My Meiss Meadow Meanderings...

[SHigSpeed]

I've been wanting to do the Upper Truckee for the stream resident LCT for some time now. I finally got a good window to get out today - much better'n working that's for sure! :)

Weather was PERFECT! Got a good jump on the day and Hope Valley looked cool shrouded in mist and frozen ground:

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Parked the car at Carson Pass/Meiss Trailhead parking lot. Don't forget to pay the $5!

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So, I head up the hill on the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail - or so I though! I guess I'm just too rip roarin' to go and somehow manage to get OFF the train and charged up the hill. Ooops. Wait, is THAT the trail I'm supposed to be on?

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If you look closely you may see the light trail snaking along 100(?!) feet below me! :) So, do I lose all the potential energy that I burned half of breakfast gaining to get back down to the trail? Or scrabble horizontally toward the saddle where the trail goes over? Yeah, I ain't giving up my vert! Scrabbling across the scree through the contours of the mountain was hairy going, but I managed to make it to the ridge and came to an outcropping over where the trail made it's pass. Took a break and played with the timer on the camera:

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From this perch I still had to scrabble down 50 feet to the trail. Whew, back on track...

Photo from the trail near the crest. You can see Lake Tahoe in the distance.

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Now the trail goes down the back of the mountain into the meadow. I start crossing these:

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I wonder if I hock a loogie in there how long would it take for my DNA to get into Pyramid Lake? :)

The trail eventually gets to the historic Meiss summer cabin:

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and on to these signs:

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Well, little blue lines cross both trails, and the little blue lines hold the little spotted fish right? I go towards Round Lake. Bad idea. About a mile in I cross the little blue line. Not much blue! Grr, should have gone the other way as that blue is downstream and has more feeders and should have more blue... Damn. Turn around. Back to the signs, try again...

Go up the other trail and the blue that crosses again is but a trickle. Looks like I need to follow it down to find more water. It's amazing how much marshy muck and brush this area has! Booney-crashed through the brush going downhill and following the trickle and FINALLY came to some water holding fish - small pockets and pools with some trickle in and out:

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Now we're in business - FINALLY! Every pool holds fish, somewhat spooky but not lockjawed. On the pool above I actually dropped my fly over the rock seen on the bottom right corner and wasn't paying attention. When I went to lift the rod I though I was snagged - nope! Fish on! Got fish out of every pool down the line.

Some of the fish:

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All on small dries, parachute Adams in size 16/18?

At some point more feeders were coming in and there was more blue, but it was after noon by now and I though I might have a try at Showers. Uh, but where am I? I knew the general direction of the trail, and I knew if I kept moving that way couldn't miss it. Thing is, the muck and brush and of course in chasing pools downstream one tends to burn elevation quickly so the slog up and out until I found the trail again sucked! Based on the direction and turns on the trail where I found it, I think I was maybe a half mile from Showers, but I'd had enough. I got what I came for, and now it's time to turn back.

On the way out, I crossed a small trickle and managed neat shot:

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It's amazing how little water these guys need...

So, now it was time to back UP and UP to the saddle, then down. Easy peasy now that I am on the actual trail right? Well, I got a case of the uh-ohs at one point because it seemed to be a bit farther than I'd expected so I turned back to find a spur that I may have missed. Turns out that I was on the right track after all, but I did manage to do one last bit of extra walking for the day.

Not sure but I'm guessing 10-12 miles in all today? Not bad for a guy who usually floats in a La-z-Boy and fins around small lakes. :)

On the way out I fished the Carson at the bridges and got a couple planter 'bows at one, but the other bridge is chock full of 2-5 lb chunkers! Now THESE brutes had lockjaw. Nothing I threw at them interested them. I did forget to take my big streamer box, but I really didn't think I'd need them for the LCTs. Someone go out and figure out what those Alpers fish want before they're all snagged out of there!

_SHig

[Ed Wahl]

Very nicely told story of your day Shig. Love the pics .

That place is something special.

A little earlier in the season and it's wildflower and hummingbird heaven.

I plan on doing showers with a toon a little later in the year, if you want in just say the word.

And I have a slightly different trailhead than the one you used.

Ed

[Wren]

SHig
I don't post a lot of comments on this site
but I was really impressed with this one. Those were some beautiful fish and a great story.
Thanks a lot for such a great piece.
Michael.
By the way I'm right up the street in Loomis.
Love those wild fish in beautiful places.

[jburge]

_SHig,

Brought back great memories of a trip earlier this year. Way to hang in and pursue! Thanks for sharing.

John

[k.hanley]

Nice going Shig. Excellent trip. Thanks for sharing it.
Cheers, Ken

[EricO]

Nice hiking legs Shig.....Great pics and real pretty fish.

