Is the fishing tougher here when there’s snow everywhere? Fished these same spots and walked about 2 miles up diddnt get a bite. Lost one the previous but that was it. Was euro nymphing and would run the indicator here and there, any advice?
Yes, the snow on the ground can be tough to walk through and snow shoes help a lot if you have them. Definitely fish with indicators as I haven't had any luck euro nymphing. The fish seem to prefer an indicator drift for some reason--same on the lower O. It can be fickle with fish just not biting some days.
The Rubber Legs #8 in coffee black caught all my fish on that day. Anywhere above the bridge will be good and just look for the deeper holes. Good luck on your trip 🍻
Very impressive video, fishing, and fish. I really miss this river. The video was so peaceful. Great work. Thanks for sharing. @5:51, there were some bugs flying around, do you know what they were?
@@purpledrakefishing oh dam! I thought you had the location for some steelies that make a long journey lol. I know there are landlocked salmon there too and still wonder if any make their way out to the Pacific
@@menotyou816 There are some landlocked salmon on some of the large reservoirs like Don Pedro on the west slope of the sierras, but they don't go to the ocean (kokanee/sockeye & kings)
Hey buddy, nice video. I was in the exact same place last week...and I use same rubber legs without results, probably because I didn't use indicator...but have a lot of fun with #18 adams dry fly...
Thanks--seemed a lot of the river was barren of fish except for a few spots here and there. I walked around quite a bit trying to find the deeper water.
@@purpledrakefishing Hi the last few years I've been fishing between the Monument area and the lake in early september. I've see guite a few dead fish on the back edges of the deep pools. And I've not caught but a precious few. The not catching, that might be my fault. But that doesn't explain the dead ones
@@robertpyatt8098 Not sure why the fish died that I saw that day (2-1 dead, 1 dying), but I am guessing it was due from keeping the fish out of the water for more than 10 seconds. The survival rate drops drastically for every second over 10 a fish is out of the water.
PD, So I've never heard of a 10 second rule.Where did this come from? I was taught not to take the fish out of the water,unless you were harvesting it. I think unless your down on the water instead of up on the bank, and the banks are high by the monumemt (like a lot of the fishing on the Owens) this might be tough. I like this! I'm 69 been learning about this sport since I was 23, and I'm always learning something new. Thanks
@@robertpyatt8098 There was a academic/scientific study some years ago about trout survival rates mentioned in the video "Underwater World of Trout" by Ozefovich. The study found that the survival rate was good (something like 97%) under ten seconds the trout was out of the water, then it plummets for every second out the water over ten. Rainbow trout had worse survival rates over ten seconds than brown trout. However I agree about keeping a fish in the water as much as possible and try to release quickly. I hate to see when people net a fish and keep it out of the water for an extended period of time--the fish had just finished a hard fight and needs oxygen!
Yes, the Rio Euro Nymph line--I like it a lot. It fishing indicators no problem and I have fished streamers with it as well. It makes a huge difference in preventing line sage when tight lining and it also allows you to use a shorter Euro leader (10-15' vs 15-25').
Hey there, PD. Love your videos, including this one! I’m in the Bay Area and planning a fly fishing trip January 1-4. Looking for some recs from either you or your subscribers. Hoping to keep the drive under 4 hours. The fewer anglers I’ll see the better. Willing to hike a bit. Not super into highly technical / minimal return fishing. Would love to get into some steelies...but not mandatory. Seriously considering camping. Any guidance / recommendations you all could offer would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks Ryno--the lower Yuba and the lower Kings are good for winter trout fishing and the Klamath should be decent for steelhead at that time. Although I haven't fished the upper Sacramento in the winter, I think that would be a good spot for decent fishing/hiking and solitude at this time of year.
Yes, this is section above benton crossing bridge is open to the public for a few miles before hitting a private ranch upstream. When you hear people talking about fishing the upper Owens, they are referring to this section: sierradrifters.com/what-we-do/where-we-fish/upper-owens-river/
I fished The upper Owens last year and there was a huge hopper hatch happening it was incredible. I couldn’t make it this year because of the VID-19. Those were incredible fish. What month was that?
Thanks Chase! I was using the Rio Euro Nymph line which doesn't have a weight class to it. My rod was the Sage Pulse 3wt 10' which fights fish more like a 4wt or 4.5wt.
I usually fish an egg pattern about an 1" above the hook. I saw you were using the coffee rubber legs. Were you trying to get them to the bottom on those runs or mid column?
I caught the larger fish on the rubber legs and was using it as an attractor and also for weight to get to the bottom. The smaller fish took the #18 frenchie nymphs I was using.
@@purpledrakefishing Thanks for the info. I did really well there last year on the eggs, but this year a couple of weeks ago not as much luck. I wouldn't have thought to use the rubber legs thinking that there was not a lot of stoneflies around. Last time I was there I hooked into the biggest fish I have got into, I fought him for a minute before he went downstream, then turned directions again, wrapped the line around a rock, flew up stream and that was it..broke off. Bummer. But a great time none the less. Thanks for all your posts, you've taught me a lot.
