Owens River (Eastern Sierra Trout)
Bishop · near Bishop · Eastern Sierra
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- Year-round (Lower Owens) · Upper spring–fall
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+) required. The Owens has several sections: the Lower Owens Wild Trout section (below Pleasant Valley Dam, year-round, special regs), the tule-lined middle river, and the Upper Owens (meadow water near Crowley). A fly-fishing staple of the Eastern Sierra.
What is here
- Features
- Eastern Sierra fly-fishing staple · Year-round Wild Trout section · Meadow & tailwater options · Brown trout on dry flies
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Fishing detail
- Water type
- river
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Fly · Bait · Casting
- Boat
- shore
- Target species
- Wild & planted brown trout · Rainbow trout · Wild trout (Wild Trout section)
- Intl tip
- License required. Multiple sections: the year-round Lower Owens Wild Trout tailwater (special regs), the tule middle river (big browns), and the meadow Upper Owens near Crowley (dry-fly, migratory fish). Easy Hwy 395 access near Bishop. Combine with Crowley, Hot Creek, and the high-country lakes. Something to fish year-round.
The guide
The Owens River is the fly-fishing backbone of the Eastern Sierra — a river of several distinct personalities winding down the …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Owens River (Eastern Sierra Trout) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 37.25, -118.4