Fly Fishing with Brad McFall | Call: 209.484.1114

2011-12-27T10:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!!!

Since October I have been living up in Nor Cal guiding Steelhead on The Trinity River just about every day. The Fishing this year has been superb! It seems that this has been the best run of fish since 2007. Despite having VERY little precipitation this year, the fish keep pouring in!

The water conditions have been poor due to the low, clear and cold water we have had all season so far. But, as you can see from all of the photo's below the fishing has remained very good! Overall, I have been averaging between six to ten hook-up's a day with average client skills. Some days have been down right silly with 15 plus hook-up days!

I will not bore you with text, I will let the fish photo's and happy faces of clients do the talking...

Morgan and I with one of many that day. These guys got the job done well, so did the fish! They hooked 17 that day!!!
Morgan with his first of the day.

John already had two to the boat before I even finished my paper work in the first 20 minutes!

Richard, my "Robot" has fished with me on three different trips already this year with one trip left next month. The last day we fished, I was filling out his steelhead card that morning and I couldn't help but count all of the fish he has landed in the last couple of months while fishing with me. It was 42, and counting...

Another for the Robot.

Here is Richard stacking a mend. This has been what the weather looks like.

Nice wild Buck.

Wojo and I with a wild Buck.

Tom and I with a big, beautiful Hen.

Rick and I with a smoking hot wild Buck that jumped 11 times!

Rick and I with another colored up Buck.

Richard posing with one of his friends he has come to know so well.

Richard with a big Buck.

Another one for Richard.

Mark with the biggest Steelhead I have ever netted on the Trinity! These photo's don't do the fish justice. AT ALL. But as you can see from the photo above the fish was so long, and heavy I almost dropped it while lifting it for the photo. Got to love the expression on Marks face! Good thing I didn't drop it! The fish measured at 36" long!!!

Beautiful morning as I started another day of work at the office.

Keith could only get one day in as my calendar was already full when he contacted me, so I knew we had to make the most of it. That morning he showed up with his son Robert who was throwing up from the stomach flu he had gotten the night before. We hit the water at 9:30am and and had the boat on the trailer by 3pm, as we were both traveling home for the holidays that night. Robert never made a cast as he felt too sick to move, Keith hooked 10 and landed 4, what a day! Wish they were all that easy!

Keith with a big Hen.

Deuce and I with a nice Buck.

Deuce with another.

Wojo and Deuce with a double hook-up, but I must admit... one was an exotic (sucker) and the other was the reel deal. I have had quite a few doubles this year but yet to land both of them.

Deuce with the real one.

Wojo got back to fishing for the right species and left the exotics alone. Then we stuck this Buck at the next spot.

Trever is bendo as I wait with the net. I waited a long time...

Jack and I having some fun. Actually, it's Jack having way too much fun! Drinking his whiskey, yelling at me all day... LOL! The only reason I put up with him is so I can hang out with his wife, Jolie, and he does bring me my favorite beer...

Then he got back to work.

His beautiful wife Jolie and I with a bright wild Hen that smoked her!

7:30am at the Trinideli. My roommates and I getting our lunches then heading to work.

Jolie with a nice Hen.

The fall colors were beautiful along the river.

Jolie and I with a super bright and smoking hot wild Hen that jumped and ran like crazy!

Jolie with another Hen.

Jack with a big bright Hen.

Jack took this shot of me making a couple of casts with one of my new Spey rods.

Richard really wanted to learn how to swing fish with a Spey rod this year. We stopped at the first run of the day, got him tuned up on his Spey casting, and what do you know? He struck gold right away! His first fish swinging a big Leech pattern. Then he reeled up and said "okay, I'm good, let's nymph the rest of the day". That day he hooked 14 Steelhead...

Just missed the jump in this photo, but it's still a cool shot of the fish blowing up the pool.

Beautiful days on a beautiful River filled with big hard pulling Steelhead!

Richard out of the boat chasing down a big one!

Richard with a big hefty Buck.

Amro with his last Steelhead before moving to Hawaii. A good one to end on!

My niebor and friend Jason with a hot Hen that jumped like crazy and had his reel singing!

Richards first one of the year. By the look on his face, I think he forgot how big they are.

I want to say thank you to all of you I had the pleasure of fishing with this year. I trully appreciate all of the great times and memorable experiences we shared together in 2011. I hope you are all enjoying the Hollidays with friends a family. I'm looking forward to 2012 bringing more great times on the river and growing friendships.

My calendar is already filling for 2012 so dont procrastinate, get your dates booked before I fill up!

Happy Holidays from Angela and myself!

Fall is Here

2011-10-09T13:54:00.000-07:00

Seth (left) and Ty (right) are my middle brother Scott and his wife Taryn's little McFall's. Not much longer until they are whipping the waters!

Paula posing with a beautiful Rainbow she got while we were fishing the Sceirine ranch on the E.W.

This is how to do lunch on the EW were trees don't exist! Jon designed and built this canopy for his truck. I need to get one for myself!

Kip loves to give his EW browns kisses...

And hugs!

Kendall with a big EW Rainbow.

A beautiful look at the White Mountains first snow of the year September 13!

A pristine EW Brown with some serious shoulders.

Richard Stuck this monster Brown on a big dry fly while we were fishing the Sceirine ranch on the EW. What a fish! On the dry fly!

A colored up Crowley Torpedo!

Sandra and I with a huge brown on Crowley.

Her Husband Peter with one of the many fatties we landed that day. I fished them on Crowley for the first time in June and they immediately re booked for prime time in August and were rewarded!

Sandra and I with another massive Crowley Bow.

Jolie's big brown wanted to jump out of my hands and give Jack a kiss!

Jim hooked up on the scenic San Joaquin while fishing dry flies you can see!

Sunrise on Crowley.

I don't really remember a year where I saw lots of fish like this on a daily occasion. There are very few public places you can fly-fish in California and hook multiple fish like this monster.

David with a Crowley Chromer! He's getting prepared for Steelhead season...

Bendo on the lake with no boats in sight!

Her first day fly fishing and she lands this 23" brown just as we were pulling the anchor to head in for the day, What a way to cap it off!

Renatto and I with a Huge Cutthroat that wanted to smile for the camera.

John brought his Daughter Carlie up for a day on Crowley and she put everyone on the lake to shame. She just wailed on big fish one after another making all of the crusty old fisherman scratch there head.

Carlie with a nice Bow

This Brown was about 24" and fat! One of the biggest of the year in my boat!

Carlie posing.

Carlie and I with a huge bow she got to back up that massive brown.

What do you know? I got to catch one too!

My Buddy and fellow guide Dave Neal www.reelmammothadventures.com showing how good Crowley was this year, doubled up on 20+" fish!

Tony and I with a true Crowley Donkey of a Rainbow! And he told me at the begging of the day he was going to quit fly-fishing because he always gets skunked... I told him, "your fishing with me today Tony".

His fishing Buddy Gene backed him up with this monster Brown to cap off the day!

A special thank you to all whom I had the pleasure of fishing with this summer. We had great experiences on the beautiful waters of the Eastern Sierra providing memory's of a life time, along with some HUGE fish!

Now it's time to change gears... Next week I will be relocating up to Northern California to guide Steelhead on the fly from my drift boat for the next three months. Although my calendar is almost fully booked, I do have a few days here and there and sometimes cancellations do occur. I will keep my online calendar (on my website) updated daily.

With "very good" reports from my Nor Cal Guide Buddy's already hooking Steelhead on the Trinity, it looks like we have a great season ahead!

Here is some motivation...

Big Winter = Big Fish!

2011-05-02T10:49:00.000-07:00

Carry with the first fish of the day on the first cast! I haven't been back out on Crowley for the past few weeks due to a major algae bloom. Rolled the dice and went with the gut feeling that, "it has to be turning on any day" thought I had that morning when we met at the shop. And yes, it is on!

Her brother Seth with a Crowley reel singer.

Carry with another Crowley Hawg.

This girl was on fire all morning! Here she is with another "Donkey" of a Cutthroat!

Mick with a Bridgeport "toad" that started our day off right. While Crowley had the Algae bloom going on, I was towing my boat up to Bridgeport Res. and had a few good days and some tough days too. This place is a sleeper, some days can be mind blowing, other days you would swear all the fish disappeared! It's a reminder of how special Crowley really is.

Summer finally came! Man, After a VERY long, cold and wet winter, the long warm days started to show themselves after our last big snow storm the second week of June!

Along with the warmth, came the raging flows on most of our local rivers and creeks. From this spring, to current time this has provided me with many challenges to work around on a daily basis such as, changing water flows, weather patterns, and erratic hatches. With that said, if you know where to go, and when to be there at what time or flow the fishing has been great! As you can see from the hero shots below, Hot Creek, the Owens River, the East Walker River and Crowley have all been fishing well at different times this year and pumping out some MASSIVE fish!!! This has been a great year for the Ladies! (Peter and I with a Crowley Hawg)

(Renee and I with her first fish on a fly rod! Can you believe it? Nothing to this fly fishing thing... right!)

(Lisa with a Crowley fattie)

(Paula doing what she always does when we fish together... hook huge fish and put everybody around to shame)

(A perfect Hot Creek specimen at high flows)

( My Wife's first Bonefish this spring on the flats of Ascension Bay)

(Had to toss this one in since it seems like the year of big fish for the women... Emma is 15yrs old and fishes better than most of you reading this! LOL! Emma and I with her first Steelhead)

(Finally! My First Permit!)

(Jolie with the biggest Brown Trout I've seen all year! She stuck this pig while I was guiding her and Jack on the Private Ranch of the East Walker this spring.)

(Richard with the biggest Brown Trout I've ever had a client land on Hot Creek... nuff said.)

(Jolie and I again, with a big beautiful wild Rainbow she stuck on the dry fly while fishing the East walker the same day she landed that Monster Brown! What an insane day!)

(Robin with a personal best at 22" on the dry fly while I was guiding her on the private water on the East Walker.)

(Jack with a phatty brown on the dry fly while I was guiding him on the private water on the E.W., had to put this in or he'll give me too much sh!t for only putting his wife (Jolie) in all the photo's... You just need to fish better and catch bigger fish Jack!)

(Jolie and I with her MONSTER Brown. Nice work Ladies!!!)

We are now at the end of July and fishing has been stellar just about everywhere. I have been guiding the Upper and Lower Owens, Crowley Lake, Hot Creek, East Walker and Bridgeport Res. daily.

Fishing on the Upper Owens has been very consistent with nymphing bringing most of the fish to the net. Most anglers I have been guiding out there have been landing a dozen fish or more on average during a half day trip.

The Lower Owens has been at a fishable flow this past month and producing great fishing as well with around the same numbers of fish landed by competent anglers on a daily basis.

Crowley has just turned on and the long anticipated "McGee Miracle" is starting to occur as you can see from the hero shots above.

The East Walker has dropped to a fishable/wadeable flow at 370cfs and is producing quality fish to competent anglers. It is not a place for beginners at the moment, but the anglers that I'm taking up there who can get the job done are doing well. Yesterday broke off a massive brown at the net I would estimate at 25-27"!!!

Normally, I'm not fishing the EW at this time of year due to water temps being to high and dangerous for the fish. However, due to the huge winter we incurred, there is still lots of cold water feeding Bridgeport Res. keeping the river cool, and the fish happy. The California side remains VERY crowded! I have also been spending some time on the Nevada side fishing the Private water where crowds are non existent, and guess what? There is fish down there too!

I haven't Been on Bridgeport Res. in the last two weeks but some of my other top local guide buddy's have said it is fishing well.

