I hope everyone is having an enjoyable holiday season. Holidays can be rough at times, especially when all you want to really do is go fly fishing. We are here for your quick escape and phone call away if you’d like to line up a guided trip going into the new year! Fishing has been solid, with beautiful migrating trophy trout coming from Crowley Lake on the Upper Owens to adventurous days in the Central Gorge sight fishing for 18’ wild brown trout. The lack of snow on the ground is allowing for easy access at higher elevations, we will see how long that last’s but for now all roads are good to go! Keep in mind if we get snow/rain the dirt road on the Upper Owens quickly washes out and getting stuck is very likely and not a cheap tow out if you have to call Frosty Four Wheel. It’s a great time to take advantage of the river right now as last year there was already 3ft. of snow on the ground. We would love to get out on the water with you and into the action. Not only do we help get folks on some nice fish but we do our best to show them how and why so they can return on their own with confidence. Fly Fishing is a lifetime endeavor and a constant leaning process. Give us a call or email today!
-Luke Kinney, Owner and Guide.
Phone; (858) 750 9820
Email; [email protected]
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BIshop Canal– The Bishop Canal has been really fun the last couple days. We are having a warm winter so far with temps into the high 60’s today and tomorrow. These warmer temps are allowing for more hatches of mayflies, midges, and caddis. Right now on the canal I am seeing very small Blue Wing Olive Mayflies, and fishing a dry fly mid day is a great option. The Canal is a great place to work on your presentation for dry fly fishing as there is plenty of room to build a cast. Some days Ill commit to fishing only drys just to practice more and top water takes are the best! Nymphing is going to be the most productive way to catch fish on the canal, either under an Indicator or Euro. We have been noticing when the sun is out that my buggier nymphs are producing like the Flash Back Pheasant Tail (size 14-18), Hares Ears (size 14-18) , mini prince nymph (size 18), and Duracell (size 16-18). When the sun goes away and on those colder days flies with a slimmer profile seem to be the best, Perdigon (size 16-20), Zebra Midge (size 18-20), Mercury Midge (size 18-20). Running a dry dropper is fun at the canal especially during the mid day hatch. I like running a Para Hopper (size 8) to an Olive Zebra Midge (size 18). The trout in the canal behind town are very spooky as they see a lot of anglers so give yourself some room to cast to them if the water is clear. Fishing a streamer allows you water further away from you covering more ground, which is less productive but can lead to bigger fish and bigger takes. Mini black Leech (size 10-14), Black or Olive Wolly Bugger (size 6-10) or both great streamers for the canal! We are running a special half day price (4hr) trip on the canal this winter for $250 with any additional angler at $100. The canal is the PERFECT place to learn how to fly fish, we would love to teach you and help you find success.
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Lower Owens– The Lower Owens has dropped over 100+ CFS in the last two weeks, this is good news! Hopefully by January the CFS will be below 300 and we will be back on our favorite home water. Right now flows are around 480+ which is too high to guide and fish safely. I will keep everyone posted.
Central Gorge (Canyon Section)– I have been having a great time exploring the canyon this season. Fall and Winter are some of my favorite times to be down in the canyon, the flows usually lower, the stinging nettle dies off, the water gets clear, and sight fishing for beautiful wild brown and rainbow trout is hard to beat. Fish range from 6-20 inches in the Canyon and you might be surprised with some of the trout you hook into. That being said, access to the canyon is limited and at time can be quit tricky so use CAUTION while exploring the central gorge. Having a guide with local knowledge is highly recommended. The fly fishing is also very technical and although trout are eager to take a well presented fly down there, with gin clear water getting a cast without spooking the fish is the issue right now. I would categorize the central gorge as a small stream, just by the characteristics of how it fishes. As much as I enjoy chasing around big lake fish on the Upper Owens, I still prefer the solitude and adventure of the Central Gorge as an overall experience. Euro Nymphing is by far the most productive method in the canyon right now as fish are holding is hard to reach places with the colder water, deep pockets, in front/behind boulders, under the trees or downed logs. Theres nothing more exciting than watching a beautiful colored up brown trout chase a fly across the stream in clear water, and lately we have been having plenty of those moments. There are hatches of mayflies and midges going on down there all year so if you are a dry fly enthusiast I would recommend the central gorge or hot creek as the best option. If fishing dries I recommend going small….Blue Wing Olive (size 18-20), Elk Hair Caddis (size 18), Trico Mayfly (size 18-22) Parachute Adams (size 18). As far as nymphs I recommend, Duracell (size 16-18), CDC soft hackle (size 16-18), Assassin (size 16-18), Tf Midge (size 18-20), Mini Prince Nymph (size 18), or Perdigon’s of various colors (size 16-18). If you have never fished the central gorge, its worth the effort and time, be prepared to hike, reach out to target some of the best zones in the canyon!
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Upper Owens River– The Upper Owens river is flowing at around 75CFS above the Hot Creek Confluence and coming in around 90CFS below. The migrating trophy trout have arrived and are continuing to fill in as we move into our winter season. Temps have started freezing in the morning so theres really no need to be on the water at 6am as the bite seems to be picking up around 9am and lasting throughout the day. We had a cold snap last week which slowed down feeding substantially, having patience, persistence, and knowledge of the area go a long way when trying to hook up with these fish. Do not expect big numbers when going to the Upper Owens this time of year, I always say if you land 3 over 18’ in a day you just crushed it! Covering water and casting more than your use to is the name of the game as fish are holding position in deep water, conserving energy. Once the morning heats up the trophy trout are more likely to move between zones making them somewhat easier to target. I am already seeing trout paired up in shallow water, they are in the act of spawning. If you see fish spawning please resist the urge to cast to them and move along. Let them do their thing so we can continue to enjoy fishing the Upper Owens for years to come. On that not I have seen more fingerling trout in the system then ever before, meaning that it is healthy and fish are successfully spawning! Keep your fish wet and those photos quick, especially if its feezing out (5-7 seconds) MAX out of the water. Don’t leave em on the bank while you set up your Iphone, they will absolutely die even if you see them swim off. Don’t let any guides catch you doing that either or your gonna get an earful. Right now there is no snow on the ground as we are having a very mild winter so far. That being said there is more access than usual this time of year. Once we start getting snow or rain the dirt road going north from Benton Crossing Bridge turns into a mud hole so keep your eyes on the weather. If it seems muddy best to place it safe, park the car, and go hike! We have been switching between Euro Nymphing and Indicator Nymphing on the Upper Owens depending on the type of water we are targeting. Recommended flies, Egg Patterns, Squirmy Worm, BlowTorch Nymph, Peridgons, and Large Prince Nymph (sizes 6-18) are all good options for the Upper O as of now. Streamer fishing slowed down last week during the cold weather but is due to pick up when the temps increase. You can fish a variety of streamers on the Upper Owens, Egg Sucking Leech (size 6-10) are a great fly to swing through some deep holes and retrieve. Both Rob and I have availability for the Upper Owens with prime trophy season typically being Jan/Feb/March. This is the time of year to catch a fish of a lifetime, it brings me no greater joy than watching someone net a personal best!
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Thanks for stopping by for my Eastern Sierra Fly Fishing Report for early December. I hope you find these reports helpful, please feel free to share them with your fishy friends. We are all a greater community of anglers so let’s make sure to be kind and helpful to others on and off the stream! Wishing everyone happy holidays and bent rods.
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