Uhhh, correct me if I'm wrong but I've never heard of "true steelhead" being in the Eastern Sierra waters?? They are an endangered species of their own. It's not a requirement that they migrate to and from the ocean but they do often.
Best audio ever on a fly fishing video. Your actions and nature’s sounds spoke louder than words.
Thanks Jo! I bought an expensive custom mic which gives the good audio.
Hi Jo Bu--I have moved to Fishing With Drake, hope to see you there!
Been fishing the Owen’s for decades. It’s a great fishery. I enjoyed watching you pull some very nice trout out of there.
I really enjoyed your "silent" movie. Especially the the fish you caught. Very good!!
I love Jo Bu's comment( best audio ever } so much more when less is said. beautiful fish my friend, tight lines:)
Thanks John! I plan on speaking much less (just at the beginning/end) and I agree.
Those are some nice Owens fish! That 13:00 min fish you had to work for!!!
That’s a hell of a day on the Upper O!! Sweet video
Thanks Al! 🍻
Great title for the vid, and very very nice fish. Thanks for taking us along 👍🏻
That is some beautiful trout water. Nice fish at 7:17 !
Thanks OPN!
Awesome day out there. Those were some great looking fish.
Nice catch purple drake nerple🤘
What a beautiful place to spend some time fishing!! Yet another location to go and adventure, always great videos!
Thanks Jeremiah!
Nice fish👍
A Real Fisherman
Some toads in this vid! Nicely done
Thanks Brandon!
Nice job on the fish and video
Thanks Victor
Wow! Awesome vid man, those were some nice fish.
Thanks DS!
Great job!
Good snowbow.
Thanks OMT!
Cannot beat those views and those fat fish. I'd love to make it down there this winter.
Thanks Eric. Same here--I am hoping to target the snow bows in Jan or Feb.
Is the fishing tougher here when there’s snow everywhere? Fished these same spots and walked about 2 miles up diddnt get a bite. Lost one the previous but that was it. Was euro nymphing and would run the indicator here and there, any advice?
Yes, the snow on the ground can be tough to walk through and snow shoes help a lot if you have them. Definitely fish with indicators as I haven't had any luck euro nymphing. The fish seem to prefer an indicator drift for some reason--same on the lower O. It can be fickle with fish just not biting some days.
@@purpledrakefishing that helps to hear for next time, giving lower o a try tomorrow I’ll keep the indicator on hopefully more luck there. Tight lines
@@Artificial_Fishing Good luck on your trip--let us know how it goes 🍻
Going to Upper Owens the beginning of next month. Any advice on flies and specific spots to check out? Thanks!
The Rubber Legs #8 in coffee black caught all my fish on that day. Anywhere above the bridge will be good and just look for the deeper holes. Good luck on your trip 🍻
@@purpledrakefishing thank you sir
Very impressive video, fishing, and fish. I really miss this river. The video was so peaceful. Great work. Thanks for sharing. @5:51, there were some bugs flying around, do you know what they were?
Thanks! There were some very small midges flying around here and there, about size 22-24.
Man those r strong fish💪
They fought great in that small meadow spring creek, very exciting when they made their first run.
How are they steelhead? Aren't they just rainbows since they're landlocked?
Just a nickname for them
@@purpledrakefishing oh dam! I thought you had the location for some steelies that make a long journey lol. I know there are landlocked salmon there too and still wonder if any make their way out to the Pacific
@@menotyou816 There are some landlocked salmon on some of the large reservoirs like Don Pedro on the west slope of the sierras, but they don't go to the ocean (kokanee/sockeye & kings)
Epic.
Hey buddy, nice video. I was in the exact same place last week...and I use same rubber legs without results, probably because I didn't use indicator...but have a lot of fun with #18 adams dry fly...
Thanks--seemed a lot of the river was barren of fish except for a few spots here and there. I walked around quite a bit trying to find the deeper water.
@@purpledrakefishing Hi the last few years I've been fishing between the Monument area and the lake in early september. I've see guite a few dead fish on the back edges of the deep pools. And I've not caught but a precious few. The not catching, that might be my fault. But that doesn't explain the dead ones
@@robertpyatt8098 Not sure why the fish died that I saw that day (2-1 dead, 1 dying), but I am guessing it was due from keeping the fish out of the water for more than 10 seconds. The survival rate drops drastically for every second over 10 a fish is out of the water.
PD,
So I've never heard of a 10 second rule.Where did this come from? I was taught not to take the fish out of the water,unless you were harvesting it. I think unless your down on the water instead of up on the bank, and the banks are high by the monumemt (like a lot of the fishing on the Owens) this might be tough.
I like this! I'm 69 been learning about this sport since I was 23, and I'm always learning something new. Thanks
@@robertpyatt8098 There was a academic/scientific study some years ago about trout survival rates mentioned in the video "Underwater World of Trout" by Ozefovich. The study found that the survival rate was good (something like 97%) under ten seconds the trout was out of the water, then it plummets for every second out the water over ten. Rainbow trout had worse survival rates over ten seconds than brown trout.
