Upper Owens River Fishing Report

Owens River - Gorge - Bishop, CA (Inyo County)


by Tom Loe
9-23-2016
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A recent wildfire has destroyed, & scarred thousands of acres along the Owens River Road, the old Alpers Ranch, & some sections of the Glass Mountains. Some historic buildings have been burned at the ranch. The Owens River frontage road is closed at Big Springs. The LADWP is pulling water from Grant Lake & increasing flows. They have doubled from the 40 cfs. that has been flowing for nearly a year to 92cfs. After the turbidity decreases, & the fish adjust, conditions will be great. Added water will assist the fall run of browns, & rainbows if the flows continue at this release for a while. The bigs will begin to migrate upstream in October. Conditions are poor downstream from the Benton Bridge due to heavy aquatic weed growth. Upstream from the bridge special regulations apply, & the conditions are better above the confluence of Hot Creek inlets. Grasshopper activity slowing down. Use a stimulator with a bead head nymph like an Assassin, FB PT, olive crystal caddis; or olive zebra midge as a dropper. You will also see a decent caddis hatch, although I have not seen a great surface charge in a few trips here. Hi-vis caddis adult patterns used with a dropper can also get grabs. The water levels are very low above HC, & the irrigation canal inlets. You will find most of the planted rainbows, and wild browns in the deepest pools and pockets. There are a few nicer rainbows hanging around that are best fooled by attractor patterns like the “Drifters Crawler” and crystal eggs.

The section upstream from the Benton Bridge is open year around with special regulations. Seasonal closures, and angling restrictions apply downstream from the bridge, check regulations before fishing in this section.


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