It’s the start of my favorite month, SeptOct. That is the 15th of September to the 15th of October. This is the time of year that the quaking aspens are turning the mountain sides yellow, the brown and brook trout are starting to spawn and it’s time to get in that last fly fishing trip before the Eastern Sierra is in the grips of winter. If you’re looking for a trophy trout this is the time to be fishing with streamers and big nymphs. The trout are feeding on midges, caddisflies and mayflies on the substrate and on the surface. Smoke from the Garnet fire is still flowing into the Eastern Sierra, but not as thickly as it was last week. I had a couple of blue bird non smoke days on Eastern Sierra waters last week.
On the right days and the right water, like the upper Owens River, there is no or little smoke from the Garnet Fire..
East Walker River:
Fly fishers working nymphs, dries and streamers below the bridge are finding wild rainbows and browns willing to take their flies. The miracle mile section of the East Walker is still recovering from last year’s fish die off and fly fishers are not fishing the miracle mile section. Working nymphs under an indicator and on a Euro rig is producing browns up to 18 inches. Nymph with size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 SOS nymphs, size 16 Frenchie’s, size 12 stoner nymphs and size 16 midges in zebra, tiger and blood coloration. Water levels are perfect for wading up stream and covering the pools and pockets that are holding the trout.
This brown trout took a Frenchie under an indicator fished in a deep run on the far side of the East Walker River.
Owens River Gorge
Upper Gorge Powerplant:
Nights are cooling off and the river is only going to be wet wadable for a couple of more weeks. Nettles, roses and willows on the river banks limit shore fishing opportunities. Best way to fish the Owens River Gorge is to get in the river and wade up stream placing your dry and dropper rig in the pools, pockets and runs. Fish with a size 16 stimulator, Adams parachute, elk hair caddis and Royal Wulff on the surface and nymph with size 16 tiger, zebra and green/gold midge nymphs, 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. Afternoon thunder storms makes the hike out of the gorge pleasurable.
Fishing the Owens River Gorge with Sierra Bright Dot fly fishing guide Richard Lancaster means catching brown trout on a dry and dropper rig.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
Smoke is different every day from the Garnet Fire. On the days when the skies are relatively clear it’s worth fishing Hot Creek Interpretive site in the mornings for the trico hatch. Start the morning off with a size 22 trico female parachute. When the trout quit taking the parachute switch to a size 22 trico spinner pattern. When the trout quit taking the trico spinner the trico hatch is over. If you want to extend your fly fishing on the creek try fly fishing with a beetle, ant or hopper pattern. Stripping a streamer through the creek can produce a few trophy trout after the hatch.
Smoke from the Garnet Fire is effecting access into Hot Creek Canyon on days when the smoke is thick.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
When the smoke is light hiking into Hot Creek Canyon in the mornings is a way to get away from the crowds of the Interpretive Site. Start the morning off by being on the water between 8:00 and 9:00 A.M. and start fly fishing with a size 22 female trico parachute. When the trout quit taking the parachute it’s time to switch to a size 22 trico spinner pattern. After the hatch try nymphing with a size 18 olive quilldigon, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymph, and size 18 midge nymphs in tiger and zebra coloration. Pulling a size 6 olive wooly bugger through the stream working it around the obstacles in the stream like rock and weed beds will produce a few grabs by bigger brown trout.
An afternoon on the upper Owens River without the smoke from the Garnet Fire and no wind found the resident rainbows and browns coming to the surface to feed on caddis.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
Afternoons without the wind is the perfect time to fish with an elk hair caddis in size 18 for the six to 12 inch rainbows and browns that are feeding on the caddis. The trout are feeding on emerging caddis and caddis adults that are crashing onto the surface of the stream after hatching. Working upstream covering the pockets, runs and pools with rising trout is where you want to fish you caddis imitation. In the mornings there have been some tricos hatching that the trout are coming to the surface to feed on the hatching female duns. Fish with a size 20 trico parachute pattern. Trophy trout are few and spread throughout the upper Owens River. Cover lots of water concentrating on the pools, deep runs and cut banks with size 12 stoner nymphs, size 12 green/gold Prince nymphs and size 14 copper John’s and size 12 hare’s ear variations.
Members of the American Veterans Fly Fishing club fished with Tuesday Talk regulars on Bishop Creek Canal learning how to get a drag free drift when fishing under an indicator.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
Working nymphs in Bishop Creek Canal is producing a few fish for those fly fishers who thoroughly cover the pools and runs between the weed beds. Key to success is getting the nymphs down on the substrate and covering the water thoroughly before moving 10 feet upstream and covering the water thoroughly again. Size 16 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 are fooling the stocked rainbows and wild brown trout.
Casting a dry and dropper rig in the pockets and pools of the middle fork of Bishop Creek are producing wild brown trout to 12 inches.
Bishop Creek Canyon
Middle Fork:
Finding spots to cast a size 16 stimulator with a tiger midge on a three foot 5X fluorocarbon tippet is how to fish the middle fork of Bishop Creek. Cast your rig into the pools, runs and pockets behind the rocks to catch wild brown trout, brook trout and stocked rainbows. If you don’t catch a fish keep working upstream casting your dry and dropper rig into the pools, pockets and runs. There are a lot of wild trout looking for food and ready to take your flies.