Gotta love that measure net huh!? Love mine.

Eric

[SHigSpeed]

Thanks for all the comments! I had a great and highly memorable solo trek. Met a few groups along the way, and I hope to be spry enough when I'm the age of some of the hikers I met to be doing it in 20+ years!

Ed: Very special place indeed. As much as wildflowers and hummingbirds are nice, I'd be willing to bet that the skeeters at that time vie for size advantage with the avians! How's the marshy stuff then? I'd bet worse? Though fishing in the higher sections above where Meiss outflow joins might be better? I may try your shortcut next time though. That section from the trailhead to the saddle seems like a time waster if your pistons can take the grade.

EO: Yeah, the measure net is great, but I'd like to upgrade to the black rubber bag. Less than $20. The blue is a bit garish. Also, you'll notice that I placed the measure netbag on an old el'cheapo wood bow net handle. It's a skosh more "legit" than the aluminum and foam handle, but some day I'd like to make my own wooden bow for fun (to go with the rubber netbag). Too bad Measure Net doesn't make a ghost bag.

I did find that Brodin sells ghost bags though... Hmmm... :)

http://www.fishwest.net/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=BR52RNBA

Now just need to build a steam box.

_SHig

[flyfishnevada]

Wow, great trip and report. Those LCs are really pretty. I was planning a trip up that way, but to Winnemucca Lake and beyond. Your trip looks better.

[fishnbeatsworkin]

Hopefully this isn't too long & wordy:

I had two sets of fishing plans get cancelled for the weekend so I was wondering what to do. Like some of you, I’ve also been slowly chipping away at my heritage trout certificate. Heck, if I’d just get off my duff & do a 3-4 day road trip, I could potentially have it done in no time. I’ve figured out where to go, it’s just a matter of doing it. I think most of the challenge was figuring out where to go.

I’d had this meadow on my list of places to go for awhile. I had put it on my list of potential spots to hit in 2014 back at the beginning of the year. Since my previous plans got cancelled I decided it was time to check it out. A quick search came up with this link and another on Kiene’s. After reading thru the posts, I decided to do it.

I took the shorter 2 mile trail mentioned previously. Like _SHig my initial idea was to get both the lake form and stream form of Lahontan. That was before I got up there. I didn’t have a map so I was basically going off of memory of what I saw online.

I got up at 4:30am, out the door by 5 and at the trailhead by 8. I hiked up to the lake. As soon as I got into the trees, the mosquitoes attacked. Luckily, I was prepared. I looked at the lake and decided to go check the outlet and possibly get the stream form first. Well, the outlet stream isn’t much more than a trickle and quickly heads down the mountainside in a tangle of brush. After heading down about 500 yards or so I decided to head back up to the lake. Believe it or not, I ran into 2 guys and 3 teenagers climbing up the mountain looking for fish. They said they were down at Dardanelles Lake and it was being gillnetted by Fish & Game. We were all surprised to run into another party down in there. If I would have went to REI & picked up a map, I would have seen the topography of the outlet and avoided that boondoggle.

Back at the lake, I got my gear ready. Since _SHig was part of the inspiration to do this trip, I busted out his custom float tube and got on the water. His solo trip report was the motivating factor to get out & do this. Plus I could use his float tube to accomplish my objective. So the trip was really a small tribute to _SHig.

In short order I had my lake form Lahontan heritage trout. I continued fishing til about 2:30. In my hurry to get out the door, I forgot my spf 50 shirt and my arms were getting sunburned so I decided to call it quits.

For a brief moment I thought about hiking further up the meadow to try for the stream form but when I got to the split in the trail I decided I had had enough for the day. So I headed back to the car and was home by 7:15pm.

Thanks for the inspiration & float tube _SHig.

[Larry S]

fishn,
His posts did (hell, still do) have a way of taking you along on those treks, didn't they?
Best,
Larry S

[SeanO]

SHig and fishn, great pics and posts!

Nice to see areas of the state that still have their native fish.

Best,

[Scott V]

What a trip that this post is on top today. I just got back from Meiss Meadows today looking for cutts on the Upper Truckee. Miss you buddy.

[fishnbeatsworkin]

fishn,
His posts did (hell, still do) have a way of taking you along on those treks, didn't they?
Best,
Larry S

Larry,

Yes he did. That's why when I was sitting around on Friday wondering what to do & read his report, i decided to follow his lead on this trip. I should have sucked it up & headed into the meadow. I may have run into Scott V. If you look closely at the waders I'm wearing you can see where I took SHig's advice & cut off the gravel guards and neoprene kneepads. I even ditched the neoprene shoulder straps. He was sure an inspiration.

Dave