Share your catch

Owens River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Eastern Sierra's desert spring creek: wild browns winding through sage meadows with the White Mountains watching.

1/5
Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.
Water temp
~54 F est.
Air / High
86 / 90 F
Wind
S 17 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

1/5Tough. Pick your battles.Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Owens River feels the season turning: shorter days, grouping fish. Today brings clear skies, wind S around 17 mph, rising pressure near 1004 hPa and a high of 90. Water sits around 54 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Rainbow troutFair

Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown troutFair

Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

Tomorrow: Similar at 89 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp86 F
High / Low90 / 58 F
WindS 17-20 mph
Pressure1003.6 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 0%
Sunrise / Sunset06:26 / 19:17
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~54 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Clear, 90/58 F, wind 24 mph, rain 0%

Slow. Wind at 24 mph makes boat control the day's real problem; find protected banks.

Species guide

The species that matter on Owens River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Blue-winged olives and midges on soft seams; streamers on overcast days move the better fish.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Pre-spawn aggression: this is streamer season for the fish of the year.

When to come: the Owens River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rainbow trout
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 54 F (estimated, not a reading).

30405060JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~54 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Owens River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 89 F, wind to 20 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 87 F, wind to 15 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 24 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Rainbow trout led the card at good. High of 91 F, wind to 24 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

California requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

California license. Wild-trout section: artificials/barbless: check CDFW Inyo regs by reach.

Access

Pleasant Valley access, Line Street (Bishop) reaches, ranch easement crossings marked.

About this water

The valley miles near Bishop, Inyo County, CA. High-desert browns under two ranges.

Fishing Owens River: the full guide

The valley ribbon

The Owens winds through its high-desert valley like a misplaced spring creek: undercut banks, weedbeds and wild browns between Bishop and Big Pine, with the Sierra crest on one side and the Whites on the other. No river in California fishes bigger scenery from smaller water.

Wild brown doctrine

The fish run 10-16 inches with ambush-sized surprises: hopper-dropper summers along the cutbanks, midge-and-baetis winters (the Owens fishes all year: the valley's mild floor keeps it open), and streamer twitches through the deep bends for the browns that ate the stockers. Stealth beats gear: the banks telegraph footsteps.

The section game

The wild-trout section below Pleasant Valley Reservoir carries special regs and the quality: the middle valley's ranch reaches fish through access easements (respect the gates): and the gorge above (Pleasant Valley's tailwater pocket water) adds a canyon workout with fish-per-mile density. Each Owens is its own trip.

Eastern Sierra practicalities

US-395 shadows everything: Bishop is the basecamp (fly shops with honest boards, bakeries with mandatory stops): winter fishes serene while the Sierra sleeps: and wind is the valley's tax: mornings before it, evenings after. Pair with the upper Owens and Crowley for the full drainage tour.

Common questions

Can you fish the Owens in winter?

All year: the valley floor stays open and the midge fishing runs serene while the passes snow shut. Winter is the connoisseur's Owens.

Where should I start on the Owens?

The wild-trout section below Pleasant Valley: special regs, honest browns, classic water. Bishop's shops will aim you by the day's wind.

Is fishing good at Owens River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Tough. Pick your battles. Post-front sun and slick water make them sulk.

Nearby waters

Shaver Lake60 miLake Kaweah60 miPine Flat Lake62 miMillerton Lake80 miKern River89 miLake Isabella96 mi
Share your catch