Sierra_Smitty
10-09-2010, 10:02 AM
Some of my friends are visiting us this week and were looking for a new fishing challenge this trip. Just for fun, I tossed out the idea of a trying for the Sierra Grand Slam one afternoon and they were game to try. Tim & Lori are big fish chasers - but I made it clear this was a very different type of endeavor - they were still super excited for it.
So, yesterday at about 2:30pm or so myself, Tim & Lori Carnahan and another friend Shawn embarked on what I consider a sprint to the slam. We started off right here at Parchers and all four of us had Brookies within about 30 minutes. Check one species off the list.
Next we moved over to another spot on the creek and my friends Tim & Lori both scored rainbows right off the bat...even though we were trying to get the Brown out of the way. After a good hour or so on the creek without any browns, I suggested we do the short hike to get a few goldens since that really is the hardest part of the whole thing.
Within an hour of reaching our Golden destination we all had one - small ones mind you, but they count for this.
The score - Tim & Lori only needed a brown, Shawn and myself needed a 'bow & a brown - so we decided to give South Lake a try to scratch out a brown or two. We tried a few spots that are usually money for small wild fish but alas, it was a busy day on the lake and it was pretty clear that by the time we got there the spots were pretty well pounded for the day. We were running out of day light (and gasoline since I took a boat that had been rented almost the entire day duh!) and I knew a few spots on Bishop creek that very few people bother to fish so that seemed like a great place for a brown.
Down canyon we rolled and parked a mile or so below South Lake and started hiking. Within 10 minutes of getting to the creek, Tim got his brown and booya - first official slam of the day was accomplished in just about 3 hours of work. I was scouting various holes to try and get Lori & Shawn's slams done and in the process caught my brown. Only a 'bow to go for me. At this point, Shawn was getting a little frustrated - he's simply not used to creek fishing - so I pretty much went into guide mode and left my rod behind. I found a really nice pool just above a looong stretch of rapids and brought Shawn to it. This hole was a b@#$% to get to - even though I was only carrying my camera.
Shawn gets rigged and tossed into the pool a few times. This hole was simply too big and too perfectly hard to get to that I knew it was holding at least 1 brown. About 15 minutes into it, Shawn hooks up and I was stoked.....of course what surprised the heck out of me when the fish came near shore was than instead of a brown, it was a gorgeously colored 2lb 'bow! Shawn had never caught a fish like that out of the creek here and was pretty stoked. So...now Shawn only needs a brown and he's good to go. He opted to keep the fish so I hiked it back to Tim & Lori while Shawn continued to fish.
I found Lori at the same spot I left her a while earlier and she was still Brown-less and a little frustrated...but excited for Shawn getting that beautiful 'bow. I suggested that Lori follow me to another spot downstream that I saw on the way to the hole Shawn was fishing at. She obliged, I gave her a few ideas on where I thought the fish would be holding and then I ran back to check on Shawn.
I got the the downstream pool to find Shawn in need of hooks. He retied, and we went back to operation "catch the brown". A few minutes later, he's hooked up and he gets a little 9" brown up to shore and in the process of trying to get the fish up to the boulders we were standing on, the fish came unbuttoned. Noooooooo. So close!!!!!
A few minutes later, Lori & Tim show up on top of the cliff above us - Lori holding her Brown -booya! Lori now has the slam!!!
They take off to the truck and I hang out with Shawn hoping he can scratch a brown before dark....but alas, it was not the case. I took him to a few spots on the creek at Parchers when we got back but it was not to be....too dang dark with no moon out.
Still - two out of four of us got the slam, not a bad effort considering how late in the day we started and the fact that I wasn't really fishing for the last couple hours. Fun little adventure with good company.
Peace
Smitty
Here are a few pics to highlight the day...
