Here’s your Eastern Sierra Fishing Report for 1-6-25. 2025 is finally here and we hope everyone enjoyed last year. We are looking forward to a new year of fishing and making memories. So far, winter has not disappointed when it comes to the fishing, with good bites in most of our locations. Major storms in the area have been non-existent, and the little ones that come through do not seem to produce much moisture. We are patiently waiting for some real storms to grace the area. The Upper Owens River is fishing well with mostly larger rainbows being fooled. Access is good by vehicle, but frozen mud thaws by late morning making 4WD and decent All Terrain tires essential. Hot Creek access is good, with good numbers of fish feeding on the surface in the afternoon and various nymphs working throughout the day. The Lower Owens River “Wild Trout” section has also been good for numbers of fish and the drift boat areas have been producing a mix of rainbows and browns. Flows on the Lower Owens River have been stable at 125 cfs.
Rivers: Sierra Fishing Report
Upper Owens River with the lack of snow on the river, vehicle access has not been an issue. Driving to the river in the morning hours has been easy, as the ground stays frozen from the single digit and sub-zero temps at night. By mid-morning however, the ground does thaw and exposes very slick and sometimes deep mud. It is not advised to drive in without 4WD, unless you know what you are doing. You can get stuck here now. Fish are holding in all of the usual areas like slower water, the undercut banks, and the deep pools. You will find smaller browns and rainbows feeding on midges throughout the day and the BWO hatch has them up on the surface again in the early afternoons. The larger fish will be found closer to the bottom. Eggs, Worms, PT’s and Assassins are getting the fish to eat. Most of the usual areas are holding trophy trout. SD Crawlers, Squirmy Worms, midges, Copper John’s, Dark and Light Assassins, and Pheasant Tails are getting fish. Keep the nymphs in the #16 – 20 range. In the dry fly area, go with our Hi-Viz BWO’s #18 -20, Elk Caddis #16 -20, Stimulator #16 – 18, and Griffith’s Gnat #20.
Lower Owens River flows have come down to 123 cfs. This makes for great conditions for wading and drift boating. Small nymphs in the Wild Trout Section have been fooling fish throughout the river, and the afternoon mayfly hatch has been a blast. Streamers launched from the drift boat have been picking up a good mix of rainbows and browns anywhere from 10 – 18″. Water clarity has been very good and the higher up river you go, the clearer it will get. Access is good on the roads along the river as most of the puddles and mud have dried up.
Creeks: Sierra Fishing Report
Hot Creek hatches have thinned some, but the fish are hitting small caddis and midges in the mornings followed by the trico hatch. Later in the day switching to a dry dropper with a small mayfly #20 and a zebra midge #20 can get you into fish. Egg Patterns have also been doing well in getting the trout to bite. Hit the areas between the weeds where fish can take shelter but still have access to slip out and take a fly with little effort. SJ worms #14 – 16, #18 Blood Midge, #18 – 20 Tungsten Zebra, #20 Bead Prince Nymph Tungsten, Broken Black and Blue Midge, #18 -20 Crystal Caddis Larva Green Black, #18 – 20 Crystal Copper Zebra Midge, #18 Flashback Hare’s Ear, #22 -24 Griffith’s Gnat, #20 Serendipity Black.
Thanks for reading our Eastern Sierra Fishing Report 1-6-25.
Check out our recent client catches:
Tim fished with Doug R. on the Lower Owens River and tied into this nice brown trout.
Chuck got into some large rainbow trout with Two Bug Doug on the Upper Owens River.
Jacob also fished with Two Bug Doug and smoked some really large rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
Nishant and Ashley had a fun morning hooking into some big rainbow trout while fishing with Doug R.
Chad fished with Doug R. and got into some great rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
A different Chad, not to be confused with the previous one also got into some pig class rainbow trout on the Upper Owens with Doug R.
Looking at the eastern escarpment of the sierra nevada mountains from the Upper Owens River.
Mark fished with Doug R. and nailed this fine rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
Chad with another solid rainbow trout.
Ryan fished with Doug Dolan aka “Two Bug Doug” for this fine rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
Jacob with another nice rainbow trout.
Tyler fished with Two Bug Doug and got into some great rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
Young Jackson nailed some huge rainbow trout while fishing with Two Bug Doug on the Upper Owens River.
Jackson’s brother Collin also fished with Two Bug Doug and smoked some really large rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
Kim had a fantastic morning fishing with Two Bug Doug and got into some huge rainbow trout.
Not to be outdone by his boys, Jack tied into some good rainbow trout on the Upper Owens with Doug Dolan as well.
Kim with another large rainbow trout from the Upper Owens River.
John fished with Doug R. and got into some great rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
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