Fall weather is the best time of the year to be in the Eastern Sierra enjoying fly fishing on the lakes and streams. Now is the time of year to be throwing those big streamers that trophy trout like to munch. Trophy brown and brook trout are migrating from lakes in to the streams to spawn. Hatches of midges, caddisflies and mayflies are feeding the trout on the surface and on the substrate. Fall colors are in full swing and are starting to migrate down canyon towards the Owens Valley. Now is your final chance to get a fly fishing trip in during my favorite month Sept/Oct.
Fall is the time of year fly fisher are looking for trophy trout in the streams and rivers of the Eastern Sierra.
East Walker River:
Flows are decreasing with the trout starting to hold in the pool and deeper pockets of the river. Pulling streamers and nymphing with indicators or Euro nymphing is producing lots of wild rainbow and brown trout from eight to 20 inches. For nymphs fish with size 16 perdigons, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 16 midges in tiger and zebra colorations. Olive slumpbusters, black wooly buggers, marabou muddlers and brown bunny leeches in sizes 6 and 10 stripped through the deeper holes are being attacked by the bigger trout. Size 6 or 10 Clouser swimming nymph in crayfish brown are a good imitation of the crayfish that are scurrying along the substrate of the river as you wade.
Indicator nymphing and Euro nymphing are producing lots of six to 12 inch wild brown and rainbow trout below the miracle mile section.
Lower Owens Rive
Wild Trout Section:
Flows are down to 100 CFS which means you can wade anywhere you want in the lower Owens River as long as the pools are not deeper than you are tall. The summer growth of riparian vegetation is at its fullest making it hard to access some spots. Making first trail through the tulles can be hard and requires energy and time. A mid-day mayfly hatch has trout rising to the surface. Nymphing with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 12 stoner nymphs and size 18 midges in tiger and zebra coloration is fooling wild rainbows and brown trout for five inches to 15 inches. Fishing with Adams parachutes in size 20, blue wing olive parachutes in size 20 and elk hair caddis in size 18 are catching the surface feeding trout. Wet wadding is the cooler way to fish on the hot afternoons.
With flows at 100 CFS the lower Owens River is perfect for wading and fishing nymphs under an indicator.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
California Fish and Wildlife will be conducting electro shocking on Hot Creek in October from the 14th to the 17th. To volunteer contact Nick Buckmaster at 760-920-8391 or nick.buckmaster@wildlife.ca.gov. Getting on the creek in the morning rigged up with a size 22 trico female parachute is how you want to start your morning of fly fishing. When the trout quit taking the parachute it’s time to switch to a size 22 trico spinner. A few blue wing olive have been hatching at the tail end of the trico hatch. Fish with size 20 blue wing olive parachutes. The hatch is over by noon and time to leave the creek in search of other waters to fly fish.
Hot Creek Canyon has more weed beds and less fly fishers throwing tricos in the morning.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
California Fish and Wildlife will be conducting electro shocking on Hot Creek in October from the 14th to the 17th. To volunteer contact Nick Buckmaster at 760-920-8391 or nick.buckmaster@wildlife.ca.gov. The weed beds are just starting to dissipate as we head towards winter. Fishing in the lanes between the weeds is where you want to fishing with a size 22 female trico parachute. When the trico lay their eggs and die is when you want to be switching to a size 22 trico spinner patterns. You will know that the spinners are on the water when the trout quit feeding on your parachute pattern. After the trico hatch fly fishers have two options to fly fish for trout. First is to fish with a size 20 blue wing olive parachute if the blue wing olive hatch shows up. Second is to fish with nymphs in the tiny slots between the weeds and in the open areas in the riffles and deep pools. Fish with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 20 SOS nymphs and size 20 midges in tiger and zebra coloration.
Bruce Kuroyama worked hard learning how to work a Euro rig in the upper Owens River and it paid off with this wild brown trout.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
Trophy rainbow and brown trout are migrating into the river in decent concentrations. Fishing the deep holes, deep runs and cut banks is where you will find the trophy trout resting and feeding. Fishing with size 12 stoner nymphs, size 12 green/gold Prince nymphs, size 12 gold ribbed hare’s ears variations and size 14 copper John’s is producing the trophy trout. Fishing with meat style streamers like mongrel meat, baby conga and drunk and disorderly will move some big fish if fly fishers cover lots of water looking for those big trophy trout looking for a big calorie meal. There is a mid-morning trico hatch with six to 10 inch trout coming to the surface to feed on size 20 trico spinners and female trico parachutes. Size 18 elk hair caddis are working in the afternoons.
Learning to fly fish on Bishop Creek Canal is about learning how to present the fly to the trout.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
A late morning trico hatch has six to 10 inch wild browns coming to the surface to feed on the trico spinners. Fish with a size 20 trico spinner on 5X monofilament tippet. Key to success is timing the drift of the fly to coincide with the rhythm of the trout. Nymphing under an indicator or with a Euro rig is producing trout when fishing with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 16 green/gold brassies and size 16 midges in zebra and tiger coloration.
Fall fly fishing on Bishop Creek is all about catching the spawning brown and brook trout.
Bishop Creek Canyon
Middle Fork:
Bishop Creek is offering good fall fly fishing with a dry and dropper in Bishop Canyon. Brown trout and brook trout spawn in the fall and are spawning right now in Bishop Creek. A fall spawning brook trout is the fish you want to catch. Use a size 16 stimulator, elk hair caddis, Adams parachute and Royal Wulff for the dry fly. For the nymph use a size 16 green/gold brassie, size 16 midge in tiger or zebra coloration, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear, size 16 Prince nymph and size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph. Now is the time to be fly fishing on Bishop Creek with the back drop of quacking aspen.