Hot Creek Ranch Report

[Fochetti]

I had an opportunity to stay at the Ranch for my first time this week, and it is quite an amazing place. Our first day down we could not get on to the ranch until 4 pm and we arrived at about 11 am, so we fished the public section that is just upstream from the private section. I walked down to the water and there were fish everywhere, and I am talking big fish...We saw a large brown that was maybe 3 pounds, and then out of nowhere a huge rainbow came in that must have been 8 pounds, it was massive. So i quick got my rod and went back down. No success with those two. I moved upstream a little and saw fish rising everywhere. Put on a black emerger, and second cast wham...fish on. I was reaching in to grab it and the fish got off the hook, so I fell in after him but got my first Hot Creek fish. Moved a little farther upstream and hooked my biggest fish of the trip, it was a gorgeous rainbow at least 4 pounds...I would like to preface these pics so I don't get "flamed" by saying all fish were kept in the water until right when I was ready to take the pics, I took extreme care in making sure of this. If I felt the fish were to tired I just revived and let them go without any pics. With that said here we go.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/rainbow1.jpg
You can really tell how big in this one
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/rainbow2.jpg

Caught a couple more on a cdc emerger on the public section and then it was time to see the Ranch. First night we got out there and the hatch was on, there were fish rising everywhere. I remember saying to my dad this place is awesome and we are going to have a blast. First day caught seven. At the ranch they were all on size 20 elk hair caddis. It was going to be an amazing trip and the hatches were going to be crazy the next couple days right? WRONG.

Next morning decided to take out my new bamboo rod and catch some fish on it. Well, the weather did not cooperate, it was windy and no hatches, I was walking around and saw a grass hopper, so I figured I would try that. It worked caught three on a small yellow Dave's Hopper, all on the boo.
A nice brown
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/bamboo1.jpg
A skinny little bow
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/bamboo2.jpg
Second day was slow only three fish but all on the new bamboo so I was very happy. And how could you complain being somewhere that gorgeous, I could enjoy myself not catching a single fish.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/DSCF2862.jpg

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/hotcreek2.jpg

Last day started out with gorgeous weather, no wind, so I was hoping it would stay that way. It did however the hatch did not get going until about 10. I found a hole with fish rising everywhere. I could not see n=much of a hatch to figure out what to throw, so I went with a two fly rig. An e/c caddis and a size 22 para adams. What a good choice, I caught six in about an hour. Five on the adams and one on the e/c.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/rainbow3.jpg

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/rainbow5.jpg

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/rainbow7.jpg

I decided to go with just the adams, right then it was time to go, and wouldn't you know it got even crazier with fish rising everywhere. Stayed as long as I could and my last three casts landed three browns.
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/rainbow8.jpg

http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/rainbow9.jpg

Oh yeah did I mention the fish were healthy and gorgeous, my uncle caught the most amazing brown I have ever seen in my life...
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk230/foesweasel/DSCF2857.jpg
This photo does not even do it justice, it was a burgundy color, just beautiful.
All in all an amazing trip, and I will go back to this magical place as Kevin described it.

[Bjorn]

Hey, sounds like a good day. Nice to have success and there are some really nice looking fish there.

I don't know this board well, but I'm sure, on other boards, you'd get major flamage for the pics. It's not how long the fish are out of the water, since from a photo, that's really hard to tell and I'm sure you tried to take care of the fish. The thing you'd likely be knocked on would be putting the fish on the grass. Dry grass is as bad as a dry hand or a dry fabric net in that all of the above will remove the protective coating from the trout, leaving it open to disease... kind of like taking the candy coating off an M&M.

I've seen some studies about how long a trout can be out of the water and it always surprises me how long that actually is (longer than you'd think), but the folks that know more than I do (and that's a fair number of people) have been pretty vocal about what comes into contact with the skin of the fish. A buddy of mine posted a pic of a nice Truckee Brown in some grass on a message board and had a very well known angler email him that he had killed the fish... now, that may just be dramatics, but the guy was really fired up about it.

I don't mean to flame you at all, and sorry if it comes off that way, just trying to share what I've heard from many folks in that "know more than I do" camp.

Bjorn

[bonneville54]

Beautiful!

What a wonderful trip...

[troutbm]

Nice ! I have a love hate relationship with that river because of the WIND ! Last time fished down from the ranch and got seriously pelted with bits of pumice all day long.

[SLOwag]

Nice ! I have a love hate relationship with that river because of the WIND ! Last time fished down from the ranch and got seriously pelted with bits of pumice all day long.

I agree, but the wind can chase some people off the water and you get it to yourself. When it howls and I don't want to quit, I turn my back to the wind and fish downstream in the seams or the grass overhangs....

[DonCooksey]

Beautiful fish! Hot Creek is an amazing fishery. Can't wait to get back there again.

[Fochetti]

I did not get a chance but talked to a couple of guys who said the canyon section blocks the wind pretty well. So, even if it is windy you could probably find some refuge. I also agree with the comment about wind driving people off the water, even with fisherman paying to stay/fish the ranch, when it was windy I was the only guy on the entire stretch of water. I loved it, but there was not much of a hatch happening. Even with no hatch managed a few fish.