Fly Fishing East Walker River California
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery: We can get flies to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority a Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Please see the bottom of this column for ordering options.
We also have custom Perfect Fly selections in 3 different price ranges for this stream that come with or without fly boxes. They make excellent gifts. Click Here To Order or Call us at 800 594 4726 or email us at sales@perfectflystore.com.
Type of Stream
Tailwater
Species
Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
Size
Small
Location
Eastern Sierra
Nearest Towns
Bridgeport/Mammoth Lakes
Season
Ends November 15th
Special Regulations:
Yes, check for current regulations
Access:
Good but difficult in places
Non-Resident License
State of California
State of Nevada
Recommended Tackle & Gear
Fly Line:
5 or 6 weight
Leaders:
Dry fly: 9 & 12 ft., 5 or 6X, Nymphing:
71/2 ft., 3 or 4X, Streamers 0-2X
Tippets:
Dry fly: 5 or 6X, Nymphing: 3 or 4X,
Streamer 0-2X
Best Fly Rods:
Perfect Fly Superb Five or Ultimate Six
Fly Reels:
For 5/6 fly line
Fly Floatants and Misc Items:
Floatants, KISS Strike Indicators
Tools & Accessories:
Nippers, forceps, retractors, etc.
Fly and Gear ordering and delivery:
Email us at (sales@perfectflystore.com) with the dates you will be fishing and we will send you a list of our fly recommendations. We can get flies and gear to you within two to three business days from the time you place your order via Priority Mail. If you provide a budget for flies, we will select them to match the budget and get them to you on time for your trip. Your can also call us at 800-594-4726 and we will help you decide what flies and gear to use. All orders are shipped free in the U.S. If under a $100 order requiring Priority mail is a charge of only $8.10. Orders over a $100 are shipped free via Priority Mail.
Copyright 2013 James Marsh
East Walker River- Fishing Report – December 15, 2024 Open only on the Nevada side. Closed in Calf.
The stream is still flowing a little below a normal level and the water is clear. Good hatches are taking place. Check back with us often as we update the East Walker River fishing report often. Call us at 800 594 4726 or write us as sales@perfectflystore.com
Rate: 21.7 cfs Level: 2.42 ft
Afternoon Water Temperature: 46
Clarity: clear
USGS Real-Time Stream Flow Data at Bridgeport CA
Weather:
Trout Flies:
Brown Sculpin and White Belly Sculpin and Articulated streamers, size 6/4
Black Matuka and Olive Matuka Sculpin, size 4/6
Blue-winged Olives: size 16, 18 nymph, emergers, duns and spinners
Aquatic Worms, size 12, pink, red, and others
Midges: Light Green and Red (Blood) midges sizes 20/22, larva, pupa and adult. Our larva and pupa midge flies, pre-rigged in tandem, are very popular here. You can fish them under a strike indicator keeping the larva fly near the bottom. https://perfectflystore.com/product/pre-rigged-tandem-midge-larva-pupa-tippet
Perfect Flies are designed and tied to to imitate and behave like the natural foods the trout rely on to survive as much as possible. The more your fly looks like and moves through and on the surface of the water like the real things, the higher your odds of success.
Fly Fishing The East Walker River California (Nevada): The East Walker River is one of California’s and Nevada’s better trout streams. It’s a tailwater that flows from Bridgeport Reservoir into the state of Nevada. Highway #182 flows along the river where you will find several access points. Special regulations help protect its trophy trout from the dam to the state line. The river is known for its huge brown trout that can grow up to 30 inches long. It also has some huge rainbows.There are numerous species of aquatic insects that provide the trout plenty of food and hatch in big quantities for the dry fly angler. There’s also a good population of bait fish that provide a substantial diet for the large trout. Steamer fishing is excellent in this tailwater. The releases from the dam provide water at a fairly constant temperature and makes it possible for anglers to fish the river during the coldest weather. Midges and Blue-winged Olives provide some excellent action. The East Walker River has had its ups and downs, but for the last few years it has been mostly ups. During low water years, the river is hurt by reservoir levels and consequent, low streams flows in its tailwater. When the river’s bottom discharge of lake water first leaves the dam, it flows through an almost flat section. Not far downstream, it drops into a canyon. State highway #182 follows the river through the canyon. The river in this section has a lot of different types of water. It has relatively low decline sections where the river slows down and sections where the streambed steeply declines. This creates pocket water with the typical pool, runs and riffles. The special regulation area extends from the dam down to the California/Nevada state line.The East Walker River flows about 75 miles overall. The headwaters from the California Sierra Nevada Range flows all the way into Walker Lake in Nevada. It joins the West Walker River on the way there.Although less than half of the river is in the state of California, that’s where the most and largest trout exist. There is a good eight or nine miles of water in the state of Nevada.The East Walker River begins from melting snow. Normally, it is about as clear as water can get in its freestone section above the lake. Agricultural influence and effluents increases the pH of the water, once it reaches the Bridgeport Valley. Bridgeport Lake is rightfully a good still water fishery. It is a good area to use a float tube.The reservoir also contributes by helping control the flow of water from heavy snowmelt and runoff. Unlike what many may think, Bridgeport Reservoir is relatively shallow. The lake tends to warm the water a good bit during the hot summer months. That written, the mixture of cold and hot water helps increase the overall chemistry of the water. More insects and baitfish are present below the dam than above the reservoir. Baitfish are very plentiful and grow fast. This is the primary reason for the trout’s growth rate which results in some large trout. There are plenty of chubs and dace minnows for the trout to eat.
