Welcome to my Eastern Sierra Fly Fishing Report for the middle of May. I have been very busy guiding and enjoying this spring season. We have had some incredible days this year and we are looking at good flows and plenty of fishable water all summer. The Spring melt is starting to really pick up and some of our higher elevation alpine lakes and streams are coming into play. I am getting excited for float tubing on at high elevation, fishing small black ants to rising trout, and beautiful long evening chasing around beautiful trout in clear water.

We have 2 spots left for our 2024 Week Long Golden Trout excursion (July 28th- August 3rd) Join us for an epic back country experience like no other targeting some of the purest strain of Golden Trout on the planet. We are blessed to have these native trout in our region and its a bucket list fish for most serious fly anglers. This trip is all inclusive and supported by a professional trial crew, pack team, and personal chef making our journey as adventurous and comfortable as possible. We will be on foot while our trail crew leads ahead and sets up our camp day by day allowing to focus on fly fishing the entire trip. This excursion requires a certain level of physical ability, as we will be hiking. For a full trip Itinerary CLICK HERE. You have until June 29th to sign up! Give me a call to talk more in detail and see if this is the right trip for you!

Lastly I am booking for July-August, I hate having to turn folks down, so reach out sooner then later as my calendar quickly fills up this time of year. We have options for all types of anglers from first time anglers, to experienced anglers looking to hone their skills or target a specific fish or trophy trout it’s all possible. I look forward to chatting with you! All levels of experience are welcomed and all gear is provided.

-Luke Kinney, Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide

Call- (858) 750 9820

Email- goldentroutguiding@gmail.com

A true trophy trout, the native California golden trout.

Luke Kinney is an Orvis Endorsed Fly Fishing Guide, Read Reviews Here.

Fly Fishing Report

Lower Owens River- The Lower Owens is currently flowing near 600 CFS, which is very high. Too high to fly fish well and very dangerous/impossible to wade. Your best bet is to try and fish the Lower from the bank in the early morning or evenings with dry flies if there are any substantial hatches. I will not be guiding the Lower Owens until flows drop back down in fall which typically happens around October. The Lower was exceptionally good this last season so Im already looking forward to this fall and winter on my local waters.

Bishop Creek/Rock Creek- Our alpine tributaries that flow into the Owens are currently in spring melt, and some of our alpine lakes below 10,000 ft. have already melted out. Both Bishop Creek and Rock Creek have fishable water, especially in the slower bigger pools and trout are rising for a well presented dry fly or dry dropper rig. Use caution while trying to wade during spring as peak flows will easily take you off your footing. I have a feeling this is going to be a fantastic year for our small streams. Last year the higher elevation streams were blown out and raging for most of the summer, this year is much more predictable and by July we will be sitting pretty. Trail heads are already thawing out so soon we will be able to day hike to some of our favorite creeks and lakes off the beaten path. While working these streams this time of year look for that slower moving water and do your best to stay unseen, getting a cast from further away. I think working these streams emphasize what it means to fly fish, hard to reach zones, tight casting, spooky fish, and plenty of top water potential. Right now with the higher flows and the water being cold a dry dropper is a great way to get after some fish. I like running an Olive Foam Caddis (size 16) to a small black or olive zebra midge (18-20) or any small baetis nymph you got in the box (18-20). Other recommended dry flies for this time of year… Pale Morning Dun (16-18), Blue Wing Olive (16-18), Parachute Adams (14-18), Flying Black Ant (16-18). You can also do very well tightlining or Euro Nymphing these creeks, I prefer to use my 7ft 2/3 weight as trying to get in tight zones with a 10 or 11ft rod is frustrating and easy to get caught up. Transform any of your fly fishing rods into a tight lining rig with the Orvis Tactical Nymph Leader there are two options the shorter 12ft leader or the longer 30ft leader. I prefer the longer 30ft leader so that at no point my fly line gets in the way and your fishing fluorocarbon the whole rod length. Spring is also a great time to fish streamers through that faster moving water and in the big pools, small black or olive leech patterns work great, or your classic Wolly Bugger (size 10-12). Good luck out there and enjoy the breathtaking views the high country has to offer. Reach out to line up a small stream specific trip going into this summer season!

