Tailwater · Mixed · Eastern Sierra, US

Lower Owens River

Owens river - panoramio - nick thornton
Today · About as good as it gets
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Proxy gauge
Level
Steady
Proxy
via East Walker River
Water temp10.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindN 1 km/h
Pressure1024 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

No gauge on this water — conditions are inferred from East Walker River. The trend transfers, the absolute level does not.

Water temperature for Brown Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 10–16°C
0°14°28°

We have not characterised this dam's release, so this is a general cold-release figure and could be several degrees out in either direction. Treat it as a hint, not a reading, and check locally before you fish.

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.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11h

12h(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 70%
Also:Black Midge59%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

Peak activity at 11h — Western Blue-Winged Olive (Western Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 as a supporter.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

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
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
Fly box · Brown Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year
  • The strict Wild Trout reach (campground footbridge toward Five Bridges) is catch-and-release barbless artificial — verify exact boundaries against current CDFW code (§7.50)
  • FLOW/WADING: flow is set by LADWP/aqueduct operations; roughly wadeable at low/moderate flows, high and unsafe when pushed up — check the gauge before wading
  • Summer thermal stress applies.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
Owens River Gorge / Pleasant Valley
23 km
77
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Crowley Lake
33 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
McGee Creek
33 km
66
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Upper Owens River
41 km
67
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Hot Creek
42 km
0
Brown trout · Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Owens river - panoramio - nick thornton
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Not assessed
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Owens River (Upper)' (CAR6032000020020116115737), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Insufficient Information. Listed impairment causes: Pathogens. 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) · CAR6032000020020116115737

The full read · show the working · for Brown Trout · confidence 90%
How the 87 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity95 × 18%17.1
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure80 × 7%5.6
Insect activity68 × 12%8.2
Conditions total= 87
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowproxy via East Walker Riverproxy
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts