ikeman
09-28-2008, 06:26 PM
Some of you guys have posted about the lack of Sierra’s post so here’s one. I know it is lengthy, but hope it is entertaining. I never did post last year's so maybe as a very late post in a few days.
My father lives in Northeast Georgia and once a year he comes out to visit me,my wife and his grandson for a week. We take four days and head up to the Sierras for some tent camping and fly fishing. This is our father / son time so we usually go when my son Colin heads off for the first day of school. It usually works out pretty well weather wise and crowds are non existent the weekend following Labor Day. Only problem can be low water in some of the streams I like to fish. I had been very busy with work and did a quick pack the night before. I drove up from Orange County and picked him up at 10:00am from LAX. No problems, quick exit from the airport.
The past few years we would stay up in Tioga pass at the Aspens campground next to Lee Vining and then fish north on the Walkers, Green or maybe up in the Saddlebags or Tuolumne meadows. I haven’t been down to Red’s Meadows or fished the San Joaquin for a long time so that was the plan. We decided quickly not to because of reports of low waters and when you down below Minaret summit, you are kind of committed to stay there the whole time. We decided to stay in the Benton crossing area and just fish the Owens’s and Hot Creek. I am glad we did!
Right before Palmdale, it occurs to me that I totally forgot the sleeping bags. I was letting him know the weather report called for light winds (the week before, crazy winds), mid 80's in the day and mild temps at night, and realized I screwed up. So much for the warm, 0 degree rated bags I left back in my garage!
A short stop at Wal-Mart and we bought some cheapies to sleep in. Got to Benton Crossing around 3:30pm and decided to make camp at Browns for the night. Set up camp and hit the campground area for the first fish. We both did well on the risers using the normal caddis stuff, small elk hares and adams and tossed a hopper for a nice 14’ brown. Changed to zebra nymphs and got some shorts. Back to dries at the end of the evening. Overall a good first evening start to our trip. Maybe 10 fish together.
Brown’s is a nice campground for trailers and RVs but it’s a little too exposed for tents,
I think. But when you are right at the fish, and you can take a shower for $2 bucks we did ok.
Problem is, as many of you know, it can get windy down there at any time and usually does. Thank God it didn’t, but that night the temps dropped and we froze our a$$es off!! The temps the next morning read 26 degrees, not bad if you are prepared, but with only those Wal-mart 50 degree rated bags, man was it cold!! When I turned my Tahoe on at 6:30 in the morning, it read 26, then instantly read ICE! What? Never saw that on my truck before! LOL. By 10:00 it was 75.
Anyways, fished the morning in the campground with dual #16 punk perch patterns and killed it. What a great fly. All fish around 8-12”. We decided to take advantage of the light N winds so we hit up Hot Creek in the mid day. As normal for this time of year, no crowds were present and low water made fishing challenging. Getting a good drift and presentation between the vegetation makes dry fly fishing here very interesting. A good hatch was going off when we got down in the canyon. Spotted a rise behind a boulder on the other side of the creek, and Bingo! First fish I hooked was on a small #22 elk hare - a nice Bow! Great fight from across the creek through about 5 rows of weeds. A long way on a small barbless and he broke water twice!
That fish became my personal best on a dry on Hot creek! A Big jawed male, probably a spawner? I followed with three 10” browns then complete shut down. Dad managed two that session.
We decided to go to Bishop to get some blankets to help out at night. We stopped in McGee Creek campground and checked it out. For those of you who have never been there, it is across from Crowley. Very nice campground, primarily RV’s but they did have a few tent sites. Decent price, around $20 a night, nice site next to the creek, free fire wood!, and free hot showers. We based out of here for the rest of the last 2 nights. Much warmer nights followed. There was a big party staying there, the Clappers, all guys involved with restoration of the 395, I think. Good group and lots of booze. They sure know how to party!
We set up camp and went back to the crossing. Fished to the north, the barbless, not live bait side, started with nymphs and did a few stockers. Towards evening a few hundred yards north of the bridge I found a good riffle set up into an undercut just south of “ the bend” . Punkers were the call again and I hooked up a big fish. Big fighter lots of runs. The bank I was on was tall, about 4’ from the water. I couldn’t get leverage or a set up to use my net so I tried to slowly pull him straight up from the water. Got him completely out of the water, the snap! I had 3.6lb tippet and it broke my line. He was a good 18” and probably 3lber. Oh well, knew it was going to happen. Moved up to “ the bend” saw so many fish rising change to an ant pattern and for a half hour till dark it was like casting into a hatchery! Every cast, a rise or a fish. There is a decent current cutting the bend in half so you either cast over it or in it. Even if the fly had a bad drag on it, these fish were like torpedoes. I must have landed 15 fish and released 10 within that half hour. My dad was down by the bridge nymphing and did well himself. Next evening we both went back there an for an hour and a half before dark it was fishing like no other. Same success I had the night before. We estimated a total between us of 40 fish landed and many unbuttoned by themselves. It has been a long time since our Montana days in the late 70’s either one of us caught that many fish in such little time on dries. Unbelievable evening.
Gullfisher, this the spot I mentioned. I’m sorry not to get your pm prior to your trip.
Final day, packed up camp early and went to hot creek. No hatches or topwater action and lots of wind. No love there, so we finished on the Owens and ended the trip with a good number of fish each before leaving for home around 2pm.
My dad is 72, I’m 48, and it is so good to have the time to share our passion in such a beautiful place. I got back home and less than a week later my butcher at Ralph’s, Ernel, was out on grievance time off. His father, 62, passed away because of a massive heart attack. You never know when your time is up and I thank the Lord for the times I am able to share with my father.
All in all. another great trip, we ate like kings and had some laughs!
All fish CPR'D.
