Welcome Anglers
Updated by Harry Blackburn
8-7-2010
Hello anglers,
More great weather ahead as we approach the dog days of summer, There is the possibility of thunderstorms over the weekend so you might want to have some rain gear in your possession if your traveling any distant from your camp or vehicle only a 30% dropping to 10% on Monday but better to be safe then sorry!
Highs in the Mammoth area ranging from the upper 70s to low 80s depending on what elevations your fishing and morning lows in the mid to upper 40s! Bishop is considerably warmer with highs in the mid to upper 90s with lows in the 60s pretty typical for this time of year!
Devils Postpile and Red's Meadow now open! Mandatory shuttle required from 7am-7pm leave from the Mammoth Mountain Inn!
All of the prime area streams have come into shape and are fishing well along with daily hatches Hot Creek fishing well in the afternoons with Caddis and May flies hatching.Another water starting to come to life is Crowley Lake first algae bloom has peaked and the Trophy Trout season has begun only artificial flies and lures "No Bait"! as of August 1st. LADWP has reached it's water allotment for Mono Lake so Lower Rush Creek should start to drop and the Upper Owens River will run a little higher as water will be exported from Grant Lake through the tunnel via East Portal flows on the Upper Owens holding around a 140 cfs below the Hot Creek Tributaries. The East Walker flows now holding at 214cfs look for flows to bounce around through out the summer on the East Walker also Water temps have been staying in a fishable range with the Bridgeport Reservoir near capacity . The only 2 streams that are tough to fish do to flows right now are the Lower Owens and Lower Rush Creek!
Make sure you have bug repellent for the high elevations as plenty of Mosquitoes near the meadows lakes and streams as runoff was late and strong so plenty of water is available for the little blood suckers. Best repellent has high percentage of Deet in it!
Check out the CA Dept of fish & Game regulations before wetting a line & apply plenty of sunscreen!
Make sure to check out wall of Fame and video catch of the week!
Hot Creek:
8-7-2010
flows have dropped and the hatches have been solid both on the public and private stretches. Hatch wise it starts with Female Tricos in the morning followed by the spinner fall both Tricos and PMDs along with the mid morning Caddis migration from 7:30-10:30! Then things pick up again around mid afternoon with the Caddis emergence and PMDs and Beatis 12:30-5:30pm! Plenty of hopper this season in the upper end.Fishing improves as the water temps come up. Plenty of weeds but flows are still high enough that it has not become a problem. At times it's been crowded!!!As always lighter tippet and drag free drifts are a most as the fish get more educated and picky! Smaller patterns in 18-24 working the best! Hopper wise 12-14s! Ant and beetle patterns worth drifting!
San Joaquin:
8-7-2010
Mandatory shuttle from Mammoth Mtn Main Lodge from 7-7.Flows on the San Joaquin are nearing the perfect flow, Adult Stone-fly Patterns like Simulators working well! Hopper dropper also working well! In the evening light Cahills and Adams getting the job done on the surface! Beadhead patterns like PT Hare's Ears and Stone fly nymphs working well also! All Campgrounds open and full as it is the busy time of year. Fish the side edges of the fast water and areas near the bushes and trees where the water looks slower! Most of the fish are Wild between 6-12" Browns, Rainbow, Brook, Trout all can be caught on the San Joaquin and the occasional Rainbow Golden Hybrid. Wild flower nearing there peak in the Lower Meadows so bring the Camera and the 1-3wt rod and have a blast!
Crowley Lake:
8-7-2010
Crowley Lake has finally sprung to life after being dormant for the last month. Not on fire but worth the outing and the fish are spread out in McGee Bay Plenty of fish being graphed in the 12-25 ft of water more and more moving into the shallows. Best depths seems to be from 12-16ft of water some fish in shallower but tougher to catch as the water is clear and they have had some pressure in the the McGee Bay Channel! A pesky SE wind has been blowing lately from around 11:30 shutting the bite down so best to get out there early, it has been laying down in the afternoon around 3:30 most days and the bite picks up again! First Algae bloom has peaked and the water is the right color green. Big hatch of Perch fry this season and lots of damsel flies larvae migrating to hatch along with Calibeatis and Midge's in the trout diet. The Lake level has peaked so the weed beds will become more defined as the lake level drops.THE SPECIAL REGULATIONS ARE NOW IN AFFECT only 2 fish over 18" maybe kept and No Bait Fishing allowed!!! Overall fish sizes seem to be bigger this season and are very feisty.Lots of Brown trout being caught and the Cutthroat have begun to show up in the catch. Water Temps on the surface hitting 70s in parts of the lake. Midge hatch now in the early mornings and later afternoon! Damsels flies and Calibeatis showing up worth trying along with some perch fry should be a epic season for the perch fry as the lake stayed up and the perch beds did not get exposed!Perch fry currently about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch! .Weed beds have become well defined in the shallows out to 14ft of water. Damsels and perch patterns worth trying! Black and Copper or Black and Silver good starting colors also lots of Midge Larvae so a red pattern is worth hanging. Timing wise every part of the lake has been different but generally after 11am it;s been better.
