Fishing the Eastern Sierra…
When I moved to the Eastern Sierra, I relished the prospect of living in an area rich in opportunities to fish for trout. My home would be within 20 minutes of the Owens River, less than an hour from Hot Creek and the Upper Owens, and just a short drive from dozens of trailheads that lead into the backcountry. I was sure I would get out as often as I could during the fishing season, leaving work around the house and yard and other chores for the period between November and May.
As with most fantasies, this one has gone somewhat unfulfilled. “As often as possible” does not seem to be often enough. Alas, there are a lot of things that just won’t wait six months for attention. On the other hand, this has been balanced out by the fact that my time turns out to not be limited to a fishing season, as I thought when we loaded up the moving van. Year-round fishing has expanded during my time here, so I can get out every month of the year, fishing iconic waters and exploring warm water fishing that I would have ignored in the past. Mono County provides year-round stream angling for trout, and Inyo County offers the Owens River and a wealth of warm water options. The only limitations are the vagaries of the weather and the outside temperature. Oh, and those obligations and chores still interfere.
Dealing with Conditions
Although it may seem obvious, understand that conditions in the winter and early spring are not the same as in midsummer. First of all, it is cold even when the day looks warm and inviting from the view out the front window. I am unable to count the number of days when I leave home in the belief that I am looking at a warm, sunny day, only the end up scrounging through my car looking for any sort of clothing I can find. Temperatures are going to be in the 40s and 50s, even when it looks nice out.
The eastern Sierra is the home of weather drama. It can cloud up in less than an hour, and the temperature can fall dramatically. Then there are the winds, which seem to arise out of nowhere. The east side is famous for its windy conditions, and the effects of wind chill are not reserved exclusively for Green Bay.
The key to dealing with this is layering, using fabrics that will not become damp with sweat when the sun is out and then chill you to the bone under clouds or in a breeze. Taking off and putting on layers of clothes is just a part of winter fishing here. You have to make yourself take these “extra” garments from the house and then bring them with you when you leave the car. Make sure you have a layer that will defeat the wind. Most light “windbreakers” are not up to the task. You need a fabric that truly blocks the wind while not turning into a sauna, trapping your body heat and moisture. These fabrics are expensive, but the cost is not prohibitive, and they are well worth the investment if you intend to spend time outside in the winter months. Many are light and will be equally useful year-round.
Also, wear a hat. The head is the place where more heat is lost than from any other body part. I wear a watch cap sort of thing that can cover my ears. Add to that a scarf or other piece of clothing that you can use to seal up the gap at your neck, and you are good to go.
Bring and use sunscreen and lip gloss. Winter sun glares off the water and is just as capable of inflicting sunburn in January as in July. If you happen to fish when there is snow on the ground, the reflected sun will fry you without protection. You also need to hydrate. Cold air and wind are very dehydrating, even though you feel cold, not sweaty. Fill up on fluids before you leave and while you are outside.
Finally, be sure you are prepared for sudden changes in weather in terms of your transportation. Make sure you can walk and drive out of a place if the weather turns ugly. Although all-season fishing attracts a lot of anglers, you are still alone out there a lot more often in the winter, so be sure you are not going to need help. If there is snow (don’t we wish), access to Hot Creek can be restricted by closed and locked gates, and parking areas for the upper Owens and the East and West Walker Rivers may be blocked by snowplow berms.
The Fish in Winter
Winter’s colder temperatures and shorter periods of daylight affect the fish, as well as the fisher. The rivers are familiar to me from my summer days, and their structure does not change. However, critical differences occur in temperatures, flows, and food supplies. The habits you have developed when fishing in the summer often are not helpful in the winter. A useful mantra is “Deep and slow.” Colder water lowers the metabolism of the fish, and they become lethargic. Less food is required to sustain the fish, and less energy is available for them to go and get it.
The colder it gets, the more the trout will sink into deeper and slower water where the temperature is more stable. Although there are times when the fish will move out into shallower water, they are not at all distributed in the same ways as during the summer. If fish do move out of the depths, they make their way into the deep sides of current slots, rather than the shallow edges. Although riffles produce insects even in winter, they are not often used by trout during this season. Look for fish along eddy lines on inside bends.
