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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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WTF I really don't mind driving an hour or so. Anything within an hour of South Lake? How long of a drive to anything good on the Truckee? The wife might let me make a 1/2 day of it if I beg!
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ruppell
climber
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There's just something about Goldens.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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WTF thanks for the beta.....yeah, we'll stick to the South side. I called a fly shop there and the gal said the East Carson, the West Carson and Silver Creek could all be options. Any beta on those areas. She said the East Carson was a zoo because they just stocked it last weekend but I don't really care....I just want to hook up a few fish.
Where would you go if you were me?
And BTW, I like the idea of a VLTLT Get together!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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WTF. We made it out there shortly before sunrise on Sunday and got 100% totally and entirely skunked. Not a nibble, not a rise, did not see a single fish in the two hours we were out there. I was throwing a small Elk hair caddis and switched to a bead-head nymph at some point and used a dry/dropper combo but to no avail. Nice looking water and a nice morning out with my daughter who goes back to college in Alabama this week.
As we left I told my daughter, "there's either no trout in that river or I'm a terrible fisherman. And we know I'm not a terrible fisherman."
I hadn't been skunked for years and was holding a chip on my shoulder about the whole thing so on our way home, we pulled out somewhere east of Kyburz and scrambled down a super steep 500 foot bank to the water on the South Fork of the American and fished for about an hour. It was beautiful down there and I hooked up a couple nice small 10-12" fighters.
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briham89
Big Wall climber
santa cruz, ca
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Hey Scott, sorry I missed you up there. Turns out there is a ton of stuff to do in the days leading up to your wedding. Who knew?! haha
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 14, 2017 - 01:14pm PT
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Guy and I fished some on the east side this weekend. I am happy to say that flows are finally fishable. We had a little fun on Hot Creek but it is still the merest shadow of its former self. We fished way up on the Owens and that was nice. Then on Sunday we fished the San Joaquin and it was pretty amazing, especially considering how little water there was in it last year. I caught about 40 fish in 5 hours with very few dinks. With the river as high as it is, it is a hard river to travel on though with climbing skills put to the test.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 14, 2017 - 02:48pm PT
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G-Gnome always gets to go first.... but I got 8 on Sunday. The "big water" was harder for me to fish, mostly with mending and just the general speed of the water.... it was flowing very fast. I lost a whole mess due to my inability to quickly get the line tight after I set on one.... I watched Jan at work and he seems to do things quickly and methodically.
Anyone ever do this?
Time to tie on - yet another fly- so I sit down on the bank, pick a fly and reach down to my leader... right where I set it down at, tie on a fly, trim the end and apply that goo to keep it floating ONLY to discover-- I tied it to a piece of line that was just lying on the ground and not MY LINE.
The joys of being a noob.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 14, 2017 - 04:56pm PT
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Guy, I've done that with the old leader after tying a new one on. Now I always pocket the old one before tying the new one on so I can't make that mistake again.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 14, 2017 - 05:06pm PT
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WTF.... good one.
To show you all what a true champion G_Gome really is, a story....
First year FF, G_Gome sets me up with some $900 rig, Flys everything... I show him a spot where I always catch nice fish, at the old Cardinal Mine up by Sabrina. WE catch fish, he shows me how to cast straight up and down under the canopy of trees.... so I am sitting on a boulder in the middle of the creek, I tie on a new one and in my excitement to get going- I forget to put the big box of flies - he made all of them- away- then I jumped into the creek and the box of flies, still open go into Bishop creek!!!!
He is not amused but he is not angry.....
about 1/2 hour later while I am walking in the brush ----- the oh-so very fragile tip of the $900 rod gets somehow BROKEN OFF!!!!!!! :>(
He is again not amused and not angry....
I don't know why he keeps me around.
Yes.... a get together would be most fun.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 15, 2017 - 08:32pm PT
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Ha! I was rock cod fishing and drove a 6/0 hook into my thumb with 3 pounds of falling lead weight. It took the surgeon 40 minutes to pry it out because it was hooked thru the gristle in my knuckle. Then it took a month of constant soaking my thumb in betadyne and holding my hand above my heart ALL the time. And every week they would have to cut both ends of the hole filled with anchovy guts open to let it drain.
Now that was fun!!!!
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 15, 2017 - 08:35pm PT
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Oh, and I broke the last 2 rungs off my Sage 4 wt XP on Sunday, about 30 minutes into the day. I cut the end short and continued fishing. Sage said it would be 45 to 60 days to get it fixed. So I just bought a new rod today. Got lucky though that they just discontinued the Sage One and I got one for half price. Now I own 6 fly rods, or will when I get them all back from friends and Sage.
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ruppell
climber
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Aug 15, 2017 - 09:23pm PT
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Damn G_Gnome that sounds like it hurt.
Here's one:
I grew up fishing. Started, like many here, as soon as I was able to hold a rod. I learned how to take catfish off a hook when I was about 6. The cats in Jersey tend to be small enough to get your hands around the dorsal. When they where to big for my little hands my Grandpa was always around to get it done. By the time I moved to Florida when I was 10 I had fishing dialed.
About a year after I get to Florida I'm fishing on a local pier about a mile from my house. It's just this 11 year old kid and a few retired guys. Plus the guy that owns the bait shop. He always let me in for free and threw out tips to help me along.
