Fish Report for 11-14-2012

The Owens River Gorge & Pleasant Valley Reservoir is a great place to fish

11-14-2012
Tom Loe

With power generation dropping and the flows stable you will find some excellent fly fishing in the inlet and gorge sections of this area. I enjoy fishing the transition section with a dry/dry or dry/dropper bead head combo as well as the lower gorge and small river section downstream from the generation facility.

Tiger midges and Assassin's are deadly here. you can also get some of the best dry fly action around in the pillow water near the lake. The fish will pod up and sip adult mayflies and chironomids in the foam after the water warms a bit. The reservoir level can fluctuate greatly here on a weekly basis, so if it is too high near the lake head back up and hike into the Gorge for some great wild brown trout fishing. It requires accurate casting in the brush, & an upstream presentation is a must.

Another option is tubing the reservoir this time of year. I call it "freeze tubing" but it can be very pleasant at times during the warmer periods. This area is heavily planted and has some nice hold over and wild fish as well. Streamer and still water nymphing techniques are both used effectively here-it fishes just like Crowley. Fish the drop-offs; I prefer the far side to avoid confrontations with bank fishers. The lake can be crowded on weekends and holidays especially near the launch ramp where it is planted. The Gorge will be less trafficked.


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