Upper Owens River Fishing Report

Owens River - Section 3 - Upper (above Crowley) - Eastern Sierra, CA (Mono County)

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Trout Fitter Staff

by The Trout Fitter Staff
3-13-2020
Website

Flow Rates and Water Conditions:

Water Conditions: Good

Flows are at 102 cfs as of  3/12

Fishing Conditions and Hatches:  Fair-Good

Not a good sign but I'm getting very few reports from here because the guides are heading elsewhere. The fishing seems to be back to schizophrenic, no consistency day to day and you still need to be covering water until you find the concentrations. The primary fish moving up now is the Eagle Lake Rainbow, another strain that they are no longer stocking so the health of this run depends largely on us. The flows have gone up slightly but probably not enough to change anything . Dry fly has been more productive, mainly for smaller fish and you have to search out the productive spots. Nymphing has definitly been tougher but it gives you a better shot at the bigger fish. Midday they are locking in on small (#18-22) mayfly and midge patterns while early and late it's midges with caddis starting to show mid day on. The spring spawners tend to be more aggressive so they are more susceptible to larger patterns including streamers. No snow on the roads or the banks but the road is a lot rougher than before. Midday has been best but the migratory fish do most of their movement at night so the late afternoon can also be good. Both hold-overs and lake fish are still on the move so try attractor patterns such as San Juan Worms, Prince Nymphs, Copper Johns, egg patterns and streamers. The water below the Hot Creek confluences will be 5-10 degrees warmer so if you get out early it might be best to start off closer to the bridge.

Recommended Flies:

DRIES: Stimulator #16-18 | Griffiths Gnat #20-24 | Para Adams #20-24 | Para Extended Body BWO #20-22 | Elk Hair Caddis #18-20 | Brook's Sprout Baetis #18-22

NYMPHS: Barr's Uncased Caddis #14-16 | Zebra Midge #18-22 | WD-40 black #18-24 | Prince Nymph #12-16 | Red Copper John #14-16 | San Juan Worm #12-14 |  Egg Patterns #12-16 | Pheasant Tail #18-22 | Tungsten Peacock #14-18 | Tungsten Jig Baetis #18-20

STREAMERS: Shock Collar Leech #10 | Woolly Bugger White, Olive & Brown #6-14





More Reports

The Trout Fitter Reports
for Friday, March 13th, 2020

East Walker River (CA): East Walker River Report
Owens River - Lower: Fishing is Good and We're Seeing A Lot More Fish
Pyramid Lake: Primetime Just Around The Corner

The Trout Fitter Reports
for Friday, March 6th, 2020

Hot Creek: Hot Creek Fishing Report
Owens River - Section 3 - Upper (above Crowley): Upper Owens River Fishing Report
Pyramid Lake: Perfect Shape For Action Packed Spring
Owens River - Lower: Lower Owens Fishing Report
East Walker River (CA): East Walker River Fishing Report