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Post 18 Nov 2017, 11:11 • #1 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
I live a near a state park with a huge amount of backcountry. You can go on weeklong backpacking trips there and not see a soul at some times of the year. The park is mostly former ranchland, with lots of artificial ponds and lakes, some with warmwater fish in them -- bass, bluegill, green sunfish and black crappie. For someone like me who enjoys long hikes and secluded fishing it is pretty much ideal during the cooler months; it's relatively low elevation, so midsummer often brings temps in the 100's F. The fish are not generally huge, but for me fishing is mostly about enjoying the outdoors and getting away from civilization.

The largest lake in the park is about 12 miles / 2600' elevation gain one way from the main entrance and that is the shortest route for most of the year (an eastern trailhead is open during the dry season). Most of the larger lakes are ringed with reeds, brush and trees, making them difficult to fish from shore. This is where having a float tube or raft is useful. I've been to this lake with a packraft a couple times, but this was my first time in the fall. I usually make a three day trip out of it.

I set out shortly before 8am. Start from ~2600', descend to ~1200' via fire road. The morning fog in the valleys revealed steep canyons.

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Crossed the creek, low but still flowing. I saw a few tiny pikeminnows or pollywogs.

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Up and over a pass, then down into another canyon and back up. This crossing was dry as a bone, but can require water shoes in winter and spring.

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Up 1000' via good trail to a fire road to ~2400', then on to the lake, up and down as these ridge roads often do. I was making good time, got to a spot overlooking the dam around noonish.

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The lake is kind of a long thin shape, with lots of small creek arms making for quiet coves to explore. I headed towards the north end of the lake, about another mile. I set up camp, filtered some water (there is lots of organic debris, so a prefilter is essential) and put my gear together.

Alpacka Scout (new model), Supai Olo paddle, and Fenglass 6wt
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I got out on the water in mid-afternoon. Clouds were building and soon the 20% chance of precip started, occasional drizzle which lasted until dusk or so.

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In the meantime paddled about halfway down the lake and caught bass on streamers along the way.

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It was too chilly for much surface activity and I surmised the fish were holding deep. Eventually I switched to a 5 ips sink tip to get down to where the fish were.

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Towards dusk I was treated to a double rainbow.

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Next morning dawned sunny and bright, mist rising off the lake.

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The cloud formations are a major reason I enjoy this time of year.

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Exploring one of the many coves

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Oh, I fished occasionally too :)

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Obligatory gear shot -- CGR 2 reel and Tequeely streamer (saw these on a post here)

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All too soon the day came to and end. Next morning I got a not-so-early start and hoofed it back to the trailhead. Parting shot from the ridge road.

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Post 18 Nov 2017, 12:15 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 12/29/10
Posts: 1048
Location: Osage Orange Range, North Texas, US
You may be the hardest working, most rewarded bass fisherman in America.


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Post 18 Nov 2017, 12:41 • #3 
Guide
Joined: 06/25/16
Posts: 156
Location: Southeast PA
Nice! Great report.


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Post 18 Nov 2017, 12:47 • #4 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/24/14
Posts: 1896
Location: US-NC
swellcat wrote:
You may be the hardest working, most rewarded bass fisherman in America.

+1 Great report ans some really nice fish!


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Post 18 Nov 2017, 13:15 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/12/16
Posts: 4093
Location: USA-CO
Great trip! Thanks for taking us along.


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Post 18 Nov 2017, 13:19 • #6 
Sport
Joined: 09/27/17
Posts: 30
Location: Moscow, Russia
Super report !


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Post 18 Nov 2017, 13:45 • #7 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/06/15
Posts: 1249
Location: Central Oregon
Wow! I love everything about that trip! It sent me to Google Earth to hunt for the area (starting with what does SJC stand for).
Glad to see the Tequeely Streamer works on big mouths in lakes----I wrote about them in my Bass-o-matic tale. Let me know if you want to swap a guided remote smallmouth trip in August for a largemouth trip in November.

Thanks for the great write-up.


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Post 18 Nov 2017, 13:50 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Very cool! Considering a packraft trip myself.


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Post 18 Nov 2017, 14:01 • #9 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/06/15
Posts: 1249
Location: Central Oregon
A bit of thread drift.....That packraft looks nice, is it really as light as advertised?