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Bishop Creek is looking absolutely stunning. I’ll be guiding and fly fishing Bishop Creek all summer.

Crowley Lake- The bite on Crowley Lake has greatly improved over the last two weeks! This season has gotten off to a great start with Rainbows, Browns, and Cutthroat Trout being caught daily. Fish over 5 lbs seemed to be caught almost everyday which makes crowley a really fun and rewarding experience as you really never know what you might hook into! Right now fish are spread out and so are the boats, Crowley is a big lake so having a guide will help you get to the better locations where trout will be holding. The trout seem to be holding in the deeper water as of now, anywhere from 18-30ft. Midging right off the bottom is the method, as well as fishing leeches higher up on your rig. As far as midges, Albino Wino (16-18), Copper Tiger (16-18) are both solid options. Getting those flies in the right place is the most important aspect to finding success. Getting the boat positioned well, with the slow current or wind direction makes a huge difference. Fish are liking a little movement whether you are mending or lightly jigging your line, it’s usually right after some movement when that bobber goes down. Crowley has a life of its own so committing to a location is usually your best bet. Most days the bite is non-existent until it’s feeding time and you find yourself having a 2-4hr window of feeding trout. Right now there is a sunrise bite very early 7am and a mid morning bite, 9am. Wind is always the biggest issue on Crowley and we finally had a good week of mellow winds, once it picks up past 15 mph, fly fishing becomes extremely difficult. If you haven’t tried still water fly fishing, I highly recommend Crowley Lake! Outside of learning how to play bigger fish Crowley is one of the most scenic and breathtaking lakes in California with views of the Eastern Sierra Mountains unlike any other. The bite and season should only improve as we head into summer, reach out to line up a guided trip for Crowley Lake. I can accommodate two anglers on my boat and would love to show you around and help you get on some nice fish!

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Angler Ryan and his Dad “Pops” double up action on Crowley Lake, man I love this lake!

Upper Owens- The Upper Owens is flowing high with current spring melt but still very fishable. I quite enjoy when the water is a little higher and off color as you can really get on top of those fish without spooking them, not to mention its great for the overall watershed. The spring spawn of cutthroat trout has peaked and as quick as those fish came into the system they will return back into Crowley Lake. There was a lot of beautiful cutthroat trout this year on the Upper Owens, and nice flows to sustain the run. There have been a lot of concern and issues regarding fly fishing for these spawning trout and for good reason. I personally feel the cutthroat have the most sensitive spawning season on the Upper Owens as the duration is short meaning they pile up thick, and the road and regulations are all open making them extremely vulnerable. While guiding this spring season on the Upper Owens we stuck exclusively to deeper pools and cutbanks, allowing the trout on their shallow beds (redds) to be left alone. Most of the time we caught only rainbows and browns, which is fine with me and if we got lucky to catch a big cutthroat while staging in a deep pool then that was an added bonus. The point I’m trying to get to here is that we need to educate ourselves and each other on what a spawning bed looks like, and to avoid them. I know how hard is is to walk past a group of large fish in shallow water, but that is the right thing to do. Let’s do our best to protect the fisheries that we love the most so that not only ourselves but future generations get a chance to enjoy them. Plenty of fish starting to feed higher up in the water column and even taking a well presented adult (dry fly). Fishing above the confluence with a dry dropper rig is super fun right now. I’m running a Stimulator (size 14) to a small Prince Nymph (size 18). Nymphing under an indicator or tight lining is also a great way to get into some fish, especially early in the morning. Make sure your adding the appropriate amount of weight to get those flies down deep especially in the faster moving water. Fishing is best in the morning from around 8am-Noon, then it’s getting warm, wind usually picks up and feeding slows down. Evenings can be good as well if the wind allows, from 5pm-Sunset. Always fun to fish streamers on the Upper Owens, I like to stand upstream above a big bend or deep run and get a diagonal downstream cast allowing tension to the line the entire drift, and retrieve back to yourself. Streamer fishing is generally a slower day but a great way to stay engaged and target some bigger residential trout. As we move closer into summer I will only be guiding half days on the Upper Owens in the morning as the water temps and fishing will significantly slow down as the heat of the day sets in. We are getting very close to top water season on the Upper Owens with hatches of midges, baetis (mayflies), and caddis throughout the morning. Its a great river to dial in your dry fly game. Give me a call or email to line up a guided trip.

