Hot Creek is a geothermal spring creek near Mammoth Lakes with as many as 8,000 to 10,000 wild trout per mile, by California fish and game counts. It is open all year to barbless artificial flies only, catch and release. The fish are many, wild and educated. Bring flies the size of punctuation and the patience of a heron.
- Water type
- Spring creek, technical
- Fish
- Wild rainbows and browns
- Best months
- Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep, Oct
- Drive from the chalet
- About 30 minutes
- Regulations
- All year. Artificial flies, barbless hooks. Catch and release.
- The one thing
- Long, fine tippet and a drag-free drift on flat water. Cast once, cast well.
What you are getting into
Hot Creek is warm springs feeding cold snowmelt, which makes for steady temperatures, thick weed beds and a food supply that would embarrass most rivers. The result is an absurd number of trout in a small, clear creek, and every one of them gets a good long look at your fly. Rainbows and browns, mostly 10 to 16 inches, with the occasional fish near 20.
It is not a numbers game for beginners. It is a numbers game for people who can land a size 22 spinner on a dinner plate, drag-free, the first time.
The trico morning
The famous event, late summer into fall. Female trico duns start coming off early, often around 7 a.m. in the peak weeks. Then the spinner fall: spent wings on the surface, fish rising in rhythm, everybody on the creek suddenly very quiet. By mid-morning it is over and the fish go back to pretending you do not exist.
- Get there before it starts. Pick a fish, not a pod.
- Spinners, not duns, once the fall begins. Size 20 to 24 spent wings on 6X or 7X.
- One good cast beats ten average ones. Hot Creek trout do not forgive a lined fish.
After the tricos, switch to small caddis or a hopper along the grassy margins, or put on a scud and fish the slots between the weeds.
Through the year
| Season | Hatches | Flies |
|---|---|---|
| Spring | Blue-winged olives, midges, early golden stones | Parachute BWO 18 to 20, RS2 20, olive scud 16 to 18 |
| Summer | Tricos, caddis, yellow stones, terrestrials | Trico spinner 22 to 24, elk hair caddis 18 to 20, hoppers |
| Fall | Tricos into October, BWOs, October caddis | Trico 22, BWO 20, pheasant tail 18 |
| Winter | Midges | Zebra midge 20 to 22, Griffith’s gnat 22, scud 16 |
By late summer the weeds grow up to the surface and nymphing gets tricky. Fish shorter, higher and in the open slots.
Access and the quiet water
Much of the upper creek runs through private Hot Creek Ranch, which offers water to its guests. The public water is below it, through the canyon, reached by the road to the Hot Creek Geological Site off Highway 395 near the airport. The closest stretch to the parking lot gets the most people. The farther down the canyon you walk, the fewer anglers and the larger the fish seem to get. Evenings improve after the day visitors leave.
Stay on the trails and away from the thermal features; the springs in the canyon are dangerous and parts of the area are closed to the public.
The one thing
Drag. Every refusal on Hot Creek is drag you did not see. Lengthen the tippet, add slack, cast across and slightly down, and mend before the fly lands.
Common questions
Is Hot Creek open in winter?
Yes. Under current California regulations, Hot Creek from the State hatchery property line to the Owens River is open all year, artificial flies with barbless hooks only, zero trout.
What flies work on Hot Creek?
Small ones. Trico spinners in sizes 20 to 24 on summer and fall mornings, blue-winged olives 18 to 20 in spring and fall, midges all year, small caddis, and scuds as the year-round nymph.
Can I keep fish from Hot Creek?
No. Hot Creek is catch and release, zero trout, barbless artificial flies only.
Where is the public water on Hot Creek?
Much of the upper creek runs through private Hot Creek Ranch. Public water is below the ranch, through the canyon, reached from the Hot Creek Geological Site road off Highway 395 near Mammoth Yosemite Airport.