Fish Report - July, 17th, 2025
Fish Report - 7.17.2025
Weather & General Report for Eastern Sierra
Weather Report:
Very warm but the temperatures will drop going into next week. A slight chance of showers Friday-Saturday Longer range for the following week is clear and below average temperatures.
Mammoth Yosemite Airport: highs in the high 70’s dropping into the low 70’s later in the week- lows in the high 50’s dropping to the high 40’s.
Mammoth Lakes Airport Weather Forecast
Bishop: Highs in the high 90’s lowering to low 90’s and lows in the low 60’s lowering to low 50’s.
Pleasant Valley Campground Weather Forecast
Hot Creek:
Conditions:Good
Report: Due to the flows dropping, bird predation has once again become a problem. The result is that the fish will be out in the feeding lanes during the stronger hatches but once they are over they will move back to cover. When that happens you need to fish tight to the banks/ weeds or swing streamers under the banks or weed beds.
PMD, Trico and Caddis hatches have improved and the fishing is good but there is a definite slow down about 10, especially at the Interpretive Site. Speaking of the Interpretive Site, the morning hatches, especially the Trico hatches have picked up considerably but so have the crowds and the fish are getting picky. If you’re not seeing hatches don’t forget the scuds.
Down in the canyon the hatches are rapidly improving, but with the flows dropping and the weeds growing it’s even more critical to make accurate casts and keep your drifts short. Caddis migration starts around 7, along with the Trico emergence then the Trico spinner fall 9-10, PMD hatch midday followed by Caddis hatch. Hopper patterns are becoming more effective and with the dropping flows and thicker weeds The Hopper dropper nymphing is becoming more effective.
Two guide tips: 1) When casting, if you’re looking at the weed beds, you will hit them, so look at the clear lanes. 2) Your drifts should be 4 seconds or less followed by a smooth but aggressive backcast - You will be amazed by the number of hookups you didn’t even know were there.
| Fly Type | Flies |
|---|---|
| Dries | Brooks CDC Baetis #18-20 | E-Z Spot Trico #18-22 | Caviar Midge #22 | Spent Partridge #16-22 | Missing Link #16-22 |
| Nymphs | HDA Fav #14-16 | Expecting Scud #16-18 | Glass Bead Micro May Olive or Brown #20-22 | Weiss BP Light #18-20 | Zebra Midge #22-24 | T-Midge #22-24 | Real Midge #22-24 | Olive midge patterns #20-24 | Chamois Caddis #14-18 (Cranefly imitation) |
| Streamers | Kesslars H/B/S Olive & Natural (#12) |
Upper Owens:
Conditions: Fair-Good
Upper Owens River Flows Click Here:
Report:With the water coming out of Grant Lake( 42 cfs), the silt is getting flushed out of the tunnel, and the water quality had gotten bad but it’s improving fast. The water temperatures are coming up, now in the mid to high 50’s, usually the fish turn on when it hits 58. The hatches are picking up, besides the ever present midges the morning caddis and Trico are improving with a few PMD’s late morning. We are starting to see some bigger lake Rainbows and the Browns start moving up, this usually starts in early July but they have started early, possibly because of the colder water coming in. Also avoid walking through the shallow gravel tailouts, there are eggs in the gravel that do not like being trampled. If size is not important you can pick up some 6”-8” browns on dry flies. We are also seeing the stockers moving upstream from below the bridge.
| Fly Type | Flies |
|---|---|
| Dries | Para Caddis #16-22 | Adult Midge Patterns #20-24 | Parachute Adams #18-22 | Rubber Leg Stimulator #12-16 | Juicy Hopper #10-14 | Missing Link #18-22 | Sparkle Flag Trico #20-22 | |
| Nymphs | Bead Head Flashback Pheasant Tail #14-22 | HDA Fav Variant #12-16 | Chamois Caddis #16-20 | Slush Egg Apricot #14 |Drowned Trico Spinner #18-22 | Squirmy Wormy #12-14 | Zebra Midges #16-24 | Flying Circus Caddis Orange #12-14 | Tung Stud Black #18-22 |
| Streamers | Keslars H/B/G Olive | Punk Perch #16 | Crostons MRS Natural #12 | |
Lower Owens:
Conditions: Improving
Lower Owens River Flows Click Here:
Report:
The Trico hatch and spinner fall are going strong. There was a surprise appearance of the PMD emergence, not a strong hatch and it only lasted for about an hour between 9 and 10. The good news is there’s nobody fishing so you have plenty of room to roam.
