Summer is here. It’s time for dry flies and wet wading. Pale morning dun mayflies, little yellow stoneflies, caddis and lake midges are hatching and bringing trout to the surface. Warm water fishes, carp, bass and bluegill are being targeted by fly fishers in the ponds and the Owens River in the Owens Valley. Afternoon winds particularly in Long Valley is hampering fly fishers. No-see-ums and mosquitoes are making their presents known to fly fishers particularly late in the day.
Spring flowers are a great back drop to fly fishing in the upper elevations of the Eastern Sierra.
Owens River Gorge:
Owens River Gorge will reopen to fly fishing on Wednesday June 25th, 2025.
Owens River Gorge closed to public access for fish and wildlife habitat improvement from June 4th to 24th, 2025. No public access will be allowed within the Owens River Gorge from Long Valley Dam to the Control Gorge Power Plant. DWP will be performing a flushing flows event to fluff the stream bed. When the gorge reopens the weather will be hot, the stinging nettles will be in full growth and this is good rattle snake territory.
Owens River Gorge will reopen to fly fishing on Wednesday June 25th, 2025.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
Morning hatches of tricos and gray caddis are bring the trout to the surface. Afternoon winds are hampering fly fishers which is why most fly fishers are off the creek by 2:00 P.M. Fish with size 16 pale morning dun parachutes, size 20 female trico dun parachutes, size 20 blue wing olive parachutes, size 18 Adams parachutes, size 20 parachute caddis and size 20 gray elk hair caddis.
Dry flies and nymphs are producing good numbers of trout for fly fishers in Hot Creek Canyon.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
Nymphing in the morning with a Euro rig or under an indicator is producing wild brown and rainbow trout to 14 inches. The fish are spread throughout the canyon section and fly fishers should cover all the water. Nymphing with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 Frenchie’s, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 20 gray La Fontaine’s caddis emerger and size 12 stoner nymphs are fooling the trout feeding on the substrate. On the surface size 16 pale morning dun parachutes, size 16 Henry’s fork yellow sally, size 16 yellow stimulator and size 20 female trico parachute.
Dry flies are bringing trout to the surface before the afternoon wind blows the hatching insects off the water.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
The only good thing about the afternoon winds is that it cools off fly fishers and suppresses the mosquitoes. The afternoon winds have been shutting off the hatch just about the time it gets going good. Under an indicator or with a Euro rig a size 18 olive quilldigon, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 20 midges in tiger and zebra coloration are producing rainbow and brown trout up to 14 inches. Size 16 Adams parachutes, size 16 pale morning dun parachute, size 18 blue wing olive parachute and size 16 elk hair caddis are fooling the trout feeding on the hatching insects before the winds come up.
Euro nymphing is producing rainbow trout in Bishop Creek Canal in the middle of the day when temperatures are in the mid-90’s.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
With summer comes hot days in the Owens Valley. Fly fishing on Bishop Creek Canal in the middle of the day is brutal with the heat, but there are fish to catch. The fish are feeding on nymphs all day. Fishing in the mornings and evenings is offering better conditions for the fly fisher. The canal looks big, but the zone to catch fish is small. Drifting nymphs in the sandy slots between the weeds is where fly fishers nymphing need to work their nymphs. Nymph with size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 Frenchie’s, size 16 SOS nymphs, size 16 hot spot pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons and size 12 stoner nymphs. Floating a size 18 Adams parachute, size 16 elk hair caddis and a size 18 blue wing olive parachute over the weed beds and the sandy slots will bring a few trout to the surface.