If you're looking for a winter retreat and some truly great trout fishing don't forget about the Lower Owens River. You might just find your new favorite trout fishery.
The Lower Owens River is a true tail water with an abundant aquatic ecosystem, cool water and healthy trout. Over the years I have come to really appreciate this fishery. The Lower Owens is a real trout stream, technical at times but once you crack the code it can be a blast. With a variety of insects hatching daily this is a true "match the hatch" river. Generally your bug choice will be on the small side so remember the saying for a tail-water, " Thin to win."
The upper stretches of this river are designated as a Wild Trout Section. From the campground located below Pleasant Valley Reservoir to Five Bridges Rd is catch and release barbless artificial. With these regulations in place the main traffic you will encounter are fly fisherman. This helps to keep the fish population strong and healthy.
The best time of year to be on the Lower Owens are the winter months. This offers up refuge from our cold blustery times of year in Mammoth and we routinely see 50 degree temperature differences between Mammoth Lakes and the Lower Owens Valley. January- April is prime time. This presents a really great experience for those visiting the area for some skiing and winter recreation. Don't forget we have some prime fishing happening just down the road. Being a tail water, conditions are very dependable on the flow released form Pleasant Valley Reservoir. This is the primary reason for winter months being the best time of year. LADWP regulates the release of water from PVR and generally it will be between 75-200 cfs for the bulk of the winter. This allows easier access to the river and easier wading. Once the flows are ramped up, usually towards the end of April, access and wading become much more difficult. This often happens in conjunction with our general trout season opener for the state of California so then our focus shifts elsewhere.
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