Inyo County Fishing Information 🐟

[admin]

LOWER OWENS RIVER
Wild Trout Section:
Pleasant Valley Dam Road is now open to Pleasant Valley Reservoir. Chalk Bluff Road is open to the cattle grate at the bottom end of Pleasant Valley Campground. City of Los Angeles is pumping water down the Owens River. The spawning channel is flowing like a river once again. Fly fishers can try fishing with streamers or lots of weight on their nymph rigs. Fishing right now is tough and I’m not going to fish in these high flows.

HOT CREEK
upper owens interpretive site
Way out in the background at the base of the hill is the interpretive site buried in four to five feet of snow with a layer of fresh powder on top.

Interpretive Site:
Hot Creek Hatchery Road is now open to Hot Creek Ranch. There is enough parking at the end of Hot Creek Hatchery Road, end of plowing, for four vehicles. There are no tracks into the interpretive site and there is a four to five-foot wall of snow to scale to get on top of the snow to walk out. It is not doable without snowshoes. I’m rating this as inaccessible at this time.

Canyon Section:
The walk into the canyon section had a trail and was easier then accessing the interpretive site. I saw a number of tourist walking out the trail without snowshoes. I think getting in and out of the canyon is going to require lots of work. Access to the canyon is only for the energetic angler willing to work to get into the canyon to fly fish.

UPPER OWENS RIVER
Above Benton Crossing Bridge:
No access to the upper Owens River as Benton Crossing Road continues to be closed at the Green Church. Road crews are continuing to work on the road, snow storms allowing.

BISHOP CREEK CANAL
Behind the Ford Dealer:
Flows are up and the water was clear enough for me to try fishing for a couple of hours. The faster water sections did not produce any fish. Working the slower pools and flats in the canal produced a nice rainbow on a perdigon. Rainbow trout seem to be suckers for brightly colored flies. Bishop Creek above the canal produced three wild brown trout that took the stoner and the pheasant tail nymph.

OWENS RIVER GORGE
Upper and Middle Gorge:
The road to the gorge is closed and there is no access for fly fishers at this time. Flows in the gorge are running above 500 CFS which is making it unsafe to fly fish in the gorge at this time.

TUESDAY TALKS WITH FRED:
Fred Rowe has been meeting clients, locals, and social media followers every Tuesday from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 A.M. at Mahogany Smoked Meats on 2345 N. Sierra HWY. They just hang out with everyone talking about fly fishing in the Eastern Sierra and munching on a burrito. The only time he’s not there is when he’s off guiding. All levels of anglers are welcome.

Fred Rowe owns Sierra Bright Dot Fly Fishing Guide Service. He teaches fly fishing and fly tying. He is one of the original fly fishing guides in the Eastern Sierra guiding from Bishop to Bridgeport. He is an avid hunter who loves to hunt birds, especially waterfowl. Fred can be reached at (760) 920-8325, http://sierrabrightdot.com

[Carpkiller]

Okay, technically in Madera County. Hoping to get a camping spot in the valley in early August. Gonna be swampy and buggy, no doubt.

Reds Meadow area update
Subscribe RSS Icon | What is RSSDate: July 26, 2023
MAMMOTH LAKES, CA July 26, 2023 — Reds Meadow Road opened on Friday, July 21 to provide access to Rainbow Falls, Reds Meadow Resort, recreation sites and trailheads in the Reds Meadow Valley. Devils Postpile National Monument will open on Thursday, July 27.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/depo/learn/news/red ... e-2023.htm

[DarkShadow]

Okay, technically in Madera County. Hoping to get a camping spot in the valley in early August. Gonna be swampy and buggy, no doubt.

Reds Meadow area update
Subscribe RSS Icon | What is RSSDate: July 26, 2023
MAMMOTH LAKES, CA July 26, 2023 — Reds Meadow Road opened on Friday, July 21 to provide access to Rainbow Falls, Reds Meadow Resort, recreation sites and trailheads in the Reds Meadow Valley. Devils Postpile National Monument will open on Thursday, July 27.

Source: https://www.nps.gov/depo/learn/news/red ... e-2023.htm

One of the hidden gems in the Sierras. Far enough so you don't get too many people, and close enough that you can drive in if you know what you're doing.