The Upper Owens flows have dropped significantly, moving the fish into the deeper pools. Most of the snow has melted; leaving muddy, & flooded areas along the two track roads heading to the access gates. “Catching” remains slow. There are declining numbers of migratory Crowley Steelhead. Most of the hens have dropped their eggs, & I have seen some beat up males heading back to the lake. Another series of abnormally cold storms are forecast to hit the region. This may put some snow back along the river by the weekend. 

The Middle Owens has been very good to us on the drift boat sections. Recent plantings, & good water conditions have made some 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 East Walker has really moved up in flows this week. This trend is likely to continue, making it tougher to wade. 170cfs. is not a blow out; but if they move over 250cfs. wading becomes difficult. The bite has been slow here. Most of the snow is gone in the canyon; however the potential for some accumulations are possible through the weekend.

Hot Creek has the usual winter time aquatic weed issues. Water levels are moving up due to some snow melt. There are good numbers of smaller fish concentrated just below the hatchery, & in the deeper pockets and slots in the canyon.  Moderate snow accumulations are forecast through the week.

There is a trout derby slated for Pleasant Valley Reservoir on 3/17/18. Crowds forecast to be large.  Extra plantings of catchable/trophy rainbows will be dumped here for the event.  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! Power generation has not been occurring; so the river has been very easy to wade. 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.

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

Middle Owens River (Bishop Area)

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

Flows have decreased significantly recently. Access roads remain a mess due to mud, and large puddles in the two track ruts. The snow has melted for now; but if the forecast is correct we may see some snow accumulations by the weekend. The bite remains slow with declining numbers of migratory rainbows. 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.  

Hopefully we will see an early run of cutthroat trout moving in March if the weather turns more seasonal.

Hot Creek

Snow has melted in the canyon; but accumulations may be possible after a series of colder storms pass this week. 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

There is a large trout derby slated for 3/17/18. Large crowds descend on PVR for this event. The CDFW and Bishop Chamber plant rainbows for this tourney.  Lake levels have dropped. This allows good access in the transition section near the inlet. The mud along the river bank is extremely nasty when 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

Fishing has been slow here due to very low flows. 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

The water levels have increased considerably this week. 180cfs. is still a fishable release; however the trout will be in transition seeking new holding areas until the levels stabilize. The bite has been slow due to rising water. The snow has melted in the canyon; but a series of cold fronts may dump accumulations by weeks end.