic we will see "bad Leroy brown" in numbers soon. With Crowley Lake being so low we are once again faced with poor water communication between the lake and the spawning grounds due to a shallow and wide river inlet. Hopper/stimulator and a dropper bead head PT, Assassin, broken back midge, or crystal caddis nymphs are good calls on many sections. Have a SJ worm or egg patterns handy if you get a cold day with no chance of surface activity. Hit the deeper pools and work the "dark water" along the cut banks. There are some really large rainbows holding in these areas now. Swinging a streamer in from an upstream vantage point can also be productive this time of year-Loebergs and Punk Perch are my go to flies with a light sinking tip.
The section from the Benton Bridge downstream to the CDFW monument will close October first to ALL fishing.
Crowley Lake
Big changes to report here. The fish have split from McGee Bay and moved towards the north end concentrating near Layton Springs, Alligator Pt., Six Bays, and Sandy Pt. Depending on the wind direction these areas will hold fish. You need to find the cleanest water on any given day as the algae bloom will shut down a bite. The lake continues to recede, still have another foot to go before it hits the low point from last season. The cooler weather has chironomid (midge) activity on the wane, perch fry & larva patterns are currently the best imitations for still water nymphing. Streamer fishing has also slowed due to the dissipating weed lines & concentrations of perch fry. Full sinks with Loebergs and my "blood sucking Vanderleech" are good calls along the shoreline in Six Bays and Sandy Pt.
Bridgeport Reservoir
One of my favorite still waters is suffering from low water levels. I have it from a "some what reliable source" haha…that the deepest part of the lake is 24 feet currently. The water temps have cooled a bunch so we made it past this hurdle without any evidence of a significant fish kill due to warm, or poorly oxygenated water. Fly fishing reports are still few, and those I get say it remains slow. The fish will be concentrated off Rainbow Pt. then migrating into the deeper water toward the dam as it continues to cool down. I suggest streamers like Loebergs and Punk Perch olive. Midge activity will be done soon, although still water nymphing with tiger midges near the ledges on the east shoreline would be a good technique on a warm high pressure day the next couple weeks. Jeffery has the RV Park and some rental boats ready to go here. Tell him I said BaaaH!
Hot Creek (year around)
We saw a slight bump in flows here after the light snowfall, but it's still very tough conditions for most to fish here with limited water for any kind of extended drift. Lot's of drifting weeds, and quite a few places that are almost choked out they are so thick.
Alpine Lakes
Most are in pretty good shape and fishing well. Planting has been steady/good in these locations this season. Some of the popular lakes are very low with poor habitat for trout-thus not being planted currently. The excess fish are going into those that have water making them more productive. Tubing these locations is always preferable to shoreline presentations. Full sinking lines, or heavy, long sinking tips will get you down quickly along the ledges and drop-offs where you will find concentrations of rainbows. I like Agent Orange, Crystal Leeches, Spruce-A-Bu's, & Loebergs in these locations. Tie a "Killer-baetis" or midge pattern behind the streamer about 2 feet for a two pronged attack. There are some wild brookies and browns in some of these locations and you have a good shot at fooling them using this rig.
East Walker (year around)
Not much change except the water temps have become much better for the fish. Low flows, lot's of weed here as well with limited areas to fish.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir/the Gorge (year around)
As the weather cools, these locations heat up historically. PV is one of the heaviest planted fisheries in California due to accessibility & habitat. There are a good number of fish that will "hold over" and grow here as well. Being the true tail water of Crowley, this area gets plenty of food coming down from Crowley, and the short but sweet river section leading into the reservoir proper has a similar rocky bottom like the East Walker. I call it the mini-EW as a matter of fact and have had some tremendous days here in the fall and late winter when power generation is not occurring. Dry/dropper rigs are deadly in the moving water using mayfly and midge patterns as a nymph. I like a Stimulator or hi-vis para mayfly adult pattern as the dry, hard to beat a broken back tiger or Assassin birds nest pattern here as your dropper bead head nymph. Tubing the Res. proper can also be fantastic, try the inlet section just where the moving water slows down. This transition area can be jugged with rainbows and browns. You can fish Crowley style beneath an Under-cator using midge and mayfly patterns, or troll streamers like Loebergs, Agent Orange, Punk Perch, Crystal Leeches, & Spruce-A-Bu's. Use a heavy sinking tip, or full sinker to get down 10 feet quickly.
The Gorge has seen some extremes in flows this year. It had a bunch of water for an extended period of time this spring and summer with flows exceeding 200cfs for a while. Its normal flow is about 35-40cfs, but I am told the LADWP got a legal variance recently and this will be reduced to under 20 for an extended period. Still some lingering caddis around, lots of trico mayflies, hoppers and ants. Dry/dropper rigs are once again very effective in this fishery. Look out for the evil stinging nettle! I wish ill to this plant, and its wicked cousin the thistle.
West Walker River
This fishery has been heavily planted and considering the low water year held it's own better than most freestone creeks. It is very low currently and you will need to cover some ground to locate the deeper pools in any given stretch. I like dry/dropper combos here as well. Use a Stimmie and the always reliable tiger midge and you'll get grabs. the canyon section has some wild fish that can be fooled with smaller mayfly and caddis adult patterns also.
Adobe Pond
Been a tough year for numbers here due to the low water. The upside is that I believe the wild browns here are 2-3 inches larger than in season's past. This is private water and you need to call us for booking info if you wish to fly fish this beautiful place. We use our drift boats and cast dries & dry/dropper rigs to wild brown trout in a quiet, and magical location just one hour from Mammoth.
Thank you for reading my report.
Be the fly…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
760-935-4250
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