The Middle Owens River has not seen this many large trout consistently coming to net in many years

Tom Loe

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https://tomloe.com/

I would rate this as the best fall ever for trophy fish. Flows are at very, very, low levels and we hope they will not decrease any further. 85 cfs. is the current release below the dam at Pleasant Valley Reservoir. Wading the MO is as good as it gets. The Trico mayfly hatch has been fantastic. These are very small may's, #20-24 & are not everyone's cup of tea. The fish are keying on this emergence beginning around 1 pm most days. There has also been some sporadic caddis activity here; however this hatch will soon be fading as cooler water temps will prevail after these cold fronts move through. Have a selection of small bird's nest, flashback PT's, & crystal olive caddis nymphs. At these flows a dry/dropper bead head or emerger rig is a good choice during or around mid-day.

Streamers will get you larger fish. During spawning periods trout can become territorial and will attack streamers even though they are not necessarily feeding. Loebergs & Spruce-A-Bu's are my go to patterns. Purple and black seal buggers are also a good choice for the low light periods. #6-12 imitate the current baitfish profiles. Light to moderate sinking tips are adequate at current flows.

Pictured Above: Getting a super sized rainbow while fishing with your daughter can't be beat! David and Nicki had a great drift trip recently.
Photo #1: Rick had a dream day while drifting with us on the MO. He got a few of these models on a Loeberg. Author T. Jefferson Parker doing net duty.
Photo #2: Todd T. got into some bigs on his drift. Love the paint job on this one buddy.
Photo #3: Chanel did very well on her drift landing a bunch of these rascals.
Photo #4: Drew had an epic day on his float. This huge hen was the first one in the morn caught on a Spruce-A-Bu.
Photo #5: Drew showing off number two. He netted 6 bigs on this float. Impressive my friend!
Photo #6: Mark "Mr.Rip" with his first fish of the day. Way to start this one off buddy! JD doing net honors.
Photo #7: Steve S. with a slab sided bow. Beautiful fish Steve. The bigs are on the prowl, come and get em!
Photo #8: Dan Livingston with one of several he and his father landed on lures. Yes...I did say hardware! We enjoy taking spin fishers on drift trips as well. Nice fish Dano!
Photo #9: Steve with one of his drift boat bigs caught on lures. Nice job Livingstons!
Photo #10: Mike showing off his trophy bow caught on a Loeberg. Kenny on the net. Whispering sweet nothings to those flies really payed off for these guys! I'm still laughing, fun times.
Photo #11: Sanford with one of his better fish. He "dip & stripped" many quality fish on his float.
Photo #12: Long time client Mikey Shepard with a slammer. "I just want to catch one fish, then I'll be happy" This was his first fish of the day caught on a Kelley Bundy Spruce-A-Bu.
Photo #13: Mikes secret weapon and good luck charm..."Peanut" went drifting with us too! Photo #14: Davey with a trophy bow. He whacked them on his float with friend Mike.
Photo #15: Mike answers back with one of his bigs. Great day guys, way to stick them!
Photo #16: Dave with another one of his bigs. Great day Davey, nice job!
Photo #17: Tom and Lorraine with a nice double, we see who got the big one ehhh Tommy?
Photo #18: Mike and Christie B. did really well on numbers. Mike shown with one of his better fish.
Photo #19: Christie B. tight to a nice one.
Photo #20: Carol F. got several bigs on her drift with us. Way ta go girl!
Photo #21: Ya gotta love fish so big they wreck gear. Shep's fish was heavy enough to break the net on the lift for a picture!

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