remember if you plan on using a boat it will need to be inspected for Quagga and Zebra mussels before you launch.
East Walker:
8-7-2010
River flows continue to fluctuate currently holding at or above seasonal norms about the 250 cfs range. Water temps in the mid to upper 60s. Best actions from early morning and then in the late afternoon into the evening! A majority of the fish are in the 12-14" range. Fish are actively keying on Mayflies multiples types Trico's,Flavs and Beatis,a long with Caddis and Midge's. Some good action occurring in the real fast water just off the edges.You can find fish actively keying on the surface both dry and as always on the East Walker nymphing working well. With the increased flows might be worth a try stripping streams!
Crowley Tributaries:
8-7-2010
McGee Creek & Convict Creek have shape up still running a little higher than normal for this time of year but conditions are pretty optimal! lots of hoppers in the meadows. remember to give room if other angler are present and use proper etiquette!
Mammoth Lakes Basin:
8-7-2010
All the Major lakes in the Mammoth Lakes Basin have been stocked with DFG fish. Some have been planted with Alper's. Best action on Mamie and the Twin Lakes. Best to use floating line with a dry fly and dropper in the calmer times then try streamers and sinking tips if the wind comes up! Try float tubing and casting to the open pockets on Lower & Middle Twin with a dry fly dropper setup! Adams and a PT!
.
Lower Owens:
8-7-2010.
Well the low flows were short lived and fishing is tough at the current flows presently above 500cfs. The flow needs to be at 350 or lower to make it worth fishing as you can wade at those flows. Weather a little toasty in Bishop by early afternoon so fish early and late if you plan a outing down there! Day time highs near 100. Fish can still be caught but mostly in the slack and back eddies and most wading is very difficult so it's fishing from the high banks! Better to fish else where until the flow drop! Caddis and Trico's with so PMDs and Beatis are the hatches right now!
Upper Owens:
8-7-2010
Flows have come up as water is being exported from Grant lake via the East Portal. Current flow is around a 100cfs above the Hot Creek tributaries and around 140cfs below Benton Crossing Bridge. The fishing has been steady mostly DFG planter's 12-14" with the occasional larger Crowley fish mixed in and plenty of little wild brown trout 3-6" will jump the dry fly.DFG is planting weekly and the fish are now spreading out. Early morning and late evening producing some dry fly actions mostly Caddis with some PMDs and Tricos if the wind lays down! Make sure to read the regulations before wetting a line. Caddis, PMDs, Tricos all hatching along with plenty of Hoppers in the high grass Water temps running in the mid 50's above the Hot Creek tribs and a little warmer below the bridge the best days seem to be when there some cloud cover and the best dry fly fishing on the windless evenings just before dark!
8-7-2010
flows have dropped and the hatches have been solid both on the public and private stretches. Hatch wise it starts with Female Tricos in the morning followed by the spinner fall both Tricos and PMDs along with the mid morning Caddis migration from 7:30-10:30! Then things pick up again around mid afternoon with the Caddis emergence and PMDs and Beatis 12:30-5:30pm! Plenty of hopper this season in the upper end.Fishing improves as the water temps come up. Plenty of weeds but flows are still high enough that it has not become a problem. At times it's been crowded!!!As always lighter tippet and drag free drifts are a most as the fish get more educated and picky! Smaller patterns in 18-24 working the best! Hopper wise 12-14s! Ant and beetle patterns worth drifting!
8-7-2010
Flows have come up as water is being exported from Grant lake via the East Portal. Current flow is around a 100cfs above the Hot Creek tributaries and around 140cfs below Benton Crossing Bridge. The fishing has been steady mostly DFG planter's 12-14" with the occasional larger Crowley fish mixed in and plenty of little wild brown trout 3-6" will jump the dry fly.DFG is planting weekly and the fish are now spreading out. Early morning and late evening producing some dry fly actions mostly Caddis with some PMDs and Tricos if the wind lays down! Make sure to read the regulations before wetting a line. Caddis, PMDs, Tricos all hatching along with plenty of Hoppers in the high grass Water temps running in the mid 50's above the Hot Creek tribs and a little warmer below the bridge the best days seem to be when there some cloud cover and the best dry fly fishing on the windless evenings just before dark!
