makokid
04-11-2010, 03:25 PM
My 14 year old son and I headed to Bishop for spring break. We fished the wild trout section of the Owens below Pleasant Valley on 4/5. Mini jigs, midges, elk hare caddis. A couple of bites. Don't bother until the flows are down.
4/6 we freeze (float) tubed Pleasant Valley. Caught about 15-20 rainbow stockers between both of us and one nice brown in 2 hrs before we had to get out and warm up. Boat ramp was best but on the opposite shore towards the dam. Checked out the Gorge in the afternoon to try and figure out the best way down.
4/7 we hiked into the Gorge and had many bites but only landed 4. All browns and all decent fish. The fish didn't turn on until about 2:00 PM and bit for an hour or so. Of course we got there early and were pretty tired by 4:00 PM.
4/8 was ski day in Mammoth. Spring skiing at it's finest. Great snow and no crowds.
4/9 we slept in, had a nice breakfast and hiked into the Gorge in a little different spot figuring it was an afternoon bite. We hammered the fish from the moment we arrived. We both lost count at 20 apiece. Many lost fish. I was using a mini jig on 2 lb spinning gear and my son was fly fishing with a zebra midge on a dropper loop below an elk hare caddis. He got bit on both, but the midge (red and black) was very good. All beautiful and colorful browns 10-16 inches. Many jumps and runs. Best of all, we never saw another fisherman. Great way to end the trip.
If you go to the Gorge, bring lots of tackle and a way to filter water(we brought a pump). You really don't want to carry a ton of weight. We wore our waders while hiking. The hike down for us was maybe 2 miles and the hike out was a little longer. Well worth the effort as almost every pool had fish. You were lucky to catch more than a couple from the same pool, although I watched my son catch four in a row on the zebra midge in about 6 feet of rapids. Don't think I won't be hearing about that for a awhile!
All fish were released. Good luck if you are heading to that area.
4/6 we freeze (float) tubed Pleasant Valley. Caught about 15-20 rainbow stockers between both of us and one nice brown in 2 hrs before we had to get out and warm up. Boat ramp was best but on the opposite shore towards the dam. Checked out the Gorge in the afternoon to try and figure out the best way down.
4/7 we hiked into the Gorge and had many bites but only landed 4. All browns and all decent fish. The fish didn't turn on until about 2:00 PM and bit for an hour or so. Of course we got there early and were pretty tired by 4:00 PM.
4/8 was ski day in Mammoth. Spring skiing at it's finest. Great snow and no crowds.
4/9 we slept in, had a nice breakfast and hiked into the Gorge in a little different spot figuring it was an afternoon bite. We hammered the fish from the moment we arrived. We both lost count at 20 apiece. Many lost fish. I was using a mini jig on 2 lb spinning gear and my son was fly fishing with a zebra midge on a dropper loop below an elk hare caddis. He got bit on both, but the midge (red and black) was very good. All beautiful and colorful browns 10-16 inches. Many jumps and runs. Best of all, we never saw another fisherman. Great way to end the trip.
If you go to the Gorge, bring lots of tackle and a way to filter water(we brought a pump). You really don't want to carry a ton of weight. We wore our waders while hiking. The hike down for us was maybe 2 miles and the hike out was a little longer. Well worth the effort as almost every pool had fish. You were lucky to catch more than a couple from the same pool, although I watched my son catch four in a row on the zebra midge in about 6 feet of rapids. Don't think I won't be hearing about that for a awhile!
All fish were released. Good luck if you are heading to that area.