Lower O Weekend
Quick getaway to an old favorite
Larry and I packed up the ROO and took off Friday morning for Bishop. It has been a long time since I fished the Lower Owens perhaps once prior to this trip in the last 3 to 4 years. In years past I used to fish the wild trout section below Pleasant Valley reservoir multiple times in a season. It was nice to be back on the river and visit some familiar spots. The river has changed a little over the years but many of the go to spots looked and fished the same they have for over a decade or two of fishing.
Temps at night were just below freezing and the heater in the ROO ran all night. Camped on the East side of the river just above the bridge.
The general report is the fishing was fair to poor. We fished a couple of hours (3 to 5 pm) Friday evening, then fished most of the day Saturday and from 9 am to 2 pm on Sunday. The highlight of the trip was very light baetis hatch on Saturday and Sunday from around 1 to 2 PM each day. We caught fish on dries during the hatch and that saved the trip as far as catching was concerned.
There were a good number of baetis nymphs around size 16 in the samples we took from the river. Seeing the nymphs we tried several baetis patterns with surprisingly little success prior to the hatch. I did manage to pick up a decent sized brown just below the bridge Friday evening on a Montana Bullet. This fly ended up being my best nymph for the weekend accounting for most of my fish. These flies are easy to tie and I suggest you try tying up a few to keep in your box.
When the hatch began Larry and I switch to dries. I tied on a double dry rig with a #16 Purple Haze and #18 Adams. The Purple Haze did the trick right away, but I could not find another fish willing to take my dry flies and when the hatch petered out, we headed back to the trailer for a late lunch.
Sunday was a repeat of Saturday, but Larry had great success on dries during the hatch in one our favorite bends a short walk down from the campground. I found some fish in a faster run and although I raised several that almost left the water chasing my fly, but I was unable to land any of them.
After a good mid-day session, we headed back to the trailer packed up and hit the road.
It was a quick weekend trip but well worth the effort. Just a good reminder that you must make the time and just go. That reminds me of an awesome short video by jensenflyfishing I saw recently https://youtu.be/sLVpUY-9-Do
Larry, thanks for the good company and conversation. Time spent with a good friend on a road trip is priceless.