Here’s your Eastern Sierra Fishing Report for 1-20-26. It has been cold on the Upper Owens River in the mornings. We have been seeing 0 to sub-zero temperatures most mornings for the past 2 weeks, as that pesky inversion layer combined with freezing fog has not been wanting to move. Mono Lake seems to get the worst of it daily, as the fog bank doesn’t typically burn off until late afternoon for a few hours prior to sundown. Daytime highs have been in the 20’s on the river, and some days get a little warmer. Fishing here has been good and not much snow has melted due to the cold temperatures. The big fish are spread out now with the stable water conditions, so covering some ground is necessary. Unfortunately, there are no big snow storms forecasted for the near future. Hopefully, at some point February will come through for us. Hot Creek has been decent in both sections. Smaller browns and rainbows are taking properly presented egg imitations and small midge patterns. Access is still walk in, but with high pressure and no more precipitation, this can change. The Lower Owens river is holding steady at 112 cfs. It is perfect for wading, and the fish have been cooperative. Some decent browns and rainbows are taking mostly nymphs until the afternoon BWO hatch gets going. Weather has been glorious down here and it feels very spring like. We will be at the Pacific Coast Sportfishing Show this March. The two locations will be the Orange County Fairgrounds on March 5-8, 2026 and the Del Mar Fairgrounds March 19-22, 2026. This is one of the largest Sportfishing shows in the country. The show has everything from freshwater, saltwater, fly fishing, boats, and travel. More details to come. Check it out here for more info.
Creeks: Sierra Fishing Report
Hot Creek Lots of snow here now, but we may see some melting with the upcoming high pressure and sunny days. The Interpretive Site will be much easier to get to than the canyon now. It’s still a little bit of a walk to the upper section as you’ll have to park at the road. Snow berms now close off the dirt road so parking will be limited, especially after a few vehicles arrive. Fishing will be good with less pressure. Egg patterns, Griffith’s Gnats, SD Crawlers, and smaller midge patterns will be good to use now. Fish the deep pools now as the fish are off the riffles and in the slower water. Look for afternoon BWO hatches when the weather is right.
Rivers: Sierra Fishing Report
Upper Owens River flows are holding at 107 cfs and fishing has been great. Fish are spread out all over the river once again, so if you are not getting bites, moving is recommended.Cold mornings here have not let up as the inversion layer develops at sundown and hangs around until 8:30-9am most mornings. The deep pools and undercuts are holding now as the fish start to move around more with the recent weather activity. If you are driving in be very careful. I’ve already witnessed a few stuck vehicles. What looks shallow in depth can be deceiving. We recommend walking, snow shoeing, or letting us take you in the proper way on a snowmobile. Attractor patterns like eggs, glo-bugs, SJ Worms, SD Crawlers, Leeches, PT’s, Hare’s Ears and Assassins are finding fish.
A view of the Upper Owens River in the morning.
Lower Owens River flows are still great at 112 cfs. Water has cleared up nicely now. Seek out the deeper sections, drop offs, pools, undercuts, or any transition zone that has a dramatic change in water texture. Get the flies down deep for the larger fish. The BWO hatch is going strong down here in the early afternoons. Tight line nymphing and indicator rigs are great right now at these levels. Fish have been deep in the riffles and undercut banks.
An afternoon view of the banks of the Lower Owens River.
Thanks for reading our Eastern Sierra Fishing Report 1-20-26.
Joe got this nice rainbow trout while fishing with Doug R. on the Upper Owens River.
Bassum fished with Doug R. and caught this nice rainbow trout.
Brian fished with Doug R. and pulled out this fat rainbow trout.
Bill had a great day with Two Bug Doug and got this nice rainbow trout.
Chad got out on a cold morning with Doug R. and got this nice rainbow trout.
Two Bug Doug guided David to some nice rainbow trout like this one.
Kelly got this fat rainbow trout while also being guided by Two Bug Doug.
Tyler scored this awesome rainbow trout while fishing with Two Bug Doug.
Two Bug Doug guided Colin to some nice rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
Patrick displays a nice rainbow trout he got while fishing with Doug R.
Two Bug Doug guided Marcus into some big rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
Guy got into some awesome rainbow trout while fishing with Doug R.
Mike with another nice rainbow trout while fishing with Two Bug Doug.
Will got this nice rainbow trout while fishing with Doug R. on the Upper Owens River.
Mike showing off another solid rainbow trout with Two Bug Doug’s guidance.
Guy with a nice Lower Owens River rainbow trout while fishing with Doug R.
Will fished with Doug R. and got into some good brown trout on the Lower Owens River.
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