Hopper Fishing is Picking Up

Hot Creek - Mammoth Lakes, CA (Mono County)


by The Trout Fitter Staff
8-8-2024
Website

Flows and Water Conditions: Fair

Clarity: Good

CFS: 12

Fishing Report and Conditions: Good - Very Good

With the weed beds being as thick as they can get, hopper-droppers can be a good choice. Luckily, the hopper fishing is picking up. Caddis are starting their migration at 7 AM, while the female Trico emergence starts around 9 AM. The Trico spinner fall starts around 11 AM, and those Trico spinner patterns will work through midday. Midday we’re seeing a reappearance of the #12-14 Drakes and the tiny BWO #22-26. Late afternoons and evenings hold male Trico hatches, Caddis egg-laying, and Caddis emergence. With the dropping of flows, bird predation is getting worse in shallower water, so expect the fish to move under the banks and weed beds.


Two guide tips: 1) When casting, if you’re looking at the weed beds, you will hit them, so look at the clear lanes. 2) Your drifts should be 4 seconds or less followed by a smooth but aggressive back cast - You will be amazed by the number of hookups you didn’t even know were there.

Flies:

  • Dries: Upright Organza Trico #18-22 | Mimic May PMD #16 | Brooks Hot Creek Caddis #18-22 | Spent Wing Caddis #16-20 | Spring Creek Hopper Tan or Yellow #10-16 | Juicy Hopper #10-12
  • Nymphs: Tung Stud Black #18-20 | Split Case PMD #14-18 | HDA Fav #14-16 | Expecting Scud #16-18 | Drowned Trico Spinner #20-22 | Nori Caddis Olive or Brown #14-22 | 
  • Streamers: Soccer Mom Ginger




More Reports

The Trout Fitter Reports
for Thursday, August 8th
Owens River: Upper Owens River Updates
East Walker River (CA): Fishing Could Pick Up Considerably
Owens River - Lower: It's a Grind to Find Fish
San Joaquin River-Middle Fork: Improved Fishing and a Good Mixture of Hatches

The Trout Fitter Reports
for Thursday, July 25th
Crowley Lake: The Perch fry are officially on the menu!
Owens River - Section 3 - Upper (above Crowley): Upper Owens River Updates
Owens River - Lower: Cooling Weather and Drop in Flows at Owens
Hot Creek: Caddis Migration and Trico Emergence
Walker River: Less Crowds But Higher Water Temperatures at East Walker
San Joaquin River-Middle Fork: Promising and worth exploring