Eastern Sierra Fly Fishing Report: Week of October 16, 2026

The Lower Owens is holding near 270 CFS, and the number to watch is 200, because that is where we start wading it upstream with dries and nymphs. Everything else has settled into proper October. Crowley is down to its last two weekends of boat season and still fishing on midges all day, Hot Creek has dropped to 4 CFS with the weeds finally starting to break up, and the East Walker is running about 90 CFS with the better fish still sitting below the bridge. The air has turned too. Mornings are in the 20s and 30s up high, it stays sunny and mild through Monday, and then a storm with rain and snow looks to arrive around midweek. Here is how we see it. Every fly below is one we tie ourselves, so tap any name to grab it.

Crowley Lake

Crowley is still our pick. Midges run all day, and the fish are working stream mouths and the north arm in 6 to 12 feet, with McGee Bay busy and Layton the quieter option. The water is clear but a fall algae bloom has moved in, and the perch fry are now big enough that trout chase them around midday, so a shad pattern on a top dropper earns its place beside the midges. Keep the midge sizes small, 16 on down, with bright shiny patterns in the morning and darker greys and blood reds as it warms. The marina closes to boat entry on Sunday, October 25, which leaves two weekends. Every trailered boat now has to clear the mussel inspection and pick up its sticker before launching.

Try: Epoxy Buzzer Red Pearl, The Black Chironomid Pupa, Chironomid Nymph Red, Black Buzzer, Epoxy Minnow Shad.

Hot Creek

Hot Creek is down to about 4 or 5 CFS, clear and cooling, and the weed beds are only just starting to break up with the cold nights. The trico hatch is winding down for the season, so check what is actually coming off before you tie on a spinner, because a blue winged olive hatch is taking over later in the morning. Afternoons bring caddis and male tricos from about 4, and the middle of the day is quiet, which suits a scud or a small midge through the open lanes. Splashy rises usually mean caddis and quiet sips are mayflies. These fish eat and spit fast, so keep drifts short and cast to the lanes rather than the weeds.

Try: CDC BWO Dry, Thorax Trico, Spent Partridge Caddis, Bead Body Scud Olive, TG BH Zebra Midge Black.

Upper Owens River

The Upper Owens is reading 72 CFS, clear above the Hot Creek junctions and a little off color below them. Word is that the first fall fish are showing, rainbows and browns from 13 to 20 inches, but the main push out of Crowley has not arrived, so this is still a walk and cover water game. The fish are spooky in the clear stretches, which makes your approach matter more than your pattern. Eggs and worms are working, with a black leech low in the light, and below the bridge a perch pattern dead drifted on the bottom is how we would look for a bigger fish. Midges and caddis are constant, tricos are patchy, and the spawning gravel deserves your respect, so wade as little as you can.

Try: BL Bright Red Weighted Squirmy Wormy, Leech Black with Pink Egg, BH Pheasant Tail Sparkle Back, Epoxy Minnow Shad, Adams Parachute.

Lower Owens River (Wild Trout Section near Bishop)

The Lower Owens has levelled off near 270 CFS, down from about 300 two weeks ago, and clarity is good after a week of work on the gorge and near the dam settled out. It is not low yet. Our rule is to start wading upstream around 200 CFS, and until then stick to wide sections and places where the river splits into two channels, and check the gauge before you drive down. Tricos are still around, craneflies show mid morning, and tiny baetis and blue winged olives run late morning into early afternoon. Streamers are rarely thrown on this river and we would throw one, especially at the ends of the day.

Try: BH Pheasant Tail Angel Hair, CDC BWO Dry, Elk Hair Caddis Brown, TG BH Zebra Midge Black, Wooly Bugger Brown.

East Walker River

The East Walker is reading about 90 CFS, down from 98 last week, with good clarity. Water temperatures sit in the 50s to low 60s while nights are in the 40s, so mornings are the safest and best time to fish and the temperature climbs until mid afternoon. Most of the trout are below the bridge, though bigger fish are starting to show above it. Midges and small mayflies are the hatches, and nymphs under an indicator, a worm or a streamer stripped through the deeper runs will all find a fish. Flows this low leave a lot of the river thin, so fish it sooner rather than later.

Try: Czech Nymph Natural, Tungsten Bead Head Zebra Midge Red, BL Bright Red Weighted Squirmy Wormy, BH Zonker White Bright, BH Krystal Bugger Black.

Bridgeport Reservoir and Twin Lakes

Nothing solid has come back to us this week from Bridgeport Reservoir or the Twins, so we are not going to guess at where the fish are or how they are biting. What we can tell you is the rule: mussel inspection is now mandatory for trailered watercraft across Inyo and Mono County waters, so stop at an inspection station and get your sticker before you launch. If you go, the flies below are our usual late season lake box, leeches and buggers fished slow and deep on a sinking line. Treat that as our approach rather than a report, and call ahead to the local shops in Bridgeport before you tow anything up there.

Try: Leech Black with Pink Egg, BH Krystal Bugger Peacock, Brown Hackle Peacock, Egg Sucking Leech Olive, Wooly Bugger Brown.

Weather Outlook

Friday through Sunday look sunny and mild, with Mammoth Lakes near 66 to 67 and lows around 27 to 29. Monday cools to about 60. Tuesday turns cloudy near 53, and Wednesday is the change, with a better than even chance of rain mixed with snow, a high near 46 and a low near 25 in Mammoth. Thursday holds a few showers and Friday clears to about 54. Bishop read 37 degrees under clear skies this morning, but we did not find a current forecast for Bishop. The Crowley Lake area outlook we found is a few days old and showed highs in the mid 60s and lows near 30, so expect Long Valley to sit between those numbers, cold at dawn and pleasant by lunch. Pack a layer for the early hours, and plan your midweek days around that storm.

A note from the shop: every 395 Fly Co fly comes with a tutorial for the water it is tied for, so you will know exactly how to fish it before you are standing in the river. Questions on patterns, sizes, or where to start this week? Email us anytime at 395flyco@gmail.com, we are always happy to talk flies.