I fished Dana Harbor Thus. eve. with a double punker rig on a dropshot just to experiment. Spotties slammed them. Look out!!
My father lives in Northeast Georgia and once a year he comes out to visit me,my wife and his grandson for a week. We take four days and head up to the Sierras for some tent camping and fly fishing. This is our father / son time so we usually go when my son Colin heads off for the first day of school. It usually works out pretty well weather wise and crowds are non existent the weekend following Labor Day. Only problem can be low water in some of the streams I like to fish. I had been very busy with work and did a quick pack the night before. I drove up from Orange County and picked him up at 10:00am from LAX. No problems, quick exit from the airport.
The past few years we would stay up in Tioga pass at the Aspens campground next to Lee Vining and then fish north on the Walkers, Green or maybe up in the Saddlebags or Tuolumne meadows. I haven’t been down to Red’s Meadows or fished the San Joaquin for a long time so that was the plan. We decided quickly not to because of reports of low waters and when you down below Minaret summit, you are kind of committed to stay there the whole time. We decided to stay in the Benton crossing area and just fish the Owens’s and Hot Creek. I am glad we did!
Right before Palmdale, it occurs to me that I totally forgot the sleeping bags. I was letting him know the weather report called for light winds (the week before, crazy winds), mid 80's in the day and mild temps at night, and realized I screwed up. So much for the warm, 0 degree rated bags I left back in my garage!
A short stop at Wal-Mart and we bought some cheapies to sleep in. Got to Benton Crossing around 3:30pm and decided to make camp at Browns for the night. Set up camp and hit the campground area for the first fish. We both did well on the risers using the normal caddis stuff, small elk hares and adams and tossed a hopper for a nice 14’ brown. Changed to zebra nymphs and got some shorts. Back to dries at the end of the evening. Overall a good first evening start to our trip. Maybe 10 fish together.
Brown’s is a nice campground for trailers and RVs but it’s a little too exposed for tents,
I think. But when you are right at the fish, and you can take a shower for $2 bucks we did ok.
Problem is, as many of you know, it can get windy down there at any time and usually does. Thank God it didn’t, but that night the temps dropped and we froze our a$$es off!! The temps the next morning read 26 degrees, not bad if you are prepared, but with only those Wal-mart 50 degree rated bags, man was it cold!! When I turned my Tahoe on at 6:30 in the morning, it read 26, then instantly read ICE! What? Never saw that on my truck before! LOL. By 10:00 it was 75.
Anyways, fished the morning in the campground with dual #16 punk perch patterns and killed it. What a great fly. All fish around 8-12”. We decided to take advantage of the light N winds so we hit up Hot Creek in the mid day. As normal for this time of year, no crowds were present and low water made fishing challenging. Getting a good drift and presentation between the vegetation makes dry fly fishing here very interesting. A good hatch was going off when we got down in the canyon. Spotted a rise behind a boulder on the other side of the creek, and Bingo! First fish I hooked was on a small #22 elk hare - a nice Bow! Great fight from across the creek through about 5 rows of weeds. A long way on a small barbless and he broke water twice!
That fish became my personal best on a dry on Hot creek! A Big jawed male, probably a spawner? I followed with three 10” browns then complete shut down. Dad managed two that session.
We decided to go to Bishop to get some blankets to help out at night. We stopped in McGee Creek campground and checked it out. For those of you who have never been there, it is across from Crowley. Very nice campground, primarily RV’s but they did have a few tent sites. Decent price, around $20 a night, nice site next to the creek, free fire wood!, and free hot showers. We based out of here for the rest of the last 2 nights. Much warmer nights followed. There was a big party staying there, the Clappers, all guys involved with restoration of the 395, I think. Good group and lots of booze. They sure know how to party!
We set up camp and went back to the crossing. Fished to the north, the barbless, not live bait side, started with nymphs and did a few stockers. Towards evening a few hundred yards north of the bridge I found a good riffle set up into an undercut just south of “ the bend” . Punkers were the call again and I hooked up a big fish. Big fighter lots of runs. The bank I was on was tall, about 4’ from the water. I couldn’t get leverage or a set up to use my net so I tried to slowly pull him straight up from the water. Got him completely out of the water, the snap! I had 3.6lb tippet and it broke my line. He was a good 18” and probably 3lber. Oh well, knew it was going to happen. Moved up to “ the bend” saw so many fish rising change to an ant pattern and for a half hour till dark it was like casting into a hatchery! Every cast, a rise or a fish. There is a decent current cutting the bend in half so you either cast over it or in it. Even if the fly had a bad drag on it, these fish were like torpedoes. I must have landed 15 fish and released 10 within that half hour. My dad was down by the bridge nymphing and did well himself. Next evening we both went back there an for an hour and a half before dark it was fishing like no other. Same success I had the night before. We estimated a total between us of 40 fish landed and many unbuttoned by themselves. It has been a long time since our Montana days in the late 70’s either one of us caught that many fish in such little time on dries. Unbelievable evening.
Gullfisher, this the spot I mentioned. I’m sorry not to get your pm prior to your trip.
Final day, packed up camp early and went to hot creek. No hatches or topwater action and lots of wind. No love there, so we finished on the Owens and ended the trip with a good number of fish each before leaving for home around 2pm.
My dad is 72, I’m 48, and it is so good to have the time to share our passion in such a beautiful place. I got back home and less than a week later my butcher at Ralph’s, Ernel, was out on grievance time off. His father, 62, passed away because of a massive heart attack. You never know when your time is up and I thank the Lord for the times I am able to share with my father.
All in all. another great trip, we ate like kings and had some laughs!
All fish CPR'D.
I fished Dana Harbor Thus. eve. with a double punker rig on a dropshot just to experiment. Spotties slammed them. Look out!!