October Outing on the Owen's River

[Fisher-of-Men]

To the Owens and Back in a Day !

For some time now I have been reading reports from anglers about their fishing trips to the Owen's River. I have only driven by the Owens River in route to the Sierras. My oldest son has asked me several times if we could go fishing there; so Friday when I picked up the kids and he asked me again, I said okay. This put a smile on his face from ear to ear! :D We gathered our gear and packed the car the night before. Everyone was in bed by 8 pm. The alarm sounded at a quarter to two and the coffee pot was boiling ten minutes later. Our plan was to leave by 3 am and to arrive sometime by 9 am or before. By the time we actually pulled out of the driveway it was nearly 4 am. The adventure was now underway!
:banana:
Within an hour we hit the 395 turn off and began our trek northbound for Bishop, CA. The night sky is always a pleasure to gaze :shock: up at when away from the big city. It wasn't long before it was 6 am and the eastern sky began to show signs of life. I didn't catch any sunrise pictures this time but believe me, it was awesome!

395 North
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The kids had awakened from their sleep and were extremely excited about where we were going. One such thing that we all found amusing was this sign we saw posted about every ten miles. :lol:

"Really Good" ~ Fresh Jerky
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Lone Pine, CA
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As we traveled northbound on 395 out of Lone Pine we captured or first glimps of winter setting in on the Eastern Sierras. The dusting of snow that you see on the upper peaks gradually became thicker as we continued on.
395 North out of Lone Pine
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View of the Snow-Capped Eastern Sierras from Independence, CA
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We pulled off at the Ranger Station for dirrections to the Benton Crossing Bridge on the Upper Owens. For those of you that are unfamiliar with this area; this is just above Lake Crowely (30 miles north of Bishop). But first things first! Time for a Tailgate Party with the Crumb-Catchers! :lol:
Breakfast Anyone??
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MMMM! MMMMM! Good!
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Yummie! :thumb:
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After our tummies were full, it was time to do some exploring. :banana: Before we got too far, the kids made me stop so they could "Moooo" at the cows. So we found a nice herd and all began to Moooo! The way every cow stopped eating and popped its head up was absolutely hilarious!
:rofl:
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After we all exhausted our vocal cords; we continued on to Benton Crossing. Once we arrived at the location, all we could see was about 50 Flyfisherman walking all up and down the banks of the Owens as it twisted like a snake through the cow pastures. This area was catch and release only. The use of artificial lures and barbless hooks was posted as well. Since we really wanted some fresh trout; we moved on.
Upper Owens @ Benton Crossing
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I heard that the Owen's Gorge held some nice size Browns; so we headed back down 395 south. The "Gorge" is just below Lake Crowely Dam and can be fished without any restrictions. This trip turned out to be mostly exploring for the best place to fish on our next trip.

We found the "Gorge", but the water flow was extremely low this time of year. There were some sizeable Browns in the small pools but sneaking up on them was another story! Since the water flow was so slow, you were unable to let your bait drift downstream. Once they saw you; it was game over. :(
Photo of the "Gorge" below Crowely
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We decided to keep looking until we found our "Honey Hole" along the Owens. I remember my Pops telling me about the Lower Owens that he fished when he was younger. I decided that was a good idea since it would be headed back in the dirrection that we would need to travel heading home. We passed through Bishop and turned left on some road about 4-5 miles out of town. We made a bee-line towards the string of trees that stretched for miles along the rivers edge.
Once we found the Owens again, we could see that the water flow was much higher and moving alot swifter. I said, "I think this is the spot guys!" It was now about 2:30 pm and I still had a 6 hour drive ahead of me. I said, "lets get out there and catch some fish!"

My oldest son gettin busy!
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Rainbows go crazy over this Roostertail! I have found that the Chartreuse or the Frog color work the best with the creeks or streams.
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The BIG catch! (the sun was in his eyes. lOl!)
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We ended up the day with a nice size Rainbow and beat the :skunk: !
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Until next time.........& #46;........Peace and Tight Lines!


Fisher-of-Men

[britheguy]

Amazing, great report. looks like the kids had fun! I also see u packed the Flintstones vitamins :rofl: :rofl:

[Mater]

Great post. Your kids will remember this trip for years to come. Did you try south of the Benton Crossing bridge or is it already closed for the season?

[Fisher-of-Men]

Great post. Your kids will remember this trip for years to come. Did you try south of the Benton Crossing bridge or is it already closed for the season?

South of Benton Crossing, all the way to Lake Crowely is still open "Mater". The season closes on November 15, so if you're thinking about getting in on some Big, Wild Brown action; time is of the essence! :D

We chose not to fish that area because it is restricted to "Catch and Release Only". The Dept. of Fish and Game has the signs posted everywhere.

Thanks for the reply! :D

Fisher-of-Men

[Fisher-of-Men]

Amazing, great report. looks like the kids had fun! I also see u packed the Flintstones vitamins :rofl: :rofl:

Yes "Britheguy, we packed the Flinstones too. The kids need their vitamins alright! :lol:

Fisher-of-Men

[gwjones00]

Fisher:

Great report! What an outing too!

The next time you get a hankering to drive up and fish, there are a few places that are a little closer that also provide some good fishing. For example, when you get to Lone Pine, you can always hang a left at the signal in town. Drive a couple of miles, and turn left on a well established dirt road. The road will take you to the "sandtrap", which is where Lone Pine Creek is diverted into the Los Angeles acqueduct. There is a sizable pool there that can be fished, usually with good luck. Also, you can drive up to Whitney Portal where there is a pond that is heavily stocked.

On the Owens, you should have been able to fish with regular bait from the bridge at Benton Crossing south to the Monument just as the river enters Crowley. Fishing is usually good along that stretch of the river. I believe that the Gorge is artificials only. I have had great luck in two places on the Owens right in Bishop. At the "Y", take Hwy 6 north to where it crosses the river. Park off to the side of the road, and then fish from the bridge south. Also, a couple of miles south of Bishop, go east on Warm Springs Road. You can fish the river both directions from the bridge. The great thing about those places is that the river gets stocked at both points becuase of access.

Finally - don't forget Pleasant Valley Reservoir. It's a short walk (less than a mile) from the parking lot to the dam. Walk out about half way on the dam and fish the lake. The best thing about Pleasant Valley, and the Owens South of Pleasant Valley is that they are open year round. I have had great fishing trips with my son during Winter break, President's Day weekend etc.

Great report! Thanks again.

[tpfishnfool]

Great times on the owens.. Thanks for sharing

[Granny Fish]

The crumb catchers score again! :appl:

Great report! Thank you for sharing

[one_leg]

There you go, making me jealous again.

Thanks for the report. Great pics too!!!

One_Leg

[Beancounter]

Great report & pics :thumb:
That's alot of driving pops!
Thanks for giving me some ideas to take my youngest son.