ryanerb
09-17-2007, 09:21 PM
Double Haul In the Fall
As Sunday comes to a close, Tom, Dave, and myself are headed home back to the Central Coast after a relaxing weekend in Mammoth. The annual fishing tournament dubbed "Double Haul in the Fall" after the fly fishing casting method along with the time of the year is what enticed us to make the grueling 6-7 hour jaunt through endless miles of desert and highways.
Thursday we left Tom's house around 2:40 and arrived in Mammoth around 10pm. The weather at the Twin Lake campground could only be described as cold. The dry mountain air with a gusty wind that pierced through layers of clothing sent a itch of chill throughout the body. After setting up camp, I retreated to the warm condo while leaving my dad and Tom with the bears and freezing temperatures.
Friday morning we got a slow start, but finally managed to unload our gear at McGee Bay on Crowley. The quarter mile distance between the truck and water made for a workout to get the small boat on the water. I'm sure we all looked like a few sled horses dragging the boat down. After launching by around 11am, the fishing proved to be pretty slow. The water was extremely low. Tom and Billy had a few hits stripping, but overall we weren't doing good. We got blown off the water by about 1:30pm. We knew that this wasn't where we wanted to fish for the tourney the next day. After registering and heading back to the camp, we retired early to bed for the big day.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2568.jpg
McGee Bay at Crowley on Friday, September 14, 2007
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2569.jpg
Dave on the float tube...
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2570.jpg
Crowley may be ugly, but with that view from the boat, I have to say its beautiful!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2571.jpg
Checkin' in for the tourney at the Crowley Lake Store
My alarm at 4:55 a.m. was able to con me out of bed by 4:57. After getting ready, Tom and my dad finally showed up by 5:55. As we approached Green Banks, the thermometer in Tom's truck read 21 degrees. This was going to be a fun morning on the lake!
Before the sun came up at Green Banks tourney morning!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2579.jpg
There's our natural heater!!! 21 degrees and rising...
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2581.jpg
Tom in the early morning mist...
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2583.jpg
Dave ready to catch some lunkers!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2588.jpg
Early morning double hook up! Tom is the angler in the back.
Mist rose off the water making for a early morning spectacle. By 7 a.m. we were on the water, hoping to get lucky with lots of big fish. A majority of the tubers seemed to be stripping, including Tom, Dave, and Billy. Because I was stuck in the boat, I decided to anchor and stillwater midge. I had a ghillie on the top with a black beadhead tiger midge on the bottom, roughly twelve inches apart. I started in roughly 9 feet of water. Because of the low temperatures, my hands were struggling. The cold restricted their movement and I began to rub them together in attempt to warm them up. I figured I am due for some cut-off finger tip gloves. Note to self! Around 8:15 a.m. my yarn indicator was tired of being dry and decided to take a dip into the algae filled water. I lifted the tip of my rod to find a nice fish on the end. Unfortunately my drag was set pretty tight, but luckily the fish wasn't fighting too hard. However, when I saw color, I was amazed! This fish was big! Because I wasn't in the tournament, I was left with a small net. When bringing the fish close to the boat, I was barely able to fit it in the net. Wow, what a nice Cutthroat trout! Tom was near, and vouched it was a beauty, and plenty big. We are guessing 23" but don't all fisherman exaggerate? I was in a flurry to release the fish, and while trying to pose for a picture, he slipped out of my hand. Oh well, now at least there isn't proof he wasn't 23". What a great way to start the morning! I figured that this big of a fish only took my midge because I wasn't in the tourney. Had I been in the tourney, he would have scored me some MAJOR points. Oh well, after all I think I would rather spend my $85 on gear. Then again, some of the prizes were worth several hundred and would have payed my $85 entry fee very easily. Over the course of the morning I heard "Man, if he was in the tourney, he would win it," and "I can't believe he's not in the tourney!" However, my boat didn't qualify, and we only had one float tube, so that was another hinderance.
The cutt started the bite off. Before I knew it, I was catchin' fish throughout the whole morning. Me standing up on my little boat in a sea of cheerio like float tubers made me stand out like a sore thumb. Me laughing out of pure joy and excitement while watching a football like rainbow launch like a rocket out of the water didn't help matters. I couldn't believe the size of fish on the end of my line. Because of my rookie status, he didn't last long, as he broke off on his third jump. Note to self: leave your drag really lose if you want to keep fish on the line. From this point on, my drag was set correctly and allowed me to land a smaller cutthroat and a few other toad rainbows.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2591.jpg
Just a beautiful Crowley lake rainbow. What a solid fish. This is why I drive 7 hours!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2597.jpg
Bent rod. This was just a little guy. Notice the redneck yacht I drive around. Quite nice eh?
