I will be in New Zealand chasing trout around from Nov 28th-Jan 3rd. I am currently booking the rest of this month and Jan-March.

Email- goldentroutguiding@gmail.com

Howdy friends, I hope everyone is doing well! We have had an awesome fall season the the Eastern Sierra and we are preparing for our winter season. General trout season ends on November 15th. It’s time to focus on our year round’ fisheries, in particular the Owens River System. We are blessed to have incredible fly fishing all year on the Eastern Sierra, the Lower Owens near Bishop comes into play for wild brown trout, and the Upper Owens turns on for trophy trout fishing. As much as I love summer and the warmer seasons, I thoroughly enjoy the colder water, slimmer crowds, bigger fish and exploring the Lower Owens. It’s pretty incredible to be fishing in the sun at lower elevations on the Lower Owens with minimal layers, and in 45 mins you can be on the Upper Owens hiking through the snow for hard hitting rainbows and browns.

We had an epic fall clinic this year, with a solid group of fired up anglers looking to step up their game and knowledge for fly fishing. All eight of our attendees spent time rigging, casting, reading the stream and learning how to work the water. We focused primarily on nymphing and streamer fishing, spending some time both on the Lower Owens and ther Upper Owens river. Our clinics are always the best weekend of our guiding year as we get to truly dive deep into the world of fly fishing from identifying bug life to applying the knowledge and technique first hand on the water. We will be setting up our spring clinic once we see what type of winter we are looking at so we can gage the best time of year to get after it. Our 2025 Spring Clinic will be focused solely on Euro Nymphing AKA tight lining AKA check nymphing. We will announce dates asap!

Lastly we will be running our 2025 Golden Trout Backpacking Trip this year July 27th-August 2. Last year we kicked off our week long Golden Trout Trip Package and it was beyond incredible. We will be targeting some of the purest strains of Golden Trout on the planet once again. This trip is unlike any other offered in California, as we fully cater to making the experience as fishy and productive as possible. We have a team of packers led by McGee Creek Pack Station who carries all of our gear keeping us light while hiking and allowing us to focus our time on fly fishing. We also have a personal and professional Chef who cooks five star meals for us, breakfast, lunch and dinner. On top of that we have 2 to 3 world class fly fishing guides to hone in skills while out on the water, helping to maximize your trip experience. We have 8 positions available, and they will fill up quick. To get your name on the list and reserve a position email us today. This is bucket list material, and a trip of a lifetime.

Book or reach out for more Info on our 25’ Golden Trout Trip

Our 2024 Golden Trout Group. The bond we made with each other over 7 days and 53 miles together will last a lifetime.

A native Golden Trout from its origin watershed. This particular Golden has been a dream to experience. A true trophy trout.

2024 Fall Fly Fishing Clinic

Maureen Wise stripping back a steamer under the cut bank. Streamer fishing allows you to work water that would ultimately be impossible to nymph or fish a dry fly.

Head guide Rob Hrabik breaking down some streamer tactics.

Fly Fishing Report

Lower Owens River- The Lower Owens river is dropping in CFS and will soon be ready to fully attack. The Lower Owens is currently 350 CFS and could substantially drop to perfect flows within the next couple of weeks, it’s a good time to get ready! The ideal flows for the Lower Owens are between 150-250 CFS, which opens up the impossible to reach areas for wading and hunting down some killer wild brown trout. The Lower Owens host fish from 6-20+ inches with the average fish being around 10-12 inches. When the Lower is fishing well it is not uncommon to have double digit days of bringing those beautiful fired up brown trout to the net. This river has a mind and a life of its own, and its big. There are multiple sections of the Lower Owens to explore and fish, nymphing under a bobber, tightlining, streamer fishing, and dry fly fishing are all options as we head into the winter season. Nymphing is by far the most productive way to fish the Lower Owens. Unlike the Upper Owens the Lower Owens is thick with vegetation and downed logs/branches so be prepared to lose some flies. My go-to set up is a 2 bug indicator nymphing rig with about a 4-5 foot drop from the indicator. Adjusting depth and flies will make or break you on the Lower Owens. The rivers depth is constantly changing so when you dial in the right depth you will start hooking up. Once the flows are low enough to wade safely (250 CFS and Below) you can get into some holes that get straight up silly, where putting 10-15 fish in one spot to the net is not uncommon. The Lower Owens is a unique and healthy river with a substantial brown trout population, there are also some big rainbows, and the even more rare tiger trout (I’ve only seen one caught btw, and it was from another guide) at first I didn’t believe it but I saw the photo! I’ve spent the last 6 years getting to know this river intimately and consider it one of my favorite and most underrated fisheries in CA. Having a guide who knows the river will no doubt increase the experience and potential for the time you have on the water. Some recommended nymphs for the Lower Owens, Perdigon (16-18), Hares Ears (14-18), FB Pheasant Tail (14-18), Game Changer (16-18), Duracell (16-18) are all great starting points for the Lower Owens. There is plenty of Caddis and Mayflies on this river and when temps line up you might be in for a good hatch and score some top water action Elk Hair Caddis (16-18) Blue Wing Olive (16-18) Parachute Adams (16-18) are all great starting points for dry fly options. You can check the flows for the Lower Owens on my website under “Current CFS/Flow Rate”. Make sure before you head to the Lower that the flows are good to go if you are hoping to have a productive day on the water. Just like any river, some days are better than others. Adjust the depth, cover some water and stay patient. Reach out to line up a guided trip for the Lower Owens, im currently booking Jan-March.

Book the Lower Owens River

Angler Wendy Carvajal with a beautiful 16” rainbow caught and safely released on a size 10 Brown Wooly Bugger.

