The Fish Report

March 17th 2024

The Troutfitter is open 8-4, 7 days a week.

Check the Lower Owens report.

 Both Hot Creek and the Upper Owens flows have come down but with the warming trend this week that might change, and the Upper and Hot Creek could get dirtier. The Lower Owens is now down to 123 cfs and the hatches and fishing are picking up nicely. 

It looks like a continuing improvement weatherwise with the only change being possible showers Tuesday. The mini "heat wave" is still predicted for this week, Hot Creek and the Upper Owens should be mid 50's for highs and low 30's at night. Lower Owens will be upper 60's to low 70's and upper 30's at night. Big warmup predicted for 3/17 to 3/23.

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The Fish Report - March 17th 2024

Kent's Picks

Steve Fasick - Eastern Sierra Boat Repair

Located in Sunny slopes, works on most all marine engines.

760-920-3233

 

Tim Howard - Mobile RV Services. 

Will go anywhere to you up and down 395 from Aberdeen, CA to Topaz, NV.

951-906-4854

 

Link and Contacts

Hot Creek - Flow Rates

Flow Rates and Water Conditions

Water Conditions: Good, showing 7 cfs as of 3/17, that should be going up this week.

Click "Flows" above for up to the minute info

 

Remember, these are the flows just below Highway 395 on Mammoth Creek.

Hot Creek is the least affected stream by big temperature drops due to being spring fed.

 

 

Fishing Conditions and Hatches

Fishing Conditions and Hatches: Good-Very Good

Access to the Interpretive was walk in but you could drive all the way to the paved parking lot.

The warmer temperatures should help the fishing considerably. 

Fishing has been streaky day to day with A LOT of small fish, a good sign for the future.

There's been very good dry fly action, Interpretive Site 9-11 on midges and the BWOs hatches have come roaring back, 12-2. With the returning of the BWOs the fish are starting to eat bigger (16-18) mayfly patterns. The canyon is like the Interpretive but an hour or so later and a lot more subsurface on mayfly nymphs, midges and scuds. We are seeing an increase in dry fly action in the canyon, primarily upstream from the upper parking lot.

I still tell my clients that a 4 second drift is average and finish with an aggressive pickup, you will hook fish you never knew existed.

 

Recommended Flies

DRIES:  R.P. Emerger #22 | Mother Shucker #24 | Griffith's Gnat #20-24 | Stillborn Midge Black #20-22 | Miller's Caddis #16-18 | Spider Varient #18-20 | Brooks CDC Baetis #20-24 | Stimulators #8-10 | Hi-Vis Para BWO #16-18

NYMPHS:  T Midge #24 | Zebra Midge #18-22  | Buckskin Caddis #16-20  | Scuds grey #14-18 | Tailwater Sowbug Rainbow #16-18 |  Bling Midge Brown #24 | TB Millers+1LT #16-18 | B/H Pheasant Tail #16-20 | San Juan Worms #12-14 | Hogan's S&M Nymph #18-20

STREAMERS: Mini Sculpin Orange #6 | Slumpbuster Natural #10    

Guides Hint:

Upper Owens River - Flow Rates

Flow Rates and Water Conditions

Water Conditions: Improving

Flows are 73 cfs as of 3/17

Click "Flows" above for up to the minute info

The stretch of river above Benton Crossing Road is artificial, barbless, catch and release only. Below the bridge is now closed. Water temperatures are now down in the mid 40's meaning the feeding and hatching window has gotten a lot smaller. Not sure what the cold weather will do to the fishing but the odds are it will slow things down.

 

Fishing Conditions and Hatches

Fishing Conditions and Hatches: Fair to Good??????

Right now you can drive up the main road but I would be very careful about the side roads to the gates. I'm not sure it makes much of a difference, the water is very dirty although it might be a lot cleaner above the confluence.

UPDATE: The spring run is in the river, Both fall and spring fish are being caught. The fall spawners are dark and scuffed up and they also tend to be bigger. The spring spawners are silvery with almost no red. 

 Even though it's slowing down I'm leaving up "Fair-Good" because even on the slow days all it takes is one or two bigger fish to change your outlook.

The holidays are over and the weather's iffy so the crowds should be down, if you're going to fish it I'd do it before the weekend or head down the hill to the Lower. The one bright spot is the migratory fish don't seem to be bothered by the lack of hatches, they're content with the attractor patterns especially eggs and worms. Having said that, the winter spawning Rainbows as well as the Browns are starting to head back to the Lake. The spring run Rainbows have started up. Water clarity coming out of Hot Creek has gotten worse, the river below is now down to 2-3 feet visibility. The up side is the fish are a lot less spooky. The hatches in late  January are midges with a steady increase in BWO hatches and caddis on the warmer days. The BWO hatches should continue to improve as we get into February.

REMEMBER: The winter spawning Rainbows and a lot of the spring spawners are strains of Rainbows no longer stocked so if you like these fishing opportunities keep the fish in the net and in the water while taking pictures/releasing the fish. Also, even though most of the fish spawn up higher in the private ranches there are fish that spawn lower down so keep an eye out for the Redds in the tailouts and try to wade in knee deep or deeper water.

