A decent amount of snow now blankets Hot Creek and the Upper Owens River. Vehicle access is limited in both areas. The Upper Owens snow will start to melt off at a faster rate in the coming week with warmer temperatures during the day. The large rainbows are showing up in all the usual spots. Midges first thing in the morning are on the menu at Hot Creek, and it is walk in only for both sections. The Wild Trout and drift boat sections are fishing well on the Lower Owens River. Looks like dry weather ahead for a few weeks.Hot Creek’s browns and rainbow trout are really showing some stunning fall colors. It’s been an all day surface bite here most days on small midges. Look for BWO hatches to resume once the weather stabilizes. San Juan Worms, #18-20 Flashback Pheasant tails, Bead Poxyback Brassie, Serendipity Red and Black, and Tangerine Opaque and Flamingo Otter Eggs are doing the trick.
The Upper Owens River is fishing very well. We have been going in by snowmobile and hitting all the best spots which have really been producing. Not a lot of angling pressure so far, but this may change as the snow begins to melt. Egg patterns (all of our Otter Egg colors), #14-18 Light and Dark Assassins, #14 – 18 Flashback Pheasant Tails, midges, and squirmy worms in pink and San Juan Worms in Red and Brown will work well now and through the winter months.
Lower Owens River flows now up to 100 cfs. Some good BWO hatches down here as the weather tends to be a little warmer than up the hill. The wild trout section has been fishing very well this year. There have been some trico, PMD, and BWO hatches occurring late morning and the streamer bite has been really good. Smaller nymphs in the Wild Trout sections have also got the fish stirred up. Water is getting clear, so careful not to spook the fish with your fly line or presence.
Birch had an great morning catching winter rainbows on the Upper Owens River while fishing with Doug Rodricks.
Birch with another nice rainbow trout.
Two Bug Doug got Noel on some monster rainbow trout like this one.
Eric fished with Two Bug Doug and got this awesome rainbow trout on the Upper Owens River.
Todd and wife Laura fished with Doug Rodricks and got into some solid rainbow trout like this.
Doug R took Dom on the Upper Owens River for some nice ones like this healthy rainbow trout.
Mark fished with Two Bug Doug and got this stellar pig of a rainbow trout.
Laura with an amazing rainbow trout.
Doug Dolan took Gary on the Upper Owens River for some nice ones like this fat rainbow trout.
Todd with another nice male rainbow trout from the Upper Owens River.
Gary displays another colored up rainbow trout.
Todd with his largest rainbow trout of the day.