The Central Gorge (Canyon Section)- The central gorge is good to go with fishable flows. The central gorge is a 16 mile section the runs between Crowley Lake and Pleasant Valley Reservoir. Access to the central gorge is limited and requires medium to advanced hiking and rock hopping. The central gorge host a variety of Brown and Rainbow Trout. This particular stretch of water is best suited for Euro Nymphing and Dry Fly Fishing when the fish are feeding on the surface. The central gorge is technical and adventurous. If you are willing to adventure and explore the canyon chances of seeing any other anglers is slim, mostly rock climbers down there. This is the time to start fishing the central gorge as the stinging nettle will start dying off with the colder temps and the access becomes available. If you can get in the water and work into those tighter zones you can be handsomely rewarded with fish. There is no cell service down in the central gorge so be VERY CAUTIOUS will going alone, if you twist your ankle or fall in you are far away from you car. I have been fishing the central gorge and getting into some beautiful brown trout, and working on my tightlining skills. The river is full of structure, boulders, branches, channels, and pools. Having a Euro Nymphing setup allows you to work water with accuracy and precision. Being able to lift over boulders to get into the pocket water and where fish are holding helps to target trout in tight areas. Most fish are in the fun sized range from 8-12” but there are some beautiful 18-20” trout if you spend the time fishing down there and trying new areas out. Sunlight is limited in the canyon and I’ve noticed when it goes into the shade the fishing usually slows down. Best time to be in the central gorge is when the sun is at its highest point from 9:30am to 2pm. It gets COLD down there, especially in the shade so bring some solid layers. The central gorge is a blast and a super fun and unique place to fish all winter season! Id love to show you around the canyon, reach out to book a trip. Im currently booking the Central Gorge for (Jan-March).

Book the Central Gorge

Releasing a wild brown trout in the central gorge with the epic fall colors surrounding the river.

They don’t make em much prettier than this. A beautiful colored up Brown Trout caught while Euro Nymphing.

Upper Owens River- The Upper Owens river has been fishing decent with some days being extremely productive and other days you gotta grind to get a few fish. The Upper Owens sees a lot of anglers and pressure so knowing this river and being patient/covering water is key to success. If you consider yourself a good angler, and have a day on the Upper Owens where you can’t buy a fish, don’t get discouraged, welcome to the club haha. The Upper Owens is not an easy river, it is a quality over quantity fishery. The bigger trout are typically migrating from Crowley Lake and are on the move, one day you might link up with some trophy trout in one spot, go back the next day and they are long gone. Anyone who has spent time on the Upper Owens will tell you, the more time you spend the better. That all being said the chance of you catching some of the biggest and most beautiful trout on the Eastern Sierra is gonna be on this river. For those anglers who enjoy absolutely stunning scenery, sight fishing, and don’t mind spending the entire day chasing the big ones around the Upper is a fantastic river. The Upper Owens is also a great place to learn and practice your dry fly fishing and casting. Over fall and at some points during winter we have decent hatches of mayflies and caddis. Fish feeding on the surface are usually juvenile trout, as they need to feed heavily to survive. It is very rare for those bigger fish to rise for a dry fly, although I’ve seen it go down! This is an interesting time for the Upper Owens as we head into winter and we see drastic drops in temperatures. We are tailing out of our trophy Brown Trout spawn and we will be seeing more and more trophy Rainbow Trout moving into the system. Stick to the cut banks and deep pools to avoid spawners. If you find fishy looking water and have only spent 10 minutes fishing it, you probably aren’t fishing it long enough. These fish see plenty of flies and people so be persistent, change flies, change depth and have faith! Grinding it out on the Upper Owens is typical fashion until the big rainbows start to fill up the system (Late Jan-March). December is by far the most hit and miss month on the Upper, one day could be sunny and warm the next day there could be 2 feet of fresh soft snow on the ground. Like all living things weather plays a big role in productivity and feeding patterns. No need to get started at sunrise on the Upper Owens this time of year, as the mid day hatch tends to be the most productive. Some recommended flies for the Upper right now, San Juan Worm (10-12), Gummy Worm (8-12), Egg Patterns (12-14), Midges (16-18), Bead Head Hare’s Ears (16-18), Perdigon (14-18). Always check the Upper Owens for weather patterns and potential storm fronts moving in. As we move into winter the snow will come and the road access will limit and eventually shut down (hopefully!) we need the snow. Right now everything is accessible and good to go. Having a guide on this river is going to increase your productivity on this river. I can’t tell you how many anglers I’ve guided who booked me for the Upper Owens simply because the “can’t figure it out”. I am currently booking the Upper Owens for trophy trout season (Jan-March) this is a very busy season for me so if you want to get a date on the calendar I would reach out sooner then later. Best of luck out there, let it hunt!

Book the Upper Owens

Angler Brian Walker wanted to dial in his streamer fishing techniques and finally after a half day of slow grinding he got into half a dozen nice fish including this beautiful trophy rainbow trout.

A stellar “chrome of the crop” trophy rainbow trout caught while Euro Nymphing the Upper Owens.

Thanks for stopping by for my fly fishing report and newsletter for the beginning of November! I will be leaving for New Zealand for a personal fly fishing adventure from Nov 28th- Jan 3rd. I have a few dates left this month before I head out but will be booking into the winter (Jan-March). If you reach out to book me while I am travelling I will get back to you ASAP, chances are high I might be deep in the backcountry so when I return to service I will respond to ya. The joy and passion of fly fishing is a lifelong endeavor. Share the stoke and the water well!

-Luke Kinney

Fly Fishing Report and Newsletter, 11/7/2024