Fishing has been inconsistent, but the pressure is reasonable

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

Photo Credit: Courtesy of The Troutfitter

by The Trout Fitter Staff
7-23-2021
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Flow Rates and Water Conditions

Water Conditions: Good

Flows are  58 cfs as of  7/22

Fishing Conditions and Hatches

Fishing Conditions and Hatches: Fair-Good

Fishing has been inconsistent, but the pressure is reasonable. Plenty of Tricos, 6-8 for the female emergence and 9-10 for the spinner fall. Also, early midges and some bigger caddis. Midday the Hoppers are out, nothing like the last couple of years but still fun. Craneflies are covering mid-morning, try a chamois caddis #14-18 sub surface. Also midday are the Tiny BWO, # 24-26 and they're idea of egg laying is a dive bombing technique from way up high making them hard to spot. If you see a flash out of the corner of your eye you weren't hallucinating. 

With the resident fish being schizophrenic, one day eating attractor nymphs and the next day they're into the mayflies and midges, so we suggest trailing a midge (#18-24) or mayfly (#16-22) behind an attractor nymph. That 1/2 moth 1/2 caddis white insect you see zig zagging close to the water is an aquatic moth. Not much is known about their life cycle, but you may have run across the larval form and not even known it. If you get hung up on the bottom and what you bring up looks like a small, ragged leaf, turn it over. If there's a line of organic matter down the middle that's the moth larva.

With the temperatures getting warmer in Crowley and the algae growing the 12"-18" browns are starting to move up and should be throughout the river in the next couple of weeks. Once in the system they will staying until spawning late fall to early winter.

Recommended Flies

DRIES: Griffiths Gnat #20-24 | Parachute Extended Body BWO #18-22 | Elk Hair Caddis #20-22 | Para Caddis #16-22 | EC Caddis #16-20 | Baby Boy Hopper #14-16 | Hi-Vis PMD #16-18 | Spring Creek hopper Tan or Yellow #14-16

NYMPHS:  Zebra Midge #16-22 | Prince Nymph #12-16 | Copper John #14-16 |Tungsten Jig Baetis #18-20 | Black Beauty #22 | Beck's Sulpher Emerger #16-18 | Chamois Caddis #14-18 |  S&M Nymph #20-22 | Medalion Midge #20-24 |Bling Midge #22-24 | OCD Caddis #14-18 | Spring Creek Hopper Tan #14-16

STREAMERS: Shock Collar Leech #10 | Woolly Bugger White, Olive, or Brown #6-14 | Punk Perch light or dark #10-16




More Reports

The Trout Fitter Reports
for Friday, July 23rd, 2021

Hot Creek: Hot Creek Fishing Report
San Joaquin River: Lowering flows and heavy pressure mean it's time to start hiking

The Trout Fitter Reports
for Thursday, July 15th, 2021

Hot Creek: Hot Creek Fishing Report
San Joaquin River: Flows Areat 39 CFS
Owens River - Section 3 - Upper (above Crowley): Upper Owens River Report
Owens River - Lower: The hatches are decent
East Walker River (CA): Flows have gone back down and only about 10% of normal