Water Conditions:  Good

Flows are 57 cfs as of 3/16

The stretch of river below Benton Crossing Road to Crowley Lake is closed to fishing until next season.

The stretch of river above Benton Crossing Road is artificial, barbless, catch and release only.

Fishing Conditions and Hatches: Poor-?????

Flows on the Upper Owens dropped Wednesday to 57 cfs (spring fed only) from the previous level of 75 cfs. First the good news, the main road is now clear with puddles so drive carefully, but be real careful on the side roads. The problem is that you might get into a walk thru gate in the morning when it's cold and then face a car eating morass when you try to leave. A bonanza for the tow trucks, if you know what I mean. Now for the bad news, most of the guides have been going to Hot Creek or the Lower Owens but the times they've been on the Upper have been tough. Might be that the drop in flows has pushed the fish up into the ranches or made them extremely spooky but fishing has been tough the last couple of days.

It's good to remember that there aren't a lot of "resident" fish in the Upper Owens, it's basically a nursery for Crowley Lake and as they get bigger most of them will move down to the lake. The fish that haven't gone to the lake yet tend to be pickier because it's their natural environment. Right now they are getting more active as their metabolism picks up with the water warming so look for insect activity, especially the Baetis and some caddis. Mayflies are the more dominate #16-20.  As the water warms up the resident fish are getting more active, they will not be as interested in the attractor flies and they definitely require better presentations than the migratory fish do.

The spring spawners are now throughout the system and they've been around long enough to be really tired of the barrage of gear landing on their heads. Even though they tend to favor the same types of water as they move upstream, with the heavy pressure they are starting to hold in different spots. Instead of working the same "money" spots start exploring different terrain. Some of the guides are doing well on mop flies otherwise the same flies such as eggs, worms, and other attractor patterns.  You still want to key in on the deeper water but the spring spawners tend to spend more time in shallower, faster water also.

With longer days and the weather warming up water clarity down by the bridge is worse but as you move upstream it improves every branch Hot Creek that you move above. Luckily with colder water temperatures the warmer Hot Creek water is beneficial and the dirty water coming out of Hot Creek makes the fish a lot less spooky. The difference between above and below Hot Creek is at least 10 degrees so if you get out there early it might be better to start out closer to the bridge. This helps trigger the fish in Crowley to move up into colder, cleaner water of the river.

So much for the temperature gauge, it lost its funding and has been shut down. There is a temperature gauge on Hot Creek right above the Owens River Road bridge. You can tell winter is here because instead of 97-112 temperature range of summer it's all the way down to 94-107 degrees.  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.

Recommended Flies

DRIES: Griffiths Gnat #20-24 | Para Adams #20-24 

NYMPHS:  Zebra Midge #16-22 | B/H Prince Nymph #12-16 | Copper John #14-16 | Tungsten Jig Baetis #18-20 | B/H Pheasant tail #14-18 |  Mop Fly assorted colors #10-16 | Bling Midge #22-24 | Tungsten Olive Mic Drop #16-18 | San Juan worms assorted colors | Egg Patterns assorted colors | Western Coachman #12-16 | Hogan's S & M Nymph #18-20

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