Fish Report - January 7th
Fish Report 1.7.2025
Weather & General Report for Eastern Sierra
Temperature report
Mammoth Airport: highs in the low 40’s and lows in the upper teens warming to 50’s and low 20’s.
Lower Owens: Highs in the low 60’s and lows in the low to mid 30’s.
Weather report
Unsettled with a small storm Monday/Tuesday and then a warming trend throughout the coming week.
Not much change in the fish report this week. As per usual for this time of year, DWP is running water through the tunnel out of Grant Lake into the Upper Owens. The flows have started dropping, now down to 106 cfs. On the Lower Owens the flows have dropped down to the 120’s and have been stable for several weeks.
Flows & Water Conditions: Good but going up
CFS: 106
Click Here For Upper Owens Flow Rates
Fishing Report & Conditions: Fair-Good
The Owens River below Benton Crossing is closed until next spring.
The water has cleared up some and besides the ever present midges there are some micro caddis hatching as well. If size is not important you can pick up some 6”-8” browns on dry flies. With little in the way of hatches the bigger fish are eating larger attractor patterns. The Coleman rainbow is the spawning fish right now but in the next couple of weeks they will start heading back to the lake. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this strain of rainbows is no longer being stocked so all we’ve got are from the natural spawn. And yes the crowds are bad but with better road access now the crowds are moving upstream as well.
| Flies | Type |
|---|---|
| Extended body BWO #16-22 | Adult Midge Patterns #20-24 | | Dries |
| Bead Head Flashback Pheasant Tail #14-22 | HDA Fav Variant #12-16 | Chamois Caddis #16-20 | M/Pardi F/B Olive or Brown #18-20 | Weiss BP Light #18-20 | Slush Egg Apricot #14 | EZ Fl. S/Burst #20 | Squirmy Wormy #12-14 | Zebra Midges #16-24 | Nymphs |
|
Keslars H/B/G Olive | Punk Perch #16 | Crostons MRS Natural #12 | |
Streamers |
Flows & Water Conditions: Low and clear, but perfect
CFS: 123
Click Here For Lower Owens Flow Rates
Fishing Report & Conditions: Improving
The weather is looking stable for the next week as well as warming up nicely. After a cold, windy and nasty weekend fishing is already picking back up but there’s still no reason to get out there early.The flows have dropped to the 120’s and have stabilized for several weeks. The midge hatches are still strong but with the cold snap the other hatches have faded, although there are still caddis hatching when it warms up, anywhere in size from #16’s to the mid 20’s. There are still a few BWO but I wouldn’t expect much. The normal winter pattern is for them to disappear sometime in December and then reappear in February. Some nice 8-13” Browns but the main characters are the Rainbows. Most of them are small, around 6” but they are wild, fat, and everywhere - a good sign for the future but we are also seeing some bigger Rainbows in the 12 -16 inch range and in the last week up to 20”. With the colder temperatures over the last weekend the fishing had slowed down but the last couple of days it has picked right back up with the warming temperatures.
| Flies | Type |
|---|---|
| Brooks CDC Baetis #18-20 | Parachute Extended BWO #16-20 | Mimic May Johnson BWO #16-20 | No See Um Baetis Hi-Vis #16 | | Dries |
| Tungsten Jig Baetis #14-18 | Tungsten Phase II #14-18 | Zebra Midge #18-22 | Tungsten Stud Olive #16-18 | Master Epoxy Baetis #16-20 | | Nymphs |
| assorted buggers and smaller streamers | Streamers |
Flows & Water Conditions: Clear
CFS: 20
Click Here For East Walker Flow Rates
Fishing Report & Conditions:fair
The East Walker is tapering off with low flows. Fishing is not reccomended, however fish are still being caught below the bridge.
| Flies | Type |
|---|---|
| #16-18 Parachute Adams | #18-20 BWO | Dries |
| #16-18 Pheasant Tail | #16-20 Lightning Bug | Nymphs |
| #10-12 Woolly Bugger | #10-12 Sculpin Patterns | Streamers |
Flows & Water Conditions: Good
CFS: Variable
Fishing in Mammoth Lakes has been good lately. Keep in mind that the gate to the lakes basin may close due to weather. Try using small midges and streamers to catch fish.
| Flies | Type |
|---|---|
| #18-20 Midge | #16-18 Caddis | Dries |
| #16-18 Hares Ear | #16-20 Zebra Midge | Nymphs |
| #10-12 Olive Woolly Bugger | Streamers |
Flows & Water Conditions: Closed for the season
CFS: Varies
| Flies | Type |
|---|---|
| #18-20 Midge | #16-18 Hopper | Dries |
| #16-20 Pheasant Tail | #16-20 Copper John | Nymphs |
| #10-12 Sculpin Patterns | #10-12 Olive Woolly Bugger | Streamers |
Flows & Water Conditions: Fair; The weed beds in the canyon have dropped dramatically with the water cooling down. The increase in recorded flows is probably due to ice at the gauging station.
CFS: 17
Access to the canyon has improved, we’ll just have to see how much this week’s weather changes that
Trico hatches are over, BWO and Caddis hatches will be ending soon.
The Interpretive Site has been doing well but be careful both here and in the canyon to avoid Redds and any fish around them, another reason not to wade. Hatches have been primarily midges so midge pupa and emerger patterns as well as scud, egg and worm patterns.
| Flies | Type |
|---|---|
| Brooks CDC Baetis #18-20 | Parachute Extended BWO #16-20 | Mimic May Johnson BWO #16-20 | No See Um Baetis Hi-Vis #16 | | Dries |
| HDA Fav #14-16 | Expecting Scud #16-18 | M/Pardi F/B Olive or Brown #18-20 | Weiss BP Light #18-20 | Zebra Midge #22-24 | T-Midge #22-24 | Real Midge #22-24 | | Nymphs |
| Kesslars H/B/S Olive & Natural #12 | | Streamers |