EAST WALKER RIVER
2/10/26: The river is running at it's winter minimum flow of 20 cfs. Water temps are starting out in the low 30's and warming to the upper 30's. Brrrrr! The fishing has been tough with the cold water and a lack of bug activity resulting in lethargic trout. We are patiently waiting for things to improve next month when we typically see a bump in flows and the BWO's and Skwalas get the fish active and looking up. If you decide to give the river a shot your best bet will be to concentrate on the slow, deep water with nymphs imitating stones, midges and BWO's.
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, 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, Skwala Stone 8-12, Poxyback Stone 8-12, Rubberlegs 8-12, Griffith's Gnat 16-20, Sprout Midge 18-22, SITS Midge 18-22, Para Adams 20-22, Sparkle Dun 20-22, BWO Thorax Dun 20-22, Baby Gonga, Sculpzilla, Zuddler, Baby Fat Minnow.
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HOT CREEK
2/10/26: The road is now snow covered starting at Hot Creek Ranch. You can sled, ski or snowshoe your way into the canyon or take a shorter hike into the Interpretive Site. It's not a good idea to try driving the road, you'll just end up getting stuck. Spring creeks like Hot Creek are great winter fisheries thanks to the relatively warm water. The best fishing will be during the middle of the day when its the warmest. 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. 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, Slim Shady 20-22, Barr's BWO Emerger 20-22, Jedi Master Baetis 20-22, Slim Shady 20-22, Shop Vac 16-18, WD's 20-22, Brassie 18-22, Mole Fly 18-22, Timmy 18-22, Para Adams 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
1/9/26: If you decide to try the upper river, be very careful if you venture off the main access road. The road is snow covered and can get extremely slick if the snow starts to melt. The river has been fishing well for lake run fish and the smaller resident trout. There is some surface activity with fish coming up for midges but if you want to have a shot at hooking into some of the big boys you 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 run fish are podded up so if you hook one in a spot make a few more casts just in case. Usually, a good presentation will get bit if they're in there so don't make the mistake of camping out on good looking water if you're not getting fish. Stick and move is the way to go.
RECOMMENDED FLIES: Zebra Midge 18-20, Disco Midge 18-20, Deep Blue Poison Tung 18-22, Blindside Midge 18-22, Shopt Vac 16-18, 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 18-22, Sparkle Dun 18-22, Missing Link 18-20, Sprout Midge 18-22, Mole Fly 18-22, SITS Midge 18-22, Griffith's Gnat 16-20, Zuddler 6-8, Home Invader 6-8, Gonga 6-8, Mini Dungeon 8.
LOWER OWENS
1/22/26: The lower river is currently running about 100 cfs. This is an ideal flow for the river and it's fishing very well. The best fishing has been late morning through early afternoon during the warmest part of the day with a noticeable slowdown in the action around 3:00. We've been seeing a few fish coming up for midges and BWO's but your best bet for consistent hookups will be fishing nymphs subsurface. Suspension rigs and euro setups are both getting lots of grabs. Hatch activity has been pretty minimal but you should see a few midges, BWO's and even the odd caddis or two. If you time it right, overcast days can get the BWO's hatching strong enough to make it worthwhile to bring a rigged up dry fly rod.
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, Simple Skwala 10-12, Zebra Midge 18-22, Blindside Midge 18-22, 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 18-22, Slim Shady 18-20, Poxyback Stone 10-12, Rubberlegs 10-12, Sprout Midge 18-22, Mole Fly 18-22, Griffith's Gnat 16-22, Sparkle Dun 18-20, Para Adams 18-20, BWO Thorax Dun 18-20.
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