Eastern Sierra fall trout: Crowley no-bait, Convict trophies, June Loop on fire

Crowley Lake is in its no-bait period through the close of the season. Western Outdoor News’ Sept. 22 Eastern Sierra sheet limits anglers to unscented, barbless lures or flies and a daily bag of two trout, 18 inches or longer. The water was about 60 degrees and clear. Named hot spots were the North Arm around Greenbank and North Landing, McGee Bay, Sandy Point, Six Bays, and the near-shore channels.

Convict Lake has come on with the cooler weather. The biggest rainbow checked the week before the report topped 5 pounds, and larger browns were taking bigger Rapalas and jerkbaits. The lake got 600 pounds of trophy fish averaging about 4.5 pounds, plus a load of Department of Fish and Wildlife stockers. Rock Creek Canyon and the Mammoth Lakes were also in a fall bite, with Mary and George the current Mammoth hot spots. On the June Loop, June, Gull, Silver, and Grant have been loaded with trophy rainbows that have started a fall feeding run under the aspens.

Fly anglers got a separate read from Fred Rowe of Sierra Bright Dot: the Upper Owens was producing 6- to 12-inch trout on dries along with some 18- to 24-inch fish, and Hot Creek where it meets the Upper Owens had been strong for weeks, including 20-inch rainbows. One access note from the same sheet: the Owens River Gorge was closed to the public until Sept. 24 for higher-than-normal flows along the 10 miles from the Upper Gorge Power Plant to Pleasant Valley Reservoir, and flows around Bishop and south were high enough to be unsafe for wading. Check the latest access notice before you drop into the gorge.

Photo: Cheryl Harman / Sierra Drifters (via Western Outdoor News) — Crowley brown on a #18 Chironomidge.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Western Outdoor News — Some of the Eastern Sierra fishing intel came from the grocery store (Ernie Cowan / WON Staff, Sept. 22, 2026).