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Eastern Sierras
Capt. Tom Loe
October 6, 2003
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
Fall Update Fishing Report 2003
October 6, 2003
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. The fall season is upon us here in the Eastern Sierra and its metamorphosis has been a gradual one for sure. The deciduous trees are varied shades of yellows and reds with the upper elevations beginning to shed their leaves. The weather has been unseasonably mild with warm days and just a touch of frost in the gray of morning in elevations above 6000 feet.
It has been a very dry early fall and the extended forecast is calling for a gradual cooling trend with partly cloudy days and some gusty winds occasionally. No significant precipitation is forecast this week. The Owens Valley remains dry and warm in the afternoons with some moderate winds mid-day.
Fishing has been on the slow side in some areas due to low water. The put and take areas have been fishing well due to late season plantings. There are several areas in which the fall spawning trout have been on the move. This migration will increase as the days continue to shorten.
Be prepared for cold weather if you are planning a trip this time of year. It can change rapidly especially in elevations above 7000 feet.
Lower Owens River: Very Good
Flows have finally been decreased to 205 cfs. and it occurred in a very short period of time. At this release rate wading in the wild trout section will be gravy. There is consistent caddis activity every day, as well as several types of mayflies emerging this time of year. The mighty midge is always a “go to” pattern here at all times of the year and if you are struggling to get grabs this is the fly that will alter your luck most of the time. You will find fish in the riffles and the pools depending on the time of day and sky conditions. 6X tippet is best when using dries or nymphs this time of year. Try our olive crystal zebras and crystal tiger midges while nymphing under an indicator #18-22.
The drift boat season is in its infancy stages and it looks to be a great start by the results of our first trips! Dirk and Linda Westfall caught and released the first 40 trout in the more brush lined and secluded sections of the Lower Owens by using the “dip and strip” method recently. The Loeberg was the fly de jour used in conjunction with a heavy sinking tip line.
Upper Owens River: Good
We really whacked the 12-14 inch rainbows here on Loeberg streamers recently in the Long Years section above the confluence of Hot Creek. Brian and Matt “the night stalker” Smith caught and released 24 rainbows and smaller browns in a few hours dip and stripping in this piece of water. You may find annoying amounts of free floating weed as the flows have increased this week. Keep your fly clean! The section below the Benton Crossing Bridge and the monument is now CLOSED to all fishing. You may fish downstream from the monument with restricted regulations, and upstream from the Benton Crossing Bridge with restrictions also until 11-15-03.
There are some larger rainbows beginning to show in the Upper Owens staging for the fall spawn. This is the time of year to use streamers here! Moderate sinking tip lines will assist you in getting the flies down to the trout holding in the pools and along the undercut banks. We suggest you keep a low profile and use some “stealth” when approaching the banks. If the weather maintains stable and warm you will get opportunities to use a hopper and a dropper bead head nymph in this area with good results. There are consistent caddis and mayfly hatches daily #16-20.
Crowley Lake: Poor-Fair
The overall “catching” for fly-fishers has been drastically slower since the Double Haul fly-fishing event held in late September. Extremely low lake water levels, heavy fishing pressure and an increasingly lower number of trout after the “catch and kill” season are attributing to the slower fishing in what should and what has been the best time of year for fly-fishers. October has historically been the best month for both numbers and size on Crowley. This has not been the case in recent years. There have been some exceptions recently due to the great weather and consistent chironomid hatches, but overall it has been pretty slow in all areas. The larger fish have been in the Green Banks area of the lake located in the North Arm. The Upper Owens River feeds this body of water and the 2 and 3-year-old rainbows have been staging here in preparation for the fall spawn.
The lake has been partially planted with thousands of small cutthroats and rainbows since the dreaded bait fishing/general trout season closed here on 7-31. These little rascals will provide you with some action if you get into them, but do not expect to burn up your drag washers in the ensuing battle!
There is not a whole lot left to McGee Bay and we suggest you fish in 7-11 feet. There is a moderate algae bloom and check your fly during extended soak times. Fish the river channels in the North Arm and around mud island near Leighton Springs for the most consistent streamer and chironomid bites. Streamer tuggers have had good results between midge emergences using perch fry imitations like our Punk Perch and Loeberg #10-12. Stillwater nymphing has been spotty with the best patterns being the gillie #20-22 and copper and black emergers #20.
There has been heavy pressure during the weekends here. Spread out and fish the perimeters, you will do better than punching it out amongst the crowds.
If you asked the foursome of Jim Moses (from Bakersfield, CA), brother Gary, Dale McBride and friend Doug Tudor about slow fishing recently they would most likely not want it any better due to sore arms! These guys hammered 75 to the net with many fish over 18 inches. Check out the photos including a 23-inch cutt caught and released by Jim on a Drifters Crystal Emerger. The 20-inch plus fish landed by Dale and companions are trophy material anywhere.
Gary Gillingham from Duarte, CA took top honors in the double haul float tube competition this year. Along with his partner, Ron Uchimura they also took second place in the team slot. It was a tough year for this event and exceptional skill, many days on the water and ingenuity had much to do with the top ten winners getting placed. Gary is an Izorline representative and accomplished salt-water angler. He and his bride Betsy have been treasured clients of Sierra Drifters for many years. We congratulate him and his pal Ron on their well-deserved victory. High fives guys!
