Summer is here and so are the mosquitoes. Evenings and shadows are where the mosquitoes are hanging out. Make sure you have insect repellant! It’s time to wet wade, but be prepared for cool days that require waders and sweatshirts. Now is the perfect time to be dry fly or dry and dropper fly fishing in the freestone creeks of the Eastern Sierra. Upper elevation lakes offer fly fishers a quiet fly fishing opportunity in a float tube. Mayflies, caddis and stoneflies are hatching and have the trout actively feeding on the substrate and on the surface.
Working dry flies in the freestone creeks that drain the canyons of the Eastern Sierra are producing wild brown trout, rainbow trout, brook trout and golden trout.
East Walker River
Miracle Mile Section:
Streamers have been producing browns and rainbows for fly fishers fishing with size 10 balanced leeches and size 10 Landon Mayer’s jigged pine squirrel leeches. Fish these with a dead drift right on the substrate or strip them around the obstacles in the river like rocks. Nymphing with size 18 olive quilldigons, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 rainbow warriors, size 14 Duracell nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears and size 16 cream caddis nymphs. Key to success is covering water looking for trout that are rising to the hatching mayflies.
Dead drifting a micro leech is producing brown trout to 20 inches.
Upper Owens River
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
Windy days have been good for nymphing. The wind blows the adults right off the water and the trout never have a chance to feed on them. Using size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 16 Duracell nymphs and size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears is producing juvenile and resident rainbow and browns to 12 inches. On non windy days the trout are feeding on mayflies and caddis on the surface. Fish with size 18 blue wing olive parachutes, size 18 Adams parachutes, size 16 elk hair caddis, size 16 pale morning dun mayflies and size 16 little yellow stoneflies. The mosquitoes are out so be sure to wear clothes that cover the skin and wear insect repellant.
Casting upstream with a dry fly or nymph is fooling the juvenile and resident rainbows and browns. in the upper Owens River
Hot Creek
Interpretive Site:
Hot Creek and surrounding waters are in danger once again from KORE Mining resubmitting a drilling permit. Your voice is needed to stop KORE Mining from moving forward with exploratory drilling. For more information contact nohotcreekmine.com.
A caddis migration and female trico hatch are how fly fishers are starting their days on the creek. With the caddis migration the caddis are bad fliers and quite often crash on the water offering the trout an easy meal. Use size 20 gray elk hair caddis, size 20 gray X-caddis and size 20 gray parachute caddis. The female trico dun hatch starts about the same time as the caddis migration. Use a size 20 female trico dun parachute, a size 20 female trico sparkle dun and a size 20 blue wing olive parachute. About an hour or an hour and a half into the trico hatch look for the spinner fall. This is when the female tricos die on the water after egg laying and offer the trout an easy meal. Fish with a size 22 trico spinner pattern on 6X tippet with a drag free drift. If you have trouble seeing the tiny trico patterns on the water fish with a dry and dry rig. Use a size 16 Adams parachute for the bigger dry fly.
The weed beds of the Hot Creek Canyon are at full growth and fly fishers are fishing trico duns and gray caddis patterns on the surface in the tiny slots in between the weed beds.
Hot Creek
Canyon Section:
Fly fishers are taking advantage of the hatching mayflies and caddis flies by fishing dry flies in and around the weed beds. The mornings are starting off with tricos and a caddis migration. These insects are starting early and fly fishers should be on the water by 8:00 A.M. rigged with a caddis or trico dry fly. Use size 20 gray elk hair caddis, size 20 gray X-caddis, size 20 gray parachute caddis, a size 20 female trico dun parachute, a size 20 female trico sparkle dun, a size 20 blue wing olive parachute and a size 22 trico spinner.
Summer is the perfect time to be wet wading and fishing a dry and dropper rig in the Owens River Gorge.
Owens River Gorge
Middle Power Plant:
With the heat of summer being here it’s the perfect time to be wet wading in the Owens River Gorge. Fly fishers using a dry and dropper rig are producing wild brown trout from eight to 14 inches. Best time to fish in the gorge is late in the afternoon so that you don’t have to deal with the radiant heat from the rocks and the pavement of the road on the hike out. Stinging nettles are everywhere and wearing shorts is not advised. Use size 16 Adams Parachutes, size 16 elk hair caddis and size 14 stimulators for the dry fly. For the nymphs use size 16 green/gold brassies, size 14 Duracell nymphs, size 16 rainbow warriors, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs and size 18 olive quilldigons.
The lower Owens River is flowing around 400 CFS and fly fishers are fishing spots where they can cast from the banks of the river .
Lower Owens River
Wild Trout Section:
Heat of the day makes fly fishing on the lower Owens River uncomfortable. Fish before 10:00 or after 6:00 in the evening. There are a couple of spots in the wild trout section on the river where there two channels. Fishing these spots means fly fishers are not battling the full force of the river. For streamers use olive, tan and black streamers in size 6 or 10. Use wooly buggers, slumpbusters and muddler minnows. For dry flies use size 16 or 18 elk hair caddis, size 16 little yellow stones and size 16 pale morning duns.
Pulling streamer and fishing with nymphs under an indicator or with a Euro rig is what is producing wild brown trout and stocked rainbows.
Bishop Creek Canal
Behind Bishop Veterinary Hospital:
Mornings and evenings are offering fly fishers the most comfortable time to be on the water fly fishing. This is also the times when you will find the hatches. The mosquitoes are out at night so be sure to wear clothes that cover skin and wear insect repellant. Mayflies in the mornings and caddis in the evening are the insects the trout are looking for to feed on. The trout are taking streamers and fly fishers should use size 10 brown Landon Mayer’s jigged pine squirrel leeches, size 10 balanced leeches and size 10 wooly buggers. For nymphs fish with size 18 bead head flash back pheasant tail nymphs, size 18 olive quilldigons, size 16 Duracell nymphs, size 16 bead head flash back gold ribbed hare’s ears, size 12 green/gold wire Prince nymphs and size 12 stoner nymphs.
High Altitude Creeks:
A size 14 Sierra Bright Dot fooled this tiny, but pretty golden trout from an Eastern Sierra creek at 10,000 feet.
These are the creeks that drain the canyons of the Eastern Sierra. Fishing these creeks at or above 8,000 feet will produce golden trout in the right creeks. This is bush whacking style of fly fishing with an attractor dry fly. The golden trout are small, six to nine inches, but they are the prettiest trout found in the Eastern Sierra. This is perfect water for using a Tenkara rod. This is not typical fly casting water. This is using the leader and tippet to dabble the fly on the surface of the creek in the pools where the golden trout hang out. The mosquitoes are out so be sure to wear clothes that cover skin and wear insect repellant. Use size 14 Sierra bright dots, size 14 Sierra Adams, size 14 Adams parachutes and size 14 royal stimulators.