Fish Report for 11-19-2020

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Sierra Drifters

Mid November Fish Report and News

11-19-2020
Doug Rodricks

Hello Anglers,

Winter is here. Well not truly winter yet, but we are getting snow off and on now which makes for a good start to the season. A shot of snow was recently dropped over Mono County bringing a decent amount of upper elevation and early morning snow fall to the Upper Owens River, which melted off quickly by mid-day. It looks like another front will be coming in early next week with a nice little warm up this week.

Our thoughts go out to the recent victims of the Mountain View fire which is burning near the town of Coleville, Walker, and Topaz. 

As of November 18th, the uncontained Mountain View Fire has burned nearly 30,000 acres near the communities of Coleville, Walker, and Topaz. At least 60 homes and other structures have been destroyed, and more than 100 families and individuals have been displaced. Immediate assistance is needed.

Please join us in supporting our neighbors impacted by the Mountain View Fire. The Mammoth Lakes Chamber of Commerce/Mammoth Community Foundation (which is the charitable arm of the Mammoth Lakes Chamber) and the Northern Mono Chamber of Commerce have partnered to serve as official ambassadors of the Mountain View Fire Relief Fund effort. Your contribution will assist those impacted by the Mountain View Fire by providing funds for immediate needs, including food, clothing, and shelter.

Funds collected through the Mammoth Community Foundation will be passed through to the Northern Mono Chamber for official distribution.
We thank you for your generosity...

Click here if you would like to contribute.

Click here for more information on this fire.

The Upper Owens is going strong for larger rainbows and browns. This year we have seen more wild browns coming into the river. They also seem to be hanging around slightly later than usual. These fish are continually moving up the river, so there are no real major pods of fish yet in the upper river. It takes some hard fishing along with some looking currently to locate these trophy trout. 

Fishing our egg rigs and various larger nymphs have been getting the job done out here. The recently melted snow will soften the mud a bit, so a few more storms touching down in the area can make the driving slippery. 

We are also fishing Hot Creek again now that we have the green light from the Forest Service. The creek fishing has been loads of fun with a dry/dropper fly setup and smaller nymph and egg patterns. There are some really good hatches going on right now throughout the day and the water is gin clear. A lot of fish have schooled up in shallow water and are tucked into the undercut banks. Longer leaders and keeping yourself out of sight will help to catch these fish. These fished are mixed in size from 10 – 20 plus inches. 

We are in full operation down towards Bishop with our drift boat trips. Fishing has been good for browns and rainbows, with a few standout fish. The water is also extremely clear here and low. The fish are taking small streamers and nymphs, and, on some days, we are rewarded with very solid Blue Wing Olive hatches. We have been casting #18 parachute BWO’s and standard BWO’s to these rising fish. The Wild Trout section has also been very good as a wadable area. 

We would love to guide you this fall on any of these great fisheries. Click here to fill out one of our trip request forms for a trip booking and we will contact you for more information.



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More Reports

Sierra Drifters Reports
for Monday, November 9th, 2020
November Fish Report and News
Owens River - Section 3 - Upper (above Crowley): Upper Owens River Fishing Report
East Walker River (CA): Low Winter Time Flows
Owens River - Lower: Lower Owens River Fishing Report

Sierra Drifters Reports
for Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020
Sierra Drifters: Fish N' Conditions
Owens River - Section 3 - Upper (above Crowley): Some Nicer Fish Have Moved into The Upper Owens
East Walker River (CA): East Walker River Fishing Report
Owens River - Lower: Flows Have Really Plunged to Low Levels
Hot Creek: Deeper Holes Are Holding The Usual Bunches of Creek Fish