Welcome to my Eastern Sierra fly fishing report for mid October! It has been an incredible fall season so far this year. From nice flows, cooler water temps, healthy rivers and fresh snowfall up high we are off to a fantastic shoulder season. Heading into winter is an exciting time for Eastern Sierra fly fishers as crowds slow down, more waters open up and trophy trout start moving upstream for winter spawning. Winter is actually my favorite time to fish both the Lower and Upper Owens as flows stabilize, and the excruciating summer heat fades away. It’s time for nymphing, streamer fishing, and catching that mid day rising trout on tiny mayflies. Closing day for general trout season is Nov 15th, so the focus of these fall and winter reports will be primarily on the Owens River.

I am currently booking through December with my calendar starting to fill up! The Lower Owens will be primo going into December, and then it’s time for trophy hunting big rainbows on the Upper Owens Jan-March for their winter migration. I will be focusing my guiding this winter season with Streamer fishing and Euro Nymphing. Both are great ways to get flies down deep and target bigger fish in tight places. If you are looking to line up an awesome winter fly fishing experience please don’t hesitate to reach and and we can chat about lining something awesome up. Wishing everyone a great fall and holiday season, blessings and tight lines!

-Luke Kinney, Guide and Owner.

Call to book a winter fly fishing trip (858) 750 9820

Email Us- goldentroutguiding@gmail.com

Fall on Bishop Creek is stunning to say the least, the fishing slows down but its always worth a visit and some time on the river.

UPDATES AND FUTURE PROGRAMS

We got some new merch in just in time for the hoodie season! We have sold out of certain items already. CLICK the LINK to grab one before we sell out. We have limited availability

We are getting fired up for out 2025 Fall Fly Fishing Clinic which is Sold Out this year once again! We are looking forward to a full weekend of learning together on the Owens River and at the beautiful Elani Lodge. See you all very soon.

New Zealand 2026 is going to be amazing and is currently SOLD OUT, we will have more opportunities for hosted trips in NZ within the coming few months so standby. Join us for some of the best trout fishing on the planet in the most amazing scenery.

2026 Golden Trout Excursions are in planning. We are currently taking people on our waitlist for next summers Golden Trout week long backcountry trips. We will be hosting two trips for the Summer of 2026! If you wish to join the waitlist please email us HERE with your information and you will be the first to be notified when we start booking and taking deposits. We already have close to 20 folks on the waitlist so when we announce booking it will be first come first serve. Standby!

Trip One; TBD (9 Spots Available)

Trip Two; 7/26-8/1 (9 Spots Available)

JOIN WAITLIST HERE

7 DAYS 6 NIGHTS IN THE BEAUTIFUL WILDERNESS FISHING FOR SOME OF THE WORLD’S PUREST STRAIN OF GOLDEN TROUT. THIS IS THE ULTIMATE SMALL STREAM BUCKET LIST EXPERIENCE FOR ANY SERIOUS ANGLER.

In partnership with McGee Creek Pack Station, Eastern Sierra Spot Fishing and USFS.

In accordance with Federal law and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) civil rights regulations and policies, McGee Creek Pack Station, LLC and Golden Trout Guiding Co. does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, disability, and reprisal or retaliation for prior civil rights activity.

Golden Trout Guiding Co. is operating under permit from USDA Forest Service under McGee Creek Pack Station Station’s Special Use Permit on the Inyo National Forest

