Reservoir · Volcanic · Eastern Sierra, US

Crowley Lake

Crowley Lake — McKee Creek View, Crowley Lake, Sierra Nevada 9-17

Crowley is the Eastern Sierra's stillwater headliner — a big, wind-swept reservoir in Long Valley that grows fat rainbows and browns on a near-endless chironomid buffet.

Fair · Rainbow
Balanced Leech · 8-12
Fairlive now
Reasonable autumn fishing likely at Crowley Lake
Good wave on — drift country. A useful wave. Work the productive shore.
56% confidence

Crowley Lake is often best in spring through autumn.

What moved it
  • WindE 6 km/hLight breeze · Gusts to 10 km/h
Today's fly
Balanced Leech
Balanced Leech8-12
Proven pattern for this period
Conditions on the water
Estimate
Wind
Light breeze · Gusts to 10 km/h
E 6 km/h
N
E
from the east
WaveRipple
Water temp9.7°C
Air temp10°C
CloudClear
Pressure1027 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — readings are regional estimates from weather, not a live gauge.

How to fish it · for Rainbow
When
Current conditions suit Crowley Lake well for autumn tactics. The ripple should help fish move and feed more confidently.
Where
Start with Viva (10-12) on a figure-of-eight with occasional strip. Early in the day, try buzzers on a slow figure-of-eight or a booby on a fast-sink line near the bottom. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. When no hatch is visible, a buzzer team — black stripped quill on the point, attractor or pearl-rib on the top dropper — is the default starting point on any UK stillwater.
The plan
Plan A

Start with Viva (10-12) on a figure-of-eight with occasional strip. Early in the day, try buzzers on a slow figure-of-eight or a booby on a fast-sink line near the bottom. Rainbows respond to more active retrieves — try short strips between pauses. When no hatch is visible, a buzzer team — black stripped quill on the point, attractor or pearl-rib on the top dropper — is the default starting point on any UK stillwater.

Plan B

A fry-imitating pattern stripped through the margins can save a blank in autumn.

Watch for

Keep an eye on changing conditions — wind shifts and cloud breaks can trigger short feeding spells.

Either bank or boat

Good ripple suits both bank and boat. Bank: work inflows, dam walls, and points. Boat: broadside drift covering wind lanes.

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Gray DrakeHatch
2
2
CallibaetisHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Hexagenia (Western)Hatch
2
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
Rainbow fly box
CH
Chironomid
12-16 · Pattern
Proven pattern for this period
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • General season opens late April; a catch-and-release special-regulation window applies in late summer/autumn — verify current dates and rules against CDFW
  • Boat inspection/launch (quagga) requirements apply — verify before promoting boat access.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Condition match
78%
Cloud25%
Wind100%
Temp100%

A good match for Crowley Lake — most conditions are close to what it fishes best in.

Fishing better nearby · 5
Owens River Gorge / Pleasant Valley
12 km
75
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Upper San Joaquin River
31 km
75
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Upper Owens River
9.0 km
65
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
McGee Creek
9.0 km
64
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Hot Creek
9.0 km
0
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Crowley Lake — McKee Creek View, Crowley Lake, Sierra Nevada 9-17
    McKee Creek View, Crowley Lake, Sierra Nevada 9-17
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Crowley is the Eastern Sierra's stillwater headliner — a big, wind-swept reservoir in Long Valley that grows fat rainbows and browns on a near-endless chironomid buffet. The classic Crowley method is a static chironomid hung at depth under an indicator from an anchored boat, and the whole game is finding the band the fish are feeding in and getting your bugs to sit in it. It opens busy and bait-friendly, then turns to catch-and-release stillwater fly water in late summer and autumn when the perch-fry and chironomid fishing peaks. Wind is the wild card — it can blow you off the lake, so watch the forecast and pick your morning. A boat or tube lake; the shore game is limited.

  • Reservoir
  • Volcanic
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Crowley Lake' (CAL6031009019980806103521), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Oxygen Depletion, Ammonia, Mercury. 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) · CAL6031009019980806103521

Why this score
  • Wind conditions (ripple) closely match what this water fishes best in.
  • Temperature (cool) is in the sweet spot for autumn fishing.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout Last Saturday in April → 31 December
Related guides
Big Stillwater Playbookreservoir tacticsReservoir Entomologymatching the hatchThermal Layers & Troutreading depth and temperature
Booking & contacts