October 22nd Fish'n Conditions
Capt. Tom Loe
October 23, 2010
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. Best fishes to all for the October 22nd 2010 Fish'N conditions here in the Eastern High Sierra.
Click here to see pictures of the super people & the great fish they fooled along with real time flow data in the areas we have been guiding by visiting our website at http://www.sierradrifters.com/fish.htm
This October surely rates as a top contender for the most beautiful color show and transition into fall we have ever experienced on the Eastside. The weather has been warmer than normal for this time of year & we have not had any ear flapping winds rip through the region as well. The high passes and canyons are spectacular to observe right now and should remain so through the end of October in most areas. The highway passes remain open with most of the hike to lakes remaining accessible even though there is a fair amount of snow above the 9,500 foot elevation in some areas due to a wet storm earlier in the month. Good news with regards to DFG plantings this summer & for the remainder of 2010 also. The "environmental concerns" (long live the Yellow Legged Frog & Willow Fly Catcher!) have for the most part been addressed in many areas and it is back to business as usual with few amendments to prior stocking agendas. Allotments have been noticeably increased in some areas with the official word from the DFG being they will continue to increase despite budgetary woes. I watched more fish going into Crowley from the DFG trucks this year. Looking better for 2011 already. The creeks & rivers are also in great shape this fall due to the wet winter we had last season. Even the West Walker & San Joaquin Rivers are flowing nicely for this late in the season. As the general trout season draws to a close on November 15th some excellent opportunities will emerge to get into the "FrankenTrouts" that mysteriously appear during the fall. The browns and fall run rainbows are migrating and beginning to get spawny. Their behavior changes dramatically this time of year as they become very aggressive & territorial in the creeks and rivers that they spawn in. Streamer patterns are excellent choices this time of year and you should have a moderate & light sinking tip line to take advantage of this situation in several areas especially the Upper & Lower Owens Rivers, East Walker R., Rush Creek, & last but certainly not least…Hot Creek.
East Walker River:
Please check out the incredible brown that Wes Roznowski persuaded to the net for a picture while being guided by Sierra Drifters Two Bug Doug Dolan recently on the EW. Even by East Walker standards this is a great fish & worthy of a look folks. The EW is fishing great and the conditions near perfect for opportunities to get into some Franken Trout! The fall season brings out the "worst" in the browns here. I mean here of course, they lose their normal discriminating demeanor and become almost reckless while defending a section of water. In addition cooling water temps and lower sun angle during the fall can trigger continuous feeding behavior as programed instincts telegraph to their appetites leaner winter like conditions are approaching! I trust you will be prepared for a monster brown by having a streamer rig with a light to moderate sinking tip line to chuck & duck a streamer at the beasts when the opportunity presents itself. I was amazed at how numerous & diverse the population of smaller forage fish is after doing electro surveys with the Cal DFG a little while back. Perch, chubs, suckers, red sided dace, sculpin, & crayfish. Larger predators hunt these smaller baitfish to sustain their huge body weights. Selecting imitations and presenting them in areas that are frequented by these smaller fish will increase your chances of an encounter of the large kind.
Guide tip: Plain & simple, don't fish riffle or pocket water when hunting heads with streamers. Look for slower back waters and eddies in the larger pools. A weed line or overhanging willows make adequate hiding for smaller fish. Work your imitations along the transitions in these areas. Swing your flies into the sweet spots whenever possible-don't cast on top of the target water. The EW is chock full of great streamer water and the rewards can be huge! This fishery is open year around.
No question this time of year for me; Spruce-A-BU #8. I sell them in dark & blonde to achieve proper contrast. With all due respects to streamer tuggers, nymphing under an Under-Cator or without a strike indicator is perhaps the most deadly way to fool the trout of the EW. Two Bug likes his own version of a San Juan Worm on steroids as the upper fly, and one of his "3D" or "maggot" broken back midges as the dropper. Proof is in the pictures folks. One should also have a fair selection of #12-20 flashback & natural PT's as well. The broken back patterns we developed are absolutely deadly here. Stop by one of the shops we endorse and pick a few up before you come up.
Lower Owens River:
Shaping up quite nicely people. Despite higher than normal flows for October the LO is fishing very well from the drift boats. The fall & winter months are prime time for drifting the Lower Owens for trophy trout. The Lower Owens is open YEAR AROUND. Check out the beast pictured on the SD website fish'N conditions page. This is what you can hope to get on this spectacular fishery from a guided drift boat. We have been having some 40-50 fish days primarily using streamers with our patented dip and strip technique. The weather has been fantastic in the Owens Valley and I must say November is perhaps my favorite time of year to drift the LO. Besides the fantastic fishing a float down the Owens with the willows glowing and the cottonwoods in full color is awesome. Loebergs, Spruce-A- Bu's, and Punk Perch patterns all will get you grabs. Keep them in the #8-12 range. The wild trout section is also fishing well and as the flows continue to decrease you are gonna see some mighty fine catching going on here. Stick to the basics as there is no need to get fancy under the current conditions. There are some good opportunities to fish dries for sure. Caddis adults and tiny Trico mayfly's will be on the dinner table at times. Use ample weight to get those nymphs close to the bottom. If the flows remain above 200cfs fish your nymph rigs below an Under-Cator. Midge, caddis, & mayfly imitations in the #16-20 range. Pull those streamers in the larger pools and runs for a change up especially in the late afternoons and mornings.