I have the Dave Scadden Air Craft float tube:

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Scadden is an interesting guy. He makes great stuff but might exaggerate a bit. In this case, he claims the tube is 3.5 lbs, but it is actually 6.5 (without the seat). I asked him if I got a heavy batch of fabric or something and he just evaded it. At 6.5 lbs, I still love the tube, and it weighs the same going out as heading in.


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Post 18 Nov 2017, 15:40 • #10 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/22/11
Posts: 1720
Location: US-TX
Great report


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Post 18 Nov 2017, 15:53 • #11 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
Newfydog wrote:
Wow! I love everything about that trip! It sent me to Google Earth to hunt for the area (starting with what does SJC stand for).
Glad to see the Tequeely Streamer works on big mouths in lakes----I wrote about them in my Bass-o-matic tale. Let me know if you want to swap a guided remote smallmouth trip in August for a largemouth trip in November.

Thanks for the great write-up.


Re: raft weight -- Alpacka has been in the packraft business for a long time, and their specs seemed accurate to me. You do have to factor in other gear; for example the inflation bag and optional seat, plus a paddle and PFD. There is a review over on backpackinglight.

The Scout is fairly short, about the same dimensions as my Klymit LWD. If I want to stretch out my legs they go up top. To get my feet inside the raft I need to bend my legs. But it is fairly tough and light for what it is. I also have a Kokopelli Hornet Lite, which has much more legroom, but is a bit less than 5 pounds with seat, takes up a lot more space when packed, and made of lighter tube fabric (70 vs 210 denier in the Klymit) -- I managed to put a slow leak in it with a streamer hook about a month ago. It was an easy patch job, but still made me wary. I've never had a puncture with the Klymit (knock on wood).


Last edited by Odonata on 07 Dec 2017, 22:28, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 18 Nov 2017, 17:03 • #12 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 10/30/09
Posts: 2527
Location: Winston-Salem, NC
Wow, that's incredible! didn't expect to see bass.


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Post 18 Nov 2017, 19:49 • #13 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/06/15
Posts: 1249
Location: Central Oregon
Odonata wrote:
it is Henry W. Coe State Park. I feel safe in saying this because most people do not want to hike that far for relatively small fish. The trails are pretty steep in places and during the cooler, wetter months there are ticks. Poison oak ? Yep. Mountain lions ? Oh yeah. .


I figured that must be the place. Mountain lions are a nice bonus, but man, I hate ticks. Must be some rattlers out there too.

My sister is in the area, so maybe some time I'll head there for Thanksgiving or a spring escape and explore a bit. Thanks for sharing such a remarkable spot.


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Post 19 Nov 2017, 06:25 • #14 
Master Guide
Joined: 08/29/09
Posts: 512
Location: 2 hrs from all good things Northern Californian
Nice venture; wish I had the legs and lungs to still make those kinds of hikes. I'm surprised all the lakes back up there weren't completely ruined by the drought, the springs feeding them must be hardier that I thought. Many of the ponds and small lakes above the San Joaquin Valley dried beyond the survivability of resident fish.


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Post 19 Nov 2017, 10:04 • #15 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
kitefly wrote:
Nice venture; wish I had the legs and lungs to still make those kinds of hikes. I'm surprised all the lakes back up there weren't completely ruined by the drought, the springs feeding them must be hardier that I thought. Many of the ponds and small lakes above the San Joaquin Valley dried beyond the survivability of resident fish.
Thanks. The park does not stock any of the ponds or lakes, and I think some of the smaller, shallower ponds did dry up. At least one that did have fish probably does not anymore. All the populations are self-sustaining. Another casualty is Paradise Lake's hundred year old earthen dam, which failed spectacularly in the torrential rains this past winter. That one is an even longer hike unless the Dowdy Ranch entrance is open, and would have been another good packraft destination. It is in a designated wilderness area, so I presume the park will just allow it to drain naturally. It did have some bigger bass.


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Post 19 Nov 2017, 11:14 • #16 
Guide
Joined: 04/20/12
Posts: 230
Location: US-CA
Wonderful post! I'm envious of that kind of wilderness so close to home. We're on the north end of that East Bay chain of parks and open space, and there are some overnight spots but nothing like Coe, as far as I know. So cool that you can pull fish like that out of those lakes.

