troutdog
08-08-2007, 04:24 AM
I left "the OC" Friday morning for my 2nd Sierra trip of the year, my destination Convict Lake to meet my friend Marty and a group of guys I fished with a few years back. Last trip I got the big fish and took the JP money, so I knew I would have a bullseye on my chest this time around.
To me the drive is always part of the adventure. Going up solo I had to entertain myself by loading the cd player, enjoying the scenery and talking to the people I met along the way. The first few hours of desert driving always seems to provide some interesting sites...whether it is the roadside pottery shop, the dive bars straight out of a B movie with neon signs advertising various "ice cold" brews, the closed high desert casinos or the vacant buildings where someones hopes and dreams unfortunately had faded away years ago along the dusty highway. I Got stopped in the middle of the desert by a really long train going no faster than 30 miles an hour...I was in no hurry so I got out of the truck to stretch my legs, got a cold tea out of the ice chest and watched the box cars sha-chug on by. Kinda cool in a way...trains are alright as long as you don't get in front of one. After the brief stop I continued on my way, but soon came face to face with the possibilty every driver fears on a two lane highway. Head on collision...short and sweet version. Some jacka$$ was trying to pass a couple of trucks and I had to hit my breaks and take a quick right onto the shoulder of the road to avoid a major collision. It was very odd actually...no increase in heartbeat, no freaky OMG feeling...maybe it just happend too quick, but I'll be the first to admit that would usually scare the carp outta me. :wink:
After 160+ miles or so, I get my first glimpse of granite mountains in the distance. Getting really pumped because I know fishing is not too far away. It was probably 100 degrees out at the time, but these clouds had me wondering what it was going to be like the the rest of the weekend...as it turns out WINDY!
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SierraClouds.jpg
Stopped at Taboose Creek to finally wet a line and it had plenty of fish in it as usual, but I was there in the heat of the day and the fish were pretty spooked from all the fishing presure at the busy campground. I was fortunate enough on my first cast to get a stocker on a live cricket/salmon egg combo, he went absolutely nuts when that tasty morsel hit the water :D Thought I took a picture for proof, but I kinda messed up er something because it ain't here! Next pool had 3 stockers and a little larger model swimming around, in goes my bait and out of nowhere a native bow about 4 inches grabs the bait and eventually scares off the bigger crowd. I was all set to get that pic too, but truth be told he spit the hook while in my hand, landed in the dirt and flopped back in to the stream. :oops: That kinda sucked, but he did swim away.
Finally got to Convict after a quick stop for gas in Bishop and that is when I got my first dose of some serious wind, figured it was just the time of day and it would die down before sunset....wrong. Went to the cabin and most of the guys were out fishing, so I figured I'd do the same. Fished for about an hour in the wind with no love from the trout, so I headed back
to the cabin for dinner. Fresh trout and carne asada with all the fixins compliments of the guys after a long day....sweet! :thumb:
Part of the crew hanging after the days fishing...
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/ConvictCabin.jpg
This little girl came to visit quite often during the weekend, hope she stills know how to forage as I'm sure she gets a ton of handouts. Very cool to see an animal like this so close though
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/ConvictDeer.jpg
Woke up early and packed the gear in one of the trucks and left for Silver Lake, apparently the guys wanted to try and catch lightning in a bottle like our last trip. I was surprised because my friend Martin nailed a 3.5lber at Convict the day I arrived. All good either way as long as I'm fishing! Six of our group of 12+ split up on 3 boats at Silver...the rest stayed at Convict. I had the pleasue of fishing with Garry an old co-worker who I did'nt know was even going. He had gotten blanked the day before and was pretty much a noob, so I was glad to take him under my wing and show him the ropes. I truely get a pleasure out of helping others catch fish and maybe even teach them something that will help them do so in the future. Not that I am a pro, "but I got some skillz" like Castaway would say. The 3 boats all headed towards an area we call "Jose's Cove" only because the guy who helped us at the launch area last time was named Jose and he suggested the area without hesitation and we crushed it! If you are going to Silver soon, I would suggest fishing PINK or red power worms on a mosquito hook with a small splitshot 3 feet from the hook, up in the shallows towards the inlet area or adjacent drop offs were good. If you like to bait and wait, fish the deeper holes and I would go with yellow(peach color) or spring green pb. If I had to choose one of the two I would say the yellow.
