Rainbow Trout at Owens and Friends Creek

Type: Nontidal
Region: Central
Location: Owens and Friends Creek

April 13th I just returned from a successful trip to Owens and Friends Creek. I started the day fishing lower Owens Creek from the bridge at route 15 to the Roddy Road covered bridge. The pool at the route 15 bridge was being fished by an angler so I decided to fish downstream and found some eager trout, though most of them just stayed on for a couple of seconds and got off. Finally I hooked one on a streamer that I kept. The deep hole at the route 15 bridge was free so I went back there and found it was loaded with fish. I kept two and released a tiny 9" rainbow. I went down to the Roddy Road bridge and tried that deep hole but did not get any action. Above the bridge the rapids had two trout, a golden and rainbow that spooked easily. No luck there. Mid Owens Creek was next and I headed toward one of the deep holes under the railroad bridge. Two other anglers arrived at the hole at the same time and we all agreed to share fishing the hole. There were at least 4-5 trout in there but they would not stay on for long before getting off. One of the spin fishermen hooked one and lost it and I had a nice strike from one but that was about it.

For the late afternoon I headed up to Friends Creek and I hiked up from the road to one of the better pools where I hooked on a streamer, my nicest trout of the day-a stubborn fish that felt like a snag. I tried all the usual holes including the giant rock pool which had a few rainbows. Still I could not fill my limit. I talked to another angler who was returning to his truck. He filled his limit and told me the trout where feeding on hatching flies at one of the larger pools downstream. I went down there and tried a streamer fly but these fish would not hit. Finally I tied on a Hendrickson dry fly and caught a trout which filled my limit. This was the first time I used a dry fly for put and take trout. I bet that in spite of very heavy pressure from anglers most put and take streams will hold some fish but they begin to take on the characteristics of wild trout that cannot be fooled quite as easily as trout fresh out of the hatchery truck. It took some work to get my limit but my wife and I enjoyed a trout dinner that night. I did not catch any lunkers-but all the fish where decent sized rainbows of 11-12 inches. Tight lines.