The Middle Owens around Bishop continues to flow at minimum releases below the dam at Pleasant Valley R. Focus on the deepest pools, & the riffles at the base of them during the hatches.  Solid blue winged olive activity after mid-day.

Drift boat trips have been kicking out good numbers of mostly smaller planted fish. We are connecting with some larger hold over rainbows and browns using Spruce-A-Bu’s, Loebergs, & parallel Punk Perch patterns. Increasing opportunities for dry fly action using BWO’s.

The bite remains sporadic, and unusually slow, on the Upper Owens. High flows, and a significant drop in numbers from the migratory rainbows we call Crowley Steelhead. Occasional dry fly opportunities using midges for smaller resident trout.

Flows on the East Walker River running below 40cfs now. Hit the depressions on the larger bends and runs. Numbers not the best here; but the rainbows are thick bodied and average 16 inches.

Hot Creek access remains fine. Numbers are good for smaller fish that are eager to hit midge clusters, and first generation blue winged olives after mid-day. 

Water levels at Pleasant Valley Reservoir are high making access to the transition area difficult. The pocket water below the power house has decent numbers with a few large fish holding in the deeper water. Dry/dropper best here. The slow moving/ deeper water near the lake mouth has some trophy sized fish that will take a parallel Assassin fished on a dead drift.

Gorge water releases are very low. LADWP is doing major maintenance on the hydro electric generation facility. Fish jammed into the deeper pools.

No significant storms are predicted in the long range forecasts. A cooling trend, with lowering barometric pressures on the way through the beginning of next week.

Upper Owens River

Upper Owens has been unusually slow. Historically, this is prime time for trophy migratory rainbows moving up from Crowley Lake. The water conditions are less than perfect; however not bad. Flows are much higher than normal as the LADWP draws water from Grant Lake to fill Crowley. This additional water is creating more spawning habitat for the Crowley Steelhead remaining here. I believe there are more fish in the system than we are connecting with, they are just holding in different locations currently. We are observing paired up bigs in the tail outs of pools hiding under the cut banks. Very difficult to get nymphs; or streamers to swing by them. The warm weather pattern has elevated water temps which allow the spawners to hold in shallower; more conventional redds.  Last January was more productive than previous seasons. It is possible the crazy warm winter we experienced triggered an earlier run of these fish, & we are seeing the final stages of this years migration. Some smaller resident fish are sipping on midge clusters in the pillow water of the larger pools. Getting your rigs on the bottom with water conditions like this require obscene amounts of weight, lengthy leaders, and aggressive mending tactics to achieve drag free drifts. 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.  There is some nasty mud in the ruts after the ground thaws on some of the two track roads leading down to the river. 

Looking ahead I see a STRONG probability that the spring migration of cutthroat trout will be earlier as well. Water levels rising in Crowley, high water flows on the UO, & warmer than normal air temps pave the way for these beautiful fish to begin moving in March. Last years run was weak here; but the conditions were almost totally opposite of what we are experiencing this winter.

 Middle Owens

Flows remain very low due to maintenance on the hydro-electric facilities around PVR. The bulk of the fish will seek the deepest pools at this level. A fair amount of riffle water will be to shallow for fish to stage in during the hatches, so focus on the larger pools, & their respective tail outs. The baetis hatch comes off after noon most days, with some blanket midge emergences appearing too. Drifting has been good for numbers of smaller planted rainbows and browns with a few bigs showing in the counts most days. We are currently limited in our runs due to low water. Smaller perch fry patterns like our #16 Punk Perch in the afternoons during the BWO hatch is a good call. Make sure you have some #16/18 adult baetis (BWO) patterns handy for the mayfly hatch. The adults come off in the foam, & hide in it while their wings are drying. Keep your imitations high and dry with frequent use of desiccant.  This should be a memorable season for surface action. Nymph the deeper pools, & slots using Assassins, flashback pheasant tails, broken back midges, olive crystal caddis larva, & olive larva patterns. Hot streamers on the drift boat trip have been Spruce-A-Bu’s and Loebergs, with the parallel Punk Perch getting grabs during the hatch. High-vis BWO adults and a dropper mayfly nymph profile can be deadly just prior to; & during the hatch. Fish your dry/dropper rig in the deeper riffle water, or along the foam lines leading into the pools.

Hot Creek

Numbers are pretty good here as the newbies acclimate to their new home, & spread out along the deeper slots and pools.  Water conditions will be higher, & slightly off color during the warmer periods.   Best bite occurs during early afternoon when the BWO’s are emerging. Dry dropper rigs with a #16-18  Para Hi-Vis BWO and a #18 Gillie dropper 2′ below is the perfect rig at this time. 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.  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

Access around the inlet and transition area sucks right now due to high water levels. There are some really good sized browns, and bows holding in this section; however they are tough to fool. Flows are very low entering the lake making the current super slow.  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

Middle Gorge upstream best currently.  Flows have lowered here.  A good place to go and get away from angling pressure. The bite kicks into high gear 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

Flows hovering around 40cfs. This is about a third of what they have been for an extended period. This will push the fish into the deeper pools and runs for sure. The warmer weather will get the midges, and blue winged olives popping in good numbers also. #14-18 Assassins, Crystal Eggs, #16-20 chironomid patterns (Copper Tiger, Gillie, Zebra, Blood Midge, and Brassie) have been good patterns to fish below an Under-Cator sufficiently weighted.  Use the attractors during off hatch periods. Some solid midge hatches have been happening late mornings on the high pressure days.  Para-midges are an excellent choice on the EW. Use a hi-vis para BWO as a flag fly on a dry/dry rig to make it easier to fish the tiny midge adult.  The cold water mayfly called the blue winged olive (baetis) is the preferred bug for the trout to snack on during the late winter/early spring. BWO adults emerge after mid-day, & typically come off for 1-2 hours. The trout focus on this hatch, and will stage up in the tail outs of larger pools, and in deeper riffles. They will stick close to the foam lines to snatch the adults as they dry their wings before elevating off the water. Dry/dropper rigs are a good call during this period. FB PT’s, Assassins, and hares ear nymphs are the right profiles for your nymphs.