Fly Fishing Guide to East Walker River: The methods and strategies you use for fly fishing the East Walker River strictly depends on the releases from the dam. The Nevada water consist of two sections, one a private ranch. The other is U. S. Forest Service land and open to the public for fishing. It consist mostly of low decline, smooth flowing water with long, deep pools and some low gradient riffles and runs. There’s a special regulation section at this location.The second Nevada section begins at the start of another canyon section. At the end of the canyon, the river flows through meadows. This part of the river, called the Elbow, has undercut banks and a few shallow runs and riffles. It is on private land but open to the public for fishing.You have to use a variety of methods and techniques to fish the East Walker River. With the different types of water and constantly changing water levels, you must be willing to change strategies very often. There are times dry fly fishing is good but most of the time, nymphs and streamers outperform the dry flies.The better section of the stream is considered by most anglers to be the California sections. Be certain to keep up with the discharges and stream levels. It will set the stage for the type of water and places you should fish. Be prepared to fish anything from midge imitations to large streamers. If you have a choice as to when to fish the river, we would suggest the fall season.About forty percent of the river’s trout are rainbow trout. They too, grow to large sizes. There are also plenty of Mountain Whitefish. They can add to the pleasure of fly fishing the East Walker River.
East Walker River Hatches and Trout Flies: Our information on aquatic insects is based on our stream samples of larvae and nymphs, not guess work. We base fly suggestions on imitating the most plentiful and most available insects and other foods at the particular time you are fishing. Unlike the generic fly shop trout flies, we have specific imitations of all the insects in the East Walker River and in all stages of life that are applicable to fishing. If you want to fish better, more realistic trout flies, have a much higher degree of success, give us a call. We not only will help you with selections, you will learn why, after trying Perfect Flies, 92% of the thousands of our customers will use nothing else. 1-800-594-4726 The river has a large number of different species of forage fish that contributes to the growth rate of the trout n the East Walker River. It is a slick river because it contains a lot of algae, which also accounts for its huge net-spinning caddisfly population. Midges are one of the most important insects to imitate. They are especially important when nothing else is hatching, and considering the season is open year-round, that is much of the time. Make sure you have imitations of the larvae, pupae and adults. Winter is the prime midge fishing season. Little Yellow Stoneflies hatch from June through August. These are called Yellow Sallies by most anglers. Golden Stoneflies are fairly plentiful in the river. The nymphs can be active anywhere from the first of April to May first. The hatch usually occurs during June. Blue-winged Olives hatch in March and April. These are bi-brooded and hatch again in September and October. The Spring hatch is off and on and not very reliable, but if it occurs while you are there fishing, you would want to be able to imitate the insects. Caddisflies are very plentiful on the river. They hatch just from April all the way to October, depending on the particular species. The most abundant ones are species of Spotted Sedges, which are net-spinning caddisflies. These caddisflies hatch from about the end of May through September. There’s some Short-horned Sedges and Green Sedges that hatch in June and July, but remember, the water levels are usually very high during the summer due to irrigation needs, so you are usually fishing this hatch and other aquatic insect hatches from the banks around the edges of the stream. Several other minor hatches of caddisflies occur during the year. Tricos are one of the major mayfly hatches that takes place on the East Walker. It occurs in the late summer and early fall, usually starting about the middle of August and lasting through September. This hatch can provide some excellent dry fly fishing, provided you can manage the little flies necessary to imitate them.July, August and September is terrestrial season. High winds and lots of grass along the banks provide the excellent setup for the land based insects to get into the water. Imitations of grasshoppers, ants and beetles all produce. You are mostly confined to bank fishing, but the flies can produce some good catches even in high water. Crayfish and baitfish streamer fly imitations work great for much of the year. They usually account for the largest trout caught, so make certain you have plenty streamers with you.If you haven’t done so already, please try our “Perfect Fly” trout flies and especially our great selection of streamers. We are certain you will be happy you did.
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