I have been dying to get down to the San Joaquin as it is usually on fire at this time of year. But like a lot of our rivers, it has been running very high and fast. It has about one more week to go then it should be coming into prime shape. This is an awesome river if you have never fished it. The fish aren't big, but the views are! These fish will readily eat a well presented dry fly, and numbers of fish hooked on drys, combined with the sheer beauty it offers and minimal crowds, make for a great day on the river.

2010-03-10T15:23:00.000-08:00

Well, the winter Steelhead season has come to an end. I want to say thank you, to all of you that made the trek to come up and chase these Chrome reel-screamers with me. I had a great season on the Trinity and fished with great people and of course, hooked some great fish! The Steelhead fishing was awesome this year. My clients and I hooked and landed Steelhead waking dry flies, swinging Leeches and fishing eggs and nymphs under indicators, can't ask for anything more! Here are some more hero shots from some hardcore anglers. Again, thank you all! Duece up close and personal with a nice wild Hen.

Luc and I with a BIG wild buck. The smile says it all.

Lots of Bald Eagles around the river this year.

Jon and Paula came in hot and cleaned up! Jon with the biggest wild fish to the boat this year!

Some days were bright and pleasant, almost as bright as this wild Hen that jumped seven times on Charlie's line.

Jon sticks one on the last cast at the take out! what a way to end a trip!

Luc with a nice wild Hen at first light.

I know a bunch of hero shots... but man these are all great wild fish!

Jon landed one brown that day and 3 or 4 steelhead. Yes, this brown was big... but his wife Paula was on fire and stuck four MONSTER browns and one steelhead that day. It was unreal!

Paula with a ridiculous brown trout!!!!!!

Here she is with the smallest one she landed that day, this fish is still well over 20", if I remember right is was 23"!

While Paula got all the big browns Jon never lost sight of what he traveled up there for, Steelhead.

Paula finally got that elusive Steelhead.

Paula and I with a double digit Brown trout. Probably one of the heaviest Brown trout I've ever picked up.

Richard and I with a huge buck that went ballistic! After a 10 minute battle and countless times of saying OMG i can't believe that fish is still on it gave way to the net, posed for a quick photo and then continued his journey up river.

I'm back in mammoth now and guiding our local waters. I have been guiding the Lower Owens mostly, and bouncing around between Hot Creek and the East Walker a few days a week. The spring time fishing is in full swing right now and should continue to get better as weather warms, water temps increase, and hatches thicken. Remember I have my Nevada guides License and access to the private water on the East Walker. Over the next six weeks we will see the stonefly hatch happen. This is the best opportunity to go after your trophy fish on a size 6 dry fly! It truly is amazing. Dates are filling quickly, click on the link for my online calender to check availability http://www.mammothflyfishing.com/Availability_Calendar.html April is almost full, but May still has plenty of days. I hope you are all doing well, and I look forward to fishing with you soon!

Brad

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-22T21:42:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas everyone!
Sorry for the delay on posting... Was out of a camera for a couple months and got a early Christmas present. So I finally got some pictures to post! these are from the last couple of weeks...enjoy! As most of you know by now, I've been up on the Trinity river guiding Steelhead on the fly since early October. It has been a fantastic season so far this year! The return run of fish this year is a definite increase from last year.
With Competent Anglers, I have been averaging 6-9+ hook-ups a day! Though lately, I have been having LOTS of DOUBLE DIGIT days!!!!

Here is Scott, my brother, releasing a last light (dark) hooked fish on Thanksgiving day. We were hanging out drinking some beers and Scott needed to wet a line, bad! Last time was in Florida Tarpon fishing in June! So we wadered up, (with 45min. of light left) went down the street threw a few cast and SHWACK!

Here is the newest addition to the McFall family, Ty, with his Mom Taryn. This is over Thanksgiving up in Weaverville at a house my family rented on Steel Bridge rd. overlooking the Trinity.

There is a dangerous crew in the Kitchen! My Dad, Ron on the left. Brother Scott, me and my oldest brother Mark on the right.

Here is Mark and I with his first Steelhead ever! Nice work Bro!

Cody and Ryan came up and booked me a couple days right after Thanksgiving and put the smack down on the fish! Cody with his first Steelhead ever!

Didn't take long for him to figure it out!

Ryan with a beautiful Buck!

Cody and I with his first Wild fish! This fish was HOT!

James and I with a nice big Buck.

Ryan with a nice wild Buck to cap off a great couple of days!

I had a blast with Hue and James, we got to sight cast to some HUGE steelhead and they got it done!

Here is a typical morning drive to the river during sunrise. The inversion layer of fog settles in the valley and usually burns off around noon.

James and I with another nice Buck.

Richard and I with a big Wild Buck to start the day off!

And another Wild Buck for Richard.

Look at that funny looking guy! I think I've seen him on here before....

Richard and I with another big Buck

Don and Chris came up and fished the two coldest days I've ever seen while Steelhead fishing. I was launching my boat and my truck said 11 degrees. Water was low, clear, and cold. Despite these conditions these guys fished hard, and still managed to have double digit days in the toughest conditions. Nice work!

Chris with a fun one!

Don and I with a big ol' Buck!

While I was thinking my feet were going to fall off because they turned into Ice bricks, Chris hooked this beast and we were all warm and fussy inside again!

Chris with a very pretty Buck.

Don with a HOT Wild Buck!

Little frosty that day...

But... They still had to eat. Like this big daddy!

Yup... that's my room... With single digit temps comes broken water pipes! While I was on the water guiding a pipe burst in my ceiling. Luckily, my buddy Gabe, came back to the house after his clients decided to cancel because of the cold, and caught it early before everything in my room was destroyed. Over the past two weeks they have been working to replace, floors, ceiling, walls and everything else. But, what are ya - gonna-do?

Jack and Jolie came back up for another trip this month and killed it! Here is Jolie with a CHROME WILD HEN!!!

They had a double hook-up and landed them both and ended up finishing the day in double digits!

Where's Waldo? Oh wait... that's Jack! Little bit of rain that day, gottem on the grab!

Thank you to all that have made the effort to come up and fish with me this year, and those of you that are coming!

I have had a great time with all of you and look forward to many more!

Merry Christmas and

Happy Holidays!!!

Brad and Angela

2009-06-13T18:40:00.000-07:00

Wheeew, A lot has happened since last month! I have been very busy, Guiding locally, competing in casting competitions in Colorado, and even got a little play time in Florida for some big Tarpon! Best of all... I have my first Nephew! My Brother Scott, and his wife Taryn brought a healthy 8lber (lol) into the family! This is baby Ty DOUGLAS MCFALL

I have been staying busy guiding our local waters in the area spending most of my time bouncing between the East Walker River, Crowley Lake, Lower Owens River and of course, Hot Creek! All waters listed above are fishing incredibly good as we make this transition into summer, well, kinda. Lately we have been experiencing afternoon thunderstorms with rain almost everyday for the past three weeks! But our local weatherman said a change is on it's way next week for the better.

Luc Paquet with a 22" trophy This series of photo's are all from the legendary EAST WALKER RIVER. The E.W. has been pumping out big numbers of fish all spring long, not just lots of fish but BIG fish! Here is a little fish porn from the E.W.

Here is Luc's Brother Jules and I with a big rainbow he got while fishing the Private water on the E.W.

Jack Ingram with a BIG BROWN he stuck on the Dry while we were on the private water

The Walker has been fishing so well largely in-part by the rich insect life and prolific hatches we have been experiencing. Here, you see my hand covered in Midge larva after pulling a branch out of the water.

Richard high sticking some productive pocket water on the E.W.

Everything from small midges, to Pale Morning Duns, to Blue Winged Olives, to little yellow Stones, to various types of caddis, and the trout our eating machines!

Oops! There is evidence of... well.....they don't always eat tiny Midges.............

Jack Backed up that big Brown on the Dry with a huge Rainbow on the Dry that afternoon!

Gotta love the private water that I'm licensed to guide! Fish like this and not another soul around

Here is Ruben on his first day of fly fishing ever! Dave Neal (top local guide) and I had Ruben, his Father, Grandfather and his younger sister, on the Lower Owens today. All fly fishing for their first time, we all had a ball! They were quick learners, great company and most of all... fishy!!! Together the 4 of them caught and released 25 beautiful wild Browns in a few hours of fishing!

Here is x-Marine Billy on his first day fly fishing, with a nice Lower Owens Brown

Jules Paquet with a big Hot Creek Brown that fell for his well presented fly

A look at our backyard spring creek heaven... Hot Creek

A gorgeous Hot Creek specimen

April has continued to pump out killer days!

2009-04-24T19:38:00.000-07:00

Can't get this photo to rotate... but it's a sweet fish that Jon got on a large Stonefly Dry fly! Here is Paula (Jon's wife) with a big A$$ Brown she got on the Dry fly!

This was Jon's first fish he has gotten on a dry fly on the East Walker, a fat 20"! The East Walker has been fishing fantastic! In fact, it is fishing the best I've ever seen it!! Yes...you read that right. But, with that, comes the crowds...

So... I have been guiding the Scerinie Ranch. A private fly fishing only ranch that offers 2 1/2 miles of world class East Walker water housing Monster Browns and Bows, without all the pressure the public water gets. The ranch only allows 4 rods per day to ensure solitude and a quality experience. I can arrange bookings and guide on the ranch. I'm licensed to guide both the Nevada and California sections of the East Walker. That's my plug.
Here is Paula and I with a 19" Brown on the Ranch!

A look from his world...

Jon with another nice Bow on the Ranch.

Here is Paula explaining how big the Brown was that just fell out of her hands! lol!

Here is My Brother Mark, his wife Jennifer and Daughter Kailer at Hot Creek. They came down to visit and stayed for a few days. We had a great time... I even got Mark down to Hot Creek to do a little fishin'. I think he now has the bug...so to speak! The website you are currently viewing is all because of my Bro. With out him building me this site, blog and even getting me on Twitter, you wouldn't be able to view your beautiful fish pic's and get reports on whats happening. AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT MY YOUTUBE SITE!!! Thanks Mark!!!

The Other place I've been guiding regularly the last few weeks has been Hot Creek. There has been phenomenal Mayfly hatches daily and the Trout are taking advantage of them! Here is Christina with a nice Hot Creek Rainbow, not bad for her first fish on a fly rod!

She stood on the same hole and whacked'em the whole time we were there. She completely out fished Dan. lol!

Tomorrow is the Official Trout opener for California... Good luck out there!

March and April have been increadible fishing!!!

2009-04-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

Who's that funny looking guy? Never seen him on here...lol! To bad Jack... this could be you! lol

It was a little cold that morning but the fish were hungry!

Diane gave her 100th one a kiss!lol

Love this photo...

Diane with one of many.

Her fishing partner Kip killed it too!

It was truly Diane's day!

Here is Diane hooked up during a Mayfly hatch on the Lower Owens. She had a incredible day, at one point it was like every cast for her!

Here is Lisa with a giant brown she got while being guided by Dave.
Greg with a beautiful Lower O brownie!

Here is Greg wading a riffle during a intense Mayfly hatch on the Lower O we had a great day floating in my Drift boat.

Here is Clay with a pig he got with me on his first day ever fishing the E. Walker!

Overall the last two months the fishing has been the best I've ever seen at this time of year. A big thanks to all of you for the business. I've been very fortunate to be this busy and have such great relationships with my clients...more like friends.