Garry's 1st trout
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/Garytrout1.jpg
Guess it kinda wore him out! :lol:
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/GaryBChillin.jpg
Here is a little guy that inhaled my pink power worm and had to be kept for the stringer
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SilverLakeTrout.jpg
Garry has the hang of it now and learned to tie a palomar knot for next trip...he looks pretty miserable huh?
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/Garytrout2.jpg
We fished next to the rest of our group most of the day, I love this place
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SilverLake.jpg
Caught well over a double limit and only kept the ones that swallowed the hook, Garry actually caught the biggest fish of the day and was really stoked with our stringer
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/GarysStringer.jpg
Funnier moment of the weekend happend on our boat as well. Let me preface by saying Garry is Scottish, has a very thick accent and a great sense of humor. So after a few hours of salying and a couple of casualties on our stringer Garry looks over at the side of the boat, rod tip and bait dangled in front of him and dead serious in his bold Scottish voice says "holy sh*t mahn there are two fookin huge fish right under the boat"...without skipping a beat I reply in my best Scottish tounge "I hope they don't fookin eat the ones on our stringer laddy!" His statement was obviously funnier than my response, but it certainly was a classic moment that he got razzed about the rest of the trip.
Are you still reading this? I hope this is not too boring...more fish porn coming!
Back to Convict and over to the fish cleaning station, great place to strike up good conversation. One of the guys in our group left Silver a little early and fished Lundy...think he was happy about that decision?
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/ConvictPete.jpg
Back to the cabin for happy hour, snacks and oh yeah a quick dip in the jacuzzi....love that backdrop
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/Convictjacuzzi.jpg
If you have a large group and want all the bells and whistles, I suggest the Yosemite House cabin at Convict...pretty sweet of you want to check it out
http://www.convictlake.com/cabins/yosemite.htm
Sunday morning came quickly and we all parted ways by 9am, I did not have to be back until Monday and I was ready for more bendo action. I left Convict because it was blowing hard and decided to check out Rock Creek Lake because I had not been there and FemaleFishinFool (thank you!) gave me some really helpful tips about the place. What a beautiful lake....only one problem on this day...WINDY!! Worse than Convict maybe and the stringers I saw along the shore were either empty or had yet to be taken out of the tackle box. Fished Rock Creek below to get away from the wind, but got no action. The wind got worse and I decided I better fish somewhere along the Owens to try and beat the big breeze. Fished the Owens S. of Bishop off Warm Springs Rd for nada, but it sure was a great place to enjoy a cold one and a sandwhich. I did get a dink bass in a little stretch of water I fished along the road, that was a first for me in this area.
It was getting hot and I figured I'd give old reliable South Lake a try and beat the heat. I stopped on the way up at Parchers for another cold drink and some pack info for next year's trip. Nice people there....I think I spoke to a gal named Mary. I stopped at the creek to wet a line more to take pictures and chill, although I did try a few eggs and crickets without getting bit. This area is rght below S. Lake and always stands out on my mind so I try to make a point and stop here on my way up
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/PoolbelowSLake.jpg
Got up to S. Lake and talked to Justin working the concession strore and his report was a little discouraging, but I was not deterred because I know "the spot"...btw it was WINDY here as well :shock:
This is a view from the shore spot that I seem to always do well at
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SLakeview.jpg
Did the bait and wait with all the wind issues, one set up with that peach color pb I mentioned earlier and the other I call the Barbie combo(no relation to fellow board member) :lol: ...pink power worm, pink amino egg and garlic bang with a 3 foot leader. Ten minutes at the spot and the pink combo gets me the skunk booting action I was hoping for
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SLakeskunkoff.jpg
Both rods get the lethal pink combo and bendo #2 makes my view that much sweeter...not a bad solo fishing shot I guess
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SLakeTroutview.jpg
After an hour with out action I packed up and went to a spot I know just below Sabrina. Got a quick strike on a cricket, but the little guy came unbuttoned and it was getting too dark to see at that point. I could have tried to pitch a tent in the dark or drove to Bishop and got a motel room, but I decided to beat the Monday afternoon heat and drive through the desert that evening...besides I was missing my daughter. Spent the drive blasting tunes and drinking energy drinks before getting home around 2am. No whooper trout to my credit, but I certainly came away with what I was hoping for out of this trip...good times with good people at an incredible place doing what I love most. I slept like a baby and think I had a dream about the next time I go to the Sierras.
