Summer is in full swing in the eastern sierra and fishing remains good at the locations we are guiding. Weather has been interesting over the past month with some minor fronts moving through and creating afternoon winds, some precipitation at times, and very warm weather. June has been a record setter for hot temperatures around the country, and although it has been warmer than usual in the sierra, we have had nice breezes and cloud cover to thin out the hottest parts of the day. This has made it very pleasant for fishing on most days. 

The road to the San Joaquin River and Red’s Meadow is now open. The river is still running at a fishable level, and the next couple of weeks will be the best time to get into some dry fly fishing before the river flows recede. Typically, at this time of year, we experience our heaviest run-off period from melting snow. Sadly, this year it has come and gone already, and the creeks and rivers are going to be very low come next month and into the remainder of the summer. 

The lakes are fishing well and are the best game in town for now. Good quality browns, rainbows, and cutthroat trout are doing their usual thing and filling up on midges and damselflies at Crowley Lake. We have been fishing deep again this month, but the fish will begin to move into shallower water as more damselfly nymphs start to get active. The Sacramento Perch are now spawning, and once the bulk of the fry have hatched, it will be game on along the weed lines in shallower water. 

Midges have been the best flies so far, with assassins and damselfly imitations a close second. We have been hooking fish anywhere from 17 – 20+ feet all over the lake. A good sonar unit will assist in locating the best concentrations of fish to keep you on the bite combined with the right flies. You can purchase our best flies for the job on our website here.

The East Walker is, unfortunately, flowing at extremely low flows for this time of year and will not be increasing. The hot weather will raise water temperatures to lethal levels for the fish, so we are advising anglers to refrain from fishing here this summer. 

The Upper Owens River will be crawling with grasshoppers soon. This is a fun time to fish surface patterns as the trout are eager to grab flies as soon as they hit the water. There has been a bit of a setback with the fish stocking program this year due to Hot Creek Hatchery discovering a fish which was infected with a bacterium. This fish was isolated from the rest of the stock and further testing found no other infections from the rest of the fish. A hold was placed on fish planting, but the hatchery is up and running again and has recently resumed their scheduled plants. 

There is a fire burning in the Inyo National Forest near Lone Pine and Whitney Portal. Last reports showed about 640 acres burned and high winds the last few days have fanned the flames, prompting the closure of Whitney Portal. You can read more about it here.

Flows on the Lower Owens River are holding around 300 cfs. Weather has been in the triple digits in Bishop and wading is still tough at these flows. Best times for fishing here are early mornings and late evenings. We are focusing on fishing in Mono County in cooler temperatures where the fishing is better.

Once again, if you are planning on fishing with us this summer, we are recommending booking your trip dates at least 3 weeks ahead. Our weekends are filling up first, but weekdays seem just as busy this year. A lot more travelling is taking place and our dates are filling quickly. Please don’t wait until the last minute, as you may miss out on the best fishing opportunities this season. You can click here to fill out one of our trip requests online.