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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Nice, sounds like you guys got enough for everyone! I catch small-medium trout in mountain creeks often enough at home so I wanted to try something different. Got skunked on hot creek but two little guys fell off so at least I had some action.
I could tell it was getting better as the day warmed up and there was some kind of BWO hatch on hot creek around 9am. Only got to fish that for a minute before I had to leave and didn't have any patterns to match it.
Secret is out! I'm trying the creek that shall not be named next time I'm over there :)
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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The sad thing is that both Hot Creek and the Owens were decimated by the drought. There are so few fish left in Hot Creek especially and almost all of the big ones are gone. It used to be pretty special but now I don't even bother to go there. With the planting they are doing each year it should get back to being great in a couple more years.
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Hmmm... I guess that explains why everything I was seeing was small.
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G_Gnome
Trad climber
Cali
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Yes, they planted 6,000 sub-catchable fish last fall. This year they will plant 12,000 more and another 12,000 next year. You are seeing the ones that they planted last fall.
It used to be that I could go to Hot Creek and catch about 40 fish and almost always catch some browns larger than 18 inches. My best fish from there was a 25 or 26 inch brown. I once saw a 9 pound brown hen come out of the spring pool at the top of the interpretive site. This is why it is so sad to see it in its current state.
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Ah yes, Gnome...the good old days of Hot Creek! A survey in 2008 estimated 12,000 fish per mile, but after the drought years, in August of 2016 the estimate was down to 1,000 fish per mile.
Hopefully things will bounce back, with 8,000 rainbows and 4,000 browns stocked every year until the fish begin to sustain themselves again. But it won't be really good again for probably six or seven years, with good winters.
Here is an excerpt from an article I wrote in 2007 for Southwest Fly Fishing:
Hike upstream in the canyon and you arrive at a barbed-wire fence that marks the boundary of the Hot Creek Ranch property. There is a nice little pool there. One fine spring day I found myself there with my wife, lying on the grass, relaxing, picnicking, and occasionally fooling some juvenile rainbows on some tiny midge imitations Yvonne had tied.
Suddenly, the telltale hooked jaw of a huge male brown trout broke the surface as the fish rose straight up out of the water, exposing half of its massive body before splashing back down, slapping the surface like a breaching whale. I had never seen such a big fish in such a small stream. Yvonne and I turned to each other and simply said "WOW.!"
The big trout settled under the far bank, directly under the barbed wire fence. After I'd lost half a dozen flies, all of which soon dangled like spiders under the fence, the huge fish had had enough of my foolishness, slowly swam upstream, and disappeared into the ranch water.
I gazed lustfully over the fence. There were no anglers in sight. The ranch water seemed to run a little slower and deeper, and the meadow grass even looked a little greener. I turned to my wife and said, "I guess that's where the big fish hang out."
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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No updates from Pyramid yet?
On another note, went to the lake with my brother and our wives that was the cause for my fall lake fishing questions.
Our wives threw spinners while my brother and I fished dries and wet flies at and under their surface. It was epic, especially for 9,500 feet. Next time I'll bring some sinking line and see what lunkers lie beneath.
With a 10 hour approach, two passes, and some of this I don't know if there'll be a next time for the wives :)
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Spufi
Trad climber
DeLusion, Ca
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Great underwater photo Craig!
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micronut
Trad climber
Fresno/Clovis, ca
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Two posts and nobody has commented on Limpigcrab's success up there at that mystery lake. Nice Bows Bro!!! Way to get out there and work for it. Those things are hawgalicious!
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tom woods
Gym climber
Bishop, CA
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Dang- limping crab, those are some big fish for a high sierra lake. I've found a few with good fish, but nothing like that.
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guyman
Social climber
Moorpark, CA.
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Oct 10, 2017 - 09:05am PT
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Limping.... yes those are very very nice fish.
Did they taste good?
So 10 hrs... up talus and through the bushes, that narrows it down some.
Got anymore photos? with some background scenery?
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limpingcrab
Trad climber
the middle of CA
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Oct 10, 2017 - 01:30pm PT
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Ya, we only ate two medium ones but they were tasty!
Well, if I discovered this place on my own I'd share, but because someone told me about it I probably shouldn't. The pictures were chosen intentionally to avoid any background scenery :)
It's in SEKI.
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ruppell
climber
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Oct 10, 2017 - 05:24pm PT
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limping
Don't worry about the location man. I've got 20 lakes over 10,000 feet that I have "discovered" and I'm not sharing. All of them hold Goldens and all of them hold big Goldens. There's a few lakes that hold some big Bows as well. One of them gets hiked right past by every climber who's ever done Whitney or Russell. I'm not telling which one though. lol
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Oct 10, 2017 - 06:01pm PT
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Three days on the SF Snake River. One night at the SF Hilton ;-)
They were staging in the shallow's. Crushing streamers. Boiling BWO's during the rain.
All phone pics sadly. My camera had an epic ;-(
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Oct 14, 2017 - 09:20am PT
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Well done "crab" and DrF!
I just returned from an extended road trip that involved lots of fishing and photos from Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana. Here are some highlights, enjoy!
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drF
Trad climber
usa
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Oct 14, 2017 - 06:22pm PT
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Fugg yeah Stimbo! Variety is the spice of life. I love me some junk car-yard fish ;-)
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BG
Trad climber
JTree & Idyllwild
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Oct 14, 2017 - 09:38pm PT
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Nice brown Stimbo! Looks like you had a great trip.
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Stimbo
Trad climber
Crowley Lake
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Oct 14, 2017 - 09:50pm PT
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Thanks Bob and drF. It was a fun road trip. I fished the Upper Madison, Firehole, a couple of places on the Henry's Fork, E Gallatin, Bighorn, and finally the Beaverhead. All great places..... there is so much good water.
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johntp
Trad climber
socal
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Oct 15, 2017 - 10:38am PT
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Thinking of a time I was fishing at one of the upper Virginia Lakes on the east side. Was using a bubble and fly (gold/green bead headed nymph). Wasn't having much luck. Well, no luck at all. Was about to pick up the rig and re-cast when a monster bow struck my clear bobber. Dayum!
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