 As usual the lake fish tend to hang out in the deeper holes during the day and move upstream at night. Both the migratory browns and rainbows are scattered throughout the system. Above the Hot Creek confluence they are a lot spookier so move slowly and stay away from the high banks on the outside of bends. 

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. Not to say there aren't big resident fish but they tend to spend their entire adult life far back under the cut banks, venturing out to eat a 12 incher every once in a while.

 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:   Parachute Adams #18-22 | Hippie Stomper and Rubberleg Stimulator #12-16 |  Hi-Vis BWO #20-22 | Elk Hair Caddis #14-20 | Grffiths Gnat #22-24

NYMPHS:  Zebra Midge #16-22 | Copper John #14-16 | Bling Midge #22-24 | San Juan worms assorted colors | Birds Nest Natural #16-20 | Prince Nymph #12-18 | F/B Hares Ear #16-18 | Pheasant Tail #18-22 combo flash and or bead | Egg Patterns

STREAMERS: Shock Collar Leech #10 | Woolly Bugger White, Olive and Brown for the Tadpoles #6-14 | Punk Perch light or dark #10-16 | Baby Fat Minnow |

EURO Streamers: GD UV P/Jig White #12 | Kaslar M/G/S Olive #12

Guides Hint:

Lower Owens River - Flow Rate

 

Flow Rates and Water Conditions

Water Conditions: Good

Flows are 125 cfs as of 3/12

Flow rates dropped so maybe the late start to the winter is giving DWP hope that they can start cutting back on the flows a little bit.

There is Gorge access to the middle and upper power plants as well as the reservoir.

 

 

Fishing Conditions and Hatches

Fishing Conditions and Hatches: Good-Excellent

Well March didn't disappoint! The Grannom caddis have arrived and should be here for at least another 10-14 days. Another one of those hatches that can be very localized so if you haven't seen them by noon start searching. If you scroll through the pictures at the top of the report there's a short video of what the hatch looks like. Little hint, it's not just the swarm in the air it's also every speck on the water too. Best action is dry dropper, a lot of the "rises" are actually the follow through of their eating the pupae. Mid to late afternoon they will be eating egg laying caddis so alternate dead drift presentation with skittering and skating your dry flies and get ready!

February came through, now let's hope the March caddis hatch comes through as well! Both the hatches and the fishing have picked up, the only down side is that the BWO hatches are localized so if it's not happening by 11:30 start moving around. The hatch has been 11:00 to 2 or so with an emphasis on 1-2. The nymphing has been very consistent and dry fly action is picking up. The mayflies have gotten a little smaller #18-20. A not about the dry fly fishing. Because the hatches are so varied it's important to understand "rise form" and type of water the fish are rising in. Today by 12 there were aggressive rises in the main current seams while the slow foamy backwaters primarily had subtle "sippy" takes, so emerging BWO's around the main current and spent midges in the backwaters. The BWO emergence ended about 1:30 but the fish continued to feed in the slow backwaters until after 3. Just another example that along with hatches varying up and down the river but also in different water types within a small area. Another good sign is that there are just enough stonefly adults around that using #6-8 stonefly adult patterns instead of an indicator can be very effective. 

The subsurface is a veritable smorgasbord. Several different species each of mayfly, caddis, black fly, midge and stonefly. Bigger flies have been working better than the smaller patterns # 10-16 Perdigons and stonefly patterns seem to be doing best. With all the bug life if we have anything close to a normal winter, fishing should be spectacular this spring.

A few things I've seen, the banks are very unstable and walking has gotten a lot better but be very careful around the high banks. Weed and brush overgrowth is spectacular.

 

 

REALLY

DRIES: MIDGE-Stillborn Midge #20-22  | Griffith's Gnat #22-24 | CDC Transition midge #20-22 | No Mercy Midge #18-24 | Boroff F/Homie #20, 24  MAYFLY- Para CDC Baetis #16-22 | Para Adams #14-22  Hi-Vis Baetis #18-22  CADDIS- Millers C/Cad Olive and Tan#14-16 | RL Stimulator Yellow #14-16 | Elk Hair Caddis #14-16 STONEFLY- Chernobyl Ant #6-8

NYMPH:  Pheasant Tail #14-22 | Hares Ear #16-22 |Perdigon #10-14 | Zebra Midge #18-22 |Weiss BP light or dark #18-20 | Bottom Roller Phsyco Rhyco #10-14 | Chamois caddis #16-20 | TB Millers +1 Lt #16-18  | Tungsten Sally #16-18 | Iron Sally #18 | HDA Fav. Variant #12-16 |

STREAMERS: Wooly Bugger Olive & Black #10-12 | Mini Sculpin Olive & Black #10-12

Guides Hint: Lesson learned the hard way, don't ignore the fish rising in the shallow water on the inside of the bends. They're usually a lot bigger than you thought.

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