There is some snow and ice along the banks but it is not a factor in accessing the EW right now. It has been actually much warmer than usual this winter here although there have been some sub-zero days when the inversion layer sets in. I had a great day here a while back C & R 13 fish in three hours, 2 over 20 inches, and it never got above 40 degrees all day!

Flows should begin to come up here some by the end of the month if it does not start raining soon. As is always the case during winter releases-concentrate your efforts on the deeper pools and runs. It is not often that trout will move in any numbers into riffle water under these conditions. The BWO hatches are just beginning on the EW along with a consistent midge hatch on the high pressure days. Fish don't move a long ways this time of year- so redundant dead drifts in the deeper water will get you grabs if you have patience and properly weighted nymphs. Smaller patterns in the #18-22 range are the norm here, but I have found that if you tie on a larger nymph and repeatedly drift it by one of those big EW browns you can get the fish to hit the fly out of aggression as opposed to it being hungry. Not everyone's cup of tea, and I am not suggesting you foul hook the fish by any means. This is common practice with steelhead and salmon fisherman to get lethargic fish to bite your imitation.

If the weather holds look for the EW to turn on big earlier this year. Bridgeport has plenty of water this winter and the fishing should be great on the EW through early summer.

Our photo shows the East Walker at its current low flows when you need to focus on larger pools like the one shown fishing the East Walker River at this time of year.