Red's Meadow Pack Station's web site

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

http://www.redsmeadow.com/

Watch their video.

[Darian]

Wow!!!! Beautiful scenery. 8) 8) Some of them horses kinda look funky, tho. :? :? Got long ears, kinda bray instead of whinnyin'.... :? :? Donkey's ya say :shock: :shock: :shock:

I know, I know.... :roll: :roll: They're sure footed and an easy ride.... 8) 8) 8) (but they bite and generally are ornery critters, much like myself :lol: :lol: )

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Hey Darian,

When I went on one of those pack trips they put me on a big ridding Mule. She was really nice to ride. Kind of like a Caterpillar tractor.

[Matt Frey]

I went on one of those pack trips down near Mammoth with my Dad a couple of summers ago. They put him on a mule. Slow and steady.

The fishing on the trip was interesting. All dry fly. It was hard to catch fish of any decent size though. The second the fly hit the water mulitple small brookies would race to hit it. It was hard to not catch fish. At first it was fun, but then I got bored with catching 6 inch fish. I could see bigger fish, but I couldnt keep the small guys off my fly.

Beautiful scenery though. What is so nice about those pack trips is that you are able to access some really remote areas.

I definitely recommend taking one.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Hi Matt,

We always had to go somewhere that had Golden Trout to make most of our group happy.

Charlie Fullerton, retired director of CA DF&G, told me that the mile or so of the middle fork of the San Joaquin River that flows out of 'Thousand Island Lake' has the biggest stream trout in that part of the back country.

Some of the lakes have larger trout too.

That is why I recommend that people go with local guide David Moss who organizes nice trips through Red's Meadow Pack Station.

www.davidmoss.com

[Matt Frey]

Bill
I am sure you are correct that its a good idea to use a guide. The trip I went on was not designed as a "fishing trip". I really want to go again, but this time I would like to gear it towards fishing and would love to get into some goldens. It sure is beautiful up there.

[slimfishin's]

Ah yes... Thousand Island Lake. It has been a while since I had walked by that one, but it sure is a nice spot. However, it can get a bit crowded, due to it's proximity to the pack station and Yosemite. I did the John Muir Trail that summer, hiking south to Whitney. It was a good opportunity to see some awesome country and plenty of eager fish.

High mountain lakes can be very hit or miss. It's been interesting to see the differences after moving to Idaho. Much of my work now involves reseaching trout in high mountain lakes. I hiked in to collect fish from 13 mountain lakes this summer, which included both spin and fly fishing - since catch rates are part of the study. :) It was pretty interesting to compare spinning gear to flies over a whole summer.

If you can get into the backcountry, it can be a fantastic trip. Beautiful scenery, lots of willing fish, and solitude (if you want). Just be respectfull of others, know your limits, and make sure you clean up after yourself.

M$