Fish Report for 8-19-2021

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Troutfitter

Upper Owens River Report

8-19-2021
The Trout Fitter Staff

Flow Rates and Water Conditions

Water Conditions: Fair- Good

Flows are  55 as of  8/12

Fishing Conditions and Hatches: Fair-Good

One thing to keep in mind is that somewhere around noon the water below where upper Hot Creek joins in the water is getting up to 70+ so plan on moving upstream if you are going to fish the afternoon. There is a temperature gauge on Hot Creek right above the Owens River Road bridge. In the last week that water has not been below 97 degrees and tops out around 112 degrees midday. If you're not familiar with it, to get to the upper most branch of Hot Creek, go through the first drive through gate on the main road and immediately turn left. The confluence is between the first and second walk-thru gates.

Fishing has been inconsistent, but the pressure is reasonable. Plenty of Tricos, 6-8 for the female emergence and 9-10 for the spinner fall. Also early, midges and some bigger caddis. There is also a mayfly hatch (#18-20) that starts around 10:30. If you're lucky you'll be out there on one of the ''good days" when the fish are rising all morning right into the afternoon hopper fest. Midday the Hoppers are out, nothing like the last couple of years but still fun. Also, midday are the Tiny BWO, # 24-26 and their idea of egg laying is a dive bombing technique from way up high making them hard to spot. If you see a flash out of the corner of your eye you weren't hallucinating.  With the resident fish being schizophrenic, one day eating attractor nymphs and the next day they're into the mayflies and midges, we suggest trailing a midge (#18-24) or mayfly (#16-22) behind an attractor nymph. That 1/2 moth 1/2 caddis white insect you see zig zagging close to the water is an aquatic moth. Not much is known about their life cycle, but you may have run across the larval form and not even known it. If you get hung up on the bottom and what you bring up looks like a small, ragged leaf, turn it over. If there's a line of organic matter down the middle that's the moth larva.

DF&G calls it the 4th of July run. With the temperatures getting warmer in Crowley and the algae growing the 12"-20" browns are starting to move up and should be throughout the river system in the next couple of weeks. Once in the system they will stay until spawning late fall to early winter.

Recommended Flies

DRIES: Griffiths Gnat #20-24 | Elk Hair Caddis #20-22 | Para Caddis #16-22 | EC Caddis #16-20 | Baby Boy Hopper #14-16 | Para Adams #20-24 | Spring Creek Hopper Tan or Yellow #12-16 | Parachute hopper #10-16 | Hi-Vis Baetis #18-24 | Sparle Back Dun BWO #16-18

NYMPHS:  Zebra Midge #16-22 | Prince Nymph #12-16 | Copper John #14-16 |Tungsten Jig Baetis #18-20 | Black Beauty #22 |  | Chamois Caddis #14-18 |  S&M Nymph #18-22 | Medalion Midge #20-24 |Bling Midge #22-24 | OCD Caddis #14-18 | Spring Creek Hopper Tan #10-16

STREAMERS: Shock Collar Leech #10 | Woolly Bugger White, Olive, or Brown #6-14 | Punk Perch light or dark #10-16



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More Reports

The Trout Fitter Reports
for Thursday, August 19th, 2021

Hot Creek: Hot Creek Fishing Report
San Joaquin River: San Joaquin River Report
Owens River - Lower: Lower Owens River Report
East Walker River (CA): East Walker Report

The Trout Fitter Reports
for Thursday, August 12th, 2021

Hot Creek: Hot Creek Fishing Report
San Joaquin River: San Joaquin River Report
Owens River - Section 3 - Upper (above Crowley): Upper Owens River Report
Owens River - Lower: Lower Owens River Report
East Walker River (CA): East Walker Report