If you are reading this and have not fished at this time of year in the Mammoth area, you are missing out. The crowds have been thin( except on the E. Walker) and the fish have been thick! Even though the E.W. is crowded it doesn't matter being that I'm licensed in both Cali. and Nevada. Plus I have access to private water on the E. Walker. Call or E-mail for details!

Brad

2009-03-25T18:07:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone!

Sorry it's been a while since I posted a new blog...

If you haven't figured it out yet, I've got a twitter account set up thanks to my brother Mark! So that's what Ive been trying to post on daily. Go to my main page http://www.mammothflyfishing.com/ and scroll down to the bottom and you will see it. I will be posting up the minute on whats happening via cell phone if in range. Otherwise I will post on my drive home from the water.

I will still be on this blog posting photo's as well. I'm also very excited about my YOUTUBE channel which I've updated today! Be sure to check it out!!! I will post short clips from guide trips daily. Just go to my home ( http://www.mammothflyfishing.com/) page, click the link for my channel, and enjoy! Here is a few pic's from the last couple weeks. The fishing has been outstanding!

Brad

Richard and I with a plump healthy E. Walker brownHere is Paula with a big E-dub BrownOhh, what do we have here??? The first signs of the Stone fly hatch. hehehe. If you ever wanted to fish BIG DRY FLIES for BIG TROUT in the Eastern Sierras April is the month! Dates are limited...

Fishin's still good all over!!!

2009-02-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

Like it says on the title, the fishing has been great all over the state. I have been back home in Mammoth for the last few weeks now, fishing the Lower Owens, skiing and snowmobiling. The fishing in Mammoth has been superb, great hatches of Mayflies and Midges with lots of trout feeding heavily on them daily, without pressure!
However, I have been told I need to get back up north for a week or so. Apparently, the Lower Sac has been on fire with 40 plus fish coming to the net daily all 16-22 inches, and the Trinity has had a influx of large wild winter-run steelhead with nobody on the river fishing for them!
Call or e-mail me for more info. I will be heading up next week. Don't miss out on this opportunity, I would only pump this if it was true. Here are some photo's of clients from the last week I was there. Gary Turri with a large wild Hen.

Ken with a big beautiful wild buck!

Ken with a nice clean Hen.

Ed and myself with a big a$$ buck!

Steve with his first Trinity Steelhead!

Good friend Jon Anders with a chromer.

And a nice Native

Another beautiful buck to the boat.

http://www.sacriveroutfitters.com/ Owner Tim Root netting a big steelhead for a happy client.

Here's Jack...I only fish with him so I can hang out with Jolie. lol!

Here is myself with a big "fresh as they get" wild buck about 3 miles from the salt on a a coastal river. Here's what I like to do when I'm not fishing!

Thank you all for the kind words regarding the cover shot I have on the current issue of Fly fisherman magazine. I also want to thank you all for a great year and look forward to fishing with you all very soon!

-Brad

Front Cover of Fly Fisherman Magazine March 2009

2009-01-28T12:45:00.000-08:00

This is a guest post by Brad's brother, Mark McFall. Brad isn't aware that I am posting his cover shot from Fly Fisherman Magazine but this is big news in my opinion.

For those of you may not be aware, Brad has graced the pages of multiple ski magazines in the past regarding extreme skiing and has even achieved the back cover of Powder Magazine.

But I must say this cover shot on Fly Fisherman has me very proud of my youngest brother.

In Brad's younger days both me and Brad's other brother Scott were relentless on Brad in pushing him to higher levels.

At times, when I think back, I almost can't believe how hard I was on him. From dumping a 5 gallon bucket of water on him from the roof of our house while he was still in school clothes, to bringing him to tears because he was too scared to follow me down a ski shoot known as Acid Test.

Yes, he sure went through a lot of hazing in those days. But it wasn't long before I started to get a sense that Brad was going to be on whole different level.

Very proud of you Brad

Your Bro

-Mark

It's December!!! Time for your...

2008-12-15T12:31:00.000-08:00

Here is my beautiful Wife Angela holding a nice chromer she got on her birthday in October! How cool is that! She went steelheading on her birthday! MAN I'M LUCKY!!!! my buddy Dave (www.reelmammothadventures.com) says " your wife married down dude."

Sorry about the same photo twice... can't figure out how to get it off of there???

My wife on the Oars! I get to fish!!

Ken with a nice wild hen.

Here is Eliot with the biggest steelhead I have ever seen!!! We taped it out at 34 1/2 inches long!!!

Hue with a nice chromer.

Another one of the 34!

Myself with Fly shop owner Bob Slamal (riverside ski and sport).

Luc saying CHEESE!

Richard with a big buck.

Big stone with a stone I tied next to the natural.

Michael and I with a wild hen.

Ryan with a huge wild hen that jumped and jumped and jumped!!

Paul with his first wild Buck.

Tyler and I with a wild buck

Tyler and I with a Monster buck!

time for your rod guides to be choked with ice, while steam rises off the river. Fish rolling in the distance overlooked by misty clouds hanging in the dense forest tree tops. Your fies drift freely down the run like they have every other cast you made with complete focus this morning, only to be interrupted by SET SET SET!!!!!!

Yes, I know I have been horrible about updating my blog. But the truth is, bla,bla, bla...

Rather than ramble on and on, I'll keep it strait to the point.

The steelhead fishing on the Trinity has been just that this year. Steelhead fishing. The days of 30 plus hookups a day seem distant.. Last years run was the highest ever on record. Last time I checked (in mid Nov.) the fish counts were at 20% of what they were last year. Never the less the fishing has been pretty damn good despite the low fish counts and low water conditions we have been experiencing this year.

Now that we are in mid-December we are finally getting some weather that is very much needed. More water will bring more fish...

So far this year I have been averaging 3-6 hook-up's a day with competent anglers. Obviously the better caster you are the more fish you'll put your fly in front of. The fishing has been pretty darn good all the way around. I have seen a 50%-50% of wild (or native) fish vs. hatchery fish. The fish are hot and pull hard. There have been more fish in the 30 inch plus class in my net this year than ever before, including a few in the 32-34 inch range!!!

The very best part about this year has been having the entire river to YOURSELF! It's like my roommate, mentor, and good friend Kevin Peterson said to me, "last year the Internet was our enemy, this year it's our friend". Last year there was people everywhere, this year there might be 1 or 2 other boats on your float. Last year there would be 12-15 boats plus bank anglers, witch have been for the most part none existent this season.

Now that we are finally getting into the winter weather patterns the fishing should get even better. The tributary's, which have been dry for the most part, will start flowing and bring the smell of home down river to this mysterious, fined friend that makes us steelhead addicts go crazy!

Also, I want to thank everyone that I have had the pleasure of fishing with this year. I really appreciate your business. Beyond that I really appreciate all of the friendships.

Happy Holidays!!!

Brad

It's August...

2008-08-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

Hello fellow fly flickers. It's that time of year again. Hot, crowded, low water and ready for some time off! Yikes! Did I say that out loud? I guess I just can't stop thinking about STEELHEAD!!! I'll get back to that.

All in all, the fishing has been very good on certain waters. The main two body's of water I have been focusing on is the Upper Owens River and Crowley Lake. These continue to be the most productive fisheries in the area as is usual at this time of year. Here are a few pic's of some biggie's.

Here is Jean Paquet with his first fish on a fly Rod! Last week my close friend (and fellow guide) Dave Neal, had all four Paquet brothers out on the lake, and what a blast it was! These guys are are so much fun! Down to earth, easy going, real people that can get there fish on! That's about all I can say after what Dave wrote... No way I could try to top that. http://www.reelmammothadventures.com/ kiss a$$ LOL
Here is Jules Paquet and I with a big boy.
And another for the "little" brother. lol!Calibeatis for breakfast Mr. Monster Rainbow?Rodger and I with Mr. Monster. The damsel hatches are still going strong! Like this guy that swam up to my fly line crawled up on the rod and hatched.Here is Richard casting tiny dry's on a early high sierra morning on the famous Hot Creek.

Oh ya, we also caught some REALLY nice fish on those tiny drys too!!! Nice Richard!Here is Ron with a GIANT Crowley Bow that screamed waaaayyy into his backing. I love the lake...Here is Eric with another pig!Here's 14yr old J.T. with a big (18 inch) Hot Creek Ranch bow on the dry! Awesome job J.T.
Way to go Chris! Look at how beautiful this brown is.

We are coming into a nice change at the end of this month. The kids head back to school, the camp grounds empty out, less anglers in your hole, the air starts to get crisp and cool, and the hatches become more consistent.

I also wanted to jump on here and throw out a few changes about this up coming fall. As a lot of you know, I will be guiding Steelhead in Nor Cal on the Trinity River this fall and winter. I have lengthened up my stay a bit longer this year. I will be there from Oct. 10th - Jan.31st. I have a lot of dates on the books already so If you are thinking about coming up now is the time to get your dates booked. My rate is 400.00 per day for one or two anglers. we will be fishing out of my top of the line clakacraft drift boat and sage rods and reels are there for your use if you wish. All you need to do is show up with a big smile in your warm waders and enjoy a beautiful float down a very scenic river.

Here is a few photo's of happy clients to help MOTIVATE you

That's my quick pitch for now. I'll be on here with some more info in the next few weeks.

(Really, I will, Jack, )

Brad

I'm alive!! And posting!!!! lol.

2008-06-15T13:50:00.000-07:00

I know, I know. I've been totally lagging on updating the website... Well for what it's worth I'll been on here at least once a week from now on.

There is soooo much to say that has happened in the last few months, so I'll keep it short and sweet!

Hot Creek is on fire!!! The water is high, but clear and the hatches have been thick. We are seeing P.M.D.'s (starting to show), Yellow Sallies, and lot's of caddis. With the water high like this I have had a lot of large fish coming to the net from clients. This is the best time of year to target big fish on dry's at Hot Creek. With the flows up those big boys come out from under the weeds where they feel comfortable in this shallow spring creek and sit in open feeding lanes and do just that, FEED! Here is a few pic's from some happy clients. Rex with a nice Hot creek Bow.

Mia below with a Hot Creek Ranch bow on here first day with a fly rod.Below Lonnie with a nice brown

Here is 12 yr. old Liza With her first fish on a fly! Bridgeport Res. is starting to produce, guides day off!! Scott flint, Alex and myself went out to do some research (fishing) and Scott poked this fat brown. It's not red hot yet, but starting to pick up.
Jolie with a nice East Walker rainbow! By the way this was on the private Seriene fly fishing ranch in the Nevada section. That is open to the public for a rod fee of 80 dollars for a full days fishing. I recently obtained my Nevada guide license. Which means I can guide the Nevada private and public sections of the East Walker!! Yesssssssss!Here is Jack (Jolie's significant other) with a fat bow on the E.W.
Later that day we decided to go up to the (miracle mile) and do some highsticking or (Czech nymphing) and Jack whacked this giant brown! Way to go Jack!!!

Another

Here is Tyler with back to back big browns on the Walker. His second day fly fishing!!!Tony! Tony, Tony, Tony. This guy has put some serious effort into landing a big Walker fish... I've guided him the last two years and he has hooked a lot of big fish on the E.W. but had the worst luck I've ever seen... He Always seemed to lose every big fish he'd ever hooked, so when he landed this pig it called for a beer! Nice job Tony, no more rubber hooks!Clients, Gene (holding the fish) and River had a great day on the E.W.

