Unfruitful Scouting

January 31, 2024

Decided to check out a watershed I was told held fish.  After a late start I arrived at the parking lot at 11am.  I hiked down 2.6 miles before I started my back upstream.  Water looked promising with some nice big holes.  After fishing a few of them it did not look like there were any fish left in the system.  After fishing several of these holes I decided to quit at around 2pm.  On the way out it was time divert my attention to appreciate nature.  Found several mushrooms but could not identify any with any confidence so I left them be.

Thicc

 September 22, 2023

Spoke with Justin about a section of a local I never fished.  I always bypass it.  He told me it fishes well so I decided to take a look.  I've never fished this low.  It's hard to move overhanging branches and blackberry line the banks.  Once in the water it is difficult to get off water.  Fish are definitely but it took about a half a mile hike to see them.  In one pool two fish charged my dry fly in different directions and ended up headbutting themselves.  Missed them both.  Fished to 11am before deciding to move out oft his area.  Movement is simply too slow and laborious.  So we hiked out of there and moved up river but at the new location the parking lot was at capacity.  So we moved down to amother section and hiked down the steep canyon.  A truck was already parked down there somehow.  Still hard to maneuver there.  Chul fished it earlier this year and said it wasn't this bad.  Caught fish but nothing special.  Ended the day around noon.

Honoring a Friend

September 6, 2023

In July I lost a fishing buddy; his family tasked me with handling his fly fishing estate.  As compensation I could keep anything in his collection I wanted.  There were a few I items I wanted, such as his Helios ZG 9ft 4wt or his Sage TCX 6wt, but after Roy said he wanted the 4 and I knew a friend had lost his TCX in a boating incident, I decide those items should go to another home.  The last time I fished with Steve, we fished a local mountain and he brought his Superfine 150 Anniversary 7ft 4wt so I decided this would be the rod I'd keep.  An added bonus is the rod would most likely be used more than the other two options as small local mountain trout streams are within an hour or so from my house.

I wanted to honor my friend so I headed up the mountain to fish his rod and hand tied flies.  I debated where in the mountain I wanted to fish.  There was a section Justin likes to fish that I've never tried.  Generally I like to head further up.  After parking at the lot I noticed a rather dodgy character in his car so I decided to fish my usual jaunts and headed further up the mountain.  Mist and light rain filled the air but after I reached a certain altitude it was sunny and clear. 

When I reached the parking lot there was broken glass in my spot.  Not an encouraging sign.  California has become such a shithole you can't go anywhere without the threat of your vehicle being broken into.   People have told me that they keep their doors open, literally open, wide open, just to encourage would be thieves to not break their windows.  Of course car is left empty of anything worth stealing.  This strategy has one flaw, it makes it easier to actually steal the car not just the contents found within.  Personally I just don't leave anything within sight or leave anything that may appear valuable in the car.  Fishing alone and having all day to fish I began fishing immediately opting not to hike in as I usually do.  Armed with a small stimualtor I began probing the water but to no avail.  I then switched to a larger one so I could see it better but after a few casts it was failing to stay buoyant I switched again to a foam ant.   Again switching because I was having a hard time seeing it.  This time I changed to something I knew I could see, a size 10 Royal Wulff. 

Once I switched the fishing picked up.  Water was still fast but at the same time very skinny.  You had to pick your spots and most pools were gone.  I caught more fish than I could count.  Many of the fish actually took when the fly submerged.  The most memorable fish was the last.  Ended up being a tank of a fish, around 13 inches.  While I've caught larger fish in this watershed in the past, this is the largest I've caught in over a decade. 

After catching that fish, it was time for a stream side lunch.  Since Steve was Japanese that a pork katsu sando was appropriate for the occasion.  Once finished I thought I did enough and decided to head back home.  I think Steve would have been proud.

Daturi Wrightii. "Jimson Weed." Causes Hallucinations.

Romnea Coulteri.  "Fried Egg Poppy" or "Matilija Poppy."

Aguilegia Formosa. "Crimson Columbine" or "Western Columbine."

Westside Story Preview: Wild Trout and Wildflowers

 March 18-20, 2022

Year of the Skunk

April 12-14, 2019

2019 is the Year of the Pig but its turning out to be more like the Year of the Skunk for me.  This trip was no different.  With an invite from the boys at the shop we headed up to meet them Friday night.  They had already been there fishing on Thursday.  After running a few errands we were on the road just before noon.  

There was a chance we might be in time for the difficult-to-time salmonfly hatch but we'd never know until we got up there as there is no fly shop that really reports on this water.  We arrived at camp to meet half of our group.  The other half was still on the water.  They all arrived the day earlier so we asked how was the fishing.  The report it was tough fishing but we were glad to hear that there had been an consistent 45 minute dry fly hatch around 4pm.  They were keying on an almost rust colored mayfly in a size 14.