FLY FISHING REPORT

Lower Owens River- The Lower Owens is currently flowing at (90 CFS) which is prime time wading flows for exploring most of the river and getting into harder to reach zones. The Lower Owens in October is one of the best months of the year as people are just starting to get back on the Lower, plenty of bug life happening, and it’s still warm enough to get hatch cycles moving. What most people don’t understand and I find myself explaining often is the Lower Owens is a shoulder season fishery with its best months being fall-winter-and early spring. We are lucky to have such a fantastic winter fishery so close to home, with beautiful healthy amounts of wild brown trout mixed in with rainbows. During summer the Lower Owens flows come up as it is controlled by DWP and the water gets warm (70 degrees+) this makes the Lower Owens a poor summer fishery. That all changes come October as DWP lowers flows to conserve water for the next summer, making the river more accesible. The water temps also drop drastically getting into the range of perfect trout temperatures for metabolizing food and active feeding (52-56 degrees) and stay there all winter long. What’s incredible about the Lower Owens is the high desert setting, where in mammoth there could be 3 ft of fresh snow, but down on the Lower Owens you are fishing in the sun just below the snow level in the middle of february. Its something any angler should experience this winter a great place to get your fix of good fly fishing while waiting for the summer season ahead. The Lower Owens is a mixture of pocket water, deep bends, cut banks, and runs. Working nymphs and streamers heading into the colder months are the best ways to target fish. The most popular section of the Lower Owens is the Wild Trout Section, which is 13 miles of protected catch and release (barbless) fishing. This section host fish from 8-18 inches with the average fish size being around 10 inches, although bigger models are caught every day in that section. The Lower Owens continues well below BIshop, Ca eventually leading into Tinemaha Reservoir. The further south you fish the Lower Owens the least amount of access and fewer potential fish in the system, although a healthy amount of largemouth bass and carp can be caught around the Big Pine area. Explore these zones with caution, you might be surprised the quality of trout you get into off the beaten path. The Lower Owens is one of my favorite rivers in CA and I have an intimate relationship with the river, as I’ve spent years learning it well. Let me guide you on my homewaters, and show you how to get into the action on the Lower Owens. Some recommended flies as of now as far as nymphs, Gold Bead Head Hare’s Ears (16-18), Duracell, Purple or Olive (16-18), Flashback Pheasant Tail (14-18), Perdigons in various colors, especially in the faster pocket water (16-18). When the days are warmer on the Lower Owens I prefer to fish buggier flies like the hares ears, when its cold I go with slimmer and flashier flies like the perdigon’s or small midges. We have been having great days on the Lower Owens! Good luck out there and reach out to book a private guided trip experience.

BOOK THE LOWER OWENS

Brandon Biro learning the art of nymphing! Brandon put 30 fish in the net. Getting the right depth correct, always adjusting and covering water.

Brandon VB and I have been on plenty of awesome trips! Here he is off the beaten path fishing a nice wild brown on the Euro Rod.

Kayden from the Santa Cruz fly fishing club had a blast learning how to tight line with us!!

Damon is a passionate angler, it was a blast showing him around the Lower Owens! Nice rainbow to finish the day.

The Central Gorge- The Central Gorge is the canyon section that cuts its way from the outlet of Crowley Lake all the way to Pleasant Valley Reservoir. The Central Gorge is a great place to spend that day exploring, getting off the beaten path, check out some rock climbers, and get into some great fly fishing! This is the time of year I start guiding the central gorge and exploring the canyon for myself. The stinging nettle is dying off with these colder nights, the rattlesnakes are moving into hibernation and the flows are perfect for wading in the technical waters. This zone is TIGHT and at time technical, depends on how adventurous you are willing to get. There are a few common entrances to the central gorge, the Lower, the Middle, and the Upper these areas require a certain level of hiking ability and confidence on loose rock. The central gorge is not recommended for those with knee issues or back issues, as just getting to the river is a proper hike. The CG is great for nymphing, and dry fly fishing most of the year. I would consider the CG a small stream, with some spots being very hard to impossible to get a cast in due to the thick bushes and locked in areas. Euro Nymphing is by far the most productive way of catching fish down in the CG, as most of the stream holds big boulders and tight zones to get a nymph through. Euro Nymphing allows you to work areas of the stream where fishing under an indicator or dry dropper just simply can’t, with more accurate control of depth, drift, and presentation. Being able to lift your flies up over a boulder in the water drop them back down into the feeding zone is clutch in the canyon section. Casting between rocks and shelves will pull fish put to feed on the fly and fool many trout hanging on the bottom. I like running a two fly nymph rig down In the CG, typically a perdigon as my point fly and a small hares ears or frenchie above off a tag end. If you don’t understand this terminology don’t sweat it, its less complicated then you might think and hiring a guide will help you learn these techniques for nymphing setting you up for a future of success and more hookups. The CG is an awesome place to fish a dry dropper mid day when the sun is highest and the bugs come out. Fishing a larger caddis (14-16) to a nymph like a small copper john (18-20) or baetis nymph (18-20) is a great rigging set up for this time of year. As things get colder, fish will stay deeper in the water and working nymphs will be the go to for the remainder of the year. As far as particular flies, don’t overthink it down there, as long as you can get that fly in front of those fish feeding chances are high they will go for an eat. That being said smaller is better down there sizes (14-18) is a good range. If you love exploring new zones and getting away from people the central gorge is a good option this fall and winter season. I would love to take you down into the Canyon and show you around, I LOVE IT down there.

BOOK THE CENTRAL GORGE

This picture cracks me up, young man looking fierce! Doubled up in the central gorge. Epic haha.

The fish in the central gorge, especially the Browns are next level beautiful.

