Midsummer in the Sierra

[Odonata]

I headed out this past weekend for a westside Sierra destination that was burned by the Creek fire last summer, and has only recently reopened. The forecast was calling for hot weather across the interior. I live an hour or so from the coast, and had been surf fishing last weekend, so I felt like doing something different.

I got a bit of a late start, so it was getting pretty warm. The first few miles had been burned.

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Around 8000'-ish I stopped for some lunch, and looked out at the Sierra crest. Clouds building.

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I encountered a trail crew doing some work. They checked my wilderness permit, and we chatted about trail conditions. They were nearing the end of their stint.

The first lake looked good. I could see fish activity, and I've fished there before, but generally don't camp there.

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But no rest for the weary. I continued on, up and over, then a steep final push to my destination.

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It wasn't as hot up here at 9200', but still pretty warm. The clouds looked foreboding, but the rain appeared to be confined to the crest. The breezy conditions were welcome, though. I tossed out some hoppers on a 4wt, but the fish were mostly on the other side of the lake. Still, I managed a brookie.

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It was not cold overnight. In fact, I didn't even zip up my 50 degree sleeping bag. The morning was nice.

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I walked around the lake before breakfast and fished a bit more, and managed another brookie or two.

I got started again around 9am-ish, descended into a meadow, and then headed cross-country to another lake.

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I stopped to rest, but didn't bother fishing. Looked nice, though, and I saw a rise or two.

I continued on, making my way cross-country, gradually descending, and then ascending a ridge past another lake. Though scenic, I knew from experience it was popular, and the sound of voices carried even from this distance.

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Over the ridge, dropping down, then contouring, I came to another lake at ~9300'.

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I worked my way around the lake, spying a marmot.

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It was warm. I caught another brookie or two. I confess I used spinning gear :)

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Soon I could hear claps of thunder. I pitched my shelter and took a nap. The rain never came. Around 5pm or so I got up, and fished some more.

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I decided to keep the last fish, and fried it up on my Jetboil MightMo stove and Summit skillet. The skillet was actually a bit too small for the fish -- I had to kind of kink up its tail to fit :) Perhaps next time I should think ahead and cut the fish in half ...

(continued in second post)

[Odonata]

(continued)


It was another warm night, though a bit cooler. I got an early start, and headed down a short bit to another lake.

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Time to get a move on; I had a ways to go. I descended and had views of another lake.

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I hiked out a different way, following the loop in the opposite direction of the trail crew I'd seen before, so I was reasonably certain the conditions were good :) The last several miles below 8000' were pretty warm. I was glad I'd brought a lot of water. I could see clouds building near the crest.

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When I returned to my car at 7000' it was in the 90's. I probably could have spent more time at the lakes, making for a late afternoon return. Still, it beats working, or so they say ;)

[Larry S]

Excellent report. Have you considered a pack rod or tenkara?
Thanks for sharing.
Best,
Larry S
Sun Diego

[John H]

Great report. Thanks for putting it together. You did not mention the bugs so I guess they were not a problem. The Brookies look to be decent sized. I have a hip problem so your report is as close as I will be getting to backpacking for a while. The clouds and great of rain look pretty good to me after all the clear and hot weather we have had.

How has the surf fishing been?

[Odonata]

Oh no John ! Hope the hip issue resolves itself.

I have a bunch of hardware in my spine (screws, rods, and a plate), due to some old injuries and trauma, plus a variety of old broken bones. I do basic yoga daily, some tai chi-based exercises (took a basic class after my last spinal surgery), and regular walks around the neighborhood (walking is great for the back).

My theory is that the human body was made to move. The problems usually start when we stop doing that. Physical therapists have had to teach me how to walk all over again, several times over now :)

Re: bugs -- I was down in the Golden Trout Wilderness a few weeks ago, and the bugs were non-existent. Not so here -- some mosquitoes still during the morning and evening, especially near marshy areas. Nothing I'd consider serious, though. I always bring one of those little sea-to-summit headnet thingies for sleeping, and some 20% picaridin. Didn't really use the headnet, and sprayed on a bit of picaridin during the second evening.

Re: tenkara -- I actually started fly fishing via tenkara (long story). I have ... a few tenkara rods :) But I did not bring any of them on this trip. The stream fishing in this area is so-so, particularly in this very dry year. I did see some small brookies in some of the streams, but I let them be this time.

Re: pack rods -- I don't bother typically. My rods are all 3- or 4-section, and I pack them in those plastic fluorescent tube protector sleeves you can get from Home Depot or Lowe's (google for pics). Just cut to length, add some bubble wrap, and voila, ultralight fly rod protection while backpacking. If you are moving through dense brush you can lose the end caps sometimes, but brush is generally not an issue in the higher elevations of the Sierra.

