-There was a lot of debris near the inlet after the flows first went up but conditions have improved a bunch lately. Tubers have got into some really nice holdover fish around the launch ramp, and near the dam. Concentrate your efforts while there are shadows on the water, and fish the drop-offs. Keep your streamers and still water nymphing rigs 10-15 feet deep. PV gets warm quick this time of year and the fish tend to go deeper if there is not a lot of flow coming from the inlet at the powerhouse. courtesy of Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com

Lower Owens River Wild Trout Section
(2 miles from Bishop)
courtesy of Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
Lower Owens River: The flows went up, and the quality of fishing went down for a time. The LADWP and Edison are changing release rates at the PV outlet and Bishop Creek hydro plants and this is causing substantial fluctuations in the LO. The DFG has limited planting in the lower sections of the river. There were a bunch of disappointed people fishing at the bridges along the LO for the opening weekends waiting for the “fish trucks” to come by. I am looking into the why of it for sure and will let you know. The wild trout section is still a good choice as long as the flows hold in the 200-250 cfs range. The closer you are to the dam, the quicker the conditions stabilize and the fish adjust to the new levels. Caddis and PMD (pale morning dun) hatches each day dependant on the weather conditions. Nymphing with flash back PT’s, hares ear, and WD-40’s will get results. Once again, I like my crystal olive caddis, or zebra with a copper or black nickel bead head #16-20 as the lower fly on a tandem nymph rig. You will need a couple of BB, or AB shots to get you into the “glory holes”. Look for the fish in the limited riffle water, or at the tailouts of the larger pools. We have had some slow days drifting during the flow increases with the numbers being way off the averages. Conditions look to be stabilizing and we may have a great May shaping up on the LO drift trips. The “TroutZillas” don’t seem to mind the high water as much, and despite the slower fishing we are still getting some really nice rainbows and browns most days while drifting. Check out the “bigs” that got fooled on some recent drift boat trips using the dip and strip method of fishing streamers. Spruce-A-Bu’s and Loebergs have got us into fish using a heavy sinking tip line.
www.sierradrifters.com/fish.htm to view the pics.

Crowley Lake (About 30 minutes north of Bishop)
Fish Report courtesy of Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
The weather has been spanking us during the early parts of the season. The conditions on the lake are currently very good and I fully expect some great fishing as soon as we get a more stable period of weather.Historically the “Mothers Day Hatch” of chironomids has been one of the more memorable periods in the seasonal cycle of Crowley and the weather forecast is looking to align with this event. Look for an earlier than normal “turnover” this season as the ice has been off for a substantial amount of time and although we have had some stormy weather, it has been warmer than usual this spring. I am seeing the “algae buds” already and water temps are climbing daily. You will find concentrations of trout in 11-14 feet in the North Arm, Hilton bays, Sandy Pt, and some excellent snaps at times near Sometimes Bay. There are also some fish in Whiskey Bay and Crooked Creek if you need to get out of the wind. Still water nymphing has been best overall, with the streamer tuggers having a tougher time getting grabs. I suggest you use a full or heavy sinking tip line with a “blood sucking Vanderleech”, or Agent Orange #12-14 trolled and fished slowly near the bottom if you enjoy streamer fishing. Don’t be surprised if you get into a jag of Sacramento Perch while suspending those new “Broke Back” midge patterns, they are in full spawning mode and are holding in the 8-14 foot range. With a little practice and some observation it is not difficult to differentiate the difference between a light perch sip, and the T-bone hit of a Kamloops rainbow. I always say, find reasons to set the hook- not excuses for missing one! As the water temps warm and the chironomids begin to become more prevalent in the trout’s diet you should look to have a good selection of pupa or emerger patterns. Select them as your upper fly. If the hatch is coming off; lift your rig off the bottom a foot or so higher than usual and attach twin emergers. Use larva patterns for the lower fly like tigers and zebras #18-16. Gillies, crystal pupas, and emergers #18-20 are excellent choices for calmer, flat days. If the surface becomes “nervous” or a chop develops try the new Broke Back articulated midge patterns we are offering at the shops that carry our goods, or at our online store. They are truly deadly and work better when they are wiggling. Check out the pics of some early Crowley trips by visiting thier website at:www.sierradrifters.com/fish.htm

Upper Owens and Crowley Tributaries:
(runs a few miles north & east of Bishop)
Fish Report courtesy of Sierra Drifters Guide Service
www.sierradrifters.com
The Upper O has been good for numbers but they are really on the small side on average with a small percentage being quality models. It is still fun on the calmer days and you can get some fine surface caddis activity that makes you disregard the size of the fish. The ranchers are flooding the fields to irrigate the meadows, and there is a drop in flows in the Long Years section, you will see some tannin stained, or off colored water with a good amount of debris in the sections below HC. I have been very surprised by the increase in migrating fish moving up the tribs. There has definitely been an improvement in the numbers of fish in the Crowley tribs after the opener for sure. Worth a look if you are in the area. Flows are still moderate for this time of year and nymphing the gravel beds is a good choice for the schoolies, look at the deep “pits” for the hogs. Egg patterns, San Juan worms, tiger midges, and flash back PT’s will get you into fish. Numbers have also gone up in the section above HC on the UO.