Tailwater · Mixed · Eastern Sierra

East Walker River

Sunlight sparkling across the East Walker River near Bridgeport with autumn shrubs lining the bank.
Prime · Brown Trout
Sparkle Dun · 14-18
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River dropping into shape after a lift. The kind of afternoon you remember — a weighted nymph through the clearing seams, the dry as it settles.
75% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.00 mDropping after lift
  • Water temp10.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
SD
Sparkle Dun14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.00 m
Dropping after lift
Water temp10.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather23°C
WindSW 7 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead2.6 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Brown Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is working for you, but time of day is the limiting factor today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Brown Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Special-regulation tailwater — verify current CDFW rules (historically 18" min, artificial/barbless) and the CA/NV reach split
  • TEMPERATURE: no live USGS water temp at 10293000 — temperature is estimated, not measured
  • THERMAL CAUTION: Bridgeport Reservoir is shallow and the release is not reliably cold; be conservative on summer welfare
  • Autumn brown spawning — handle trophies with care.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Bridgeport Reservoir
1.0 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Robinson Creek / Twin Lakes (Bridgeport)
18 km
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
West Walker River
23 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Heenan Lake
55 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Rush Creek
57 km
80
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Sunlight sparkling across the East Walker River near Bridgeport with autumn shrubs lining the bank.
    The East Walker in autumn
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'East Walker River, below Bridgeport Reservoir' (CAR6301001020011204100242), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Sediment, Nutrients, Oxygen Depletion, Metals Other Than Mercury, Turbidity. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAR6301001020011204100242

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 75%
How the 81 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 81
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts