Here’s your Eastern Sierra Fishing Report for 1-7-26. Happy New Year anglers! Over the holidays, some snow finally came through in the region, setting up a great base for skiing and snowboarding and laying down a decent layer on the Upper Owens River. These storms were measured in feet in the upper elevations. The fish have responded to the recent storms and more have moved into the river. Most of the browns are back in the lake, and the majority of fish we are getting are rainbows, and big ones! The Lower Owens has also been fishing well with perfect wading conditions. Flows have recently jumped up to 114 cfs from the 90’s. This will unsettle the water clarity for a little while, but the fish have been fairly aggressive taking smaller nymphs in the riffles and pools. The drift boating sections have been a little slower giving up some fish here and there, but things should pick up here as we get into winter. Roads are muddy with some free standing puddles below highway 6 and some have ventured into the Upper Owens by vehicle despite the snow on the ground. We recommend walking or snowmobiling in as you never know when that rut or trench that is hidden with snow will swallow up your tires and get you stuck. Hot Creek is all walk in now. Parking will be limited for the Interpretive Site, but walking in can yield some pretty good fishing right now. 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. 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 105 cfs and fishing has been great. Snow blankets the river banks now, and this week cold temperatures (Alaska winter temps), will be in store for the mornings. Plan on negative temperatures here for the next few mornings as the inversion layer and freezing fog roll in. 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. What looks shallow in depth can be deceiving. We recommend walking, snow shoeing, or letting us take you in the proper way. Attractor patterns like eggs, glo-bugs, SJ Worms, SD Crawlers, Leeches, PT’s, Hare’s Ears and Assassins are finding fish.
Lower Owens River flows are still great at 114 cfs. Water is off color for a bit now with the recent flow increase. 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.
Thanks for reading our Eastern Sierra Fishing Report 1-7-26.
Gabe got this nice rainbow trout while fishing with Doug R. on the Upper Owens River.
Michael fished with Two Bug Doug and caught this nice rainbow trout.
Gabe with another wonderful rainbow trout.
Noah had a great day with Doug R. and got this nice rainbow trout.
Two Bug Doug guided Scott to some nice rainbow trout like this one.
Allen got this fat rainbow trout while fishing with Doug R.
James scored this awesome rainbow trout while fishing with Two Bug Doug.
Doug R. guided Colin to some nice brown trout on the Lower Owens River
Two Bug Doug guided Colin into some big rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
Jim got into some awesome rainbow trout while fishing with Two Bug Doug.
Kyle got this nice rainbow trout while fishing with Two Bug Doug on the Upper Owens River.
Ashley fished with Doug R. and got into some good rainbow trout in the rain.
Nishant had a great day with Doug R. and got this nice rainbow trout.
Laura displays a nice rainbow trout while fishing with Doug R.
Doug R. guided Todd to some nice rainbow trout like this one.
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