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/sierrasmitty/TimCarnahanGolden10-8-10.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/sierrasmitty/LoriBrown10-8-10doc.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/sierrasmitty/smittybrownie10-8-10doc.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/sierrasmitty/TimBrookie10-9-10doc.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/sierrasmitty/shawnrainbow10-8-10.jpg
So, yesterday at about 2:30pm or so myself, Tim & Lori Carnahan and another friend Shawn embarked on what I consider a sprint to the slam. We started off right here at Parchers and all four of us had Brookies within about 30 minutes. Check one species off the list.
Next we moved over to another spot on the creek and my friends Tim & Lori both scored rainbows right off the bat...even though we were trying to get the Brown out of the way. After a good hour or so on the creek without any browns, I suggested we do the short hike to get a few goldens since that really is the hardest part of the whole thing.
Within an hour of reaching our Golden destination we all had one - small ones mind you, but they count for this.
The score - Tim & Lori only needed a brown, Shawn and myself needed a 'bow & a brown - so we decided to give South Lake a try to scratch out a brown or two. We tried a few spots that are usually money for small wild fish but alas, it was a busy day on the lake and it was pretty clear that by the time we got there the spots were pretty well pounded for the day. We were running out of day light (and gasoline since I took a boat that had been rented almost the entire day duh!) and I knew a few spots on Bishop creek that very few people bother to fish so that seemed like a great place for a brown.
Down canyon we rolled and parked a mile or so below South Lake and started hiking. Within 10 minutes of getting to the creek, Tim got his brown and booya - first official slam of the day was accomplished in just about 3 hours of work. I was scouting various holes to try and get Lori & Shawn's slams done and in the process caught my brown. Only a 'bow to go for me. At this point, Shawn was getting a little frustrated - he's simply not used to creek fishing - so I pretty much went into guide mode and left my rod behind. I found a really nice pool just above a looong stretch of rapids and brought Shawn to it. This hole was a b@#$% to get to - even though I was only carrying my camera.
Shawn gets rigged and tossed into the pool a few times. This hole was simply too big and too perfectly hard to get to that I knew it was holding at least 1 brown. About 15 minutes into it, Shawn hooks up and I was stoked.....of course what surprised the heck out of me when the fish came near shore was than instead of a brown, it was a gorgeously colored 2lb 'bow! Shawn had never caught a fish like that out of the creek here and was pretty stoked. So...now Shawn only needs a brown and he's good to go. He opted to keep the fish so I hiked it back to Tim & Lori while Shawn continued to fish.
I found Lori at the same spot I left her a while earlier and she was still Brown-less and a little frustrated...but excited for Shawn getting that beautiful 'bow. I suggested that Lori follow me to another spot downstream that I saw on the way to the hole Shawn was fishing at. She obliged, I gave her a few ideas on where I thought the fish would be holding and then I ran back to check on Shawn.
I got the the downstream pool to find Shawn in need of hooks. He retied, and we went back to operation "catch the brown". A few minutes later, he's hooked up and he gets a little 9" brown up to shore and in the process of trying to get the fish up to the boulders we were standing on, the fish came unbuttoned. Noooooooo. So close!!!!!
A few minutes later, Lori & Tim show up on top of the cliff above us - Lori holding her Brown -booya! Lori now has the slam!!!
They take off to the truck and I hang out with Shawn hoping he can scratch a brown before dark....but alas, it was not the case. I took him to a few spots on the creek at Parchers when we got back but it was not to be....too dang dark with no moon out.
Still - two out of four of us got the slam, not a bad effort considering how late in the day we started and the fact that I wasn't really fishing for the last couple hours. Fun little adventure with good company.
Peace
Smitty
Here are a few pics to highlight the day...
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/sierrasmitty/TimCarnahanGolden10-8-10.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/sierrasmitty/LoriBrown10-8-10doc.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/sierrasmitty/smittybrownie10-8-10doc.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/sierrasmitty/TimBrookie10-9-10doc.jpg
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o181/sierrasmitty/shawnrainbow10-8-10.jpg