Freestone · Mixed · Eastern Sierra

McGee Creek

McGee Creek is a small, pretty Eastern Sierra freestone dropping out of a glacial canyon into the Long Valley flats near Crowley — more a hike-and-explore creek than a destination river, and all the better for it.

Species

About as good as it gets

Low and clear — careful approach country. Take your time — read the water before you cast.

90% confidence in this read
Water temperature for brown trout
Ideal
14°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°
Why this score · for brown trout
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time8013% weight
  • Pressure807% weight
  • Insect activity6712% weight
Conditions
Level
Dry recently
No gauge reading
Water temp
13.6°C
Estimated
Clarity
Clear
Air temp
22°C
Wind
N 10 km/h
Light breeze
Pressure
1017 hPa
Rain · 24h
0.0 mm
No rain
Rain · ahead
0.0 mm
No meaningful rain · next 48h

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

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 — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Through the year
0–3 scale · June highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
GrannomHatch
2
2
Evening SedgeHatch
2
3
3
3
2
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2

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

Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • General-season trout water (~late April–mid-November); verify reach rules and dates against current CDFW.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
About this water

McGee Creek is a small, pretty Eastern Sierra freestone dropping out of a glacial canyon into the Long Valley flats near Crowley — more a hike-and-explore creek than a destination river, and all the better for it. It holds wild and stocked browns and rainbows in plunge pools and pocket water, with the canyon reach giving the kind of small-stream fishing where a short cast and a bushy dry are all you need, and the lower meadow water meandering quietly toward the reservoir. It's snowmelt-fed and modest, so it comes good after the peak runoff drops and stays fishable through summer into autumn, and it's a fine option when the bigger Crowley-area waters are crowded or blown out. Nothing technical here — attractors, a dropper, light feet, and a willingness to walk.

  • Mixed
Seasons & zones
  • TroutLast Saturday in April → 15 November
Other water nearby · 5