EAST WALKER RIVER
3/26/26: The river is running around 140 cfs. Unexpectedly, the river has been exceptionally busy for this time of year, even mid week, so expect some company if you decide to give the river a shot this spring. The increased angling pressure has led to some tricky fishing during a normally great time of year. It looks like it's time to think outside the box, cover lots of water and be a good steward of the river. The BWO's haven't been as numerous as other years but they're around along with midges, stones and a few early caddis. Dry fly fishing opportunities have been limited so you'll be better off with subsurface offerings.
RECOMMENDED FLIES: Thread Frenchie 16-20, Perdigons 16-20, Duracell 14-18, WD's 18-22, Deep Blue Poison Tung 18-22, Blindside Midge 18-22, Black Beauty 18-22, Disco Midge 18-20, JuJu Midge 18-24, Mercer's Midgeling 18-20, Slush Egg 12-14, Peeking Caddis 16-20, Pearl Caddis 16-18, Lil' Bit 18-20, Poxyback Baetis 18-20, Jedi Master Baetis 18-20, Slim Shady 18-20, Micro Mayfly 18-20, Juju Baetis 18-20, P.T.'s 16-20, 20 Incher 8-12, Poxyback Stone 8-12, Rubberlegs 8-12, Griffith's Gnat 16-20, Sprout Midge 18-22, SITS Midge 18-22, Para Adams 16-20, Sparkle Dun 16-20, BWO Thorax Dun 16-20, Designated Hitter 10-12, Olive Stimulator 10-12, Baby Gonga 8, Sculpzilla 8-10, Zuddler 6-8, Baby Fat Minnow 6-8.
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HOT CREEK
3/26/26: Fishing on the creek is very good. The road to the creek is completely melted out so there is no problem with access. The BWO's are starting to hatch and the fish are definitely taking notice. The dry fly fishing has been great during the hatch with lots of 8-12 inch fish willing to eat your favorite imitation. Prior to and after the surface action, you can pick up plenty of fish with subsurface presentations. As always, please avoid wading in this unique and fragile stream environment.
RECOMMENDED FLIES: Thread Frenchie 16-20, Perdigons 16-20, BP Weiss Nymph 18-20, Jigged Poison Blue Tung 18-22, Blindside Midge 18-22, Zebra Midge 18-22, JuJu Midge 18-24, Disco Midge 18-22, Black Beauty 18-22, Lil' Bit 18-20, Slim Shady 18-20, Barr's BWO Emerger 18-20, Jedi Master Baetis 18-20, Slim Shady 18-20, Shop Vac 16-18, WD's 20-22, Brassie 18-22, Mole Fly 18-22, Timmy 18-20, Para Adams 18-20, BWO Thorax Dun 18-20, BWO Sparkle Dun 18-20, CDC Comparadun 18-20, Almost There BWO 18-20, Brooks Sprout Midge 20-24, Griffiths Gnat 18-20, Stuck In The Shuck Midge 20-24.
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SAN JOAQUIN RIVER
1/9/26: The road is closed until this spring.
RECOMMENDED FLIES: Gold Ribbed Hares Ear 16-20, Prince Nymph 16-20, Pheasant Tail 16-20, Copper John 16-20, Micro Mayfly 16-20, Stimulator 14-18, Elk Hair Caddis 16-18, Yellow Humpy 16-20, Royal Wulff 16-20, Stubby Chubby 14-16, Para Hopper 10-14, Para Adams 12-16.
UPPER OWENS
3/16/26: Thanks to our big warm up, the road out to the river is now snow free although a 4x4 is never a bad idea. Fishing has been decent with some nice fish coming to the net. There is some surface activity with smaller fish coming up for caddis in the afternoon but if you want to have a chance at hooking into one of the big boys you'll need to fish subsurface. You still want to cover lots of water to show your flies to as many fish as possible. Sometimes the lake runners are podded up. If you hook one in a spot be sure to make a few more casts just in case.
RECOMMENDED FLIES: Zebra Midge 18-20, Disco Midge 18-20, Deep Blue Poison Tung 18-22, Blindside Midge 18-22, Shopt Vac 16-18, Lil' Bit 16-20, Micro Mayfly 18-20, Juju Baetis 18-20, Pheasant Tail 18-20, Darth Baetis 18-20, Mop 10-12, Slush Egg 12-16, Glo Bug 14-18, San Juan Worm 10-12, Squirmy Wormy 10-12, Para Adams 18-20, Sparkle Dun 18-20, Missing Link 18-20, Sprout Midge 18-22, Mole Fly 18-20, SITS Midge 18-22, Griffith's Gnat 16-20, Zuddler 6-8, Home Invader 6-8, Gonga 6-8, Mini Dungeon 8.
LOWER OWENS
3/26/26: Well shoot, it feels more like early summer than early spring. Thanks to the wacky March weather we've been experiencing the river has come up big time and it's now fluctuating between 250 and 300 cfs daily. Needless to say, this has made wading and accessing the river a bit more difficult. You can still catch fish, but it's not our normal conditions. The dry fly fishing we were looking forward to is now non existent so be prepared to get your flies down if you want some action. The forecast is showing a cool down starting around April 1st so hopefully we will see some lower flows and cooler temps next month.
RECOMMENDED FLIES: Perdigons 16-20, Frenchie 16-20, Duracell 14-18, Sexy Walt 14-18, G.T.I. Caddis 12-16, Slush Egg 12-14, Mop 10-12, Zebra Midge 18-22, Blindside Midge 18-22, Lil' Bit 18-20, JuJu Midge 18-24, Deep Blue Poison Tung 18-22, Rainbow Warrior 18-22, Disco Midge 18-22, Micro Mayfly 18-20, Juju Baetis 18-20, Jedi Master Baetis 18-20, Slim Shady 18-20, Fox's Poopah 16-20, Sparkle Pupa 16-20, Niro Caddis 16-18, Poxyback Stone 10-12, Rubberlegs 10-12, Poxyback Little Yellow Stone 14-16, Sprout Midge 18-22, Griffith's Gnat 16-22, Mole Fly 18-20, Timmy 18-20, BWO CDC Emerger 18-20, Sparkle Dun 18-20, Para Adams 18-20, BWO Thorax Dun 18-20, E/C Caddis 16-20, Missing Link 16-20, Parachute Caddis 16-20.
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