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Lost Coast
I have not fished for a while. I had two trips planned. The first was cancelled due to low water and the second was cancelled due to high water. I decided to do some hiking instead. The drought conditions we have here now are conducive to hiking so I thought no reason waiting for the spring or summer to go.
The first trip was to Ventana wilderness. That place is generally an impenetrable, brush choked, tick infested, half burned poison oak thicket. If you are looking to get a sufferfest going I can recommend some overgrown trails. There are some nice places though and I would go again. The Arroyo Seco river is a beaut and I followed it on a 60 mile loop to its headwaters at Cone Peak. I expect Arroyo Seco had a nice run of steelhead back in the day but farming in the Salinas Valley put an end to that.
https://i.imgur.com/7472hGgh.jpg
One of the nice spots on the Ventana hike. Easy walking along a ridge 4000' above the ocean. Big Sur and Highway 1 are down there somewhere.
The second trip was to the lost coast. I hiked from The mouth of the Mattole to Shelter Cove which is 25 miles. There is a surfer camp in the middle and there were some elephant seals laying around but other than that there was nobody out there. There are several beautiful streams coming out of the mountains and I would guess three of them I crossed get a steelhead run.
https://i.imgur.com/syvdhC4h.jpg
The big view from the Shelter Cove end of the trail.
https://i.imgur.com/BJcvIf5h.jpg
This is Cooskie Creek which is right over the ridge From the AH Way campground on the Mattole.
https://i.imgur.com/Gmw8Sm7h.jpg
This is Big Flat Creek. I crossed it at the beach and spotted 2 inch and 8 inch steelhead. The big ones should be heading to the ocean soon. It will take them all of 30 seconds to get there. I expect the adults come into a stream like this during very high water and get in and out pretty fast.
https://i.imgur.com/uL6ejPOh.jpg
This is a beach camp just above the high tide line. I spotted abalone in the rocks at low tide which was nice to see given the hard time they are having due to the kelp die off.
https://i.imgur.com/Sc6UWV1h.jpg
Nature can be brutal. I would guess this is a mountain lion kill. Looks more like a scene you would expect to see on Kodiak Island or somewhere like that. Wild place. Bear, deer and fox tracks on the beach.
https://i.imgur.com/UeVTTPMh.jpg
Crab buoys look good hanging in your backyard but you have to carry them a long way to get them out.
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Wow John...............thanks so much
At 75 I am living vicariously through your wonderful posts and photos.
That "25 mile hike" from the Mattole to Shelter Cove sounds so amazing.
Were you by yourself?
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That was a solo hike. It is tough to find people to match up with your schedule and ability and that also want to do the trip you want to do. Once you get comfortable solo tripping it opens up a lot of opportunities. Canoeing and drift boating work a lot better with two people but hiking has a lot of advantages as a solo.
I am glad you like the posts. If I thought nobody cared I would not do it.
That is an amazing hike. That coastline and the streams are pretty well untouched. It is like going back in time and seeing things as they once were.
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Fantastic posts, I always look forward to your adventures.
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John,
Always look forward to your treks and the accompanying photos.
Any thoughts of surf fishing on that Lost Coast venture?
Thanks,
Larry S
Sun Diego
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I have heard that the Searun Cutthroat trout are from our north coast rivers all the way to Alaska?
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I don’t know much about surf fishing. I have tried it twice and not gotten a grab but have not given up. The beach I go to in Oregon is flat and has lots of deep channels that look like places fish would hide. I did some surf fishing at Pyramid once when the waves got big. A deckhand in Shelter Cove told me he fished on the hike. I expect he pulled some mussels off the rocks and used them for bait and caught something. It might be more doable in the summer when the ocean is not as rough.
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Really happy you “ bring us along” on your adventures!
Thank you!
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Bill,
Not sure about this far south but I saw a good number and decent sized cutties in the little Creek that goes up Fern Canyon in Redwood NP. Not an area that is fishable but super cool to see them in a super cool spot!!!
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Very nice, John! I lived in Eureka for 5 years and never once ventured down there. I spent most of my free time picking Mike Kaczynki's brain at his fly shop, then trying to put that great info to use on the Eel and other rivers (to not much avail).
Keep posting your pics. We all enjoy them.
~Jeff