Fly Fishing Report 5/18/2023
I hope everyone is having a great seasonal transition as we head into summer. I have been busy guiding and keeping an eye on flows and our local waters. Flows are starting to increase drastically with spring run off, leading to flooding and fast moving currents making fly fishing quite difficult for the time being. High flows are predicted throughout the next few months, with the amount of snow pack in the high sierra it’s hard to predict how much and how long this run off will last. On a positive note our lakes are melting out and becoming fishable. This is a great year to get into still water fly fishing and get out on the float tube, stand up paddle board, raft, or boat. I am currently booking for Crowley Lake targeting some of the biggest and most beautiful trout the Eastern Sierra has to offer. Give me a call and lets line up a guided trip! Happy Spring.
-Luke Kinney (Owner, Orvis Endorsed Guide)
Phone- (858) 750 9820
Email- goldentroutguiding@gmail.com
2023 Spring Fly Fishing Clinic
After what seemed like a never ending winter, we finally hosted our 2023 Spring Fly Fishing Clinic. I want to thank Sage to Summit for letting use use their space for our morning presentations. I also would like to shout out @sierraflyguy for bringing his knowledge and expertise as usual to our clinics. Everyone did fantastic and deepened their knowledge and skillset in Fly Fishing. We had a blast! We will be hosting our fall fly fishing clinic in November, specific dates to be announced soon.
Our 2023 Spring Fly Fishing Clinic was awesome. We had a great group of anglers who were passionate about learning more about fly fishing and how to become well rounded anglers.
Angler Ilena Yarbrough working on maintaining a tight line through a nice run in the Central Gorge while Euro Nymphing
Angler Lauren Jolin landed this beautiful rainbow her first time Euro Nymphing. Having the right flies is a good start but knowing where and how to fish them effectively is what ultimately leads to success on the stream.
Angler Connor Sloane practicing a drag free drift while Indicator fishing on the Upper Owens.
Casting clinic at the Bishop City Park, anglers learned various types of cast’s that can be applied to different situations found on the water. It was awesome to see everyone progress throughout our two days together.
Gathering in the morning with our anglers and enjoying some breakfast and coffee before diving into the world of fly fishing.
Eastern Sierra Fly Fishing Report
Lower Owens; The Lower Owens is flowing around 760 CFS and is starting to flood over the banks and at this point destroying parts of Chalk Bluff Road. As far as fly fishing the Lower is too high and dangerous to fish. I am curious to see what the river will look like in a month as we get into peak melt. On a more average year I tend to start fly fishing at higher elevation either way as water temps start creeping close to 70 degrees making it harmful to fish for trout. The best bet for fishing around the bishop area is heading out for alternative species on the fly.. Bass or Carp. Bass and Carp can withstand warmer water and are fun to target on the fly. The best time to go after some bass or carp will be early in the morning, or right before sunset. I will be guiding for both on the fly in the next few months. We will have to be patient for the Lower Owens to be fishable again, most likely in fall when things cool down and the flows are lowered back to appropriate levels.
My girlfriend Emma with her first bass, not a bad first catch haha! Proud moment
Bishop Creek/Rock Creek- As we go into summer I’ll be posting some quick updates on our free stone creeks. Right now all of our free flowing mountain streams are experiencing extreme high flows. Fishing is possible but not ideal as the melt continues from the high sierra. Spring usually brings up the flows in our creeks but this spring has them at dangerous levels where falling is a serious concern. Use extra caution while attempting to fish our mountain creeks until melt starts to subside. Its going to be a while.
Central Gorge (Canyon Section)- The Central Gorge was fishing decent last week but as Crowley Lake starts to fill up flows will be pumped by DWP through the canyon in the near future. Another big concern when fishing the central gorge in summer is Rattlesnakes and Stinging Nettle. I have already seen both down there and will not be guiding in the Central Gorge until fall. The banks get overgrown with nettle and the snakes will rest on the boulders as you approach the river. Although the water is cold, temps will soon reach 90-100 degrees in the Canyon and it can be a brutal place. If you decide to venture down to the central gorge travel with a buddy, bring more water then you want to carry, and move with intention. Better yet like the common theme of this unprecedented season wait till fall…..
A rather Large Gofer Snake patrolling the river bank through the nettle looking for small mammals to prey on.