Because sunlight is reduced in both intensity and duration, this, combined with colder water and air temperatures, reduces the variety, size, and volume of trout food. Insect populations are reduced in colder weather by the combination of colder water and shorter days with less intense sunlight. The insects that are present are generally small for their species, so your fly selection should reflect this. Insects swim and move more slowly, too, and take longer to emerge to the surface and to dry and take flight.
Midges predominate. They have the interesting characteristic that the insect is smaller in each life stage. Hence, the larva is larger than the pupa, which is larger than the adult. As the adult struggles to escape the shuck, the shuck often gets caught on the insect, so it increases the apparent size during the emerger stage. The size range would be larva, size 18; pupa, size 20; and adult, size 22, with the emerger actually a size 16. Your fly box should reflect this progression.
The differences in fish behavior and insect availability make all-season angling frustrating to a person like me, for whom fly fishing means casting dry flies. Every year since I began to fall prey to the lure of all-season angling, I have told myself that I will use the winter and early spring to concentrate on and sharpen my nymphing techniques. So far, every year, I have fallen woefully short. In part, this is because I have a difficult time recognizing reality. I tend to want to go out in the nicest weather, am seduced by the sun, and end up casting dries for the sheer pleasure of doing so. In addition, when I do rig up to fish below the surface, I am soon frustrated by my lack of success and revert to form.
I relate this as a warning that if you deliberately fish when there are few, if any, insects on the surface, you need to accept the fact that you are compromising your ability to take fish.
In any event, fishing nymphs is the way to go if you want to take fish. The fly needs to go where the fish are, which means the stream bottom. The fly needs to bounce along down there and drift almost literally into the fish’s nose. There are several strategies that can be employed to do this: using heavily weighted nymphs, applying split shot to the tippet, using a weighted leader section, or fishing a sink-tip line. Many fly fishers employ beadhead patterns and fish a small midge imitation on a dropper beneath a slightly larger pattern such as a Pheasant Tail Nymph, Bird’s Nest, or San Juan Worm. No matter what you chose, if your fly is not tapping on the streambed, you are less likely to hook up. No bottom hang-ups means few fish. The people I see who are successful are fishing short-line drifts: casting a short distance above a holding area, carefully managing a short length of line, and then repeating the process. It helps to divide the pool or run into a grid pattern and then focus on making perfect drifts through each part of the grid. These grids should be sized so that you can maintain the control needed to fish a short line. I prefer to fish upstream, moving a few feet at a time as I work through the grid. These trout are not active. Fish slowly and thoroughly.
Streamers can also be effective, but remember that in the winter, everything slows down. The fly needs to be deep and easily available to the trout. Think about dead-drifting the streamer with or without an indicator. Occasionally twitch the fly along the drift. If you choose to strip the fly, slow the retrieve and allow the streamer to stop and drift back as you bring it in.
Dry-fly fishing isn’t completely out of the question, although it is nearly so in December and January. In the eastern Sierra where I live, there is Baetis hatch activity at the end of autumn and then again as the first signs of spring begin to appear. These insects start to show in the lower Owens in February and later in March in the Mono County streams. The adults are often as large as a size 14 on the lower Owens, and the fish eagerly respond to the return of this surface food as a harbinger of the season to come. Fish this hatch with Blue-Winged Olive, Parachute BWO, and Adams patterns, size 14 to 16, and Baetis emergers, size 16 and 18.
Warmer days on the lower Owens can produce midwinter Trico hatches, and these, in turn, give way to Baetis activity beginning in February. Again, these emergencies are pushed back on the calendar in Mono County. Hatches come without warning, are unreliable in terms of the time of day, and are often as short as 30 minutes in length, so you need to be prepared to make the shift from your nymphing rig to a dry-fly setup as soon as you see or hear the first signs of surface activity.
