Fly Fishing Report 1/21/2025
Golden Trout Guiding Co. LLC
Golden Trout Guiding Co. is committed to providing the most professional and educational fly fishing experience possible! Most of all we keep FUN in the center of every trip.
Good morning and welcome to my Eastern Sierra fly fishing report for the end of January. As we head into the peak of winter fly fishing tends to slow down with the sustained colder temperatures, low water flows, and water temperatures. That being said it doesn’t mean you can’t have a good or productive day on the river, but be prepared to grind it out. The weather has been cold and sunny, with a very dry January so far. We are desperately in need of more snow for the season, so please keep praying for it to come! The snow and storms are important not only for the present but even more so for the future of the watersheds throughout the summer season. We are making the most of the good weather by spending plenty of time on the river, and outside!
Our Spring Clinic dates have been announced and we are super excited for this years event! The 2025 Spring Clinic with be April 12th/13th. Get ready for out summer season by joining us for two full days on the Owens River learning the foundational skills of fly fishing. This year we will be going back to the very basics and this class/clinic is catered to those who are beginners and or have never fly fished before. Maybe you have tried fly fishing once or twice or have always wanted to, this is the clinic for you! Our clinics are positive and encouraging group environments where we start in the classroom and take what we learn and apply it on the water. Meet new fishy friends and learn some lifetime skills. There are 8 positions available, we have a waitlist already so this will sell out quickly.
Booking for summer 2025! Opening day for general trout season is the last saturday of April (26th) I am already booking for opening week and heading into summer. Now is the time to start planning your summer time fly fishing get away. This year I will have permits to guide for golden trout (day trips), float tube our high elevation lakes, boating trips on Crowley Lake, backcountry horseback adventures, and plenty of river action from small streams to trophy trout fishing. It’s going to be an epic summer! I look forward to speaking in person and lining something excellent up! All levels of experience and all gear is provided.
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Call - 858 750 9820
Email- goldentroutguiding@gmail.com
2025 Golden Trout Excursion (July 27th-Aug 3rd)
Are you ready for a trip of a lifetime fly fishing for some of the most beautiful fish on the planet!? I know we are, we are excited for this years weeklong Golden Trout Excursion targeting some of the most illusive and pure strain Goldens to be found. This is a bucket list trip and experience for most serious anglers and dry fly fishing paradise. Last years trip was incredible, so good that a few of our folks from last year are already booked for this year. We love it! This is an all inclusive week long adventure where we will be fly fishing multiple golden trout streams and creeks. Enjoy 5 start meals every day as you wake up next to a beautiful stream full of California’s most cherished fish. It is not uncommon to catch 40-100 fish a day and most if not all on top water. Our program is catered to maximize our time on the water as McGee Creek Pack Station carries in all of our heavy gear and establishes base camp ahead of us as we move location to location. This trip requires a certain level of physical capability with relatively flat hiking each day but we do go the distance (5-7 miles a day) Give me a call to discuss if this is the right trip for you, we can’t wait for this summer’s adventure. There are 9 positions total and only 5 left as of now.
Full Trip Itinerary and Pricing CLICK HERE
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Eastern Sierra Fly Fishing Report
Lower Owens- The Lower Owens is currently flowing around 70 CFS which is the Lowest it typically reaches throughout peak winter. The water is between 48-52 degrees on the Lower Owens depending on the time of day. We are in the coldest season on the Eastern Sierra and we are experiencing extremely dry weather. Of course this could all change with a few big storms so we continue to pray for the snow and weather to come! The fly fishing on the Lower Owens is decent but nothing to brag about as of now. I have been guiding primarily on the Lower Owens as it is by far the best game in town. I am typically netting about 10 fish on a half day trip, so don’t expect to be getting into tons of trout right now with these current conditions. With these lower flows the accessibility of the river opens up dramatically allowing anglers to reach areas that are nearly impossible on higher flows, which is where you are going to catch most of your fish. Fishing areas that are more tucked in, away from the accessible banks and in those pools where there is some oxygen and depth change are the zones to be after. The water is very clear and fish are spooky so approaching upstream is the way to travel while wading. If you approach downstream you are 100 percent spooking fish below you by kicking up debris and sending it downstream. As far as flies fish are feeding on the bottom and conserving energy so getting those nymphs in the right spot is key! Trout become lethargic and conserve energy not only when the river is very warm but also when the river gets very cold, good thing to keep in mind. I have been sizing down my tippet and flies running 4-5x leaders with size 18-20 flies. You might be able to fool a fish or two with a small emerger pattern mid day, or a tiny BWO Dry fly. Most of the fish are feeding subsurface. Weekends on the wild trout section have been busy but manageable, not even close to as crazy as the Upper Owens has been. The Lower Owens is massive and extends well below the wild trout section so If you are looking to have a day on the water to yourself I would recommend the Lower. Move slow and change your depth as often as you move and you will get into a few fish for sure. My go to nymphs right now have been, MIni Prince Nymph (18), Duracell black or purple (18), Perdigon Olive (18-20), Olive Zebra MIdge (18-20). The best news is from this point on until about late march the fly fishing should only get more productive as we head towards spring on the Lower Owens. March can be some of the best top water fly fishing on the Lower Owens all year with the caddis hatch typically starting up around then. We are closer than we think my friends! Good luck and have fun out there, wear those warm layers and no need for an alpine start. Bite is best from 10am-2pm.
