Crowley Lake - CA

• Bead Head Brassie™

• Bead Head Optimidge

• Albino Baron

• Copper Tiger

• Shaft Emerger

The Trout Fly's Recommended Gear

• Best Leader:

  

  Super Strong Plus Leaders

• Best Tippet:

  

  SuperStrong Plus Tippet in 30- and 100-meter spools

• Best Fly Fishing Rod:

  

  5-Weight 9' Fly Rod

• Best Floating Fly Line:

  WF Trout Fly Line

• Best Sinking Fly Line:

  Class V Sink Tip Fly Line

Description: About Crowley Lake

REPORT COVERS CROOKED CREEK, HILTON BAYS, MCGEE BAY, SANDY POINT, SIX BAYS, GREEN BANKS, SOUTH WEED, BIG WEED, SOMETIMES ISLAND, LEIGHTON SPRINGS.ALLIGATOR POINT

Nearest Airport:

MAMMOTH - YOSEMITE (MMH)

Hatches:

Fishing Conditions and Hatches: Fair-Good EXPLORE, EXPLORE. EXPLORE. The Daphnia "soup" seems to have ended. Fishing has improved (depending on the wind) but the fish are still not keying on just one food. Try mixing and matching fry and midge patterns and maybe some damsels midday. Once you've found the food of choice for that spot you can start zeroing in, just don't rest on your laurels because the preferred food could change at any moment. If you have a fish finder and you see fish suspended don't spend much time on that spot. Also if you see what looks like a Christmas tree standing on the bottom it's a school of big Chub. You still want to think about incoming flows for colder water but most of the stream mouths are so weeded in they're really hard to access. Keep moving and as soon as the action slows down continue the search. Another part of the puzzle is that the trout are eating at different times at different places. The fish are really scattered now. The north end has become the most consistent, not only with the fish but also the boats that chase them. West side fish the mouth of the Owens channel and the east side anywhere off the weedbeds in 10'-15'. If you're trying to hide the rest of the lake is pretty empty with random flashes of good days, mainly around Mcgee. I've been hearing people say that this is going to be a great year because the lake is going to get really low. Unfortunately, a really low lake is great for next year but not necessarily this year. The further the lake drops the less defined the inlet channels are but the more they'll be scoured out for next year. It doesn't mean this year will end poorly, just that the fish will be less concentrated. Be aware that the currents are usually stronger than you would ever guess, without sufficient weight, in 25' of water you might actually be fishing 4' down 20' away. Water Conditions: Good Lake Elevation at 6761.7 on 9/9 Update: The algae came in with a vengeance. The algae moves around with the wind and current so nothing is written in stone. Today the north end was probably the cleanest but it's so bad in some areas that it shuts the fishing down. For example yesterday the Hiltons were good and today much tougher and the growth was carpet like. Also be aware of the old adage that when the growth is bad you need to clean your flies frequently. Think about this for a moment. 1) If the flies are getting mucked on the way down go home it's hopeless. 2) The algae only goes down a few feet so the cleanest place is on the bottom. CONCLUSION, the flies get mucked up as you raise them and the algae slides down the line and piles up. If you sit long enough your leader will look like a bright green rope.These are the conditions where it's best to fish compact flies without gills and dubbing. LADWP is running 600 cfs flows through the gorge for about a week. Who knows what this fast a drop in water level will do to the fishing I guess we'll find out.

Best Time to Fish:

7am-11am

Best Access:

North Landing off Benton Crossing Road or The Marina