Thanks for reading, hope you got something out of it. If you need any specifics feel free to PM me if I can help. Good luck and be safe out there team57 :thumb:
TD
To me the drive is always part of the adventure. Going up solo I had to entertain myself by loading the cd player, enjoying the scenery and talking to the people I met along the way. The first few hours of desert driving always seems to provide some interesting sites...whether it is the roadside pottery shop, the dive bars straight out of a B movie with neon signs advertising various "ice cold" brews, the closed high desert casinos or the vacant buildings where someones hopes and dreams unfortunately had faded away years ago along the dusty highway. I Got stopped in the middle of the desert by a really long train going no faster than 30 miles an hour...I was in no hurry so I got out of the truck to stretch my legs, got a cold tea out of the ice chest and watched the box cars sha-chug on by. Kinda cool in a way...trains are alright as long as you don't get in front of one. After the brief stop I continued on my way, but soon came face to face with the possibilty every driver fears on a two lane highway. Head on collision...short and sweet version. Some jacka$$ was trying to pass a couple of trucks and I had to hit my breaks and take a quick right onto the shoulder of the road to avoid a major collision. It was very odd actually...no increase in heartbeat, no freaky OMG feeling...maybe it just happend too quick, but I'll be the first to admit that would usually scare the carp outta me. :wink:
After 160+ miles or so, I get my first glimpse of granite mountains in the distance. Getting really pumped because I know fishing is not too far away. It was probably 100 degrees out at the time, but these clouds had me wondering what it was going to be like the the rest of the weekend...as it turns out WINDY!
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SierraClouds.jpg
Stopped at Taboose Creek to finally wet a line and it had plenty of fish in it as usual, but I was there in the heat of the day and the fish were pretty spooked from all the fishing presure at the busy campground. I was fortunate enough on my first cast to get a stocker on a live cricket/salmon egg combo, he went absolutely nuts when that tasty morsel hit the water :D Thought I took a picture for proof, but I kinda messed up er something because it ain't here! Next pool had 3 stockers and a little larger model swimming around, in goes my bait and out of nowhere a native bow about 4 inches grabs the bait and eventually scares off the bigger crowd. I was all set to get that pic too, but truth be told he spit the hook while in my hand, landed in the dirt and flopped back in to the stream. :oops: That kinda sucked, but he did swim away.
Finally got to Convict after a quick stop for gas in Bishop and that is when I got my first dose of some serious wind, figured it was just the time of day and it would die down before sunset....wrong. Went to the cabin and most of the guys were out fishing, so I figured I'd do the same. Fished for about an hour in the wind with no love from the trout, so I headed back
to the cabin for dinner. Fresh trout and carne asada with all the fixins compliments of the guys after a long day....sweet! :thumb:
Part of the crew hanging after the days fishing...
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/ConvictCabin.jpg
This little girl came to visit quite often during the weekend, hope she stills know how to forage as I'm sure she gets a ton of handouts. Very cool to see an animal like this so close though
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/ConvictDeer.jpg
Woke up early and packed the gear in one of the trucks and left for Silver Lake, apparently the guys wanted to try and catch lightning in a bottle like our last trip. I was surprised because my friend Martin nailed a 3.5lber at Convict the day I arrived. All good either way as long as I'm fishing! Six of our group of 12+ split up on 3 boats at Silver...the rest stayed at Convict. I had the pleasue of fishing with Garry an old co-worker who I did'nt know was even going. He had gotten blanked the day before and was pretty much a noob, so I was glad to take him under my wing and show him the ropes. I truely get a pleasure out of helping others catch fish and maybe even teach them something that will help them do so in the future. Not that I am a pro, "but I got some skillz" like Castaway would say. The 3 boats all headed towards an area we call "Jose's Cove" only because the guy who helped us at the launch area last time was named Jose and he suggested the area without hesitation and we crushed it! If you are going to Silver soon, I would suggest fishing PINK or red power worms on a mosquito hook with a small splitshot 3 feet from the hook, up in the shallows towards the inlet area or adjacent drop offs were good. If you like to bait and wait, fish the deeper holes and I would go with yellow(peach color) or spring green pb. If I had to choose one of the two I would say the yellow.
Garry's 1st trout
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/Garytrout1.jpg
Guess it kinda wore him out! :lol:
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/GaryBChillin.jpg
Here is a little guy that inhaled my pink power worm and had to be kept for the stringer
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SilverLakeTrout.jpg
Garry has the hang of it now and learned to tie a palomar knot for next trip...he looks pretty miserable huh?