I usually fish from the beaches in the Monterey Bay area, on days where there is early morning fog / marine layer, and either high or low tide. By 9 or 10am or whenever the sun comes out I am done, and heading for home. Fly fishing the surf is demanding, and I do it sometimes, but more often I use spinning gear (there are a lot of articles online).

One thing to note: Norcal surf is not to be trifled with. After getting my feet swept out from under me once, I always wear a kayaking-style PFD. "Never turn your back on the ocean"

[John H]

I did not know you have been through so much. Makes me feel like I can deal with whatever comes my way. Good job on getting in there. When I was on the PCT I thought the toughest people out there were the old guys who had to grind it out at a slow pace. The young guys could fly and thought they were working hard but I do not think they appreciated how hard it was for the old guys. I was kind of in between them so I could see both sides of it.

[Jay Murakoshi]

Odonata,
Great story. I would love to hike into those lakes but with bad knees and prone to altitude sickness, I don't think so. I go to Shaver lake and get altitude sickness, kinda. I was raised at sea level and the first time I went to Tahoe, boy it hit me and hit me hard. Headaches, bloody noses and a miserable 4 days. There are a few customers that come into the store and talk about going fishing into the back country, like 11,300 ft. I like the sea level feelng. Before I moved from Monterey to Fresno, after I retired I fished 6 days a week around Moss landing and Pajaro Beaches. I also use to fish around the old sewer plant in Seaside and the beaches right over the hill from the Navy Postgraduate school. I've only been back a couple times in 16 years, I spend or spent most of my time running trips to Baja, Belize and CI. One of these days I'll get back over the hill and fish the Pajaro Area. Maybe I'll even try heading up to some of the small creeks around Huntington lake, and Wishon. I'm more into chasing carp in the lakes but with the hot weather and water releases for irrigation, the lakes and getting sucked dry.

[Odonata]

Altitude can be tougher on some than others, no question. I think it gets rougher with age, at least it has for me. In some situations I need to use diamox / acetazolamide (have to refresh my prescription, now that I think about it).

I have often gotten nosebleeds after several days at altitude. I use saline spray and vaseline. Again, some people seem to be more susceptible to this than others -- we are an elite club ;)

I was raised back east, where the elevation is low and the summers are humid, and I still live near sea level. There is a lot of good high country fishing near you, as you are no doubt already aware.

[Larry S]

Odonata,
Our Sun Diego beaches tend to be more user-friendly than those up north. We often welcome the
occasional rips, as they provide feeding zones. One often reads about people being
swept into the water by a "sneaker" wave.

https://www.weather.gov/safety/ripcurrent-waves

Stay safe,
Larry S
Sun Diego

[Odonata]

Yes, I've read that southern California surf is more gentle. I actually have spent some time down there, long before I started fishing, mostly work-related. Let's just say that SoCal is not for me :)

[John H]

So Cal is not for everybody. You have take it for what it is.

I had a dream once that I had moved to LA. There was nothing to do but go to the movies. I found a river and I was sad because it was the only river we had. Then, as I watched, it dried up and there was a street underneath it and soon cars were driving up and down the street and I was even sadder. Weird dream but reflects my thoughts on LA.

[Odonata]

Looks like the USFS is closing all the California national forests for two weeks, through September 17th. If this year ends up like the last one that could be a while...

I managed to get a few more Sierra trips in this season before the closure.

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Guess I'll stick to warmwater and surf fishing until the rain comes.

[John H]

That is a nice bunch of fish. Good to see you are out there. I have been chasing the bass since they started biting in the spring. I used to be all trout all the time but now it is all bass. Funny how things change.

I expect the forest closure will continue until it snows. That Caldor fire is a monster. I have a small forest service cabin up there and it looks like they made a stand there and saved the group of 15 cabins it is a part of. There is a four foot diameter ponderosa pine right next to the cabin. It will do my heart good to see that tree alive and well. Here is my dog sitting in front of the cabin and the tree.

[grnwtrs]

Do you think the fire has spared Murray Camp? I used to fish with a friend who had a cabin there in the 60's .

We used the cabin as a staging area for the Rubicon river, and bunker hill, and ????? that was closer.

regards gene

[Odonata]

Good to hear your cabin got spared, John. A friend of a friend went through something similar recently, though in a different area (somewhat NE of Tahoe, I believe), on his retirement property. Scary stuff. Your dog does look very contented.

When temps cool down a bit more I'll probably go look for smallmouth in some of the quieter places, and fish for the usual suspects otherwise :)

[Smitty Fish]

Beautiful pictures! Is the last picture of Evolution lake? Nice looking fish to.
Thanks for sharing.

[Odonata]

Nope, that lake is about 900' higher than Evolution.

[Smitty Fish]

Gotcha, looked like the Evolution lake above Evolution valley. Been thinking of heading up this year. But with all the fires and National Forest closed. Looks like it will be next year.

[Odonata]

The national parks are still open (except Lassen).