Afternoon showers have been drenching the Eastern Sierra every afternoon. It’s a nice break from the hot afternoons of summer. As we head into fall the heat will be coming back and the rain will disappear. As fall progresses it will be time to be looking for spawning brown trout and brook trout particularly at upper elevations. Fall colors will be showing up by the middle of September starting at upper elevations and making their way down to the Owens valley. Hatches of midges, caddisflies and mayflies are feeding the trout on the surface and on the substrate. Trico mayflies are bringing the trout to the surface of several Eastern Sierra waters.
Afternoon showers are cooling off the waters of the Eastern Sierra and terrestrial insects are being washed into the creeks and lakes where the trout are feeding on the extra food.
Intake Two:
Intake Two before it was drained for repair work on the dam embankment.
Southern California Edison has dewatered Intake Two due to repair work on the spill way embankment. This is a great time to observe the Lake and see the topography of the lake without water on the substrate. Take photos so when Intake Two has water again you will know where to fly fish and what the substrate looks like.
SCE has drained Intake Two to do repair work on the spill way embankment.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
The trico hatch in the morning is bringing the trout to the surface of the creek. Start the morning early, by 8:30, with a size 22 trico female parachute. When the trout quit taking the parachute it’s time to switch to a size 22 trico spinner pattern. When the trout quit feeding on the spinner pattern it’s time to go home. Throwing ants, beetles and hopper patterns will bring a few trout to the surface and extend your fly fishing time on the creek. Throwing a streamer will produce an extra trout or two and usually the biggest of the day.
Hot Creek Canyon is offering less crowded fly fishing opportunities for fly fishers that can drift their flies through the narrow lanes between the weed beds.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
The morning trico hatch starts early with the trico female dun hatching. Start fishing with a size 22 trico female parachute. When the trout quit taking the parachute they have switched to feeding on the easier to eat trico spinners. Time to switch to a size 22 trico spinner pattern. Nymphing during the hatch with a size 20 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph, size 18 olive quilldigon and size 20 olive SOS nymph will produce wild brown and rainbow trout. Working streamers around the rocks and holes will produce bigger trout. Fish with size 6 and 10 olive slumbusters, olive wooly buggers and olive matukas.
Fishing caddis in the afternoons is producing rainbow and brown trout to 10 inches.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
Afternoon rains and winds are pushing most fly fishers off the river. In the morning there is a trico hatch that is bringing trout to the surface. Fish with a size 20 female trico parachutes. When the trout quit taking the parachute trico it means they have switched to the trico spinner. The spinners die on the water and offer an easy meal to the trout. By late morning when the trout quit feeding on your trico spinner pattern it’s time to switch to a caddis pattern like X-caddis, elk hair caddis and parachute caddis in size 16 or 18. Looking for a trophy trout use nymphs and streamers in the deep hole, deep runs and cut banks. Fish with size 12 stoner nymphs, size 12 green/gold Prince nymphs, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 zebra and tiger midges, size 10 olive wooly bugger, size 10 olive slumpbuster and size 10 Hornbergs.
Trout are feeding on hatching trico females in the morning and trico spinners.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
Early mornings on the canal will produce surface feeding trout as they take female trico parachutes in size 20. When the trout quit taking the parachutes it’s time to switch to a size 20 trico spinner. Afternoon clouds are keeping the sun from heating up fly fishers. Nymphing with size 18 tiger and zebra midges, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears is producing trout to 12 inches.
Fishing the inlet of Bishop Creek into Weir Pond with a dry and dropper is producing wild brown and brook trout.
Bishop Creek Canyon
Weir Pond:
The water in the pond is cold if you are wet wading. Waders makes it much more enjoyable to fish in Weir Pond and the south fork of Bishop Creek. Wild brook trout and brown trout are looking for calories. Fishing with your favorite dry fly will produce lots of fish on the surface. For dry flies use size 16 stimulators, size 16 Adams parachutes, size 16 elk hair caddis and size 16 Royal Wulff’s. For nymphs use size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ear, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 Prince nymphs and size 16 zebra and tiger midges.