Upper Owens River Report

Owens River - Section 3 - Upper (above Crowley) - Eastern Sierra, CA


by Doug Busey
5-20-2026
Website

We last fished the Cutthroat Run here a few times a week to 10 days ago and while it really wasn’t in full swing and numbers appeared to be lower than the last two years we mostly got “Juniors” 12” to 14” and a few 20” to 22”.

Yellow Spot Nymphs, Egg Patterns, San Juan Worms, and Wooly Buggers were all working those days we were out there.

The flow in the river changes depending on how much water LADWP is sending from Grant Lake through a tunnel to East Portal.

While we were there it was up to 147 cfs versus what I would call normal for May at 70 to 90 cfs. This may or may not make a difference in the amount of Cutts making their way upstream from Lake Crowley.

Today the flow is down a bit to 130 cfs and keeping in mind that in past years there have been secondary runs that come up a week or two after what appears to be the main run.

I’ve heard there’s a lot of fishing pressure on those Cutts the past week so maybe we’ll miss that and see some fresh fish when we get back at it starting on Thursday.


Good luck on your next fishing adventure. If you have a question. a report in our local fishing area or have a photo of your catch, send it to nevada@fishreports.com. Hope to see you on the waters. Good fishin' and tight lines.


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