September 8th Fishing Report
Capt. Tom Loe
September 8, 2014
Eastern Sierras - Freshwater Fishing Report
The fall fly fishing season is just beginning in the Sierras near Mammoth and Bishop. Fly fishing guide trips on Crowley Lake are proving to be the best we have seen in years. Guided drift boat trips on the Owens River will be fantastic this fall for fly fishers. The Upper Owens River will soon have large migratory rainbows and browns moving up to spawn from Crowley and we can put you on these trophy trout on the fly.
Quick look fish report 9/7/14
Crowley picked up again today, north best. Big rainbows & cutts still on the prowl. Flows stable for over a week on the Middle Owens near Bishop at 350cfs. This is too high for crossing or wading. Water clarity improving daily. June Lake Loop got some trophy sized planters a while back. Flows very low with poor conditions on Hot Creek, East Walker, West Walker. Upper Owens very weedy downstream from Hot Creek, better conditions above the confluence.
Crowley Lake 9/7/14
McGee/North Arm has come down a notch due to heavy pressure. If the fish get a chance to come into the weeds without numerous boats or tubes showing early it can be excellent. Nothing new here, still some nice numbers and quality fish in this area. Fish are also showing consistently off North Landing, Sandy Pt., Six Bays, Layton Springs, Hilton, & Crooked Creek. As the lake level drops slowly, it opens up prime mud bottom in the 7-11 foot range. This coincides with comfortable water temperatures for the trout. The weed lines are also in this zone. This equates to excellent conditions for still water nymphing & streamer fishing. The lake is as clean as I have ever seen it in early September. Lack of run-off for three years has kept the nutrients from cow dung out of the lake. The lake has been mostly filled with less alkaline water from Grant Lake. Hot Creek has been so low for a few years as well, not providing nutrients to feed the algae from this source too. Midge activity will be very strong for the next couple of weeks. The larger fish are staging in the north end & along the weeds in McGee Bay. Algae is not an issue in any area currently. There are solid chironomid hatches (midges); however the larger fish are targeting the small TUI CHUBS, perch fry and damsel nymphs. Spot up along some aquatic weed in the 8-12 foot range. Use an assassin, drifters punk perch, or damsel nymph as the upper fly for perch or damsel imitations. There are also a fair amount of callibaetis mayflies emerging in the north end. My killa-baetis is a great trail fly behind a Loeberg or punk perch. Try a broken back gillie, crystal emerger, midge pupa, or standard gillie for your upper fly during chironomid emergences. Hang a broken back tiger or zebra, dark or copper crystal tiger or crystal zebra as the larva/lower fly. Give those flies some action if the surface is calm. You are competing with swimming/wiggling critters, and the movement of your flies is crucial to getting grabs. Streamer fishing really picked up the last few days using perch fry and damsel nymphs. Loebergs and #12 Punk Perch are great patterns for streamer fishers. The fish have begun to spread out so there is ample room for tubers to work the perimeters of the boat parking lots. The perch fry are perfectly sized for still water nymphing right now- September/October will be streamer Nirvana I believe. Special angling restrictions now in place. Pinch those barbs down, love them and leave them, no scented or live bait please.
Upper Owens River 9/6/14
Water conditions are very good, although flows are very low. You will find the river choked with weed in many sections down from the bridge. River conditions are better above the confluence of Hot Creek. Tandem nymph rigs in the deeper pools are doing the trick. You can also dead drift broken back midges & egg patterns without an Under-cator. Flows consistent at 52 cfs. Short water tactics should be used to fool the wild fish here. Look for the deeper pools and runs during off hatch periods. Caddis (#18 or smaller dark bodies) and mayfly adults are good choices for the open riffle water. Hi-vis para bwo and caddis # 16-18 will get grabs. Some hoppers showing up now. Use a Stimulator or larger hi-vis pattern with a bead head nymph as the dropper 2 feet beneath the dry for a deadly tanden rig. Nymphing with SJ worms, crystal egg patterns, flashback PT's, Assassin bird's nest, broken back midges, crystal olive caddis & zebra larva patterns near the bottom. I prefer to use a clear or yellow Under-cator on moving water as they are less conspicuous. The pink & orange work better on the still waters like Crowley and Bridgeport. Think about streamers in the stiff afternoon winds. You will have to hunt down pools large; or deep enough to cast a streamer-they are very limited under current conditions. Patterns like Loebergs, Punk Perch, Crystal Leeches, & Agent Orange will get takes when used with a light sinking tip line.