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Angler Carly on a perfect Upper Owens Brown Trout.

Hot Creek- Hot Creek is fishing ok, with some days being better than others. Hot Creek is a humbling fishery if you are not matching the hatch and getting the right flies in the water, and everyday is different. Sometimes those fish want a streamer other days they want a size 20 olive baetis nymph. The best days are when there is a solid hatch and they are feeding on the surface which is much more predictable then trying to find right nymph. That being said running a dry dropper is pretty much my go to set up for Hot Creek, especially in the canyon. If your not getting strikes either on the Dry Fly or the Nymph/Midge below change it up until it works, that’s the game at hot creek. I usually start with a size 16 Elk Hair Caddis, to a size 18 Chartreuse Copper John or Small Baetis Nymph (18-20). The flows are up and the water is slightly off color, fishing are holding anywhere there is a current break. Look to cast into those small channels, behind boulders, on the seams or the slower pools where trout don’t have to work as hard to feed. The interpretive site seems to be fishing well, if you can find a section of river to yourself. Fishing heavier nymphs and streamers is a good option for that water right now. I like to Euro Nymph the Interpretive Site and cover every inch of water in those bigger holes. If you show up on a windy day, which has been most of this spring haha, fishing under an indicator is the call. Please keep out the water at Hot Creek, the reason why Hot Creek remains the incredible fishery is because of the effort anglers put in the keep it untouched and pristine. I think it makes it more challenging and fun to have to get a 30ft. cast behind a small boulder to hook up with that 16 inch brown feeding on mayflies an giving you the finger haha! It only makes us better anglers in the long run. Good luck and have fun out there, reach out to book a morning trip at Hot Creek!

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East Walker River- The East Walker River is slowly dropping in flows and is currently at 230 CFS which is still excellent flows. I prefer anything above 200 CFS on the East Walker, keeps the water colder, the fish spreads out and the pressure down in certain areas. We will have to see how long the East Walker stays high enough in flows to fish ethically. I wll fish the East Walker as long as flows are above 100 CFS and once it gets below that I am finding new rivers to fish. By that point Im fired up to fish higher elevation creeks and streams, which I personally love. Keep an eye on the flows on my website under (Current CFS) before making the trip to the East Walker. As far as fishing the river has seen a lot of anglers and pressure over the last two months so the fly fishing has slowed down, but still plenty of nice fish being caught. If you spend some time adventuring around the East Walker and getting into some of those harder to reach areas you will be rewarded. I highly recommend going with a buddy if you don’t feel confident wading by yourself. The East Walker is notoriously slippery and challenging to wade, we all go down at one point in that river haha. The East Walker at this point is a nymphing or streamer fishing game. Im not seeing too much top water action at all, trout occasionally rise, but you gotta have near to perfect presentation to get them to take a dry. Still a worthy battle in my book, especially if the nymphing bite is slow and that 20 inch brown is taunting you on the other side of the river, why not give him a big old hopper or caddis to think about? With the abundance of small baitfish in the East Walker look for the slow water on the edge of the seams, trout will literally hold in 1 ft of water right by the drop off and faster water picking of bugs, getting a solid drift is the hardest part. Recommended nymphs for the East Walker Prince Nymph (14-16), Perdigon (16-18), Hares Ears (14-18), Pheasant Tails (16-18), and the Duracell (16-18). Don’t expect to get the river to yourself this time of year, get there early and spend a good amount of time working your zone. Brown trout are particularly stubborn, especially those bigger ones and you might put that fly in front of it 100 times before it takes it. My advice, if the water looks and feels fishy let it hunt! Reach out to book a guided trip on the East Walker.

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Whats dreams are made of, Angler Rory found himself hooked up on a personal best Brown Trout.

Thanks for stopping by for my Eastern Sierra fly fishing report! Wishing everyone a happy warm season and beautiful days on and off the river. Please feel to reach out if you have any questions on the report. We are all a community of anglers, let’s help each other out.

-Luke Kinney

Romans 5: 3-5 “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they will help us develop endurance. And endurance develops character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”