We have a bonefide frog choker heading our way for the remainder of this week. Even the Owens Valley is forecast to get significant rain.  

Rut Row! The water levels are trending up now in anticipation of considerable precipitation . The Middle Owens continues to be good for drifting. I strongly suggest this guided program if you are considering a trip this spring.  Recent plantings, & good water conditions are making memorable trips. Tugging streamers like Spruce-A-Bu’s or smaller Punk Perch along the deeper cut banks is the right call. The BWO hatch is in full swing, & the trout are focusing their feeding during this emergence. Nymphing with pheasant tails, Assassins, and midge emergers like gillies; or crystal pupa patterns before the hatch will get you grabs. Noon is when the adults start to pop. Blue Duns, or light olive bodied mayfly profiles #16, 18 will replicate the naturals. Dry/dropper rigs using hi-vis BWO adults with a bead head nymph can be deadly in the tailouts of select pools. Flows remain low, & stable currently. 

***The Upper Owens is experiencing the beginning of the cutthroat migration from Crowley Lake.*** These beautiful fish will only increase in numbers, & should be around through May. There remains some snow along the banks once again, & the potential for more on the way soon. Not huge accumulations; however the drive in is iffy on some of the feeder roads with deep ruts. 

The East Walker is ripping. Moving at over 300cfs. I think the water masters are concerned about a warmer event with the potential of flooding in the feeder streams. Go elsewhere until it recedes.

Hot Creek has the usual winter time aquatic weed issues. Water levels can move up due to some snow melt when it warms. There are good numbers of smaller fish concentrated just below the hatchery, & in the deeper pockets and slots in the canyon.  Be careful if you have felt soled wading boots on the snow/ice.

Pleasant Valley Reservoir received plantings of catchable sized, & trophy rainbows recently due to a trout derby. Those that “survived the gauntlet” will be waiting for fly fishers in the know. It has been good in the transition area near the inlet. The lake level has really dropped making access fine. Watch the mud near the lake after it thaws, it can be nasty! Intermittent power generation may be occurring; so if the turbine is boiling when you get to the parking area, head up into the gorge, or float tube the lake proper. Tubing has been good for fly fishers willing to kick around from the launch ramp to the inlet using full sinks, & streamer patterns. The small river section down from the powerhouse is good for wading, & casting dry/dropper bead head rigs so long as the turbine is not churning.

Gorge water releases are climbing making for improved conditions. LADWP is doing maintenance on the hydro electric generation facility. Fish jammed into the deeper pools.

Middle Owens River (Bishop Area)

Flows are beginning to move upward. This trend typically continues once it begins this time of year. This March has been one of the best for drifting in recent years. We have been having some great trips using streamers. The blue winged olive mayfly hatch has been consistent. We are also observing some large brown drake mayflies coming off on the warmer days. The stone fly emergence is just beginning. Golden stones are like filet mignon to the trout! The BWO hatch begins most days around 12:30, and lasts for about ninety minutes. Use Assassins, flashback pheasant tails (large ones for the drakes), hares ear, or small punk perch patterns for nymphing. Midge activity can accelerate as high pressure sets in. It is wise to have smaller olive larva, and pupa patterns this time of year if the barometric pressure rises. Cooler weather may temporarily slow the bite down during periods of colder storms.  Crystal tiger, and olive zebra midges, small gillies, crystal midge emergers, and pupa patterns #20/22 will get you grabs in the deeper pools while fishing properly weighted, tandem rigs fished below an Under-Cator. Adult blue winged olives in #16 & 18, para midge adults, & Stimulators when the stone flies pop. Drift boat trips have been consistently fun; with good numbers of planted rainbows and browns showing each trip. A few large rainbows are also smashing our streamers most days. The sections we float are well downstream from the fire, and I am happy to report that water clarity remains normal; with no ash concentrations I have observed. We are primarily pulling streamers using the “dip & strip” method with sinking tip lines. There are opportunities to dry fly fish during the BWO hatch some days, & the fish are focusing on this emergence. Spruce-A-Bu’s, Loebergs, & smaller Punk Perch patterns have all been fooling the trout. Get your licks in soon here friends, flows will be moving upward soon. 