Middle Owens River (Bishop area) 9/6/14
Flows are currently 350cfs. This is a game changer for wading or crossing in the wild trout section. Tough to fish the good sections at this release, & you will need plenty of weight to get your nymphs down to the fish. Drift boat trips are the best way to hit the river under high flows. Water clarity has improved over the last week & conditions are good. The cooler weather will also get the fish on the chew. Birds nest patterns like Assassins, flashback PT's, and hares ears for good profiles of a mayfly nymph and caddis pupa. Crystal olive caddis larva & olive zebra midges are also good choices for a lower fly imitation of caddis larvae or midge larva. Have some hi-vis caddis adults & hi-vis para mayfly adults for the morning hatch. Drifting has been very good when the flows come down below 300cfs. The chub and sucker spawn was epic this summer, and we are seeing "balls" of these small baitfish in the pillow water and along the weeds. Streamer fishing is the best way to imitate these small forage fish by using heavy sinking tip lines and Loebergs, Punk Perch, & Crystal leech, & Spruce-a-bu's.
Hot Creek 9/6/14
Hot Creek is suffering from low water and extensive weed growth. This limits the available water you can fish. Dry flies are the most effective patterns to use. I suggest a 10 foot leader and rod to keep the fly line off the weeds. My hi-vis caddis & hi-vis para BWO are good choices to fish the faster slot water that has less weed. Hoppers are also beginning to show, use a stimulator or grass hopper imitation if the wind comes up. Para ant patterns are also a good choice if the wind is gusting in the canyon. There are a few sections that can be fished with a dry dropper nymph rig. Broken back zebras or assassin birds nest bead heads in #18 are good calls for the dropper.
*Tom Loe is under permit from the Inyo National Forest Service to guide Hot Creek.
San Joaquin River 9/6/14
Flows are at late fall levels unless we get a substantial amount of rain. The wading is very easy in all sections. Fly fishing has become more difficult due to very low flows. The fish are holding in the limited pools and deeper slots. Attractor dry patterns like Stimulators, hi-vis para bwo's & caddis are good choices that are easier to see in the plentiful pocket water that defines the SJR. Use a bead head flashback PT or assassin birds nest as a dropper in the deeper pools and runs.
*Tom Loe is under permit from the Inyo National Forest Service to guide the San Joaquin.
East Walker River 9/6/14
Flows currently at 45cfs. River bed is full of weed with off colored water.
At prolonged lower flows the EW has a tendency to fill in with aquatic weeds-thus limiting the water you can dead drift flies. It is currently very warm & green with some surface action late day.
Bridgeport Reservoir 9/5/14
The RV Parks are open. Call for information on launching, the lake is extremely low.
West Walker River 9/6/14
Flows are very low but the water is clear. You will be hard pressed to find a pool that is 3 feet in depth. Hit the canyon and Pikel meadows sections. Dry/dropper bead head nymphs like crystal olive caddis, tiger midges, broken back tigers, assassin birds nest, & flashback PT's are all good calls fished below a Stimulator or hi vis caddis or BWO adult as your indicator.
Alpine Lakes 9/6/14
Tubing the inlets & drop-offs with full sinking lines and streamer patterns is a good way to locate "pods" of planted fish. The holdover, or wild browns and brookies in some areas are better fished using the still water nymphing method below an Under-cator. You can also try dry/dropper bead head combos with flashback PT's as the nymph & hi-vis para BWO's as the dry on the calm sun down bite days. Some of the hike to lakes are fishing really well for summer. Still water nymphing with scuds, assassin bird's nest, flashback PT's, & broken back midge patterns will work near inlets and along tulles or drop-offs. Kirman, & Parker are fun locations to pack a tube in. Streamers like Spruce-A-Bu's, Agent Orange, Loebergs, & Crystal Leeches used with a heavy sinking tip, or full sinking line will get you into them. Fish deeper than normal 15-20 feet, and work the steep ledges or deeper sections near the inlets. Callibaetis or pheasant tail trailers can be deadly in some locations tied to a streamer.
We have a fully stocked fly box and Under-cators in Reagan's Sporting Goods in Bishop. The Drifters fly box will carry all the guide tested patterns you see on the fish report including patterns for Pyramid Lake, Eagle Lake, Lake Almanor, & other great trout fisheries in the west. This is a great shop with knowledgeable and super friendly people that is open 7 days a week. They open early, so you can get flies and tackle and still be on the water for the hatch! They are located on Main St. with easy access and parking. This store has everything you need for fishing, hunting, camping. They sell licenses too!
I have added a picture gallery to the website this year. You can click on it at the top of any page of this website. My apologies to any of our wonderful clients who have been with Sierra Drifters for the last seventeen seasons and do not have a picture posted. I just can't post the 30,000 pics we have taken! I will make an effort over time to post what I have. Click on the "gallery" button and do a search for your name, or scroll through the pages. You can double click on the picture to enlarge it once it is located.
Thanks for reading my report.
Be the fly….Tom Loe
Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
760-935-4250
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