Upper Owens River- The flows on the Upper Owens are healthy around 100 CFS above the Hot Creek Confluence and 109 CFS below. The flows have come up slightly since this last storm that moved through bringing a few inches of snow up high and rain down low, but have stabilized already. The Upper Owens during fall is a fantastic fishery, beautiful scenery, less crowds, and the occasional trophy trout cruising the system. This time of year the Brown Trout start spawning upstream making their annual pilgrimage towards the upper reaches of the river. Be careful to avoid actively spawning trout on their beds. Spawning trout post up in the shallows usually in pairs, in very obvious positions. If you see a monster fish in two feet of water and it doesnt care much for you or spook off, avoid the urge to cast for it. Stick to the deep bends, runs an cutbanks while fishing for trophy Browns and Rainbows on the Upper Owens. Every year is different as far as the amount of fish moving into the system, don’t expect quantity while fishing the Upper Owens but put the proper time in and you will have a shot at Quality. The Upper Owens is a pressured and beautiful fishery with easy access and plenty of willing anglers covering water so being patient, changing flies, watching the water and moving slow is key to success! Weekends tend to be very busy this time of year, so weekdays you can expect to see less anglers and crowds. My Golden Rule on the Upper is at least 3 bends between parties or at least a long run. If you are working upstream and passing someone make sure you avoid “High Holing” by passing and immediately fishing the next bend. That is a big NO NO in the world of fly fishing. Give proper space (3 bends min) when passing upstream. Communication is great while fishing the Upper, being friendly, asking about someone’s day, offering a fly choice that’s working creates a better environment for everyone. I find the trophy brown trout spawn to be the most difficult to fish and find success and they migrate in smaller numbers then the rainbows and cutthroat, and are individualistic by nature as far as trout go. That being said don’t be afraid to fish some bigger flies like the Girdle Bug (12), Prince Nymph (12-14), Balanced Leech, Olive or Black (12), and Squirmy Worm (12) this time of year. These fish see a lot of the same flies all year so get creative and change out your bugs if you aren’t getting any takers. There is still some decent dry fly action mid day with tiny tiny mayflies and some larger october caddis hatching around 10am-2pm and again in the evening around 4pm. The warmer days will see more bug action and fishing streamers midday is my favorite way to cover water on the Upper Owens! I get pretty bored of looking at a bobber, Id much rather swing some bigger flies feel those big tugs on a streamer eat. I will be focusing my guiding on streamer fishing this winter on the Upper Owens and would love to get you up to speed on swinging flies, rigging for streamers, and techniques that you can use on most waters across the country and world. I feel like streamer fishing is very much like hunting, the simplicity of one fly, covering water and searching for those bigger models gets me fired up! The snow is already melted on the Upper Owens and its good to go. As we head into winter the road could close at any moment with the right storm, causing anglers to either hike in, snowshoe, ski, or take a sled to the upper reaches of the river. In my opinion that’s prime time for the Upper Owens and the trophy rainbows! Praying for a big winter, lots of snow and lots of fish. Well see how it pans out, but I’ll do my best to keep everyone posted. Hiring a guide on the Upper Owens is a great way to learn the river, and increase your chances of hooking into some proper fish. I live 15 mins away from the Upper and spend all year guiding the river, I would love to show you around! Reach out to book a guided trip this fall/winter.

BOOK THE UPPER OWENS

A classic winter day after a big storm on the Upper Owens! We are looking forward to this.

Rob during one of our fall clinics! Holking up with a beautiful browns, one of the best Ive seen in that river.

Stephen Woj with a UNIT during winter (feburary) on the Upper Owens.

Thanks for stopping by to read my Eastern Sierra Fishing report! I appreciate everyone who follows and subscribes to this report and my socials. Fly fishing is a lifetime endeavor and a never ending learning process, don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions on the report or would like to talk about lining up a guided trip for this winter. Cheers and tight lines!

-Luke Kinney

Me and my buddy Roger in the backcountry this last summer! Chasing Gold, so many awesome memories.

If you are feeling broken, lost, suicidal, empty, depressed or lacking peace there is one who wants to come and meet you where you are. Jesus Christ came into my life and took me from not wanting to wake up in the morning, wishing to be dead, to having excitement for each new day. He turns our weakness into strength and freely offers his love to anyone willing to receive it. I can only speak on my experience, ask him in for yourself. Hang in there, you are loved and there is hope.

-Luke

Matthew 17: 20

“Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there”, and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

Check out this Sermon from Brennan Manning, it changed my life, praying it will touch your heart as well.

Fly Fishing Report 10/16/2025