It’s that time of the year when I drive out in the morning to the fly fishing water for a day of guiding and I turn the heater on in the truck. Then when I drive home middle of the day I turn on the air conditioner. When I drive home after a full day on the water I have the air conditioner on if I’m hot and I have the heater on if I’m cold and wet. Fall is here! Quaking aspens are turning yellow, brown and brook trout are spawning and the trophy trout are beginning their migrations out of the lakes and into the streams. Streamers are producing trophy trout. Mayflies, midges and caddisflies are being fed on by trout on the surface and on the substrate. The Garnet Fire is nearly contained and the Eastern Sierra has been smoke free all week.
East Walker River:
Flows on the East Walker River are perfect for wading and presenting dry flies, nymphs and streamers to the trout. Nymphing with an indicator requires diligence in observing movement in the indicator notifying the fly fisher a fish has taken the nymph. Setting the hook on any movement will produce trout. Euro nymphing is the productive way of working nymphs on the substrate of the river and is producing good numbers of six to 12 inch trout. Fish with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 Frenchies, size 16 SOS nymphs, size 12 stoner nymphs and size 16 midges in blood, tiger and zebra colorations. Wooly buggers and zonkers in black and olive in sizes six and 10 are producing brown trout to 20 inches.
A typical lower Owens River brown trout that took a size 16 green/gold brassie fished on a three fly Euro rig.
Lower Owens Rive
Wild Trout Section:
Flows on the lower Owens River are down to 125 CFS and expected to bottom out at 80 CFS. Fly fishers can safely wade the river at these flows. The trout have seen very little fly fishing pressure and will readily take a nymph fished on a Euro rig or under and indicator. Fish with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 16 SOS nymphs, size 16 green/gold brassies, size 12 olive burlap caddis and size 12 stoner nymphs. Afternoons have been hot.
A typical lower Owens River brown trout that took a size 16 green/gold brassie fished on a three fly Euro rig.
Owens River Gorge
Upper Gorge Powerplant:
Afternoon showers from tropical storms have been making the hike out of the gorge quite pleasant. The trick is to get back to the vehicles before the rains become intense. Fishing a dry and dropper rig is producing lots of wild brown trout. Size 16 Adams parachutes, size 16 elk hair caddis, size 16 Royal Wulff’s and size 16 stimulators are good highly visible high floating dry flies. For the nymphs fish with size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 16 Prince nymphs and size 16 brassies in tiger, zebra and green/gold wire colorations.
Wading the Owens River Gorge and casting a dry and dropper rig with a stimulator and tiger midge is producing lots of wild brown trout.
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
Fly fishing here is consistent with the trico hatch starting by 9:00 A.M. Fish with a double dry rig of a size 16 Adams parachute and size 22 female trico parachute. When the trout quit taking the parachute it signals the time to fish with a trico spinner pattern in size 22. On overcast days if the blue wing olives are hatching it will extend the dry fly fishing by an hour or two. The dry fly fishing is over by noon at the latest.
Fishing a double dry rig with a size 16 Adams parachute and a size 22 female trico parachute is fooling the rising fish feeding on the hatching female tricos.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
With the weed beds at full growth and few open spots between the weed beds the canyon is not getting as much fly fishing pressure as the Interpretive Site. Look for the trico hatch to start by 9:00 A.M. Start fishing with a size 22 female trico parachute to imitate the hatching female dun tricos. There will be a point where the trico spinner fall will have the trout switching from the trico duns which will fly off to the trico spinners which are floating dead on the creeks surface. When the hatch is over try nymphing with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 18 Frenchies.
An evening of dry fly fishing with an elk hair caddis produced rainbow and brown trout to 12 inches.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
Trophy trout are just starting to show up in the river. Most of these fish have been rainbows with a few brown trout sprinkled in. Fish the deep holes, deep runs and cut banks for the resting and feeding trophy trout with size 12 stoner nymphs, size 14 copper John’s, size 12 green/gold wire Prince nymphs and size 12 gold ribbed hare’s ears variations. This is a great time to be stripping wooly buggers, slumpbusters and olive muddlers in sizes 6 and 10. There is a morning trico hatch that the resident six to 12 inch rainbow and brown trout are feeding on. Fish with a size 20 female trico parachute. Mid-morning to early afternoon switch to a size 18 elk hair caddis, size 18 X-caddis and size 18 Adams parachute.
Bishop Creek Canal with its easy access for fly fishers and unobstructed casting makes it a great water to learn how to fly fish.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
Cool afternoons have made fly fishing the canal pleasant. The canal has seen lots of fishing pressure this summer and fly fishers working the canal thoroughly are finding a few wild brown trout and stocked rainbows willing to take nymphs and dries. Fish with 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.
Working a dry and dropper in the pockets of Bishop Creek is producing wild brown trout, brook trout and stocked rainbows.
Bishop Creek Canyon
Middle Fork:
Bishop Creek is home to wild brown trout and brook trout eagerly willing to take a dry fly or nymph fished separately or as a dry and dropper rig. Walking the creeks banks looking for spots to cast your flies to is like an easter egg hunt. You never know what will take your flies until you float them in the pools and pockets where the trout are hanging out. For dry flies fish with your favorite dry fly in a size 14 or 16. Dry flies that work well are stimulators, Adams parachutes, elk hair caddis and Royal Wulff’s. For the nymphs fish with brassie in size 16 in green/gold, tiger and zebra coloration, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 16 Prince nymphs.