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/Garytrout2.jpg
We fished next to the rest of our group most of the day, I love this place
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SilverLake.jpg
Caught well over a double limit and only kept the ones that swallowed the hook, Garry actually caught the biggest fish of the day and was really stoked with our stringer
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/GarysStringer.jpg
Funnier moment of the weekend happend on our boat as well. Let me preface by saying Garry is Scottish, has a very thick accent and a great sense of humor. So after a few hours of salying and a couple of casualties on our stringer Garry looks over at the side of the boat, rod tip and bait dangled in front of him and dead serious in his bold Scottish voice says "holy sh*t mahn there are two fookin huge fish right under the boat"...without skipping a beat I reply in my best Scottish tounge "I hope they don't fookin eat the ones on our stringer laddy!" His statement was obviously funnier than my response, but it certainly was a classic moment that he got razzed about the rest of the trip.
Are you still reading this? I hope this is not too boring...more fish porn coming!
Back to Convict and over to the fish cleaning station, great place to strike up good conversation. One of the guys in our group left Silver a little early and fished Lundy...think he was happy about that decision?
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/ConvictPete.jpg
Back to the cabin for happy hour, snacks and oh yeah a quick dip in the jacuzzi....love that backdrop
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/Convictjacuzzi.jpg
If you have a large group and want all the bells and whistles, I suggest the Yosemite House cabin at Convict...pretty sweet of you want to check it out
http://www.convictlake.com/cabins/yosemite.htm
Sunday morning came quickly and we all parted ways by 9am, I did not have to be back until Monday and I was ready for more bendo action. I left Convict because it was blowing hard and decided to check out Rock Creek Lake because I had not been there and FemaleFishinFool (thank you!) gave me some really helpful tips about the place. What a beautiful lake....only one problem on this day...WINDY!! Worse than Convict maybe and the stringers I saw along the shore were either empty or had yet to be taken out of the tackle box. Fished Rock Creek below to get away from the wind, but got no action. The wind got worse and I decided I better fish somewhere along the Owens to try and beat the big breeze. Fished the Owens S. of Bishop off Warm Springs Rd for nada, but it sure was a great place to enjoy a cold one and a sandwhich. I did get a dink bass in a little stretch of water I fished along the road, that was a first for me in this area.
It was getting hot and I figured I'd give old reliable South Lake a try and beat the heat. I stopped on the way up at Parchers for another cold drink and some pack info for next year's trip. Nice people there....I think I spoke to a gal named Mary. I stopped at the creek to wet a line more to take pictures and chill, although I did try a few eggs and crickets without getting bit. This area is rght below S. Lake and always stands out on my mind so I try to make a point and stop here on my way up
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/PoolbelowSLake.jpg
Got up to S. Lake and talked to Justin working the concession strore and his report was a little discouraging, but I was not deterred because I know "the spot"...btw it was WINDY here as well :shock:
This is a view from the shore spot that I seem to always do well at
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SLakeview.jpg
Did the bait and wait with all the wind issues, one set up with that peach color pb I mentioned earlier and the other I call the Barbie combo(no relation to fellow board member) :lol: ...pink power worm, pink amino egg and garlic bang with a 3 foot leader. Ten minutes at the spot and the pink combo gets me the skunk booting action I was hoping for
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SLakeskunkoff.jpg
Both rods get the lethal pink combo and bendo #2 makes my view that much sweeter...not a bad solo fishing shot I guess
http://fishingnetwork.net/images/tmp2/SLakeTroutview.jpg
After an hour with out action I packed up and went to a spot I know just below Sabrina. Got a quick strike on a cricket, but the little guy came unbuttoned and it was getting too dark to see at that point. I could have tried to pitch a tent in the dark or drove to Bishop and got a motel room, but I decided to beat the Monday afternoon heat and drive through the desert that evening...besides I was missing my daughter. Spent the drive blasting tunes and drinking energy drinks before getting home around 2am. No whooper trout to my credit, but I certainly came away with what I was hoping for out of this trip...good times with good people at an incredible place doing what I love most. I slept like a baby and think I had a dream about the next time I go to the Sierras.
Thanks for reading, hope you got something out of it. If you need any specifics feel free to PM me if I can help. Good luck and be safe out there team57 :thumb:
TD