The Big Fish at Crowley are 14' or deeper, smaller fish are usually shallower

Crowley Lake - Mammoth Lakes, CA (Mono County)


by The Trout Fitter Staff
9-9-2011
Website

Water Conditions:
Good, mostly clear water about everywhere but a little strinys stuff here and there mostly by Fish Camp. It will be a race between algae growing and water temps falling to see if we even have a second bloom this year.

Lake is essentially as full as it gets, only down about 6" from its peak. The North end is crystal clear beyond the weeds last 250 yards to the mouth. Massive weed beds every where will come to the surface when they start dropping the lake level.

Fishing Conditions and Hatches:
McGee getting tougher under the indicator. 'Time to dust off those float tubes and chase the hogs chasing the fry in the weeds. The big fish are really spread with a few recent plants and some nice 15-16" Browns planted earlier. Midging is slow-steady from early to about 10am then soft until afternoon when it will turn on again. Just about everything in 14+ feet of water is big. 'Mix of sizes shallower. The North end has a ton of Calibaetis but nothing in the way of fish up in the flooded desert up by the mouth. Everywhere else at the north end has 65F deg water on bottom and no fish save a few dinks at Six Bays.

Recommended Flies:

NYMPHS:
Black Optimidge w/green flashback #16
Mickey's Shaft Emerger - big
Ultimate Damsel
Jansens Calbaetis
Larvae pattrens early

DRIES:
Extended body BWO's but not too many fish sipping on the surface. It may never happen this summer as flooded desert by mouth just isn't producing hatches.
STREAMERS:
Stillwater Hares
Perfection Perch
Punk Perch
Hornbergs
Ultimate Damsel

Guides Hint
Strip or midge along well-defined weed lines for big fish cruising along the wall looking for errant fry.