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2599.jpg
There's the result of the above fight. I'm happy! Notice Billy in the background in the red.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2604.jpg
Tom hooked up! I think this was a nice 17" good fighter. It must not have been too big if he's only using one hand!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2606.jpg
Tom with that nice 'bow! Yes, I'm a bad photographer, but I was standing up, trying to balance on my boat, hold my rod, and take a picture all at the same time. Again, I'm sorry the picture is blurry!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2608.jpg
Dave finally hooked up after a tough day of fishing. This was probably with a half hour left in the tourney! Good thing it was a qualifying fish too!
The bite for me seemed to slow down around twelve, and my luck ran dry till the tourney ended at 2 p.m. Tom, Billy, and my dad all ended up with one qualifying fish. The empty stomachs and tired legs of all the tubers left the lake deserted like a ghost town come two o'clock. Everyone wanted to rest, and head up to the awards ceremony at Canyon Lodge.
Ton's of great gear was given away at the ceremony. The winner had 102 points, and claimed a blood midge in 6.5 ft of water around Green Banks is what he found the secret to be. However, pre-fishing for three days probably didn't hurt. Overall, it seemed everyone had a great time. Nearly 200 anglers caught 89 qualifying fish with the largest being a 24" 'bow.
Sunday was low key, as the trailer was packed, and loaded up. We swung by the Upper Owens for a hour or two of fishing before leaving. It was a great day. I immediately got two grabs on a hopper fished near the banks. After walking around a bit more, I found some deeper runs just full of fish. I could see at least 10 fish holding on this one hole. Tom claimed they saw a 5 lb plus fish in another hole. I finally landed a small 'bow while floating my hopper over a deeper run, rather than near the banks. He came up for a look at the hopper, but decided to take the Copper John trailer. In another run, while bringing the hopper back, I hooked into another nice fish, only to find my broken line flying back at me. The knot broke at the hopper. How frustrating! I think next time some nymphing and stripping should be tried to get to some of the deeper fish. While a hopper along the bank is productive, a lot of the fish were holding deeper.
This was a great trip that hopefully will repeat annually. After many bad days on Crowley, I finally was able to taste some of its sweet rewards. Being able to fish two of some of the best trout waters in California on my last weekend of the summer is a rare and privileged opportunity. I would like to thank my Uncle Tom and dad, along with my grandparents for this great trip. It was great to meet Billy and his son Dillan. I'm sorry Al couldn't make it, or John. I would like to thank John for serving our country over in the Middle East. I know he would have loved to be there! Also, thanks to Jeff for inspiring me to write these little stories! Waiting for the next Double Haul in the Fall will be about as long as it took my dad to wind all the fly line and backing onto his spool after he dropped it to the bottom of Crowley. Until next time, keep the the rods bent elsewhere!
Ryan
As Sunday comes to a close, Tom, Dave, and myself are headed home back to the Central Coast after a relaxing weekend in Mammoth. The annual fishing tournament dubbed "Double Haul in the Fall" after the fly fishing casting method along with the time of the year is what enticed us to make the grueling 6-7 hour jaunt through endless miles of desert and highways.
Thursday we left Tom's house around 2:40 and arrived in Mammoth around 10pm. The weather at the Twin Lake campground could only be described as cold. The dry mountain air with a gusty wind that pierced through layers of clothing sent a itch of chill throughout the body. After setting up camp, I retreated to the warm condo while leaving my dad and Tom with the bears and freezing temperatures.
Friday morning we got a slow start, but finally managed to unload our gear at McGee Bay on Crowley. The quarter mile distance between the truck and water made for a workout to get the small boat on the water. I'm sure we all looked like a few sled horses dragging the boat down. After launching by around 11am, the fishing proved to be pretty slow. The water was extremely low. Tom and Billy had a few hits stripping, but overall we weren't doing good. We got blown off the water by about 1:30pm. We knew that this wasn't where we wanted to fish for the tourney the next day. After registering and heading back to the camp, we retired early to bed for the big day.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2568.jpg
McGee Bay at Crowley on Friday, September 14, 2007
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2569.jpg
Dave on the float tube...
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2570.jpg
Crowley may be ugly, but with that view from the boat, I have to say its beautiful!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2571.jpg
Checkin' in for the tourney at the Crowley Lake Store
My alarm at 4:55 a.m. was able to con me out of bed by 4:57. After getting ready, Tom and my dad finally showed up by 5:55. As we approached Green Banks, the thermometer in Tom's truck read 21 degrees. This was going to be a fun morning on the lake!
Before the sun came up at Green Banks tourney morning!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2579.jpg
There's our natural heater!!! 21 degrees and rising...
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2581.jpg
Tom in the early morning mist...
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2583.jpg
Dave ready to catch some lunkers!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2588.jpg
Early morning double hook up! Tom is the angler in the back.
