Mammoth Lakes sits just above the fly fishing legend of a river, the Upper Owens. The vast volcanic field surrounding the Upper Owens has grown some reasonably tall grass with the heat and wet field, resulting in various shades of yellows and greens for the time being. The Upper Owens Riverbed is wide enough for this not to be a casting issue for the fly angler. Flows are substantially higher above Hot Creek confluence. Check out this LADWP link https://wsoweb.ladwp.com/Aqueduct/realtime/lvrealtime.htm Of course water will be much clearer and more manageable above the Confluence at this time, as you can see the flows are almost double below. We haven’t quite seen the hopper population burst out of control yet like we are wishing for, but we are still hopeful that this is going to happen. As for now, fish it with attractor nymphs, lots of attractor dry fly patterns, and a variety of streamers. Hatches are inconsistent but can pop up in any part of the river with no rhyme or reason. Crowds have not been an issue as of late and some days we will not see a soul for an hour or two. Water Clarity is improving and we appear to be on the downside of the severe runoff.

Call or text the STM Fly Shop in Bishop at 760.873.0010 for more details or to book a guided tour.