Ok. So like I said at the top of this post a lot has happened since my last post. One thing that happened was a trip to Florida (location X). My first cast of the trip, on the first morning, I boated a 130lb Tarpon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was the coolest thing I've ever done with a fly rod in my hand, PERIOD. Six of us went on the trip, we had three guides and four days of fishing with bad weather conditions three of the four days. Four fish were landed for the trip. I got two ( a130lb and a 70lb) Kevin got one 70lber and Bob got one about 50lbs. Never the less it was an awesome experience that I wanted to share with all of you, so enjoy the pic's. These are all of my 130lber! Bow, bow, bow! O.M.G.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

YES

2008-01-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

This is down town Weaverville this morning around 10:00am
Here is the first hen I caught and released today.
This was a nice hen, the second to my hand... about 2 cast after the first one... then I didn't bother taking the camera out for the rest!
This is the famous Bucktail hole that I fished this morning. The best part of today though, was not seeing another angler on the river!!!

Today it was on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The river was out of control yesterday but it showed how fast she can clear with the right conditions.

It snowed since 3:00am last night, witch means it froze up the tributary's, witch means it brought the river down into shape!

The River is currently at 819 cfs in Douglas city and dropping due to low temps. This is great for the fishing. Today the river had about 3-4 of visibility at Bucktail (put in take out). I fished right there for a few hours and WHAKED'EM!!!!!!!!

I'll give you the latest update tomorrow, but as of now with the cooler temps the river is dropping and the fish are eating!!!

Brad

RAIN RAIN RAIN AND MORE RAIN

2008-01-04T18:01:00.000-08:00

Here is the culprit of what you're about to see. Rain on top of snow will do this mix ed with HEAVY HEAVY rainfall...

This is the storm drain in front of my apartment. Normally dry, today 500cfs (cubic feet per second)
Weaverville creek. Normally about 12 cfs... today 1000 cfs taking down this massive tree along with anything in it's path!!!
WOW!!!!!!!!
this was the Indian creek put in.
Break out your Hot Creek dry flies!!! I think there will be a beatis hatch size 22 heheheheheThis gives good perspective, the normal size of the Trinity is the part off the the far right...you know, where there is normally NO WATER!Here is the Steiner flat take out (gold post) with the rope swing. Those of you that have done this drift with me will understand the severity.

The rope swing swinging in the water.

I was supposed to fish with the Wold's the today and tomorrow. It looks like they made the right call on not coming up!

The weather forecasters are calling this the storm of the century and it seems to be living up to that.I spent the day driving around and taking pic's of the Trinity and so called tributary's...

these small streams that you can normally hop across are bigger than the Trinity itself, at fishable conditions. I will give a update tomorrow when I get sick of starring at the wall and drinking beer to kill time.

I just looked at the flow chart and in Douglas city (299 bridge) the flows peeked at 2:00pm today at 3,314 cfs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Normal fishing conditions are from 370- 470 cfs.

DAMN!!!!

more beer.

Brad

THE RIVER IS THICK!!!!!!

2007-12-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

The river has continued to blow minds. It's thick with our finned friends! I don't have much time, so I will get to the point and let the pic's tell the rest... Crowds are gone and more fish are coming in everyday!!! The boat traffic that we saw the last couple of months has dwendled with the cooler weather, however there has been a huge influx of wild fish coming into the river and these fish are HOT HOT HOT!!! 20 hook -ups a day is not uncommon. I still have a few dates left for January. Thank you to everyone that made the trek to come up and fish with me. I look forward to another great year with all of you Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from Angela and I!
Brad
Jack with a HUGE Buck!
Owner of Sacriveroutfitters.com Chris King and client with a 32 inch wild Buck!

Twin bucks!
Double!!! I love my boat.
Good Job Neal and Jeff

Got down to the Delta to go striper fishing with a good friend John Sherman for a couple days and he stuck the 21 pounder!! (I got to take his picture)hehehe
Long time client and friend Tyler Easley with a 29inch wild buck!!!
Luc with a wild Chromer...he just can't get enough!

Steve stickin'em in the rain!

Last light fish. Luc went 2 out of 3 nights last cast at dark and stuck'em
this fish deserves another shot
Jack with a sweet buck

Nice fish Richard. These guys came back for more and killed it again!
Wild buck

It's getting cooler...

2007-12-01T16:27:00.000-08:00

We are now in December and it sure does fell like it up here! Highs are in the 30's-40's and lows in the single digits and teens. The forecast is calling for some much needed rain and snow early this week. This should move the fish around and get them grabby again. The fishing has remained very good over the last week but we are definitely seeing the effects of ultra low, clear water with heavy fishing pressure. The takes are quick and the fish are very spooky, and even starting to get a little picky on bug selection. Perfect presentations are a must!
We only need one thing to get the fishing back to what it has been (stupid) WATER!!!! And it looks like we will in the next few days. With the weather patterns changing so does the crowds. Now that it's getting cooler the crowds will start to thin out and the fishing will continue to blow minds through February. Keep in mind I will only be here through January and the I will be back in Mammoth fishing the Lower O and awaiting the Stone hatch on the East Walker. I can't tell you all enough, the Steelhead fishing up here is crazy this year. I've been fishing it for years and have never seen it like this.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Turkey day!
Brad

Ernie and I with a beautifully colored buck he got.
Here is my buddy Jeff Newby with the biggest Buck I've had in the net all year!! 30 incher on his first day of steelheading ever!

TSSSHHH!

Gary with a nice Hen
Gary with a monster buck

The Sinsai Ken, with a chrome Hen

Chris likes to kiss his

Fellow Sac river outfitters guide Tim Root (right) with a client holding a big big buck
Some days have been bumper boats, and to think this shot doesn't include my boat that I'm in!!

J.B. with his first steelhead, and Ryan with his first below. Devirginized!

IT'S ON!!!!!!!!

2007-11-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

Hello all!

As most of you all know by now I have relocated to Weaverville Ca, to guide the Trinity river for Steelhead. I have been up here since the last week of October and the fishing is unreal. I don't have Internet access at home up here so I apologize for delays. The best way to reach me is my Cell(209)-484-1114 and I'll return your call. I will do my best to go to the local coffee shop and return e-mails and update the blog.

If some of you have been kicking around the Idea of going steelheading DO IT!!!!! The Trinity is having a record run of fish this year. Double digit daily hook-ups are the norm right now while more fish continue to poor in the system.

I am planning on being here through the month of January. Here is a few pic's of what you will enjoy when you come!

Brad

Luc with a hefty 10lb buck to finish off his five day trip!!!

Judy's first cast!! She continued to have the hot stick of the day. But then AL took it over the second day. Great job guys!
Another unknown face on this website! LOL! Richard with his first steelhead ever!! Well kinda, I dropped the first one out of the net before we got a photo. WHOOPS!! Guide error!!
Luc with another huge buck

Richard and I with a nice big buck that took us at 150 yards downriver!
Look at that funny guy. Good friend and fellow guide Dave Neal came up to get his fix. Dave is also running my mammoth guide trips while I'm on the Trinity. Feel free to give him a call (760)-914-0465 and tell him I sent you. He will get you into fish like this one all day long on the Lower Owens! hehehe

What can I say?
Nice fish Bill

Double hook up with Chris and Dave. Whent for the money shot and one got away, DAMN!!!!
David Varney with a nice big buck

Chris with his

David and I with a big buck

Grant with a Monster Hen and his brother Bill below with a buck to rival. These guys were unbelievable talent in my boat and it made for a ridiculous number of fish!

My Bro Scott has had to come get a piece of the action a few times now, he just can't help himself. Sorry Taryn...

Might as well finish off the post with the two nuts I fish with the most. Great things come in pairs. What a week guys!!

Brad McFall

Big Changes Happening!!!!!!!!!!!

2007-09-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

So the title of this post means two things. The first is the most important. Next Saturday 9/29/07 I'm getting married to my beautiful fiance Angela!!!!!!! The other thing is that I will be living in Nor Cal from the end of October through the end of January Guiding for steelhead out of my new drift boat on the Trinity River and the Lower Sac. Below is a few pic's of what you will be able to enjoy when you come up and fish with me! Just e-mail me brad@mammothflyfishing.com or call my cell (209)-484-1114 to book. I will be working for www.sacriveroutfitters.com Travel and accommodations are easy, you can fly into Redding and get a rental car( 40 min. to the Trinity or 5 min. to the Sac.) or depending on where you are you can just drive!! I strongly urge you all to come up and fish for these awesome fish of a lifetime. Take a look below!

It's September!!

2007-09-12T16:43:00.000-07:00

So we are almost into fall and I haven't made many posts so... I figure I would let a few pics do the talking... Long time client Jack Ingram and I stopped at Hot creek on our way to Crowley, spotted this monster, stuck it on a dry fly, then continued down to the lake.... I know, it's tough.
Check out this 25 incher Sean got on the Owens!!
Here is Jack once we made it to the lake.... Ya, that day sucked

Sometimes Jack likes to give them a hug if there over 22 inches!

Good client and friend Chris Hirata with a Bridgeport Res. chunk. Bastard has a lot of big fish on this post.
Chris and I with a 5 pound Crowley pig!!!
Father and son's first day fly fishing and dad stuck this 22 incher. His son Nathaniel ripped some lip too!
Another Crowley silver bullet.
Nathaniel with his first fish on a fly!!

Richard and I fished Bridgeport Res. and it was the best day I have ever had on Bridgeport. We guessed 80-100 fish between the two of us. At one point, Richard was kicking my a$$ and stuck 12 over 18 inches!!
One 23 incher for the ladyChris on Alpers Owens River Ranch

AAAHH... and now we have Luc. I don't know what else to say. This guy has become a legend. I have netted more fish over 20 inches for this guy this year than I have the whole time I've been guiding (Check older post)... well maybe
Luc's son Patrick came up for a few days and whacked 'em on the lake and on the Alpers Ranch.

Yup, Richard again.
I think this might be the smallest fish I've photographed with that funny looking guy.
Chris on Alpers. Another toad.
Patrick's first day of fly fishing and he stuck multiple lunkers like this one!!!

I want to say thanks to everyone I had the pleasure of fishing with, and all of the relationships that have been built. This summer has been a whirl wind for me being this busy, and for those of you who don't know, I'm also getting married on the 29th of this month. I will be gone until late October. I will then be working for Sac River Outfitters guiding Steelhead on the Trinity River in Northern California until Feb. I strongly urge you to come up and fish for these reel singing chromies!!!

Brad McFall

Fish are starting to feast on fry!!

2007-08-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Paul Manoukian was having fun doing his deadly exorcist theme retrieve with the Perch Fry.

Here is Yevette Mesa with a nice football
Jolie Ingram with a beautiful bow on the Owens.
Me and Jolie with a 20 incher!!!
Jolie's man with his trophy. Go ahead and breath Jack... it's o.k. you landed it.

Here is Chris Petek and I with his biggest fish on a fly ever!!
Ditto for his Grandfather Bill!
Here is a popular face good friend and client Chris Hirata with a Bridgeport Brown!

So, as you can see from all of the picks lately I've been guiding Crowley and Bridgeport a lot, due to the poor water conditions we have from one of the lowest snowfall winters on record in our area. With that said we should start having more monsoonal weather patterns combined with cooler nights witch will help cool off rivers such as the East Walker. Man I can't wait till it's fishable! (water temps are still to warm).

If you are looking for moving water to fish, the Upper Owens is still fishing very well. Some of these pics are from the Owens in the public area's and some are from the private ranches.

The title of this post says it all as far as Crowley and Bridgeport. The arm straitening yank of 20+ inch fish crashing on your perch fry pattern is in it's beginning stages. Yesterday I was out with Paul Manoukian and his son Charlie and all we did was fish fry patterns on sink lines and pulled some impressive fish to the boat. But for you guys that like the visuals if your indicator twitching... it's still going down! YOU'RE DOWN YOU'RE DOWN!! lol!!

