The season is underway and we have seen some pretty good fishing so far. Opening day on Crowley Lake surprised us with pleasant weather, however the fishing on the other hand was difficult for many anglers, myself included. When I say difficult it really was as expected for an opening day. We bounced around looking for a consistent bite but ended up with a few fish here and a few there. Boats that focused on trolling seemed to do best while I heard of a few people doing okay midge fishing. The afternoon brought strong winds and limited us on where we could really fish. The winds have continued through the week and has limited our time on the water. With each day that passes we are getting a little more dialed and have seen some pretty good numbers of trout netted each day.
As we move through May we will see more consistency in our weather patterns allowing us to get that ever essential time on the water. There is no substitute for time spent fishing and that is what we do best at Wild Fly Anglers.
The short side of it is this. Fish are being found primarily from 13'-20' of water. Ive found the best fishing to be somewhere in the middle of that at about 15'-17'. Midge hatches have been strong and the bugs are on the bigger side right now, I've been fishing primarily size #16-#14. Go to flies are blood midges early in the morning switching to grey as the hatch kicks off. Patterns with flash always seem to do well early in the year especially when fishing deeper water. If you're not getting bit, remember, move around and try different flies.
Lake levels are very low for the beginning of the season. It's hard to say how this year will play out in regards to water levels. With that in mind, if you're thinking of a trip to Crowley Lake now is a great time. I'll let the pictures bring you up to date on how the lake has been fishing.
We are still out on the rivers as well and saw some very productive fishing over opening weekend. The Lower Owens is still in great shape with consistent flows and plenty of willing trout and the Upper Owens has had some quality fish showing themselves. Come on out and be a part of the next fishing report. I have scattered availability in May and throughout the rest of the summer months. Don't hesitate to reach out with any questions about planning your next trip to the Sierras.
I look forward to fishing with you.
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