Afternoon showers in the Eastern Sierra are always a relieve to the hot days of summer. This weekend could see summer showers in the higher elevation waters. If you’re day packing or backpacking make sure you have rain gear with you. Seeing a few grasshoppers here and there but not enough concentration to bring the trout to the surface. The trout are feeding on the hatching mayflies, caddisflies and midges. Trico mayflies are showing up and offering early morning dry fly opportunities. Now is the perfect time to fish the freestone creeks draining the canyons of the Eastern Sierra.
Sam Resse is more concerned with figuring out a fly that will produce trout than the afternoon rain in the glass mountains.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
The early morning female trico hatch is bringing the trout to the surface and fly fishers to the Interpretive Site. Get to the river early to get your favorite spot on the creek. Start the morning with a size 22 female trico parachute. When the trout quit taking your parachute it’s time to switch to a size 22 trico spinner pattern. The hatch is offer by late morning and if you want to catch trout on the surface try fishing with a beetle, ant or grasshopper pattern. The trout in Hot Creek spook easily so make sure to land your hoppers on the water softly. Key to successfully fishing the trico hatch is the have the stage of the trico the trout are feeding on and presenting it to the trout with a drag free drift.
Checking the fly for vegetation is a constant battle on Hot Creek in late summer.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
Hot Creek Canyon means fly fishers have to deal with the weed beds. Those anglers that can get their flies to drift in the tiny channels between the weed beds will be rewarded with wild brown and rainbow trout and little competition from other fly fishers. Start the morning off with a dry and dropper rig. Use a size 16 Adams parachute on top and size 18 olive quilldigon on three feet of 5X fluorocarbon tippet. When the trout are consistently feeding on the surface switch to a three foot 6X monofilament tippet with a size 22 female trico parachute. When the trout quit taking your parachute it’s time to switch to a size 22 trico spinner pattern. Any movement in the Adams parachute or any rise within three feet of the Adams set the hook. When the hatch is over put your fluorocarbon tippet with the olive quilldigon back on. Fishing terrestrials like ants, beetles and hoopers in the afternoons is a way to get a few more trout to rise to the surface.
Looking for trout in a deep hole in the Owens River on a summer day.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
Be on the river in the morning for the trico hatch. The resident and juvenile rainbows and browns are feeding heavily in the morning on the hatching female tricos. Start the morning with a size 22 female trico parachute. When the trout quit taking your parachute it’s time to switch to a size 22 trico spinner pattern. Nymphing in the deeper holes and runs is producing a few trophy trout to 18 inches on stoner nymphs in size 12, copper Johns in size 14, bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear nymphs in size 16, bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs in size 18 and zebra and tiger midges in size 16. Olive slumpbusters in size 10, olive wooly buggers in size 10 and size 10 Hornberg’s stripped through the deeper holes and deep runs is producing wild rainbows and browns.
End of summer is when stream side vegetation is at full growth on Bishop Creek Canal.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
Early mornings is a good time to be on the creek. Look for the trico hatch starting around 8:00 A.M. and finishing up by 9:30. This hatch is finicky so if it does not come off nymph 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 and size 16 zebra and tiger midges. Afternoon clouds keeps fly fishers out of the sun and nymphing is producing wild browns and stocked rainbows.
Finding places to cast through the stream side vegetation of Bishop Creek is classic bush whacking fly fishing.
Bishop Creek Canyon
Middle Fork of Bishop Creek:
Late summer is the perfect time to be fishing a dry and dropper rig in the forks of Bishop Creek. Work your dry and dropper rig in the pools and pockets. Use a size 16 Adams parachute, size 16 elk hair caddis, size 16 Royal Wulff and size 16 stimulator on the surface. For the nymphs use a size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear, size 16 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph and size 16 zebra and tiger midges.