Angler Seth showing off a beautiful and healthy Lower Owens rainbow trout!
Learning various nymphing methods like tightlining aka Euro Nymphing will help you present your flies more discreetly and inreturn bring more fish to the net!
Angler Elijah with his first trout ever caught on a fly rod, such an awesome moment and so much natural joy. That is the beauty of fly fishing!
Central Gorge- The central gorge also known as the “Canyon Section” of the Owens is a 13 Mile stretch of stream that runs from Pleasant Valley Reservoir to Crowley Lake. The CG has been fishing decent as of late, flows are very low and fish are very spooky so again getting into spots without being seen and fishing upstream is key to success. The CG has some zones that are more pressured than others, usually the spots that are easier to access will see more fly fishers. If you are willing to get off the main roads and do some scrambling around you’ll find you have the river to yourself “other than a few climbers”. The best time to go explore the central gorge is when the sun is highest from around 9:30 am-12 noon. Once the sun goes away the bite slows down substantially and its get pretty COLD. The CG has a good variety of mostly brown trout with a few rainbows mixed in, sizes ranging from 8-18 inches with your typical fish around 10”. Right now with the lower flows I think the best way to approach and fish the CG is with a Euro Rod set up. Tightlining the canyon section will allow you to get good drifts up and over boulders, between the channels, and in the faster pocket water. Fishing with a bobber down there is a nightmare as the depth changes every few feet and getting caught up is likely. As we move into spring and our warmer season, the CG will come to life with more insect activity and fishing a dry dropper is a blast! Right now nymphing is the name of the game, small nymphs (16-20) and in a variety of patterns and sizes will all work down there. The fish are less picky in the CG, getting the flies down to them is the trickiest part. I strongly recommend fishing the CG with a buddy for your first time or even better with a guide. It’s not the place to go if you have trouble hiking or maintaining stability, lots of loose rock and boulder hopping.
Upper Owens- The Upper Owens is flowing around 85-90 CFS which is a good flow for this time of year. The fishing on the Upper Owens is sub-par at best right now with the insane amount of weekend pressure and lack of snow and weather moving fish and slowing down crowds. I love the Upper Owens during winter and typically this time of year the road is closed due to snow, you’re out there snowshoeing or snowmobiling to go the distance, and the snowbows start making their way up with each weather push. As of now this is not the year for that, although beautiful and accessible the fly fishing has really slowed down to a crawl. There are still some bigger fish in the system but few and far between, you gotta cover water. Most fish being caught are stockers in the 8-16 inch range, feeding on egg patterns, squirmy worms, or small nymphs. Last weekend I counted about 30-40 cars coming and going along the river… I don’t know, it’s a bit rough and that’s the honest truth. I’ve been opting to head down to the Lower Owens with my clients until we get some more weather rolling through. If you plan on fishing the Upper Owens be prepared to grind it out, share the river with others, and get a few decent fish if you're lucky. Again I’m not trying to be negative here, I’m trying to be accurate and honest with a fishing report. Praying the Upper Owens gets going again, we still got plenty of winter left, do the snow dance!
Streamer Eater! I prefer to fish streamers on the Upper Owens, especially in these conditions as its fun, involved and your feeding em something different then what they usually see. The tug is the drug.
Hot Creek- Hot Creek is flowing at potentially lowest point of the season around 3-5 CFS. That being said it’s still totally worth fly fishing and always a beautiful way to spend the day. Again with full access this winter to the roads be prepared to see lots of people, especially on the weekend. With the flows being ultra low and the weedbeds being high and healthy fishing a dry dropper is the best method down there right now. Hot Creek can break you mentally as matching the hatch down there is a must. Knowing what bugs are around and feeding them an accurate representation is important. A great set up a Caddis (16) to a small Copper John (18). I’m usually starting with a caddis as my dry fly and then switching out my dropper fly throughout the day until I dial in what they want to feed on. Those bigger Czech nymphs will work down there with higher flows this time of year you want to go smaller and run longer leaders 12-16ft down to 5 or 6X. Running some zebra midges (18-20) under your dry fly is a great call as well. Have fun down there, Hot Creek is classic. Please stay out of the water as you work the canyon!
Hot Creek is freaking gorgeous! Enjoy the easy access while you can.
Thanks for stopping by for my Eastern Sierra fly fishing report! I hope you find it helpful and informative. As a community of anglers lets share the space and knowledge as best and most responsibly as we can. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions on the report, or would like to talk about anything fly fishing. Tight lines and God Bless.
-Luke KInney