It's the middle of mackerel season and I'm killing it. I've already got dinner so I'm just C&R'ing them. The rig for these guys is a spinning rig with 6lb test. It's fished with bubble and a glass back minnow with no weight on a number 8 hook. I've got about ten glass backs left in my bucket and I'm just planning on fishing till they're gone and then going home.
The last glass back I put on has little to no life left in him. Instead of swimming in fast circles he just slowly sinks. If it's not moving fast macks won't touch it. The waters about ten feet deep here and my bubbles about 7 feet above the bait. I'd seen some guys catch some salt water cats and decided to just let it sit and enjoy the pier.
Not long after I watch my bubble start to slowly go down. It's methodical in it's rate of pull. Not fast nor slow, just steady. Macks hit like a freight train so I know it's not one of those. Redfish and Snook hit equally as hard. I wait a few seconds and set the hook hard.
The fish takes off and doubles my rod over. Whatever it is it's big. I dial the drag back and sit back to enjoy the ride. It runs hard enough to almost spool me. I start palming the spool to try and turn it. It turns back towards me and I get some line back. Then it makes another run.
This back and forth goes on for a few more minutes. Finally, the fish gives up the ghost. I get a look at it and sure as sh#t it's a sail cat. More scientifically known as Gafftopsail Catfish. It's big too. I grab the net from the holder and get the fish in it.
As I hoist this thing up I realize how big it really is. I'd later find out it was 22" long and just under 6 lbs.
Remember I'm a skilled catfish handler. Also remember I'm 11 and there is no way in hell my hands are gonna fit around this beast. It should also be noted I've always been a cheap bastard. I wanted my hook back. Most adults would have cut the hook and dealt with it later. I'm 11.
I wait a few minutes while I prepare my plan of attack. The whole time the fish is just flopping around on the pier. The hooks pretty deep so I grab my forceps. I try and get in his mouth and he keeps flopping around making it impossible. I've never been the patient sort so I decide on plan B. This plan turned out to be a really, really bad idea.
Plan B was to foot stomp the old boys skull to put him out of his misery and to get my hook back in the process. I waited till he hadn't flopped in a few seconds. Then with all my 11 year old might I lifted my foot and bought it down as hard as I could aiming directly at his fat head. Just at that millisecond, the old boy decided to flop. Of course he flopped forward about 6 inches.
My foot crashes into his dorsal fin. Then it stops. It hurts for some weird reason my little 11 year old brain thinks. Then I look down it my white socks and my white shoes. It hits my harder then a mackerel hits a line. That's a dorsal fin sticking through my shoe. FVck me. I try to kick the fish off but it hurts way to much.
By now my white shoes and socks are getting to be a little more of a shade of red. FVck me. I hop the 100 yards to the bait house. The old guy behind the counter takes one look and goes "Holy sh#t, sit down". I do.
He gets out his pliers and cuts the dorsal fin above and below my sneaker. Then he take one look at me and tells me this is gonna hurt. No sh#t, it already hurts. He grabs the fin from the top side and pulls fast and hard. Out it comes.
I take off my shoe and sock to look it the carnage. It's bleeding a lot but doesn't look that bad. It's about 1/4" hole on both side. He helps me getting it cleaned up and wrapped in some gauze. I thank him and hobble back to retrieve my other fish and gear.
By the time I get back he's got the fish on the scales. 5lbs 15oz and 22" long. This guys been working here a long time and he assures me it's the biggest sail cat he's seen caught here. I smile and take just a tiny bit of pride in that. But mostly I feel stupid for not coming up with plan C.
Post script: No hospital visit was required and the wound healed up just fine in a few days. Sail cat taste like crap. The next time I showed up at the dock the guy handed me a billy club for free.
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Aug 15, 2017 - 09:27pm PT
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OK after reading the above ten posts, I change my mind, I don't want to fish with any of you. What a bunch of wankers!
Edit: Reminds me of the time I took out a girl on a "flyfishing date" to show her how skilled I was and impress her with my general river prowess. Got set up, calmly explained how a river works and how trout feed, took five steps out onto a big boulder, and proceeded to forward cast ONLY the top half of my flyrod out into the pool in front of me. Standing there with the bottom half of the rod in my grip and the top half 15 feet downstream...... she sat there on the bank all cute and mostly unimpressed ......... I think I muttered something like " and you'll have to be careful because this happens a lot"
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Aug 23, 2017 - 07:15am PT
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Not very large trout, but pretty big for Goldens.
They were hanging out at the outlet to Lake South America. A couple looked to be 18".
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Aug 23, 2017 - 07:58am PT
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Nice work out there in Hawaii Tad. If I'm not mistaken that striped bluegill looking guy is a Seargent Major.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 23, 2017 - 09:00am PT
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Tad..... I believe those are "tropical fish"....
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Aug 23, 2017 - 09:18am PT
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Goldens look to by spawning or getting ready to. Those are nice size for goldens.
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Gary
Social climber
Desolation Basin, Calif.
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Aug 23, 2017 - 09:22am PT
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Those are nice size for goldens.
The whitish one must be a rainbow/golden hybrid. Lake South America is almost 12,000' so we were shocked to see any fish. The other lakes and streams looked barren.
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clinker
Trad climber
Santa Cruz, California
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Aug 23, 2017 - 05:29pm PT
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My grandson Johnny's second anual Sierra fish'n trip.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Aug 24, 2017 - 10:36am PT
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Clinker..... good deal. Get those kids outside doing real things.
Did you teach him how cool it is to release that little Trout so you can come back next year and catch it again?
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