Mist rose off the water making for a early morning spectacle. By 7 a.m. we were on the water, hoping to get lucky with lots of big fish. A majority of the tubers seemed to be stripping, including Tom, Dave, and Billy. Because I was stuck in the boat, I decided to anchor and stillwater midge. I had a ghillie on the top with a black beadhead tiger midge on the bottom, roughly twelve inches apart. I started in roughly 9 feet of water. Because of the low temperatures, my hands were struggling. The cold restricted their movement and I began to rub them together in attempt to warm them up. I figured I am due for some cut-off finger tip gloves. Note to self! Around 8:15 a.m. my yarn indicator was tired of being dry and decided to take a dip into the algae filled water. I lifted the tip of my rod to find a nice fish on the end. Unfortunately my drag was set pretty tight, but luckily the fish wasn't fighting too hard. However, when I saw color, I was amazed! This fish was big! Because I wasn't in the tournament, I was left with a small net. When bringing the fish close to the boat, I was barely able to fit it in the net. Wow, what a nice Cutthroat trout! Tom was near, and vouched it was a beauty, and plenty big. We are guessing 23" but don't all fisherman exaggerate? I was in a flurry to release the fish, and while trying to pose for a picture, he slipped out of my hand. Oh well, now at least there isn't proof he wasn't 23". What a great way to start the morning! I figured that this big of a fish only took my midge because I wasn't in the tourney. Had I been in the tourney, he would have scored me some MAJOR points. Oh well, after all I think I would rather spend my $85 on gear. Then again, some of the prizes were worth several hundred and would have payed my $85 entry fee very easily. Over the course of the morning I heard "Man, if he was in the tourney, he would win it," and "I can't believe he's not in the tourney!" However, my boat didn't qualify, and we only had one float tube, so that was another hinderance.
The cutt started the bite off. Before I knew it, I was catchin' fish throughout the whole morning. Me standing up on my little boat in a sea of cheerio like float tubers made me stand out like a sore thumb. Me laughing out of pure joy and excitement while watching a football like rainbow launch like a rocket out of the water didn't help matters. I couldn't believe the size of fish on the end of my line. Because of my rookie status, he didn't last long, as he broke off on his third jump. Note to self: leave your drag really lose if you want to keep fish on the line. From this point on, my drag was set correctly and allowed me to land a smaller cutthroat and a few other toad rainbows.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2591.jpg
Just a beautiful Crowley lake rainbow. What a solid fish. This is why I drive 7 hours!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2597.jpg
Bent rod. This was just a little guy. Notice the redneck yacht I drive around. Quite nice eh?
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2599.jpg
There's the result of the above fight. I'm happy! Notice Billy in the background in the red.
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2604.jpg
Tom hooked up! I think this was a nice 17" good fighter. It must not have been too big if he's only using one hand!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2606.jpg
Tom with that nice 'bow! Yes, I'm a bad photographer, but I was standing up, trying to balance on my boat, hold my rod, and take a picture all at the same time. Again, I'm sorry the picture is blurry!
http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c48/ryanerb/small.IMG_2608.jpg
Dave finally hooked up after a tough day of fishing. This was probably with a half hour left in the tourney! Good thing it was a qualifying fish too!
The bite for me seemed to slow down around twelve, and my luck ran dry till the tourney ended at 2 p.m. Tom, Billy, and my dad all ended up with one qualifying fish. The empty stomachs and tired legs of all the tubers left the lake deserted like a ghost town come two o'clock. Everyone wanted to rest, and head up to the awards ceremony at Canyon Lodge.
Ton's of great gear was given away at the ceremony. The winner had 102 points, and claimed a blood midge in 6.5 ft of water around Green Banks is what he found the secret to be. However, pre-fishing for three days probably didn't hurt. Overall, it seemed everyone had a great time. Nearly 200 anglers caught 89 qualifying fish with the largest being a 24" 'bow.
Sunday was low key, as the trailer was packed, and loaded up. We swung by the Upper Owens for a hour or two of fishing before leaving. It was a great day. I immediately got two grabs on a hopper fished near the banks. After walking around a bit more, I found some deeper runs just full of fish. I could see at least 10 fish holding on this one hole. Tom claimed they saw a 5 lb plus fish in another hole. I finally landed a small 'bow while floating my hopper over a deeper run, rather than near the banks. He came up for a look at the hopper, but decided to take the Copper John trailer. In another run, while bringing the hopper back, I hooked into another nice fish, only to find my broken line flying back at me. The knot broke at the hopper. How frustrating! I think next time some nymphing and stripping should be tried to get to some of the deeper fish. While a hopper along the bank is productive, a lot of the fish were holding deeper.
This was a great trip that hopefully will repeat annually. After many bad days on Crowley, I finally was able to taste some of its sweet rewards. Being able to fish two of some of the best trout waters in California on my last weekend of the summer is a rare and privileged opportunity. I would like to thank my Uncle Tom and dad, along with my grandparents for this great trip. It was great to meet Billy and his son Dillan. I'm sorry Al couldn't make it, or John. I would like to thank John for serving our country over in the Middle East. I know he would have loved to be there! Also, thanks to Jeff for inspiring me to write these little stories! Waiting for the next Double Haul in the Fall will be about as long as it took my dad to wind all the fly line and backing onto his spool after he dropped it to the bottom of Crowley. Until next time, keep the the rods bent elsewhere!
Ryan