Lastly, I want to let you all know I will be in Northern California from mid October - Jan. GUIDING FOR STEELHEAD!!! I will be working for http://www.sacriveroutfitters.com/ I will post more about this later. But start getting some dates together for these sea run fish that put you in your backing!!

Brad McFall

WOW!!!

2007-07-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

Wow,

says a lot. It says wow, I'm actualy posting a new blog!

But more importantly it says how the fishing has been since my last post.

Alot has happend in the last few months. Terry has moved to Trukee and Ty has gone to a real job! (lol)

They are both still guiding but only part time. So I have been left with the updates on here but have done a poor job of it because I have been increadibly busy. I will do my best to keepy you all more informed about what is going on.

So I can sit here and type pages about the last few months but I will sum it up and let a FEW of the houndreds of photo's that I have do the talking. Real quick I would like to add that Crowley,the upper Owens and Bridgeport Res. are all on fire and have been for some time. Some of the monsters that are on here are from the East Walker... which we have stopped guiding a couple of weeks ago due to high water temps. If any of you would like to see a daily update on all of our waters check out our fly shops website http://www.thetroutfly.com/ Thank's to all of you I have had the pleasure of fishing with and if you haven't been, what are you waiting for???

Dream Day

2007-04-10T19:50:00.000-07:00

Spring is showing it's self with awesome insect hatches, and strong, healthy happy trout actively feeding on them. For fly fisher's, it sounds like a dream come true... well just check out a few pics of good client and great friend Luc Paquet's Dream day.

After Luc landed multiple fish in the 18 inch range we don't bother taking out the camera unless it was over 20. (don't think I've ever said that before) But after sticking a huge brown on the dry fly he handed me the rod and said "you fish" . Those of you that I fish with know I wouldn't normally make a cast for myself. But after netting that many huge fish in one day for one guy I said "OK, give me that thing". What do you know...I made ONE cast and got my picture taken.

That's how you hold a fish Luc!!

LOL!!!

This is what happens when you have a great angler with great fishing and a half a$$ guide(lol).

Awesome job Luc!

That was a day we will never forget!

Brad McFall

I'm a broken record

2007-03-26T20:17:00.000-07:00

Yes, the fishing remains unbelievable despite a few cold fronts that work there way through the area for a day or two. I have been busy guiding the Lower O and Hot Creek. Both fisheries continue to fish extremely well despite some of the pressure. I'm getting worried that I might get my a$$ handed to me on a guide trip soon ,because I'm just astounded by the fishing that has been happening this month. Most of my half day trips are averaging very high #'s of fish hooked. And almost half of those are on dry's!!

I want to say thanks, to everyone that I've had the pleasure of fishing with over the past few weeks, and to let them know it's still as good as it was!!

Here is a few pics of Joe from Hot Creek the other day. We had a great half day trip fishing dry fly's primarily. I also guided Eric, Jason and David today on the Lower O and the fishing was fabulous. We experienced a great Mayfly hatch and they did very very well. Good Job guys!! (forgot my camera today) so you'll have to take my word for it :)

Brad McFall

What a week!!

2007-03-19T19:44:00.001-07:00

Here is a nice sequence of Greg Wold showing how it's done on the Lower "O"

Luke with a beautiful Owens river brownie!

Check this out!! These are crawling around and hatching in good #'s too...If you know what it is, I would tie it on...he,he,he

Well, the weather pattern has been so summer-like, some of the hatches my clients and I have fished through in the last week made it seem like we are in prime time fishing. Earlier in the week I guided Luke for a few days on the Lower O through one of the thickest caddis hatches I have ever seen on any river anywhere! Thursday was the thickest I've seen throughout the week, and we must have landed in the realm 50 fish! We were nymphing as well as fishing drys most of the time. On Friday we mainly fished dry's and probably landed around 20-30 fish.

Over the weekend I fished with some good clients and friends the Wolds. We had a great time on the Lower O as well. These guys are East Walker freaks! I think I've only guided them on Hot Creek once other than the Walker, so it was nice to get them on some Owens river browns for the first time. The Hatches were not quite as thick but we still had phenomenal fishing with both drys and nymphs. Nice work guys!! Check out the caddis on the surface!

If you look hard on the pic above of Luke fighting a nice brown you can see thousands of caddis over the water!! Below Jeff Wold is gettin' bent and lands a quality lower O brown.

Here is Steve wold showing a little critter that he fooled with a Elk Hair Caddis!Today I guided some long time clients, Dave and Sean Cargo at Hot Creek and the fishing was outstanding!! Dave stuck a few on drys and went back to nymphing and whacked 'em. Hot Creek is en fuego!!!Here's a few picks. Like father like Son.

Sean spent most of the time fishing dry fly's and killed it! With the overcast sky, the mayflies were hatching in good #'s and he was fooling the fish with perfect presentations. Sorry Sean the photo of last big brown didn't come out:( Nice job today guys, I had a lot of fun!

If you're thinking of coming up and doing some fishing DO IT!! I am booking up on the weekends but mid week there is no body here and I have lots of openings. Come experience this new style of March fishing... you won't be disappointed!

Brad McFall

If You're Reading This You're Missing Out!!!!!!

2007-03-05T17:23:00.000-08:00

It's March and the fishing is awesome!!
Almost all of my clients will ask me...
Brad, when is the best time to come fishing in the Mammoth area?
Well, it's a tough question for me to answer because of all of the variables that come along. For example,weather conditions, run off and seasonal crowds just to name a few, but if you were to ask me now, I would say NOW!!

As many of you may have heard, we have had regulation changes on some of our prime waters such as Hot Creek, The Owens River and the famed East Walker. These waters have been opened up year round as catch and release fly fishing. There is mixed feeling on this topic within the guide circles as well as ranch owners. I'm going to briefly touch the subject with my own opinion. Believe me I could go on for days about all the pros and cons.
I will make my first point short and BLUNT. I'm not excited about fishing the East Walker on the California side until the flows are a minimum of 150cfs!! A lot of you that I fish with frequently, know how much I truly love this river and how much I respect it. Now, with that said, if the flows are up and the weather is nice you no I'll be there in March and April putting my clients on monster Browns fishing the Golden Stone hatch, and continue to guide it throughout the season.
Hot Creek
I have not fished it since it has recently opened but have spoken to some of the other guides I work with and they have said the dry fly fishing is absolutely incredible.
I'm not big on this either, being it is the most fished one mile stretch of water in California already, and now it will be open year round. If you do fish either of these please keep the fish in the water and do not wade in Hot Creek!!
OK, enough negativity.
Back to the good stuff. Today I guided some good friends Jack and Jolie on the Lower O and the fishing was ridiculous!!!!!!! I'll put it this way...I stopped counting on the 19th fish Jolie landed. (And this ain't no Tom Loe fabrication!!!!!!!!!!!) LOL!! I know it may be hard to believe but to add to it, we fished dry dropper rigs for 7 of the 8 hrs we fished!! Oh yea, when I stopped counting it still was before lunch...
So are you getting the picture yet? Or do you want me to keep bragging it up? Book Now, Fish Now!!!!!

Brad McFall

Up and down

2007-01-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

Fishing on the Owens has been great to fair for the past few weeks. We have had some very cold weather mixed with a few warm spells. The water temps are anywhere from 38-44 depending on where you are fishing and of course how the outside temp is.
Fishing is best during the warmest time of the day. I was down there last week guiding client and friend David Higginson during a cold freeze, the air temp was 36 and the water temp was 38! Nuff said! The guides were freezing up on every drift and we had to get out and warm up the feet a few times but still managed to stick quit a few fish, but in a small window of time. Fish midges and mayfly patterns, look for slower water and really concentrate on those perfect presentation drifts!

2006-12-17T11:47:00.000-08:00

Now, for a brief report on the fishing in our area...
The lower O is still massive at 606cfs. The fishing is O.K. at best for most. Fishing from the banks casting dry flys (while there is a hatch) in the slower water can produce some good action. Wading is not recommended as there is not many places to stand with out getting swept away! Drift fishing is decent for fishing drys or pulling streamers. If you are interested we can float the river, but once the flows drop wading is very effective for all techniques (streamers,nymphing,highsticking,dry flys). I've gotten word the flows will become fishable after Jan. 1st. Once these flows drop the fishing will be on fire!!!
The Gorge is fishing very well. Nothing to specific, parachute Adams, Elk Hair, BWO's, Pt's,Hares ear,copper Johns will get the job done all day. This is a beautiful area that gets over looked. It's full of wild brown trout that are very feisty. If you have never fished it, or if you would like to learn more about it, we can show you some of our favorite methods and access points to this little oasis.
HAPPY HOLIDAYS FROM E.S.G.A.!!!
(eastern sierra guides alliance)

2006-11-18T15:26:00.000-08:00

11-18
Well the '06 fishing season has come to an end...Now we'll spend our days watching the weather channel and praying for snow. Each passing storm will bring in waves of chrome fish and cover the peaks in powder, the anticipation is killing me! We'll continue to keep you updated on our local fishing conditions as they change, the lower Owens should be dropping any day now and with these warmer than average conditions the fishing should be great. We'll be drifting it this week so check back for the report in a couple days. Terry

It's November and the fishing is awesome!!!

2006-11-05T12:53:00.000-08:00

Well, here we are in early November with unseasonably warm sunny days. It's making for poor skiing conditions but great fishing. This past week I spent most of my time guiding Hot Creek and the Upper Owens. Both are fishing really well, especially Hot Creek. There is great dry activity from 10 to 3, with the beatis in the A.M. and caddis in the P.M. Don't miss out on the prolonged fall fishing! Here are some picks from some of my clients this week. Enjoy!
Brad Also we will be offering winter guide trip specials

2006-10-29T13:57:00.000-08:00

Here are some more photo's from the post below...

Is It October?

2006-10-29T13:52:00.000-08:00

The weather has been so stable and consistent, it feels like we are still fishing in early September! The fishing in the area remains awesome. We have been pounding the East Walker, Upper Owens, Hot Creek and Crowley putting our clients on big # days. The last couple of days I have been on the East Walker with good client and friend Tyler Easley and accomplices. We had some EPIC fishing with #'s of landed fish on one day reaching the mid 50's.....
I have to congratulate Tyler on landing 38 fish on the East Walker in one day, with multiple biggies including a awesome 21 inch fall colored male brown!!
Enjoy some picks.

Fall at it's best!!!!!

2006-10-19T20:52:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone,
the fishing in the Mammoth area has been incredible. We have been putting our clients into some big, beautiful fall colored fish. Speaking of fall colors, it's absolutely amazing in the sierras right know.
Terry,along with a couple buddies and a I, fled the area for some days off last week and found ourselves some nice steelhead.

me with a nice chromer
Yup, tha'd be Terry battling a trout from the salt

Nick with his first steelie!!

Terry getti'n BENT!!!!!
our steelhead transportation device...and Kuma on the back
Me and Mr. Wild Buck had it out with eachother. My arm still hurts!!

2006-09-26T20:51:00.000-07:00

2006-09-26T20:04:00.000-07:00

Fall is Brown trout time!!!

First off sorry about the delay. We have been slammed... guiding every day and tying flies all night for the following day. I'll give a quick report, so here it is...
It's fall and the fishing is DAMN GOOD!!!!

Terry and I did happen to have a day off last week, so what did we do? what do you think?