You definitely earned your solitude. The East Bay hills do not give it up easily, that's for sure. Mountain biking these trails (where allowed) involves constant shifting all the way from lowest granny gear to highest in constant rapid succession. Hiking is similar, and brutal in the heat.
Odonata wrote:
Some of us like to joke that the Sierra is just training for Coe
That's a good one!

Thanks for sharing this great trip.


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Post 19 Nov 2017, 11:34 • #17 
Sport
Joined: 02/25/10
Posts: 92
Location: AL
Another adventure bucket list post!! Good stuff!!


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Post 19 Nov 2017, 11:46 • #18 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/16/05
Posts: 2537
Location: Georgia
Nice. I'm one who enjoys having at least a general answer as to where trips happen and had decided CA was likely, but that is still *very* general so appreciate the detail. I suspect you're absolutely right; pretty much everyone likely to put that effort in already knows about it.


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Post 19 Nov 2017, 21:32 • #19 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
sticknhook wrote:
You definitely earned your solitude. The East Bay hills do not give it up easily, that's for sure. Mountain biking these trails (where allowed) involves constant shifting all the way from lowest granny gear to highest in constant rapid succession. Hiking is similar, and brutal in the heat.


Thanks. I do enjoy hiking in the east bay during the cooler months: Ohlone Wilderness, Sunol, Diablo. Coe is in the Diablo Range as well, and summertime there can be equally harsh. I think the same can be said of mountain-biking at Coe. One nice thing about the park is that mountain-biking on singletrack trails is allowed, except for a few near the park headquarters and the Orestimba Wilderness. A difference between the state parks and the east bay regional parks, I guess. If you find yourself down here, check out the Jim Donnelly Trail from Hunting Hollow -- it's got a fairly relaxed grade and gets a fair amount of attention from mtb volunteer trail builders. Spring can be glorious; mild temps and wildflowers shooting off everywhere.

Speaking of fishing in the east bay, I keep thinking I'll take my kayak to Shadow Cliffs, Los Vaqueros or Del Valle to try my luck with planter trout. Working on my fish finder setup, this might be the year ...


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Post 27 Nov 2017, 16:55 • #20 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
excellent report, thank you.. really enjoyed it.
had no idea there was that kind of lower-altitude wilderness near SJC..

here's the cheap bastard option for a packraft.. $20, 7lbs for raft, oars and pump..

https://www.amazon.com/Intex-Explorer-2 ... th=1&psc=1

a backpacking legend Pmags used this for CO river crossings on one of his extended Utah backpacks, it worked..
Durability is a question but it's cheap enough I might just try it.


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Post 27 Nov 2017, 21:04 • #21 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
I also have a Klymit LWD, which is currently going for $115 on amazon (2.5 pounds, no pump required). You can get a lightweight 4-piece kayak-style paddle from Advanced Elements for $45, too (1.5 pounds). Don't forget the PFD. All told with the kind of terrain I like to hike I prefer to keep weight to a minimum, but to each their own !


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Post 27 Nov 2017, 22:11 • #22 
Guide
Joined: 03/24/14
Posts: 217
Location: US-CA
Very cool. I drive by Coe when I fish the Forebay, it is beautiful landscape indeed (but too tough for my old legs).


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Post 28 Nov 2017, 15:24 • #23 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
Odonata wrote:
I also have a Klymit LWD, which is currently going for $115 on amazon (2.5 pounds, no pump required). You can get a lightweight 4-piece kayak-style paddle from Advanced Elements for $45, too (1.5 pounds). Don't forget the PFD. All told with the kind of terrain I like to hike I prefer to keep weight to a minimum, but to each their own !


thanks, that's not too bad. As they say in the bike world, cheap, light and durable - pick any two ;-)


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Post 07 Dec 2017, 08:39 • #24 
Master Guide
Joined: 03/09/15
Posts: 684
Location: Arkansas
Thanks for sharing. Nice little adventure for sure.


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Post 07 Dec 2017, 14:39 • #25 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/06/17
Posts: 2498
Location: South of Joplin
Nice report. I did not expect bass there either.


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