I can’t wait for mornings like this in my office!
Howdy friends and Sierra Drifters. We got snow- lot’s of it. Elevations above 8000 feet received over 4 feet last weekend and the upper valleys got about a foot. Very cold air temps will follow this for the next few days with a seasonal warming trend kicking in by mid-week. The roads to Hot Creek and the Upper Owens will have significant snow and ice for a while but remain passable with a 4×4 if they are frozen. These locations will have plenty of snow on the ground as well. The East Walker will also have snow and frigid temps for a while with single digit lows the next couple of days. Bundle up! You can access flow charts by visiting the resources page of my website. The LADWP link is still kaput for some gauges.
The Lower Owens is fishing great and the flows remain at 115cfs below the dam at Pleasant Valley. Drifting was awesome on 3-18-12 and we spanked a bunch of chunky rainbows and browns on streamers. The baetis hatch is still the bug de’jour and fishing high riding adults after 1pm will get you looks on the top. There is no snow on the OV floor and very little rain fell during this storm here-roads leading to the river are all in fine shape.
Upper Owens River
Gravy Dave Watzke with an Upper Owens snow bow caught on an Assassin bird’s nest pattern.
“Tom, Best two days of fishing in my life. Glad they were with you! You are an amazing guide with great patience…grasshopper. You are a great friend and I can’t express how much I appreciate the experiences you have provided. I spent the night setting right…or was it left? Have a great one buddy and thanks again. I think we’ll see ya soon. Gravy”
Marcus Irwin is a first time fly fisher and a quick study, this bow fell to a San Juan Worm in the morning.
“Tom…I can’t thank you enough for the epic two days Gravy Davy and I had!!! Thanks for your patience, instruction, pictures and genuine friendship…I”M HOOKED!!! May the force be with you!!! Regards, Marcus”
You have been seeing alot of Gravy Dave Watzke, he has been posted as trout enemy number one in the Sierra these days
The flows are down on the Upper Owens and combined with the cooler air temps most of the fish have migrated into the deeper pools. There is alot of “dead” water up here so you need to cover some ground to locate the pods of spring run rainbows moving up from Crowley. Nymphing with attractor patterns such as San Juan Worms and roe imitations will get looks in the morning. Switch to bird’s nest or pheasant tails late morning to imitate the baetis (BWO) nymphs that are present here. At these low flows streamer fishing can be less productive and will spook fish in most runs if you “line” the fish during a cast. I saw a fair amount of mid-sized rainbows and browns recently and I believe another jag of fish have moved upstream since the storm.
This is how you hunt snow bows in style! The Drifters war wagon fears no weather.
Lower Owens River
There is work being done on the power house at Pleasant Valley Reservoir. When this is completed the flows will go up significantly on the Lower Owens. Until then we have perfect conditions on the LO and fishing has been very good to excellent. The BWO, caddis, and stonefly emergences have been coming off at 1 pm most days and the wild trout continue to focus on this time period. The size of the adults is beginning to get smaller, this is typical in all aquatic insects. Each generation will get progressively smaller as the cycle evolves. I suggest #18 BWO & caddis pattern , #14 golden stones. A stimulator or elk caddis is a good imitation for the stones.
Not too often a youngster spanks his dad and grandpa, but “action” Jackson Mettler did just that while drifting with us recently. Way to go Jackson!
“Jack is loving it. Thanks for sticking him on the site. You guys are certainly a first class operation. Red has floated with many guides over the years and he was very impressed.
Thanks again, Tom Mettler”
Dave Yarborough from the Davis Fly Fishers sharing a gorgeous rainbow he fooled while drifting the Owens recently
Marcus with his first ever trout on the fly-impressive Marky!
Gravy with another nice one
One of my brother commercial rock codders from days of yore, Eric Kramer taming a fiesty rainbow
The Bakersfield “Bako” boys strike again! Duane Keathley with son Rob had a great three days spanking a bunch of rainbows and browns while drifting with us.
“We are looking foward to planning our next trip. We had a blast. My best to you both, Duane”
Please check out the prior reports for information on other areas. Things have remained pretty much the same except for snow and ice on the East Walker and Hot Creek.
Be the fly friends…Tom Loe, Sierra Drifters Guide Service