 Upper Owens River

The cutty’s are here, the cutty’s are here! As predicted, they have moved up a few weeks early this year. Flows have dropped to normal levels, although the water remains a shade or two off color.  Access roads remain a mess due to fresh snow, mud, and large puddles in the two track ruts.  It gets tricky for access after the ground thaws in some sections. The bite will begin to pick up after the next series of winter storms slashes through the region.  There are some husky spring rainbows also showing up. Numbers will steadily increase through early April-peak around the general trout opener, with migratory fish hanging around through most of May. Crystal Eggs, San Juan Worms, #16-18 Assassins (dark and light), #14-16 Crystal Leeches, and #16-20 Copper Tiger Midge, Zebra Midge, and Gillies have been good patterns fished with plenty of weight below an Under-Cator.  

Hot Creek

The landscape will look entirely different by the weekend. Weather is gonna get nautical. Numbers are decent here during warmer periods; with fish holding in the deeper slots and pools.  The stream bed is blanked by thick aquatic weeds. This is normal for the lower water periods of the year.  Best bite occurs during early afternoon when the BWO’s are emerging. Large midge hatches coming off during a high barometer. Dry dropper rigs with a #16-18  Para Hi-Vis BWO and a #22 Gillie dropper 12″-18″ below is a consistent rig currently. When you observe those noses sipping the adults in the suds, remove the dropper, and dope up those high wings so they ride high on the surface.  Longer leaders, & light tippet in the 5-6x class is best. During off hatch periods try attractor patterns fished without an indicator. You can get into some of the larger fish using this method during the winter months.

Pleasant Valley Reservoir

Power generation will be occurring intermittently; so have a plan B if you observe the turbine churning. Lake levels have dropped, & stabilized recently. This allows good access in the transition section near the inlet for the time being. A recently staged trout derby should leave above average numbers of catchable, & larger trophy sized trout around.  The mud along the river bank can  be extremely nasty after it thaws. It can be frozen on the surface; but will not support you when you walk on it during the mornings. Dry/dropper rigs are the hot ticket for trout sipping on midges, & mayflies in the transition section.  Still water addicts can get their fix here all winter. This fishery is planted all winter, & can provide some excellent fly fishing opportunities from a float tube; or near the inlet section that feeds the reservoir proper. Full sinking lines fished along the steep shoreline drop-offs using patterns like Loebergs, Crystal Leeches, Parallel Punk Perch, Parallel Agent Orange, & Spruce-A-Bu’s are good calls for “freeze tubers” during the winter. Locals call PVR “little Crowley” as fly fishers in the know will use still water nymphing techniques to score big numbers during periods of stable water levels. Set your “Under-Cators” to suspend those broken back midges, crystal tiger/zebra midges, gillies, & Assassins around the 12-14 foot depth. The inlet section is historically the most consistent section to fish. This diverse fishery also allows you to move into the short river section that feeds the lake. Looking much like the East Walker, this short; but sweet section has plenty of pocket water and riffles that hold holdover rainbows and browns that move into the heavy brush during periods of lower flows. Dry/dropper rigs using para hi-vis BWO’s, Stimulators, and hi-vis caddis patterns as your upper; with crystal tiger midges, crystal olive caddis larva, & parallel; or standard assassins as a nymph. The transition area that dumps into the lake has slower moving/deeper water that requires the use of an Under-Cator, or longer dropper off your dry. This is perhaps the most fertile area of the lake, & competent roll casters may get huge days here while making extended drifts in the foam lines. The trout will concentrate here to feed on the abundant chironomid, & mayflies that come off throughout the cooler months. Keep this fishery in mind if the weather gets nasty in the higher elevations.

The Gorge

Flows will pick up here making for improved conditions. The fire did not impact this area. The best bite occurs during the BWO hatch mid-day. Use lighter weight rods here with a mayfly adult or go with a dry/dropper combination. Our Parachute hi-vis BWO is an excellent pattern as your dry. FB PT’s, Assassins, & small midge emergers are good calls for the dropper nymph.

 East Walker River

BLOWN OUT. Big water (330cfs) coming out of BPR. This series of storms is forecast to add many inches of water into this drainage, hence the precautionary step to lower the lake to prevent flooding. High-vis para BWO adults with mayfly nymph droppers like parallel & standard Assassins, FB PT’s, and WD-40’s. can be deadly during warmer periods. Olive crystal caddis/midge larva profiles are also good calls during cooler days. Attractor patterns, and streamers like Loebergs, Punk Perch/parallel Punk Perch can incite grabs if the fish are lethargic due to cooler temps.