The number one trout stream in America?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LWxQLkw-BU


Kiene's has had group trips there for decades.

[Jcolin]

Just returned from the green, we did A B and C sections on a 2 night overnight in a raft.first time fishing it. Great fishing and scenery, always wanted to fish it. Lots of boats and a bit crowded in upper section but got much better further down. Highly recommend it! Am out in colorado for a few weeks visiting family and fishing, will try to post a few pictures on this thread for anyone thats interested.

[Ed Wahl]

Number one? Hah! That's easy. It's the stream I'm fishing on any particular day. I typically don't see anyone the entire day. The fish are there, maybe not for me but they are there. There are no guides with clients, no litter, no worries about high or low holing anyone. Just me and the flora and fauna that the Sierra Nevada's offer up to anyone who cares to look. We have a national treasure in our own back yard, you just have to do a little bit of work to find it.

[Jcolin]

Hey Ed i think perhaps what Bill was referring to when he said best trout stream in US was its trout density, from my understanding its surveys show more fish per mile than even the san juan below navajo or lower sac etc. I totally agree there’s many other ways to judge a stream/fishery!

[AuSm]

I was so close it was painful. I just returned from a trip downstream at The Gates of Lodore. It was a whitewater 4-day but I took my flyrod and had a 2 day CO license and 3 day UT license. Was hoping the recent mitigation flows would wash some browns downstream but nothing until I got to Jones Hole in UT. Caught some 12" browns in a beaver pond at the mouth of the creek on hopper/droppers.
https://www.facebook.com/814979592/videos/847127396239291/

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

The best trout stream in the world for me, my brother Dick, his son Chris, his friend Vince, Galen Geller, Paul Keel, Phil Romig, Neil Hansen, Jerry Lyerly and another bunch of friends was the Pit River in Nor Cal before they raised the flows.

In September we had the Isonychia mayfly emergence and in the spring we had big stone flies.

It was a pocket water high stick nymphing river for the most part.

[Ed Wahl]

Well, since it's been ruined now I can honestly say that the Rubicon River was for a long time the absolute best trout stream I'd ever fished. It had it all. A huge Golden Stonefly hatch every year, the trout just went ape shit for big dries during the first few weeks of June. And these were big fish. You never saw another angler in a days fishing. The caddis were so thick you couldn't help stepping on the cases as you waded. When October and November came around the Fall Caddis hatch was the stuff of dreams. Bill Carnazzo new this well and kept the secret along with a small batch of canyon rats. Now the King Fire and didymo algae have turned this once blue ribbon trout fishery on it's head. We fought the PCWA and won much better flows below the Hell Hole dam but the fire and the algae doomed this fishery. At least I knew it in it's greatness. That was such a treat.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Very sad Ed.......




About 50 years ago we had big fall runs of Half-pounders in the lower American river.

We would go down after work to see many fish feeding on a huge caddis activity most evening.

My brother Dick and I knew little of fly fishing so we used a #12 Royal Wulff which worked just OK.

The Cortland Line Rep Joe Patterson gave me some #12 Shellback nymphs that looked a lot like the caddis.

Back then we had a group of about a dozen guys who would show up in the evening above the Watt Bridge.

Perryman, Potter, Hal Janssen, Al Fong, Cal Guin, brother Dick, Geller, Bobby G, Ziem, and others enjoyed the good fishery.


Today in September the river is quiet............?
_________________________________________


Back then many did not bother to drive over to the coast because the Winter Steelhead run was so good in the American river.

The Nimbus Hatchery had introduced the Eel river strain of Steelhead that seemed to have caught on.


The upper river below the hatchery was a loaded with anglers in the Fall for King salmon and the Winder for Steelhead.

_____________________________________________-

Our American Shad run was actually World famous back then with fishing celebrities on the American river.

Jimmy Green from Fenwick would show up to fish and test new rods with his friend Walt Bennett.

I think Ted Trueblood frequented the American river for the big spring Shad run.



You could see Stripers chasing the Shad around on the surface at sunset too.



I always feel that if the Water Barens can eliminate the anadromous fisheries, the fishermen will fade away too?

[Ralph]

Number one? Hah! That's easy. It's the stream I'm fishing on any particular day. I typically don't see anyone the entire day. The fish are there, maybe not for me but they are there. There are no guides with clients, no litter, no worries about high or low holing anyone. Just me and the flora and fauna that the Sierra Nevada's offer up to anyone who cares to look. We have a national treasure in our own back yard, you just have to do a little bit of work to find it.

Ditto everything you said Ed. Just about any water above 7000' in the Sierra is my favorite if I happen to be fishing it.

[grnwtrs]

My college buddy had a uncle who owned a cabin at MurrayCamp (Flat(?-sp). From there we would hike down to a bar (per the trail sign) but camp upriver about 1/4 mile on a big rock and a small beach. From there we would fish up river to the gorge and maybe a few yards above the entrance of Hell Hole. The water was high and lack of smaller rocks kept us from doing anything stupid, like drowning.' Obviously this was way before the HELL HOLE DAM.

I was mainly fishing on the dark side then, spinners and spoons, just a few flies from my grand father. Coachmen, grey wolfs?(sp)
I had a split bamboo fly rod (9 footer) compliments of my grandfather, but it was a heavy 2 piece (separate extra tip) much to heavy for our quarry and hard to really cast there., It was better to dip dunk, a fly in small waters like gurly (sp) creek.
This all started when I got back from Korea in about 1959, and continued until 1963 after I graduated from SF state. We would spend about 3 weeks in the area fishing and hiking. We tried Bunker hill lookout and lake for brookies, and had a great time with them.

We also went up to McKinstry lake (sp), about a3 5 minute hike up from Murray camp. That lake had/has huge potential. While waking around the shore we spotted a ? cutthroat trout (?) about 2-1/2 lbs dead along the shore. Never went back.

Biggest fish caught were rainbows about 10-12 inches, my friend who had access to the cabin, Al Baughman, caught a 20 incher plus up at the pool below hell hole. It was a brown trout!!. Big head, small body. Reminded me of my Grandfathers fish from the wind river mountains. . I saw strings and strings of fish with big heads and small bodies.

One year we went up,we were told the dam under construction borke and flooded out all of the river. Years later we went up and were disappointed

That is my story, and I am sticking to it.

regards,gene

[Ed Wahl]

Thanks the tales from way back Gene, always love hearing the history behind my favorite places. I fished Bunker Lake years ago and caught many Brookies. Went back a few years ago and no fish to be seen, don't know what happened to them.
Thanks for adding to the story.
Ed

[Ed Wahl]

Well, since we're all being honest here I should probably add that I'd missed Bunker lake on my way down. When it was getting dark and I knew I'd screwed up it was too late to do anything about it. But I was backpacking and had everything I needed to overnight so I just made camp on the hillside over looking Hell Hole Res. In the morning after a more careful reading of my topo map I found Bunker Lake.
This my friends is how adventures are made. Go out and screw up, you never know what's going to happen.

That right there is the essence of wilderness travel. I've found so many jewels in the Sierras by screwing up it would make your head spin.
That is honest to god truth.
Just be willing to go out and risk it.
Just go looking.

[mems]

Love the Green, fished it with both my Dad and my Son. Doug Roberts with Old Moe is a great guide. There are plenty of perfect trout streams, but the Green is one of the best floats you can do. I also love the Upper Green, smaller fish but great wading.