Bishop Canal- The Bishop Canal located behind town has been the best game in town as of now. The canal is as full as it will be and will potentially overflow in the next month. The good thing about the canal is the flows are slower and diverted allowing for some decent fly fishing to be had. Trout are keying in on baetis nymphs, midges, and caddis. I have been fishing the canal with various types of nymphing techniques and doing well with two flies under an Indicator (Bobber). Euro Nymphing has also been producing on the Canal, in the sections with faster water with more oxygen moving through. Flash Back Pheasant Tail (size 14-18) Copper John (Size 16-18) Perdigon (Size 16-18) and smaller baetis patterns are all catching fish. The Key on the canal is depth and getting those flies down to where they are feeding. Make sure you are using some weight if you aren’t fishing with heavy tungsten headed flies. As the day warms up mid morning around 9am going to emerging patterns are a great choice Duracell (size 16-18) CDC soft hackles (size 14-18) Smiths Crippled Emerger (size 16-18). Fishing a single fly (emerger) under the surface film is a hard technique but when timed correctly can be really productive. A way to tell when to fish an emerger is by watching the trout and if they are rising and rolling just below the surface film chances are they are feeding on late stage nymphs as they transition into adults. Top water hatches of Blue Wing Olive, and smaller Caddis are happening sporadically throughout the day. Definitely a good call to have some classic dry fly patterns in the box, Parachute Adams (size 16-18), BWO (size 16-20), Elk Hair Caddis (Size 16-20). Temps are getting hot in the valley, get on the water early or late in the afternoon for the best fly fishing. Trout become lethargic during the mid-day heat.
Crowley Lake- Crowley Lake is open and quickly starting to rise! The bite has been slow over the last week but still happening. The bite seems to pick up around 8am-11am, not that fish cant be caught throughout the day. Still water enthusiast have been utilizing the recently opened lake and its been a blast so far. Right now the lake is still relatively low and fishing under a sliding indicator is the best bet between 8-12 ft deep. The Cutthroat Trout are in peak spawn moving closer to the freestone inlets, if you are looking to target Cutthroat that’s where I would be. Look for drop offs and channels while on the lake as trout will cruise the shore ambushing bait fish and feeding on midges. Recommend flies for Crowley, Copper Tiger (Size 14-18), Bead Head Assassin (Size 14-18) , Mini Balanced Leech, Zebra Midge Black, Olive, Red (Size 16-18). I have been primarily guiding on Crowley Lake and would love to get out there with you. I am enjoying the pace of still water fly fishing after guiding on the river all winter, its just plain good fun.
Angler Morgan Simmons with a beautiful Trophy Rainbow trout that took her close to her backing. As good as it gets!
Another gorgeous Rainbow Trout on Crowley Lake. If you are lucky enough you can land the Sierra Grand Slam in one day, Rainbow, Brown and Cutthroat. Hasn’t happened yet for me this season but surely will, you could be next give me a call!
Large and in charge Cutthroat Trout caught while in the float tube, you don’t need a fancy boat to get fish on Crowley Lake. There are various locations to put in a float tube, kayak, or stand up paddle board.
Upper Owens- The Upper Owens river is flowing is flowing below the Hot Creek Confluence at 160+ CFS which is high. The road leading into north of the bridge has two to three massive puddles but quickly drying out. Although the Upper Owens is experiencing high flows and flooding in certain sections it is much more fishable than most rivers at this point. The water below the confluence is full of algae and debris, and much cleaner above. Spawning Cutthroat trout are migrating up stream as we speak. I do not fish for trout that are actively spawning and paired up. Stick to the deep bends and cut-banks to target these fish. If you see them on their beds and paired up in two feet of water please do not cast to them, let them do their thing. Right now with how much water flowing through the Upper Owens Id be fishing two flies under a sliding indicator. Fishing with heavier tungsten headed flies will help you get them down faster and deeper. Not much dry fly action going on at the Upper Owens right now but I would imagine more BWO hatches as things continue to warm up. Nymphing is the name of the game on the Upper Owens as of now, recommended flies.. Flash Back Pheasant Tail (size 14-16) Large Prince Nymph (size 12-14) Squirmy Worm (size 12-14) Perdigon (size 16-18) are all good options. Its a great time to throw streamers with a 6 weight on the Upper Owens, Leeches in black or olive (size 8-14), Wolly Buggers in white, olive, or black (size 8-14) are great streamer choices. Good luck up there and don’t expect to hook up with a lot of fish. The Upper Owens will take some time to settle in with this spring run-off and is even more challenging then usual to fly fish right now.
Angler Connor Sloane cleaning his line almost every cast from the amount of algae flowing downstream under the Hot Creek confluence. If you can access the river by going above the confluence you might have better conditions.
East Walker River- The East Walker River is 1,080 CFS. I have never seen it this high before and will not be guiding of fishing it until it drops below 300. Hopefully be late summer we will have the right conditions… time will tell.
Thanks for reading my Eastern Sierra Fly Fishing Report, I hope you find my reports and updates helpful. We are all having to be patient with our rivers right now but things will get better and in the long run this is great for our watersheds. If you have any questions on report or would like to share what you have noticed while out fly fishing don’t be shy to reach out to me. We are all a community of anglers blessed enough to share in this epic sport together, be good to each other! If you see someone on the water who might need help, go offer a hand. If someone asks what fly or technique you are using remember that that was once you when you were learning. Fly Fishing is fun, let’s keep it that way.
Luke Kinney, Owner and Guide.