Upper Owens River:
Getting to be prime time here as well. The spawn is on. The browns are staging up and pulling streamers here can be way fun on the right day. Lots of school sized rainbows have also moved up from Crowley and the Monument section is fishing well for numbers while nymphing. Remember that the UO is closed from the Benton Bridge downstream to the Monument now. Basically the entire campground area is closed- then downstream past the chalk bluffs about five football fields until you see a big rock pile with DFG regs on it near the fence line (this is the infamous monument). You may also fish upstream from the bridge & if you gently toss em' back and use totally barbless hooks you will have no problems with the fish cops all year long! This section remains open all year long. Nymphing with flashback PT's, tiger & zebra midges, crystal & dubbed caddis larva & emerger patterns, broken back midges, San Juan Worms #14-20. Look for some trico and bwo action nowadays #18-22. I love to fish the smaller adult mayflies this time of year especially on the cloudy/overcast days. Dry/dry- dry/dropper bead head combos also work great now. Use a Stimulator or Sofa Pillow for your dry, hang the dropper 2-4 feet below.
We are doing snowmobile trips here this winter and this has proved to be a total riot! The big rainbows migrate up from Crowley & hold in the hard to reach upper sections after the snow falls. Check out our Snowmobile video link on the web please www.sierradrifters.com/fish.htm. December/January are the best to book. Say you want to sled for "snow-bows".
Adobe Pond:
Having fun out here! The wild browns are larger this year for sure and Dobe is fishing great. We will be guiding this private water up until Nov. 15th. Call for bookings & check out our link on the web for details please.
www.sierradrifters.com/AdobeRanch.html
Bridgeport Reservoir:
Best season in a long while. The numbers have been excellent according to Jeffery @ the marina and he is seeing some large browns being fooled consistently. The water levels have remained up this year and this allows the fish to be spread out over a larger portion of the lake. Tubers hunt the dam area and along the eastern shoreline near the launch ramp. Rainbow Point also has some choice water towards the marina by the big drop-off for those using still water nymphing techniques. The Bridge has some huge browns & they get frisky this time of year. Tug those streamers 8-12 feet down on the cloudy days and low light periods for a shot at Franken Brown! Give Jeffery a big bad BAHHH for me please.
Hot Creek:
OK. Flows are great for this time of year and it has been pretty good especially for the Trico hatch around noon. The warm weather has a good jag of caddis still doing the dance as well. The browns are getting spawny on the Crick as well. There is limited water to toss streamers on and you may have to wait your turn at times, but the effort can pay big dividends in these areas. A light sinking tip or a floating line with a weighted chub/sucker pattern is a good choice.
Crowley Lake:
There have been some really good days for larger fish recently; the numbers are dropping with the lowering water temps and lack of chironomids unfortunately. Stick to the North Arm, Six Bays, & around the island near Layton Springs this time of year for consistency. You may find fish on the warm snaps all over, but the bigs are hanging in this area for the most part. "Old school" streamer tuggers will out fish the still water guys on most days currently and with the lake being so low it is not difficult to launch and fish your tube from the North landing. As a matter of fact the still water guys fishing the drop-offs around 6 Bays are doing just as well from the shore as most tubers & boat people. We will be guiding here from tubes & shoreline even after the Fish Camp closes on 10-31, so keep us in mind for a half& half. This is a 1/2lake/1/2 river guide trip this fall.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir & the Gorge:
Great places to fish if it gets snotty in the upper elevations. Tubing PV this time of year can be epic and you should have the option of fishing both still water nymph rigs along the drop-offs near the inlet, or trolling streamers with a full sink or heavy sinking tip line from the launch ramp towards the inlet. The river section can be awesome as well depending on power generation. You will know immediately in the parking area if the LADWP is moving water to turn the turbines. Hit the inlet on the REZ proper if it is on, fish the river if not. Dry/dropper combos with tigers & olive caddis larva work great here. The gorge is very good to fish this time of year as well. The wild browns can be ravenous here as the sun hangs lower. Most dries in the #14-18 range will get grabs. I continue to have success with a #16 Stimmie and a #18 bead head PT, or midge pattern.
It is with heavy heart that I must tell you about the passing of a dear friend and longtime client Jack (Jack'O) Bentley. Jack was an influential member of the San Diego Fly Fishers and was instrumental in organizing many exotic trips & functions for the SDFF. I have very fond memories of Jack as we fished many waters together over the years. He was the finest kind of individual and someone I deeply respected and admired. Jack'O was an excellent fly fisherman who could cast with either hand & I must say he played large fish as well as anyone I have ever guided. Our thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Jack Bentley. We will dearly miss you my friend.
Be the fly...Tom Loe
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