Check out the photos of these folks and others by visiting our website at: http://www.sierradrifters.com
Hot Creek: Fair
Tough fishing here due to low water flows and the microscopic size of the aquatic insects emerging this time of year. Plan on fishing trico and midge patterns in the #20-24 range, with the frosting being some late caddis hatches in the #18 spectrum. Long drifts are a thing of the past with accurate, short dead drifts during lower light periods being best. 6X and 7X tippets are a must with leaders in the 10-foot category.
San Joaquin River: Fair
The last guy I spoke with that fished this area had blisters on his feet from having to cover so much water. The flows are very low here and you will find the “sweet” spots few and far between. The trout are spooky and upstream longer casts will work better than across stream presentations. Dry/dry and dry dropper bead head nymphs using crystal tiger and olive zebra midges in conjunction with a #16 stimulator or elk caddis as an indicator will get you grabs in the deeper pools. Parachute Adams #18 as a trail dry on 6X tippet is a solid choice for the pocket water dry fly fisher. The deeper holes will hold a good number of trout. Keep your shadow off the water and stick to these areas if they have not been hit recently. The trout pod this time of year and you must cover some area to locate the prime spots.
East Walker River: Fair
Sometimes water that is off color and looking like split pea soup will not be a bad thing. The water temps have dropped to below critical here and you will find decent numbers of smaller trout in most areas with a few big fish here and there in the “glory holes.” Flows are at winter releases, currently around 95 cfs and the wading is easy with good access to all sections. Nymphing with midges and mayfly nymphs #16-20 will continue to be your best bet with patterns that incorporate some flash in them. This is a great time of year to use streamers, but the low flows will make it difficult to cover the water efficiently.
Bridgeport Reservoir is once again very low and the entire water column is green with algae. Conditions may improve towards the end of the season if the weather turns cooler.
West Walker River: Fair
The fishing can be good here if you get a whack at some of the planted trout in and around the campground areas. Flows are low here also and you will need to “hoof it” in order to find the water that is holding trout. Check out the canyon between Hwy.395 near the Sonora Pass exit and the Sonora Bridge Campground. Fish up from Hwy.395 and down from the campground. Dry dropper combos are best with an upstream presentation.
Rock Creek Area: Good
Late season plantings will provide action for streamer tuggers near the inlet and outlet areas of the lake. Get your flies down at least 10 feet with a full sinking or heavy sinking tip line. Olive and black patterns are best here #10-12 with a splash of red and crystal flash used on the bodies.
Mammoth Lakes Basin: Good
The Alpers stocking truck is making its final rounds in this region and there will be some nice DFG planted fish to be caught here also. Good reports from below the falls at Upper Twin especially in the evenings. Streamer patterns fished near the falls as well as a dry dropper nymph combo have produced good numbers of planted rainbows and wild brook trout. My personal choice is a pattern we use in the late season and winter months called a Spruce-a-bu. It is a great attractor fly and has an excellent profile with all the right ingredients to get grabs. This pattern can be fished in moving or still waters with sinking type lines. The rainbows eat this thing like crazy and the browns hit the “blonde” version with a vengeance. If you plan on tubing any of the upper lakes this fall this is a solid pattern that will surely get you grabs.
June Lake Loop: Good
Gull and Silver have been kicking out some fatties that include Hot Creek brood stock and Alpers trout. Streamer patterns are the rule fished around the 10-foot depth. The low light periods are best here, hope for a cloudy warm day!
Virginia Lakes/Green Creek: Fair
The water is just a trickle in Green Creek but if you find a deeper cut and do not spook the wild browns or brooks this area can provide lots of fun and some gorgeous scenery this time of year. Use a dry/dry combo with a larger caddis #16 and an Adams or gray bodied mayfly #18 as a trail fly. I have a report from Keith Kern, a Big Bear Lake Guide and expert fly tier of a 22 inch brown he bested on Big Virginia while pulling a streamer in the afternoon. This is a great time of year for the larger browns to go on the bite, especially at elevation.
Bishop Creek/South Lake area: Good
The entire Bishop creek drainage is at fall flow releases (very low) but in better shape than most drainages in the Eastern Sierra. The fall plantings have been right on schedule and you should not have any trouble locating fish in the creek and around the outlet and inlet areas of the lakes. Intake 2 is always a good bet for planted fish, streamers in olive, black and orange #8-12 will get you into trout. Use 4X tippet, as the water is very clean.
Hope you get a chance to come up and visit us here for some fun fly-fishing and incredible scenic opportunities with the fall colors taking center stage. Best fishes.
You may purchase our time tested guide flies at the following fine fly shops:
The Crowley Lake Fish Camp, The Trout Fly and Troutfitter in Mammoth Lakes, Stroud’s Tackle in San Diego, and Malibu Fish’n Tackle in Thousand Oaks. There are links to all establishments at www.sierradrifters.com
Be the fly…Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
Email [email protected]
www.sierradrifters.com
Phone 760-935-4250
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