2006-09-09T18:15:00.000-07:00

Get ready for some insane fall fishing!
Hello fellow anglers, thanks for checking our report..sorry it's been a little stale recently but we're just getting over the busiest few weeks of the season. Labor Day came and went in a flash and we've been on the water daily with our clients keeping us busy with landing nets in hand. I've been spending most of my time guiding on the upper Owens and San Juaquin rivers, both have been unreal for the last month! The San Juaquin has been producing good numbers of fish with clients averaging 15-25 fish landed per day, even first timers! I've been using caddis and stonefly dry flies in combination with small mayfly and stonefly nymphs as droppers. If you've never seen the San Juaquin, this is a great time to fish it, easily wadeable and above average water levels with plenty of willing trout-easily one of California's best freestone rivers. The Upper Owens has been pumping out a bunch of fish also, many fish in all sizes are being caught. We are seeing a good mix of wild bows and browns in the river this year, with many holdover plants and migrating fish from Crowley Lake. average fish size is 12-14 inches with the occasional lunk 18 inches or greater!! Mostly fishing nymphs under indicators, mayfly imitations in 16-20 and caddis patterns in sizes 12-16 will produce fish. Midday and into the afternoon try fishing Elk Hair caddis and Hoppers for some awesome dry fly action. Crowley is green right now due to an algae bloom, so most are fishing elsewhere, if you can find some clean water you will have fun while stripping perch fry, use a heavy tippet if you want to land Bertha. East Walker is fishing well in the early mornings, bring a thermometer and stop fishing when the water temps reach 70. Small mayflies and midges have been the flies of choice, call us soon to book a day on the E-Dub this Oct and Nov. only a few dates left-it's gonna be epic! Terry.

Get it while it's good!!

2006-08-16T20:02:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been a blur. Blur's of indicators dipping, fish lips sucking Parachute Adams under ,boils on hoppers and echoes of guides yelling, SET!!!!!
The fishing remains awesome on all of our local waters. We have been focusing most of our time guiding between the upper Owens, San Joaquin and Crowley. Hopper dropper rigs are killing it on most body's of moving waters. As for the lake, well...
you need to come fish it with us and check it out!
We still have some open dates for sept. and Oct. but they fill up quick!
Don't blow it, and miss out on some of the best fall fishing in over a decade due to last winter!
Brad

2006-08-11T16:50:00.000-07:00

Eastern Sierra flyfishing at it's best! We're seeing some of the best overall conditions we've seen all year at our favorite rivers and lakes. The E. Walker flows have dropped to wadeable flows(300+) and the river is full of fish, lots of juvenile browns being caught and if your lucky enough, the ever-present monster browns and some ridiculously fat rainbows. Try midges and tricos in the morning and switch to caddis and baetis in the midday. I recommend fishing from sunrise until maybe two o'clock, the water temps are rising quickly and we need to protect our precious resource (the trout). Take water temps and don't fish if the water temps are above 70. Use heavy leaders and tippets (2x-3x) so you can land the fish quickly with minimal stress. KEEP THE FISH IN THE WATER! Upper Owens has been fishing well with lots of fish spread throughout the river. Try nymphing with caddis and mayfly patterns in size 14-20, look for deeper, slow moving water. there are also a lot of migrating fish from crowley so be prepared for some big fish! Hot Creek has been fishing well and the crowds have been light, Ty has been fishing early from 6:30 to 10:00 and getting some big fish on dries. Try caddis and tricos early,also try pmd's and midges. Crowley has been the hot spot lately with lots of fish being caught with various techniques. Midging has been off and on in general but really good in McGee, there are fish crashing on perch fry all over the place and we've been getting some big fish on fry patterns on sinking lines. Nothing beats getting your arm straightened out by a 20 inch brown in pursuit of a meal! I 'm hoping this is all just a preview of the epic fishing we'll be doing as fall comes around. Terry signing out-enjoy the latest eye candy!

Here's David Hastings with a 22" bow hooked with a sinking line at Crowley, nice one!

Nice cutty from Crowley, a rare score.

This brown couldn't resist Brad's perch fry imitation, he's been getting his clients into fish all over the place in his new flats boat.

2006-07-24T21:01:00.000-07:00

Another giant brown from Hot Creek, courtesy of ESGA. E-Jack and Ty caught this fish a few weeks ago right at last light. Nice work guys!

This bow barely escapes Ty's death grip.
Here are some more happy ESGA clients...

Here's Brad schooling the schoolie on the American, fish are in!

Today I fished Hot Creek with two beginners and we were lucky enough to fish a great caddis emergence and they both caught fish on dries and wet flies. Crowds were light and the fish are looking up! I'll be on Crowley tomorrow with Western Outdoor News, keep your eye out for their write up on the epic Crowley sessions we've been having. Thanks for reading- post comments and reports of your own fishing experiences, we love to hear whats going on in the fishing world especially waters outside of Mammoth. Terry

O dark thirty!!!!!!!!!!!!

2006-07-18T21:44:00.000-07:00

The rivers are fishing good now!! Bought time! All the flows on all rivers in the area are turning on now. I guided down on the San Joaquin the other day and fished nothing but a dry fly... On a 2 wt. Need I say more?

Today I guided Eric on Hot Creek and we fished nothing but dry's.Yes.We hooked lots of fish and snapped off some big big guys. Things are happening early. Hints; O dark thirty. If you have been reading reports on the area thinking about when to come, now is the time.
Crowds have spread out now that there are lots more fishing opportunities coming into play. I will be on the East Walker tomorrow, then Chasing stripers on the American river Thurs. and Fri. I will follow up with reports. For the record, Ty and Terry are moving at the moment so you will here from them soon.
Our open dates are filling up quick!!
Brad

2006-07-11T13:00:00.000-07:00

Hey guys,
we have been hitting the water in full force. E.S.G.A. has been on the water everyday guiding our clients into some fun filled fishy days. We have been hitting Hot Creek hard, with some good dry flying when the wind doesn't put the Hatch down. As I said before Crowley is starting to turn on as well. The East Walker flows have just dropped, so we will be chasing the giants we love so much with our clients for the rest of the season, keeping our fingers crossed that the flows stay fishable. If you have any Q's about the other waters we fish, just chime in!
Brad

It's on!

2006-07-05T20:16:00.000-07:00

Her is Chris's Toad that took him to his backing, good thing he had the first 25 fish to practice on!
Errol got to see that thin stuff behind his 90ft. Of fly line quite a few times with this giant!!!! That's why our clients love Crowley!!!
Chris had a tough start today, he had 11 fish on before he landed this guy!! Then he went 2 for 22 on!!! Hate those rubber hooks.

This is me with Nick and one of his 20 or 30 something fish hooked today. Nice Job Niki!! This kid can play fish like no other!

As you can see the lake is coming into shape. The fishing was red freakin hot today and should continue for the next month and a half. We still have some open dates available, come fish this Sierra gem with us and learn the secrets .

2006-07-04T21:45:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July!!!
As we have seen over the past few days there is a lot of you up here fishing over the week. Despite large crowds during this favorite summer holiday the fishing has been consistent. I've spent the last 2 days guiding out on Crowley with great success, looking for clear water and hooking large fish that take those reel singing runs!!!! And it's only the beginning. Crowley is notorious for putting out the most numbers of big fish starting late July till they stock the 400,000 dinks that get in the way sometime in late Sep.
Terry,Ty and I have also been guiding Hot Creek a lot lately due to the dry fly activity it has been producing, yes... Dry flys! Terry and I also found time to run a quick striper mission over to the American for a day and a half to. We hooked some nice Stripers and a few Shad as well, Terry will post picks soon.
Brad

2006-06-24T16:37:00.000-07:00

Terry here with the rest of the pictures from last weeks post, couldn't fit them all!

ooohpretty, too bad we didn't hook up!

Here's me messin with the locals again.

Thats what I call a handfull! Eric Jackson starting off the season right at Lake Mamie.

Ty stuck this awesome cutt at Crowley during a windy afternoon session, no boats in site but plenty of fish-

Tony West and John Aguilera- the calm before the storm. These guys proceeded to rip lips for four hours straight right after this picture was taken. Notice there are no other fisherman on the water, a true blessing at the Creek.

Here Tony shows off a nice size rainbow, not bad for his second day flyfishing! We fished from about 7:30 to 11:30 and midges were thick when we showed up joined by some caddis, when the day warmed up we saw PMD's and little stones flying around. Ty and Brad were also guiding today and they reported some baetis hatching around noon. Plenty of bugs to choose from, whats it gonna be? Terry

2006-06-23T21:57:00.000-07:00

Summer has arrived! We are getting into some warm weather finally, and as a result- seeing another flush of water in our rivers and creeks. Good news is the water is remaining clear so the fishing remains pretty consistent....consistently tough that is. We are still getting into plenty of fish, but Hot Creek trout are beginning to wise up and won't just eat anything at this point. Being observant while fishing and paying close attention to the multitude of bugs that are present will pay off. We're seeing lots of active yellow sallies midday with a mix of baetis and PMD's. Caddis are around in A.M. and hatching thick in the afternoons and evenings. Good midge hatches throughout the day also. Most anglers are fishing midday, to escape the crowds go for an afternoon session and fish the caddis grab. Upper Owens is coming into shape and the mosquitos are tolerable as long as you're covered in ultra thon. We fished big caddis emergers and small stone patterns, nice fish but not lots of them. The river should be fishing better soon as more fish move up from the lower river and Crowley. The Mammoth Lakes basin opened this week and DFG and Alpers have been pumping fish into all the lakes except Horseshoe. Good fishing for planters and a few brookies and browns in the mix at Mamie. The fish were not picky, I recommend a floating or intermediate line and site cast to your targets. Here are some pics from this week...

brown caught at "long ears", upper O.

E-Jack w/ upper O. bow

Holden Stearns with a Hot Creek beauty.

Ty showing the Horton family how to get er dun at Hot Creek.

2006-06-23T19:50:00.000-07:00

Yo! Fishy friends of E.S.G.A. Today I guided some clients for the first time, and boy did they get spoiled! We float tubed Grant lake on the June Lake loop. We put a full day in on the lake and ended up with around 60-70 fish landed and double that lost. I want to send a shout out to Alex, it was his 8th grade graduation present from his father Joe, it was Alex's first day fly fishing and he absolutely killed it!
tomorrow Ty and I will be guiding Joe,Alex and his two brothers on Hot Creek. I'll put a post up how it was. Where have you been fishing?
Brad

2006-06-22T22:17:00.000-07:00

Hello fly flickers, today I fished hot creek with some clients. The fishing was pretty good in the
A.M. Connie (Steve's wife) defiantly had the hot rod of the day landing plenty of nice wild, Hot Creek browns and bows, way to go girl!
I guided it yesterday as well and the fishing seemed a little slower than today. Though there was half the amount of people today as well so we had no problems fishing any water we wanted to. Tomorrow I'll be guiding out on the lake, so I'll post how was tomorrow, also Terry is up on Bridgeport res. So check back for details.
Brad

Coming into shape

2006-06-19T19:39:00.000-07:00

So it's finally happening. The rivers and streams in the area are starting to come into shape. We have been busy guiding our clients to strong healthy fish that have had a good break from fishing pressure because of the flows over the past month and a half on select rivers. This past weekend I guided good client and friend Matt Solo, we fished Hot Creek on sat. And float tubed Grant Lake on sun. The fishing was superb both days. Hot Creek has good hatches of mayflies,stoneflies,midges and caddis coming off through out the day,FISH'EM ALL!! The flows are high still but the water is clear now and fishing is awesome! Ty and Terry where guiding down there as well and had great fishing. The Upper Owens is coming into play as well, water is clearing, flows are still high but fishing is great.......Put on an entire can of bug spray or you will be eaten alive!!
Flows on our river, I mean the East Walker, have dropped in the last day to 550 cfs, this is still a difficult flow to fish. Knowing where the fish hold and what bugs they are selecting is key, as well as a buddy to help land these beast. Never the less we are killing it here right now! So far this year we have landed many fish over the 22inch mark. Terry and I taped one out at 24 inches!
We will be spending a lot of time guiding in the Bridgeport area as the flows remain and begain to drop.
As for the lakes we have been guiding Crowley,Grant,Twin,Bridgeport res. And some others. Fishing has been awesome and water temps are perfect. We are fishing huge hatches of damsels,calibeatis and midges which have been producing large fish. I'll have my camera back soon......Then you will believe me! He he
Post a report or ask a question, just let us know you're reading this!
Brad

2006-06-14T16:27:00.000-07:00

Here's whats up for the weeks' conditions and reports; with some slightly cooler thanaverage temps this week our rivers and streams are calming down a little. Hot Creek has been the locals favorite for a couple weeks now, the high water is now running clear so sight casting to big fish has been the order of the day, as well as searching for fish in the deeper runs with nymphs and indo's. Look for the slow water and chances are you will find the fish, don't ignore the shallow stuff. Good caddis in the morning (18's olive or tan) as well as midges ( tiny). Midday you might get lucky and see some little yellow stones and some big mo fo PMD's, hopefully the fish will begin to key into this hatch as the temps warm up! Caddis and midges in the evening has been producing fish as well, the fishing is good all day-if you can brave the afternoon winds. Crowds have been very light, take advantage of this early season blessing-after peak run-off, pre summer crowds and heat, this is Hot Creek at it's best.