We didn't bother fishing the first evening although we could have as there was plenty of light left but after the long grueling ride up the mountain I was simply not in the mood.  So we set up camp and spent the evening bullshitting with the boys.

Next morning after breakfast and a briefing from the boys we were the first ones to set out.  At 3000 CFS we were limited on both wading and fishing areas.  The snow melt hadn't yet gone into full effect but the water was still slightly tea stained and still dangerous.  Careful wading along the edges were in order.  Fishing was tough for all but the boys managed a few to hand.  I came up with the skunk but lost one on a dry when my knot slipped.  Otherwise it was a tough day all around for me.

The fishing was poor for me but no matter as the scenery more than made up for the disappointment.  Wildflowers while not at full glory were still out in force in all their majesty.  The highlight for the weekend was the salmonfly hatch which must have just started on Saturday.  I managed to see a few on branches and boulders but the trout had yet to target them as evidenced by my failed attempts to get them to rise on a large stimulator. 

Everyone but me managed at least one fish mostly by Czech nymphing, a technique I don't care much for but was necessary in these types of conditions.  The next day while some decided to fish the main river again, while we decided to check a tributary on the way out.  Smaller and ideal dry fly water, the creek refused to give up a fish.  So after about a hour we quit and decided to head home. 

First Cast Since Being Back in 'Merica

May 20, 2018
The reports from the Far East trip are forthcoming.  I have not forgotten.  Stayed tuned.  Until then a report from Sunday from one of our locals.

I've been back here in the States for a week now and I'm still recovering from jet lag.  In fact I only got a couple hours of sleep the night before.  I received a text in the morning from my buddy asking me when I'll be arriving at his house.  I texted him back that I had to cancel I felt like shit.  After tossing and turning for a while I called him back and told him I'm in I'll be leaving at 7am.

This once great creek was devastated from the drought.  When we checked it out during those lean years it was completely devoid of fish and all the fishing holes had been blown out.  We checked the lower section as I was in no real condition to make a strenuous hike to the more productive upper stretches.  Water was thin and holding water was sparse.  Despite this we both managed a fish within this section but as we continued to hike up the creek became less fishable and I cursed myself for not pushing through hiking to the upper stretches.  After bushwacking our way through we climbed to the trail and made our way to the better portions of the river.

Once there it seemed every hole produce multiple fish and even some quality local editions.  Although not as quality as years past but quality no less.  It is nice to see that the fish survived the harsh dry years and are now thriving.  Several dinks were among the "larger" models which gave us hope that later generations will continue to thrive.

All my fish were caught using a hackle hair caddis in tan-ish colors ranging from size 14 to 10.  I didn't keep track but I must have had over 20 fish to hand.  We ended our fishing excursion at 12:30 and were back at the truck by 1:30 just as we had originally planned.  With a fog coming into the valley it was a nice cool hike and provided a natural air conditioning. 

Last Day To Use My 2013 Fishing License

Because of California's decision to use the calendar year for their annual fishing license, today was the last day we could use our 2013 licenses.  Chul, Erika and I decided to get the most out of our $51.07.  In early summer Chul checked out one of our favorite local watershed and despite our drought the stream showed promise.  With some weather earlier this winter, we hoped the water improved.  While there was more water, it seemed to have less fish.

The hike in was quite brutal and we decided to ditch our original plan and started fishing much earlier than anticipated.  Most of my first fish were dinks with a handful of 6-8 inchers.  Considering Chul and I have caught fish in the 14 inch range here, it was a bit disappointing.  I did manage a fish 10 or 11 inches and that proved the best fish of the day for the three of us.  All the fish were vibrant and coloration was impressive.

Wild Watercress

Chul found some wild watercress and we had some with our lunch.  It was quite good, peppery and slightly bitter quite similar to arugula.



A Magnificent Manzanita 

Berries Of The Manzanita

While hiking deeper into the canyon, I heard what I initially thought was an avalanche of boulders on the opposite side of the canyon.  As we stopped to here it, we realized it was not fallen rocks rather the hooves of the either deer or bighorn sheep.  

Luckily Erika brought her binoculars and we started to look for the animals.  Chul impressively noticed them first (without the binos) and we spent the next 20 minutes admiring them from afar.  There were at least 6 or 7 of them and some were pretty impressive rams.

Seeing those sheep was the highlight of the day.  The low point was seeing a butchered hen trout decapitated.  Near the head was a small campfire where it was cooked, along with the innards smeared all over the boulders.  Among the innards were several of eggs along with cigarette butts and powerbait.