This is basically what will be the pattern for the summer
6am micro caddis emergence/ 7am female Trico hatch/ 9-10am Trico spinner fall/ 10am-mid afternoon Tiny BWO size 22-26 (this is not a true BWO but the same species, Baetis), afternoon into evening Caddis emergence/ male Trico emergence around dusk. There is also a Drake mayfly hatch #12-16 in the evening that may have already started and usually lasts a week or two
| Fly Type | Flies |
|---|---|
| Dries | Para Caddis #16-22 | Mimic May Johnson BWO #16-20 | No See Um Baetis Hi-Vis #16 | Parachute Extended BWO #16-20 | Roy’s Special Emerger #20-22 | Caviar Midge #20-24 |
| Nymphs | Tungsten Jig Baetis #14-18 | Tungsten Phase II #14-18 | Zebra Midge #18-22 | Tungstud Olive #16-18 | Smples B/Emerger #18-20 | Buckskin Caddis #14-18 | Dorsey Buckskin Jig #14-18 | Assorted Perdigon Patterns #14-18 |
| Streamers | Try 'em all |
East Walker River:
Conditions: Fair-Good
East Walker River Flows Click Here:
Report: Fishing up by the dam is poor, try down below the bridge. The water coming out of the dam is warm 24 hours a day but if the nights are cool the further down you go the lower the temperatures will be. The water temperature has been remaining in the 60’s well into the afternoon and with the expected cooldown that shouldn’t change, it’s still a good idea to check water temperatures. Fishing is still tough but with no crowds it’s worth the effort. Lots of small midges and a good Trico hatch around 7:30 followed midday with caddis and Damselflies. Seining shows LOTS off small mayfly and stonefly nymphs. It’s still a good idea to check Ken’s report up in Bridgeport.
| Fly Type | Flies |
|---|---|
| Dries | Chernobyl OJ #6-10 | Adult Cranefly | TR’s Double Griffiths #16-20 | Zelon Midge Improved Matthews #20-24 | Z-Wing Real Midge Black #20-26 | Brooks CDC Baetis #18-20 | | Mimic May Johnson BWO #16-20 | No See Um Baetis Hi-Vis #16 | |
| Nymphs | San Juan Worm Red | GB FB Pheasant Tail #14-20 | HDA Fav #12-16 | Tung Stud Black #20-22 | Keslar’s Iggy Olive #14 | Zebra Midge #20-22 | Copper Tiger #S-L | Albino Baron #S-L | Double Bead Zebra #S-L | Monroe Leech | Assorted Perdigons #14-18 |
| Streamers | Try ‘Em All |
Crowley Lake:
Conditions: The lake level has stabilized with the rising inflow but even with the water coming from Grant Lake and the end of the flush, flows are dropping on the tributaries so the water level in Crowley is still dropping. Water clarity is bad now, the “ ballbearing like” algae has diminished but the stringy algae has taken over.
Crowley Lake Surface Elevation Click Here:
Report: July and we are seeing the stringy algae Midge hatches continue to be strong and the Callibaetis hatches are getting stronger plus the Damsel hatch is picking up. To top that off the perch fry are out, not big enough to be noticed much but the fish are eating them a little bit. Timing is usually midges first followed by Callibeatis 9-10 and Damsels shortly thereafter, perch fry are all day but they’re not keying on them yet. This time of year can be confusing so don’t be afraid to mix up your offerings. The fish are still spread out but we should start seeing more concentrations around stream mouths. Most people are catching fish between 16’-30’, but you can find fish shallower or deeper too, as in 30’- 45’ as well as 4’-10’.With the runoff ending the fish seem to be moving into the shallower water especially near stream mouths. Fishing seems to be picking up, you just have to keep working. Edges of flats, dropoffs and any changes in bottom structure could be holding fish. Don’t be afraid to wander away from the fleet, everybody seems to gather in particular spots but there are concentrations of fish all over the place. The fish do seem to be moving deeper as the day progresses. The algae bloom is in full swing but it only goes down a few feet so outside of the heavy concentrations use as much weight as you can to get your flies down through it cleanly.
| Fly Type | Flies |
|---|---|
| Dries | N/A |
| Nymphs | Copper Tiger #S-L | Albino Baron #S-L | Callibaetis Nymph #16-18| Hanging With My Chromies #14-16 | Marabou Leech Brown and Wine | Shaft #S-L | Copper Clown #S-L | Optimidge Gray-Grey/Black #18-20 | Hares Ear #16-20 | Damsel Nymph Mini |
| Streamers | Punk Perch Light #10 | Balanced Punk Perch Light or Dark #16 | Balanced Bird’s Nest Olive #16 | Baby Fat Minnow |
San Joaquin River:
Conditions: not great, low flows
San Joaquin River Flows Click Here:
Report: The flows are still good and water temperatures are 55-65 degrees. Due to construction, access to the San Joaquin is limited to 6 am Thursday until 11 pm Sunday through the end of August. Hatches have been weak but fishing has been good, especially the evening Mayfly hatches. It would appear that there’s a lot of catch and keep going on so with the lack of stocking the fish numbers are down.
| Fly Type | Flies |
|---|---|
| Dries | Stimulator #10-18 | Parachute Adams #16-22 | Elk Hair Caddis #14-22 Ant Patterns #14-18 |
| Nymphs | Pheasant Tail #14-20 | Hares Ear #12-20 | Zebra Midge #20-22 | Copper John #14-18 | Prince Nymph #10-20 |
| Streamers | Black Wooly Buggar #8-12 | Slump Buster #8-12 |