Where to Go
Mono County has four all-season trout waters. Start at the north end of the county with the West Fork of the Walker River, which is open for fishing from the inlet of Topaz Lake upstream to one mile north of the Sonora Pass junction of Highways 395 and 108. The West Walker is one of my favorite streams, and I have fished it from its headwaters above Levitt Meadow down through the Walker River Canyon. I have not fished the stream at the lower elevations of the canyon through the farmlands of Antelope Valley, but this is the area for winter and early spring fishing. Above the lower canyon section, the river often is frozen over, as it was when I drove by it mid-January this year. As we get closer to the traditional trout opener, more of the river becomes fishable upstream, and it is a good time to fish it before it blows out with spring runoff. Access to the stream may be had from any one of several lateral roads that run east off of Highway 395. The land in Antelope Valley is privately held. Make sure you have permission to be where you want to go. Contact Ken’s Sporting Goods in Bridgeport or any of the motel operators in the Walker-Coleville area for further information. The people in the area are excited to have the river open year-round and will be happy to help you plan your trip. Farther south, the East Fork of the Walker River is open to fishing below the Bridgeport Reservoir dam down to the Nevada border. This is catch-and-release fishing using barbless flies. The East Walker is one of the most manipulated waterways in California, and its flows and overall health are highly variable due to demands of irrigators downstream. When flows are quite low, such as in the range of 20 cubic feet per second, the trout become stressed. This poor river and the fish it holds suffer a lot of indignities, and we should not add to them by taking trout at times of high stress. Check out current conditions before committing to a trip. Again, contact Ken’s Sporting Goods, or the Troutfitter/Trout Fly or Sierra Drifters by phone or Web access. The East Walker often fishes better in the section below the bridge downstream from the dam or in Nevada itself, so keep yourself open to these possibilities.
Near the town of Mammoth Lakes, the upper Owens River and Hot Creek have year-round seasons. The upper Owens is open from the Benton Bridge upstream. There are straggler fish from Crowley Lake in the river until the late winter and early spring, so there are opportunities for a pleasant surprise. Barbless hooks and catch-and-release angling are the rules for both of these streams. Use care in accessing the upper Owens and do not take your vehicle (of any kind) off of the established roads. The upper Owens meadows are soft and wet in the winter and the spring and subject to tire damage from which it takes years for the meadows to recover, if recovery is possible at all. This section is open through the courtesy of the landowner, and that gesture should not be repaid by degrading the surrounding meadows.
Fishing slow and deep is the rule here. Look for trout in the holes in which you cannot see the bottom, and use enough weight to get your offering down to the fish. The upper Owens is not a dryfly stream until well into the early spring. Fish it with streamers such as perch imitations, Woolly Buggers, and Matukas or with nymphs such as red Copper Johns, Prince Nymphs, Flashback Hare’s Ears, Flashback Pheasant Tails, Zebra Midges, San Juan Worms, or black Bird’s Nests.
Hot Creek can have access problems due to snow or wet conditions. On the plus side, freezing temperatures remove the mats of underwater vegetation that can plague the fall angler and open up the stream again. This is a stream that benefits greatly from flushing flows, which did not come this past year. If you are there after one of these flushings, be prepared for an enjoyable time. Water levels are low in the winter, which argues against using streamers. Instead, try patterns such as gray scuds, WD-40s, and Zebra Midges. This creek is filled with scuds and midges, so their imitations are usually my first choice. The stable water temperatures of Hot Creek will also provide dry-fly opportunities as the length of the day increases, moving into spring.
The Owens River Gorge lies between Mammoth and Bishop below Crowley and east of Highway 395. I must admit that I have not fished the gorge very often, leaving it for those younger than I and better suited to the significant altitude gain required to get back out after walking in. This area is popular with climbers, so shops that cater to that pastime can offer detailed advice on winter access to the water. Some of the trails to the gorge are challenging, so get up-to-date information before starting out. Flows in the gorge have recently been stabilized following a court judgment, which suggests improved fishing conditions to come. The river in the gorge is narrow and heavily wooded, with willows and occasional cottonwoods, making access difficult. Many people choose to wade it, rather than struggle with the vegetation for access. Because getting to the water requires some work, this stretch of river offers more in the way of solitude at any time of the year and may be a good option when the other waters are a bit crowded.