Clients Tom Carter and fiance Lori enjoying a beautiful spring session at the 'crik.

TroutFitter guide Dave Leak with a nice Brown from H.C.

Mt Morrison overlooking Owens Valley and Hot Creek.
Eric Jackson with a Upper Owens beauty.
Look close T.L. it's not the same fish! More luv from the upper O.

2006-06-06T08:46:00.000-07:00

Whats up anglers, Terry here with the summary for the weeks' fishing. Following a cold front that past through the area the fishing in the lakes slowed slightly, but as a result the run-off receded a bit also. Hot Creek was fishing awesome with clear but high water, which means lots of good holding water, no weeds and some fish that were willing to play. Fish are eating various caddis patterns in olive, green and tan, mostly fishing emergers and few adults and egg-laying caddis also. We are beginning to see tricos so small dark mayfly imitaions are working well in am and pm. Also try fishing midges in the evening, small like 20-22. Stonefly nymphs are continuing to catch fish as well, still waiting for the yellow sallys to show.
This week the temps are back to near average (70's) so the run-off has returned, we still have a lot of snow in the backcountry so expect higher waters for at least the next month. I fished H.C. in the dirty water and found that the fish are still able to see and feed on the small stuff, so fish the same flies that you normally would with maybe a heavier tippet just cause you can! (some really quality fish are being landed at these higher flows, once the water drops and the weeds fill in, chances of landing these Hot Creek fatties goes down significantly.) I was in Bridgeport for a few days this week; fishing was good on the river as the flows dropped and held at about mid 500's to low 600s. That changed yesterday when the flow jumped to 800, still very possible to fish at these flows- if you want to wait your turn in line at the meadow! Take a number, no thanks I'd rather fish the Reservoir! Crowley and Bridgeport are probably our most productive and fertile lakes in the area, and right now the fishing is good! I fished a great midge and callibaetis hatch on "the res" and got into a bunch of fish with dry flies, no piggies but I'm sure they will be showing soon. Crowley has been hot also, check Brad's post for Crowley info, I fished Crowley 2 days ago and it was good in the North Arm just as Brad reported. General summary; rivers are high but fishable, lakes are really good, crowds are thin to non existant, come and get some! Keep it Reel, Terry

GOOD NEWS...GOOD FISHING

2006-05-28T22:46:00.000-07:00

Hello to all of you fly casters, it's Brad with the latest and greatest. The Alliance has been plying all the waters in the area from Bishop to Bridgeport, so I'll start from the south. The Lower O has been fishing great for the past week or so. Terry has been guiding down there and bringing back some happy clients this past week. The flow has been study at 350 up until yesterday, then it jumped up to 460 cfs. This is still a fishable flow but be careful when wading, use a staff and bring a friend. The crowds are thin and the hatches are thick! Did I say that right? As far as the bugs go, fish midges early then you will see some sporadic caddis followed by mayflies and stoneflies. In the eve. there is some more caddis coming off with some good dry fly opportunity's. Today I guided two great people Kevin and Denise on Crowley. We had a great time and some good fishing. We started in Mcgee and it was slow for every boat I saw and ours, except for Denise. She stuck 3 or 4 while Kevin had a nice toasted bagel, donut,skunk, whatever you want to call it. Since it was slow we headed to Green Banks around 10:30 and preceded to rip lip! The grab was hot for about a hour in a half-two hours. Kevin quickly caught up to Denise and boated a healthy 21 1/2 inch rainbow. After it slowed down we headed to Hilton where Kevin got a few grabs then called it a day. Hot Creek is coming into play at the moment, Contrary to what most reports say, the cricks clear! It is flowing high and fast but the water has cleared and the fish are eating. It's a great time to get down there and fish it before the weeds get thick, along with the people hatch. Bridgeport Res. has been good for float tubers fishing sinking lines and woolly buggers. We will be spending a lot of time in this area, look for more reports. If there is something you would like more info on put a post up and we will reply, or post where you have been and how it was.

2006-05-22T10:29:00.000-07:00

May 22
Hello fly fishers, Terry here with a post for the last few days of fishing. The spring run-off is in full swing meaning our creeks and rivers have swelled to their limits and beyond. Most fisherman are having poor to fair success nymphing at Hot Creek and the Upper O. I was on Crowley Fri and Sat float tubing in Hilton bay and Whiskey Bay. Catching was consistent but never red hot. Fished sink lines stripping leeches and calibaetis, mostly perch on the streamer and mostly trout on the nymph. Today Brad and I fished through the weather and managed to hook a few nice fish in Mc Gee bay nymphing with midges and calibaetis. We then moved to Leighton and got into a good grab on midges for about an hour boating around10-12 fish. The wind blew us out of there around 3:00, so we went to Crooked and searched a few spots and didn't come up with much. Not bad for a few hours in the afternoon during variable weather, looking forward to tomorrow- Brad and I are going for the morning session and it looks like favorable weaher. Check back for report and pix.

Big Water These Days

2006-05-21T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, sorry about the delay on the reports this week. Here is a general summary of the week and where we fished. On Tuesday the 16th Ty, Andrew Sears (friend and fellow guide) and I had the pleasure of guiding the Wold's and friends. These guys are true East Walker fanatics. As many of you may know the East Walker, like most rivers, has been running on the high side all season so far do to a massive, record breaking snow pack in our area. In our previous post you have seen photo's and read reports from us (E.S.G.A). We spend the better part of our time guiding or fishing ourselves on the East Walker, personally I think there is no better river. One of the reasons why we like her so much, are all of the diverse challenges she brings to us. Well on Tuesday, she went from 600-817 cfs (cubic feet per second). Lots of you who fish the East Walker have your own personal favorite flows that generally range from 150 cfs-300 cfs. I enjoy higher flows from 300-650 cfs, but 817 is tough to wade in. Never the less, we went out in full force like usual, and these boys really stepped up. We fished all day, and hooked fish consistently. Despite limited areas to wade and fish, all eight of them were hooking up! Don't get me wrong, we really had to work our arrses off to hook these fish. The main problem is landing these brutes in water that if you try to step in to, we'll have to pick you up in Nevada! They ended up landing some nice fish but all of the super toads either snapped off 2 and 3x or bent the hook open. Despite the major challenges these boys gave it there best and were rewarded.
The last couple of days E.S.G.A. has been guiding out on Crowley do to high run off on all of our waters at the moment. If you are coming up soon don't miss out on the excellent fishing Crowley has to offer right now. McGee is the hot spot at the moment, fish are concentrated in the 10-14ft. range on the south end of the bay. Both midging and stripping are doing really well. We did best midging with red and black,grey and black and some of our own patterns that we (E.S.G.A.) have developed for this amazing stillwater in our back yard.
Get out and fish now, before the crowds are up for the summer!!! Brad

FISHING IS GOOD!

2006-05-13T23:28:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone, this is Ty with another E.S.G.A. post. We have all been getting some spring cleaning and boat preparations done for the rest of the season to come.
East Walker is consistent with high flows and the fish are filling up on a variety of food. The last post is still valid, but the caddis are really beginning to show, so larger olive patterns and smaller tan patterns are a good way to go.
Hot Creek is definitely "cloudy ice tea", but fishing flashy, larger patterns than normal can be a great way to go. Concentrate on the major depressions that have room for lots of trout, you'd be suprised at how many will be in one spot. Same bugs apply, but as before, the caddis are are showing in numbers. Evenings are now warmer and a great fishing option.
Brad and I will be on the East Walker Monday and Tues. Guiding our good friends Steve, Greg and Jeff Wold, and some friends of theirs. Always a good time with those boys, check back for details.
I'm waiting for some throttle parts for my boat. Should be up and floating by June 1st. Bridgeport resevoir is looking to have a banner year again. I'll probably be spending most of the month of June at Bridgeport Res. and the east walker also guiding for Jim Reed at Ken's Sporting Goods in Bridgeport. Stay tuned for all that.
Good Times and Good Fishing!

2006-05-11T11:14:00.000-07:00

Well, the season has been goin great so far! Terry, Brad and I have been spending a lot of time on the East Walker and Hot Creek. Both are dealing with high flows, however the fishing oppurtunities continue to be consistent. The Walker is runnin' cool and quick, just coming down to under 600 cfs, fish are settling in and starting their feeding patterns. From about 7:00 A.M. to 1 or 2 the are chowing on a variety of midges and small mayfly patterns. Fish mayflies in the #18 to #20 range light olive to light brown in color, midges in #14 to #22's-black, grey, tan and orange. The afternoon wouldn't be a bad time for a long lunch, nap, beer or whatever else fits your fancy, the fish go on a bit of a siesta, and chow hard just before dark!
Days are long right now, putting in a dawn to dusk mission on the E-Dub can burn you out like marathon. Wading swift current, making hundreds of drifts, casts, and mends will make that afternoon nap sound a lot better. The evenings should soon come alive with Caddis flies, we will let you know as soon as the fish begin to key in on them. For now, stick with midges and mayflies under an indicator, that has been most productive. Don't quit, keep casting, persistance pays off!
The three of us were amazed to fish the Miracle Mile all by ourselves on Tuesday. Open water and fish to be caught. The high flows keep many away, but if you're a fan of big water and challenging fishing, this is the place to be for your potential double digit fish. These photos are just some of the fish we landed. Key word-landed. Keeping these hard fighting, healthy fish on the line can be the hardest task of all at times. 1 for 4 is a darn good average right now, don't be discouraged, when it comes down to it, hooking the fish is the hardest part, so if you did that, you are right on point! Come see us and we'll show you where the trout hold.
The rainbows are icing on the cake, fat and feisty!
This about the only juggling you'll ever see Brad do.
East Walker beauty! 22 inches and growing.
The boys of E.S.G.A.
Rainbows from the resevoir still bright and silver, can keep you busy, while on the brown hunt. Terry hooks up on the Brown as look on in jealousy, oh well...Double Hook UP!!!