8-7-2010
River flows continue to fluctuate currently holding at or above seasonal norms about the 250 cfs range. Water temps in the mid to upper 60s. Best actions from early morning and then in the late afternoon into the evening! A majority of the fish are in the 12-14" range. Fish are actively keying on Mayflies multiples types Trico's,Flavs and Beatis,a long with Caddis and Midge's. Some good action occurring in the real fast water just off the edges.You can find fish actively keying on the surface both dry and as always on the East Walker nymphing working well. With the increased flows might be worth a try stripping streams!
8-7-2010
All the Major lakes in the Mammoth Lakes Basin have been stocked with DFG fish. Some have been planted with Alper's. Best action on Mamie and the Twin Lakes. Best to use floating line with a dry fly and dropper in the calmer times then try streamers and sinking tips if the wind comes up! Try float tubing and casting to the open pockets on Lower & Middle Twin with a dry fly dropper setup! Adams and a PT!
.
8-7-2010
Crowley Lake has finally sprung to life after being dormant for the last month. Not on fire but worth the outing and the fish are spread out in McGee Bay Plenty of fish being graphed in the 12-25 ft of water more and more moving into the shallows. Best depths seems to be from 12-16ft of water some fish in shallower but tougher to catch as the water is clear and they have had some pressure in the the McGee Bay Channel! A pesky SE wind has been blowing lately from around 11:30 shutting the bite down so best to get out there early, it has been laying down in the afternoon around 3:30 most days and the bite picks up again! First Algae bloom has peaked and the water is the right color green. Big hatch of Perch fry this season and lots of damsel flies larvae migrating to hatch along with Calibeatis and Midge's in the trout diet. The Lake level has peaked so the weed beds will become more defined as the lake level drops.THE SPECIAL REGULATIONS ARE NOW IN AFFECT only 2 fish over 18" maybe kept and No Bait Fishing allowed!!! Overall fish sizes seem to be bigger this season and are very feisty.Lots of Brown trout being caught and the Cutthroat have begun to show up in the catch. Water Temps on the surface hitting 70s in parts of the lake. Midge hatch now in the early mornings and later afternoon! Damsels flies and Calibeatis showing up worth trying along with some perch fry should be a epic season for the perch fry as the lake stayed up and the perch beds did not get exposed!Perch fry currently about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch! .Weed beds have become well defined in the shallows out to 14ft of water. Damsels and perch patterns worth trying! Black and Copper or Black and Silver good starting colors also lots of Midge Larvae so a red pattern is worth hanging. Timing wise every part of the lake has been different but generally after 11am it;s been better.
remember if you plan on using a boat it will need to be inspected for Quagga and Zebra mussels before you launch.
8-7-2010
Mandatory shuttle from Mammoth Mtn Main Lodge from 7-7.Flows on the San Joaquin are nearing the perfect flow, Adult Stone-fly Patterns like Simulators working well! Hopper dropper also working well! In the evening light Cahills and Adams getting the job done on the surface! Beadhead patterns like PT Hare's Ears and Stone fly nymphs working well also! All Campgrounds open and full as it is the busy time of year. Fish the side edges of the fast water and areas near the bushes and trees where the water looks slower! Most of the fish are Wild between 6-12" Browns, Rainbow, Brook, Trout all can be caught on the San Joaquin and the occasional Rainbow Golden Hybrid. Wild flower nearing there peak in the Lower Meadows so bring the Camera and the 1-3wt rod and have a blast!
8-7-2010
McGee Creek & Convict Creek have shape up still running a little higher than normal for this time of year but conditions are pretty optimal! lots of hoppers in the meadows. remember to give room if other angler are present and use proper etiquette!
8-7-2010.
Well the low flows were short lived and fishing is tough at the current flows presently above 500cfs. The flow needs to be at 350 or lower to make it worth fishing as you can wade at those flows. Weather a little toasty in Bishop by early afternoon so fish early and late if you plan a outing down there! Day time highs near 100. Fish can still be caught but mostly in the slack and back eddies and most wading is very difficult so it's fishing from the high banks! Better to fish else where until the flow drop! Caddis and Trico's with so PMDs and Beatis are the hatches right now!