However I agree about keeping a fish in the water as much as possible and try to release quickly. I hate to see when people net a fish and keep it out of the water for an extended period of time--the fish had just finished a hard fight and needs oxygen!
PD, Did you start at the Benton Bridge Crossing?
Yes--worked my way upstream. There were a lot of other fishermen that were quite a ways upstream from me.
Were you using euro nymph Line to suspension nymph as well ? I have a 10 Foot sage and definitely want to try the Euro set up !
Yes, the Rio Euro Nymph line--I like it a lot. It fishing indicators no problem and I have fished streamers with it as well. It makes a huge difference in preventing line sage when tight lining and it also allows you to use a shorter Euro leader (10-15' vs 15-25').
Are there steelhead in the upper owens river ??? I’m sooo confused 😭
No, just lake run fish. Sierra steelhead is just a nickname 🍻
Hey there, PD. Love your videos, including this one! I’m in the Bay Area and planning a fly fishing trip January 1-4. Looking for some recs from either you or your subscribers. Hoping to keep the drive under 4 hours. The fewer anglers I’ll see the better. Willing to hike a bit. Not super into highly technical / minimal return fishing. Would love to get into some steelies...but not mandatory. Seriously considering camping. Any guidance / recommendations you all could offer would be greatly appreciated!!
Thanks Ryno--the lower Yuba and the lower Kings are good for winter trout fishing and the Klamath should be decent for steelhead at that time. Although I haven't fished the upper Sacramento in the winter, I think that would be a good spot for decent fishing/hiking and solitude at this time of year.
Thanks, PD! Looking forward to catching your next vid.
Is this near browns? Can anyone fish up there, or do you have to be camping?
Yes, this is section above benton crossing bridge is open to the public for a few miles before hitting a private ranch upstream. When you hear people talking about fishing the upper Owens, they are referring to this section:
sierradrifters.com/what-we-do/where-we-fish/upper-owens-river/
I fished The upper Owens last year and there was a huge hopper hatch happening it was incredible. I couldn’t make it this year because of the VID-19. Those were incredible fish. What month was that?
Thanks Tim--it was in early November.
yay!
Hey i love your vids, I’m completely new to fly fishing and I’m going to mammoth lakes to fish soon. What weight fly line are you using?
Thanks Chase! I was using the Rio Euro Nymph line which doesn't have a weight class to it. My rod was the Sage Pulse 3wt 10' which fights fish more like a 4wt or 4.5wt.
Hi Chase, I have moved to Fishing With Drake 🍻 Hope to see you there soon.
I usually fish an egg pattern about an 1" above the hook. I saw you were using the coffee rubber legs. Were you trying to get them to the bottom on those runs or mid column?
I caught the larger fish on the rubber legs and was using it as an attractor and also for weight to get to the bottom. The smaller fish took the #18 frenchie nymphs I was using.
@@purpledrakefishing frenchie and red darts have been slaying here on the american river recently, euro nymphing for half pounders.
@@patches152 Didn't know the American had half-pounders. How do you think the upcoming American steelhead run is going to be in Jan?
@@purpledrakefishing Thanks for the info. I did really well there last year on the eggs, but this year a couple of weeks ago not as much luck. I wouldn't have thought to use the rubber legs thinking that there was not a lot of stoneflies around. Last time I was there I hooked into the biggest fish I have got into, I fought him for a minute before he went downstream, then turned directions again, wrapped the line around a rock, flew up stream and that was it..broke off. Bummer. But a great time none the less. Thanks for all your posts, you've taught me a lot.
@@purpledrakefishing I'm worried about the water levels since we haven't had any rain recently. Hopefully we get some soon.
Can you fish during January there?
Yes, upstream from the Benton bridge.
Awesome thanks
Uhhh, correct me if I'm wrong but I've never heard of "true steelhead" being in the Eastern Sierra waters??
They are an endangered species of their own.
It's not a requirement that they migrate to and from the ocean but they do often.
Just a nickname for the Crowley fish, not true steelhead.
@@purpledrakefishing
Ahhhhhh, yes..
Great stuff as usual, PD.... LOL on the missed strike! What time of time did you get on the water? Beautiful and serene footage, brother....
Thanks Jon--I got there around 9am.
PD, what patterns were you getting those on?
#8 coffee-black Rubber legs took the larger lake run fish. The smaller guys took the #18 black Frenchie.
@@purpledrakefishing Thanks PD, nice work on those fish-
Drake your fishing my spots!
No Steelhead there !!!!! What UP
Steelhead?
Steelhead come from the ocean, not Crowley lake.
It said steelhead in the title...
Just a nickname I have heard for them used in fishing reports.
No such thing.
No steelhead there , steelhead are sea run rainbow trout. Those have never been in saltwater so they're just rainbow trout