In Inyo County, the lower Owens River is available for winter fishing below Pleasant Valley Dam. From the dam to the footbridge at the lower end of the campground, special regulations apply from January 1 to September 30, with no gear restrictions and a two-fish limit. From October 1 through December 31, the regulations specify barbless hooks and catch-and-release fishing. The first 3.3 miles below the bridge are designated as a Wild Trout water and are subject to the catch-and-release and barbless requirements. Below that point, there are no tackle restrictions. The river offers trout from the dam downstream to Collins Road below Bishop. Below Collins Road, the river lacks structure and does not support a trout fishery.
The lower Owens is heavily fished in the winter, particularly in the Wild Trout section, so do not expect to be alone, particularly on weekends. You might want to try any of the many unmarked dirt access roads below the Wild Trout section. The water can be difficult to access because of extensive tule patches, willows, and steep banks, and many people prefer to fish it using their own drift boat or the services of a local guide service.
During the period from mid-November to May, the lower Owens gives you every imaginable fishing experience. Its flows are highly changeable, depending on the nature of the snowpack and the management needs at Pleasant Valley Reservoir and Crowley Lake. Flows can range between 100 to 500 cubic feet per second and are subject to change without notice. Angling is best at levels below 200 cfs, and my favorite flows are in the range of 100 to 150 cfs. At that level, the river is wadeable and a real pleasure to fish. You can get flow information from the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power website in the aqueduct section (see altime/realtimeindexold.htm) or by contacting local guides and fly shops. Because of the wide range of conditions that can be encountered, it is a good idea to check with someone local about what style of fishing is productive and which patterns are working.
Effective fly patterns include Woolly Buggers, WD-40s, Zebra Midges, Prince, Hare’s Ear, and Pheasant Tail Nymphs, San Juan Worms, midge pupa imitations, midge and Baetis emerges, and dry-fly imitations of Baetis, midge, and Trico adults. There are always new fly ideas being tried out on the river that a local guide or fishing store can share with you. I usually fish all these streams with a 4-weight rod and floating line using weighted leaders for the times when I am hunting below the surface.
There are times when the weather and the cold have socked in the trout fisheries or you are just in the mood for a relaxing change of pace. For these occasions, Inyo County offers warm water fishing for bass, catfish, bluegills, and perch. These species are found in the lower Owens River from Collins Road to Diaz Lake, near Lone Pine, and also in numerous small lakes and ponds throughout the county. I have a friend, once a dedicated trout hunter, who has given that up for fishing for bass in the southern county waters. He reports catching numerous fish of a more than decent size and has not been on a trout stream for four years. This is not necessarily my cup of tea, but I have spent some nice spring afternoons casting for bluegills in the ponds near Bishop while on my way to the grocery store.
Several Inyo County organizations and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife have gotten together to produce a map, the Eastern Sierra Family Guide to Warm Water Fishing, which contains directions to about a dozen locations, including how to drive to each spot, what to expect when you get there, and other helpful information. The guide covers Bishop-area waters, including Millpond, the Buckley Ponds, Rawson Ponds 2, 3, and 4, and the Warm Springs Road duck pond. The Black Rock Canal and Goose Lake are located south of Big Pine. Billy Lake is easily reached from Independence, and Pump Back Pond and Diaz Lake are near Lone Pine. These fisheries offer an opportunity to travelers headed up the hill to add something different and challenging to their visits. The map may be found in visitor centers and museums in Inyo County, as well as at the Bishop Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. Contact these visitor centers for additional information or visit bishopvisitor.com or lonepinechamber.org.
It is just too much to ask to keep the fly tackle and the fly caster shut up between the middle of November and Opening Day. Fortunately, if you are prepared, you can fish during this downtime, and a day here and there on the stream can make the winter seem shorter and a lot less dreary. These winter fishing days seem like gifts, and I hope you have a chance to share them.
Winter
All of the winter trout waters noted in this article are subject to special regulations. Generally, fishing is restricted to barbless artificials and limited to catch-and-release angling. Other restrictions apply as to which areas of the streams are open. These are subject to change, so check for any updated information before you make your trip. Even if you frequent the area from the spring through the fall, it is a good idea to get a local update regarding regulations, stream flows, weather forecasts, and current hot patterns. The upper and lower Owens River, Hot Creek, and the East Fork of the Walker River have populations of New Zealand mud snails, so take appropriate precautions if you are in the water. Freeze your waders and or wading shoes before going into another stream.
— Peter Pumphrey