More pretty trout-we love this place!

My Dog River, puttin' in some shop time at The Troutfitter-Trout Fly.

Friend of the Alliance- Dave Leak stuck this great rainbow on a small beatis pattern over the weekend. I did my best to match him, almost...
These are few photos from this last week at Hot Creek. Yes the water is high, but relatively clear. You can get away with 5x and larger flies at this time of year. The creek is pushing all kinds of bugs around, the fish are very oppurtunistic, throw some caddis larvae, scuds and stoneflies in the faster pocket water sections. Otherwise stick with small mayflies and midges. There are quite a few nice sized fish around, so bring your polarized glasses and look carefully. The upper section of H.C. Not much of a crowd.
Good friend and client of Brad's, sharing the water with the locals.
Hot Creek rainbow trout taken on a small stonefly nymph.

Perty little feller!

2006-05-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

may 10th
We returned from the East Walker last night, and Ty has the photo's (since nither Terry or I have a camera in working condition, pathetic!) so he will be posting the report with photo's tonight. Today I fished Hot Creek, it was pretty darn off color by the time I arrived 1:30. (one in a half-2 foot visibility). But I still couldn't believe it was empty, I fished the upper section by myself!! There was a lot of bug activity happening since there was no wind. I saw 2 different kinds of mayflies and 2 types of caddis along with some bigger black midges (16-18). I could only imagine the dry fly fishing if the water was the way it looks in august! But with no fish on the surface during a wide varitey of insect emergance I put on the indicator, knowing they were gorging themselves on the nymph, larva,pupa and emerging bugs, along with some other aquatic insects. The fishing was good, it was so nice to be able to place a cast anywhere I wanted without waiting for someone else to move! I'm heading back to the East Walker tomorrow, report to follow.

2006-05-07T19:33:00.000-07:00

Just letting you all know, I'll be camping on the East Walker for the next few days getting it dialed in for some clients at the end of the week. Check out Terry's latest post below !! Talk to you soon.
Brad

2006-05-07T17:29:00.000-07:00

May 7-whats up flyfishers, Terry here with the latest ESGA report; fished all day yesterday with Tony Angelloti on the east walker, flows are still at 590 c.f.s. Tony managed to hook several quality browns and rainbows during some thick baetis activity , the best fishing for us occured from about 10 to 3. The miracle mile at these flows is basically one giant riffle, once these fish are hooked they make a run for Nevada and its pretty much impossible to turn them or even slow them down. The crowds were pretty light and the weather was great, if you plan to go, bring a wading staff and a friend, your best chance at netting these strong fish is chasing them downstream with a partner, wading and netting as a team. Be very careful if you decide to wade after a fish, at these flows there are plenty of spots that are deeper than your chest high waders! Today Tony and I fished Crowley Lake, it was a blast hooking some reel screamers with a huge backdrop of snow covered peaks! Sorry no eye candy as I am currently shopping for a new camara. We fished around Sandy Point and got into a bunch of hard fighting leaping bows from 14 -18 inches. Flies of choice were midges in sizes 16 and 18, black with red (tiger), grey with black, and olive with grey. I got 1 fish stripping a seal bugger on a type 4 sink line, I only gave it about 10 min. as the midge hatch was coming off pretty thick. I did see several other guys hooking fish while stripping but the nymphers where out catching the strippers. Thanks for checking us out, look for new posts and pics daily.

2006-05-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Readers,
Please understand this is a blog for you to put in your input!!! Feel free to ask questions, or talk about where you have fished, and how it was.

2006-05-05T10:18:00.000-07:00

May 5th,
Hello everyone, it's Terry with the ESGA blog report. I spent the last 2 days camping out at the E-dub (east walker, duh) and it was awesome. The flows are up around 600 c.f.s. so wading can be very dangerous, bring a wading staff and a friend. With warm temps during the day and lows just below freezing, the weather was perfect and the fish were chowing down. A good mayfly hatch came off mid morning and lasted throughout the afternoon, I also spotted a few caddis and stones buzzing around. While I was lucky to hook into some really nice fish, half the time I would lose the fish as soon as they decided to pull me downstream, the current is too strong to pull these big fish around, resulting in the downstream blues. I would recommend a rod heavier than #5, and use at least 4x tippet. Bring a net!

2006-05-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

may 4th
I was out on the Upper Owens today and we noticed a significant change in water color today. Yup, the run off is starting to show. It has been tea colored since the opener with a pretty good amount of clarity until today. Today it was about 2-3 feet at best. But, never the less it fished great! We fished just below the hot creek confluence. We nymphed large prince nymphs, copper johns, hares ears and some other secret home ties that brought some quality fish to the net. Unfortunately, my digi is broken, so I am unable to post photo's at the moment. You'll just have to trust me, or come with and see for yourself! I will be guiding my good client Jack, along with his wife tomorrow at Hot Creek and the Owens. Check back for details. Also, Terry has been camped up on the East Walker for the past coulple of days so a report will come soon.
Brad

2006-05-02T20:51:00.000-07:00

MAY 2nd,
It's Brad here with the latest from Crowley Lake. I fished the lake today from 9:00am to 1:00pm. We fished all the typical early season hot spots, Leighten springs,Green banks, Sandy point and took a run out to McGee bay.
Out of these, the most consistant was Sandy Point, nothing new here. For the last few years Sandy has been the go to early season arm ripper. McGee was a ghost town, a few bait dunkers were out in about 30 feet of water. While I was putting around trying to meter fish I din't see them GET NO BITES. After about 15 minutes I concluded it was pretty vaccant and moved on.
I fished in 11 feet of water on the north side of the point. It was very consistant midging black and grey and red and black optimidges. With takes occuring about every 2-3 minutes. 1 brakeoff and the rest were all first year fish.(12-15 inches). But remember, these are not your average 12-15 inch fighters. These are rod bending arm burning " it's a big one" till you see them, crowley spunks. So what are you waiting for come join us!!!

2006-05-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone its Terry again with the ESGA blog report for May 1st. Today Brad and I walked down Convict Creek below 395 down to just below the confluence of McGee creek. The fishing was fun in the small water, the views were absolutely amazing with so much Sierra snow locked up in the mountains. We managed to hook several nice rainbows and a couple browns. It was encouraging to see several pairs of fish going through their spawning dance in the shallow gravel beds. Of course we walked around these fish trying not to disturb them, promoting populations of wild fish for the future. Nymphing with small stones and stripping streamers was the ticket today, check out the fish Brad fooled with a cone head zonker.

Check back soon, I'm heading up to the East Walker this week.

Trout fishing opener in the Sierra

2006-04-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Hello fisherman and thanks for checking out E.S.G.A.'s flyfishing blog report for the Eastern Sierra. The Alliance traveled up to Bridgeport to start off the season at their favorite stomping grounds; the East Walker river. We were blessed with a beautiful spring day and the great weather brought out the masses! We got on the water at about 5:30 a.m. and things got off to a great start. Fishing a combination of midges and stoneflies under indicators got us into several hot rainbows, some pushing the 20 inch mark! Ty proceeded to hook a monster brown on a custom E-Dub streamer tied by Brad, but the fish got the upper hand and escaped right as we were reaching for the net. Our good friend E-Jack was on top of his game and landed two awesome bows in the meadow. Some really nice fish were caught, anderyone had a really good time. We fished into the early afternoon.we got to see a good mayfly hatch midday, a few caddis were flying around, and stoneflies and midges were out also. We ended the day on a good note when Brad helped me scoop up a really nice brown from upper water (spaceship run).

Sun 29th- Today I ventured down to our backyard spring creek Hot Creek. The flows have come up just slightly turning the water a light tea color. Not to worry, visibility is still good enough to site cast to fish. The river is clean and clear of nettles and weeds making for lots of good holding water and clean drifts. I arrived around 11 o'clock anticipating the baetis hatch that we've seen the last couple of weeks, of course for opening weekend I should have realized the number of fisherman can outnumber the bugs. Check out the people hatch!
We decided to start on the lower section of Hot Creek which typically is the least fished section. Ty and I decided to throw some dries even though there wasn't much surface activity to be seen. We fished Adult Stones and Caddis patterns through the pocket water and landed a couple nice fish each. We fished our way downstream until we reached the hot spring pools, Ty enjoys the best of both worlds and demonstrates the Hot Creek soak ESGA style, andsticks some nice fish with a nymph rig.

We caught some really nice rainbows and a few smaller browns, all the fish were really healthy and fought well. Stonefly imitaions were working best for me, both dries and nymphs. There was a decent baetis hatch around midday, with a few stoneflies and crane flies in the mix. Fish continued to eat throughout the afternoon as a caddis hatch came off around 2-3 o'clock. I fished until about four, then called it a good day. Brad fished the upper section and said the fishing was really good also. He fished a dry-dropper rig with some stonefly patterns and fished until about five.

Nice fish Rich!

2006-04-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

Hey all! First off, we would like to apologize for the stale blog the past few months. We have been putting our heads together and coming up with some big changes for our website. Just one of the changes I think everyone will be pleased about is to get up to the minute reports on the all of the local waters!
We will be hitting the waters hard, starting tomorrow being that it is Opening Day for all of our waters! You, the readers of mammothflyfishing.com will be able to get accurate, inside information on all of the best fishing waters in the eastern sierra. And it will not be from someone who sits behind a counter 40hrs a week and relies on what he/she here's or just plain throws out a wild guess!
The info you will be reading will be strait from our E.S.G.A.'s slimy, fishy smelling hands from that day. As most of you all know there are three of us that make up Eastern Sierra Guides Alliance, Ty,Terry and myself, Brad. We have developed this blog for our cleints and potential clients to get the up and up on what is happing every day, every where. As far as insect hatches, water flows, fish reports and so on.
We are also fotunate enough to work with The Trout Fitter, who has 8 other guides excluding us that we work closely with, therefore we know exactly what is happening on all local waters.
Ty,Terry and myself will be on this blog daily letting you know where we fished that day and how it went. For example, tomorrow Ty will be at Hot creek and Terry and I will be up on the East walker. Be sure to check back for all the arm throbbing details!!
Before we go we would like to let eveyone know we are very excited about the 2006 fishing season, so come join us!!!

Steve's the MAN!!!

2005-10-30T22:03:00.000-08:00

From www.mammothflyfishing.com

Hi guys and gals. Yes this fish is bigger than it looks!! My client, Steve Holton, and I landed this fish last week on 10/28/05 in the Miracle mile on the East Walker river. It is the fish of a lifetime for any fisherman.

For Steve Holton it was his day, at about 10:30 a.m. the fish Gods put their hand on his rod and helped guide him through one of the greatest battles with a trout he has ever incurred in his 35+ years of practicing his passion. Steve is a highly skilled angler and showed every bit of it on that special day.

We were both out of breath. One, for not breathing for about 15 minutes due to the challenge we were facing. Two, for hanging onto his waders and trying to stay upright while scrambling over rocks. We were dealing with fast and deep water as the beast took us 200-300 yards down river until we landed it. This is team work at it's best!

The fish was measured at 29 inches long and weighed about 12-14 pounds. This is the largest fish I have heard of anyone landing here in years, and unfortunately, for me it's bigger than my personal best on this river at 27 inches... (good job Steve)

To land a fish of this size everything has to come together just right. It's kind of like getting a royal flush w/ a 10,000 dollar hand (once in a lifetime). Steve landed this fish on 5x tippet on a size#20 fly. With some good skills, a little guidance and a lot of luck Steve now has a memory for life.

Brad Mcfall