EAST WALKER RIVER
9/20/23: We haven't seen the river this busy in years but that's a good thing! The river has been fishing very well over the last two months and is currently running just under 300 cfs. Some of the best fishing has been in the upper mile, however, this latest level change will allow people to spread out and fish some of the lower water as well. If you're looking to get away from the crowds, this is a great time to think about the private water on the Sceirine Ranch. It's limited to 4 rods per day with two miles of beautiful water. Call Ken's Sporting Goods for availability! Most trout are coming to caddis, midges, Tricos, and small mayflies. We're seeing a ton of hoppers in the upper meadow but have yet to experience a good hopper bite. If you're not into nymphing, try streamers or small caddis/mayfly dries in the low light of morning and evening.
RECOMMENDED FLIES: Sears' Slayer 16-18, Sexy Walt 12-16, GTI Caddis 12-16, Blowtorch 14-18, Tasmanian Devil 14-18, Frenchie 12-18, Perdigon 16-20, Duracell 12-18, Rainbow Warrior 16-20, WD's 18-22, Zebra Midge 18-22, Top Secret Midge 18-22, Blood Midge 14-18, Drowned Trico 20-22, Juju Baetis 18-20, Micro Mayfly 18-20, Barr's BWO Emerger 18-20, English Pheasant Tail 20-22, Darth Baetis 16-20, Graphic Caddis 16-18, Pearl Caddis 16-18, Buckskin 14-18, Birds Nest 16-18, Fox's Poopah 16-18, Z Wing Caddis 16-18, Deep Sparkle Pupae 16-18, E/C Caddis 14-18, Missing Link 14-18, Outrigger Caddis 16-18, Elk Hair 14-18, Para Adams 18-22, Sparkle Dun 18-22, Foam Beetle 14-18, Para Hopper 10-12, Morrish Hopper 8-12, Para Ant 16-20, MOAL 8-10, Sculpzilla 6-8, Gonga 6, Mini Dungeon 8.
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HOT CREEK
9/20/23: The creek has been fishing better now that it's dropped to a decent flow and the dry fly action is improving. Fish numbers seem to be way down from historic levels but you can certainly go down there and have a good day. Look for fish eating Tricos, caddis, midges, BWO's and terrestrials. The weed beds are slowly growing up and providing a few more hiding spots for the trout. The afternoon hopper bite can get a few of the better fish to come up, especially if it's windy!
RECOMMENDED FLIES: GTI 10-14, Tasmanian Devil 12-16, Thread Frenchy 16-18, Olive Perdigon 16-18, Sexy Walt 12-16, Blowtorch 14-16, Duracell 12-16, Zebra Midge 18-22, WD's 20-22, Brassie 18-22, Pearl Caddis 16-20, Birds Nest 16-18, Z Wing Caddis 16-20, Fox's Poopah 16-20, Graphic Caddis 16-18, Micro Mayfly 18-20, JuJu Baetis 18-20, Galloup's BWO 18-20, Trico Sparkle Dun 18-20, Organza Trico 18-20, Missing Link 14-18, E/C Caddis 14-18, Parachute Caddis 14-18, PMD Sparkle dun 14-16, Brook's CDC PMD 14-16, Para Hopper 12-14, Morrish Hopper 10-14, Foam Beetle 12-18, Antacid 14-18.
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SAN JOAQUIN RIVER
8/26/23: Bad news from the USFS. Starting September 18th, the road down to Red's Meadow will be closed for reconstruction to all public access Monday-Friday and only open Saturday-Sunday. Expect the weekends to be busy! The river has been up and down over the last week but should be on a steady drop barring any thunderstorm activity. The fishing has been good for the small wild fish with dries or dry/dropper rigs. Access the river through the campgrounds and then hike a while to experience the best fishing.
RECOMMENDED FLIES: Stubby Chubby 14-16, Stimulator 14-18, Para Wulff 14-16, Elk Hair Caddis 14-18, E/C Caddis 14-18, Para Adams 12-18, Royal Wulff 14-18, Missing Link 14-18, Humpy 14-16, Micro Mayfly 14-18, Hares Ear 14-18, Pheasant Tail 14-18, Prince Nymph 14-18, Bird's Nest 14-18, Copper John 14-18.
UPPER OWENS
8/22/23: Flows on the upper river have dropped and the water clarity has improved. Midges, caddis, BWO's and Trico's are the main bugs right now. The hopper fishing has picked up as well. Be careful heading out to the river after all the rain we've seen over the last few days and always take a short walk vs. getting stuck. RECOMMENDED FLIES: San Juan Worm 10-12, Squirmy Wormy 10-12, Zebra Midge 18-20, Brassie 18-20, Disco Midge 18-20, Gordon's Prince 14-16, Micro Mayfly 16-20, Copper John 16-20, Z wing Caddis 14-18, Fox's Poopah 14-16, Graphic Caddis 14-16, Pearl Caddis 14-18, Missing Link 14-18, E/C Caddis 14-18, Organza Trico 20-22, Para Hopper 10-14, Morrish Hopper 10-12, Zuddler 6-8, Home Invader 6-8, Gonga 6-8, Mini Dungeon 8.
LOWER OWENS
9/20/23: The river is back up to 400 cfs. That's not terrible, but not great either. We'll wait until the lower river is running under 250 cfs before we get too excited!
RECOMMENDED FLIES: GTI Caddis 12-14, Blowtorch 14-16, Tasmanian Devil 12-18, Sexy Walt 12-16, Perdigon 14-18, Rainbow Warrior 16-20, W.D's 18-22, Zebra Midge 18-22, Top Secret Midge 18-20, RS2 16-18, BTS 16-18, Darth Baetis 16-18, Micro Mayfly 16-18, Mercer's Poxyback Baetis 16-18, Juju Baetis 16-18, Graphic Caddis 14-18, Fox's Poopah 14-18, Sprout Midge 18-22, Griffith's Gnat 16-20, Sprout BWO 16-18, BWO Sparkle Dun 16-18, Lawson's BWO Thorax Dun 16-18, Para Adams 16-18, E/C Caddis 16-18, Missing Link 16-18, X Caddis 16-18.
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