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Post 05 Aug 2022, 19:38 • #1 
Master Guide
Joined: 06/07/12
Posts: 865
Location: US-CA
So I managed to pull together another 1/2 day to get into the Sierra for a little creek fishing. After some careful reconnaissance with CalTopo, I realized that one of my favorite creeks did *not* burn last summer. Imagine my surprise to see rain in the weather forecast. In August. In California. Hmmm. As Odonata can attest, the high Sierra peaks often get drenched with summer thunderstorms that roll through in the afternoon, but this was actual rain at night and in the morning. And temps in the 60's. Cool. Literally. I made a date with zero dark thirty, grabbed a rain shell, and headed for the hills.

The creek I fished is a true headwater - no alpine lake with a mini-dam above it - so it's fed entirely from annual snowmelt. To my surprise, it was running... ok. Not high, but not dried-up-dead or stagnant either. I brought my Hardy "The Stream" 3wt glass rod and Featherweight reel, which turned out to match the creek size pretty well. Casting a big bushy attractor fly with this rig takes a bit more focused motivation than with, say, a 4wt, but that's ok. Of course it rained on me the whole time. Not hard, but consistent. I think it helped the fishing like rain sometimes does, but it also left me pretty bedraggled when I was done.

This is rockhopping exploration fishing. There are long stretches of shallow cobbles that don't offer much cover for fish interspersed with granite shelf drop-offs, little water cascades, and some deeper pools. The trick is to find a pool with depth/cover for the fish AND an approach with some cover for the fisher - so you won't spook every inhabitant of the pool when you approach to cast. I found a handful of these and ended up bringing eight fish to hand in a couple of hours. They were a mix of small-but-eager and a bit bigger. My catch of the day grabbed a woolly bugger I pulled through a deep run. I guess I am officially/sort-of a streamer fisherman now, since I seem to have pretty good success with this tactic.

I will say that it was pretty nice to see a lot of soaking wet ground cover that is usually tinder dry this time of year. I will also say that wet downed logs are SLIPPERY. Pics follow.

NOT how these streams usually look this time of year. Pretty though!


You know you're in Gold Country when you find signage for active claims.


Biggest fish of the trip - a dark rainbow that grabbed a woolly bugger.


Another rainbow.


I don't see too many browns in the Sierra - nice red spots!


This pool yielded two fish.


Big incense cedar trees in the forest.


My rig for this trip - Hardy "The Stream" 3wt glass rod and Featherweight reel.


Last edited by motosacto on 06 Aug 2022, 22:48, edited 1 time in total.

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Post 05 Aug 2022, 20:43 • #2 
Guide
Joined: 07/22/20
Posts: 128
Location: US-CA
Great report. Glad to see some rain in the Sierras, it’s been dry down here in SoCal.


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 06:36 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/16/05
Posts: 2537
Location: Georgia
Nice to find a little refuge. Glad the stream got missed by the fires and that you got a little rain. The fish must be happy.


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 08:42 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
Love these posts and those are some interesting looking rainbows, thought they were some kind of rare Cali cutthroat! Also didn’t know there were browns in them there hills!


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 09:50 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 10/18/12
Posts: 1712
Location: Bozeman, MT
Nice!


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 09:58 • #6 
Guide
Joined: 04/26/19
Posts: 179
Location: L'Étoile du Nord
Very Nice!


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 11:05 • #7 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/09/05
Posts: 2524
Location: US-CO
Great post! Lovely stream and trout.


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 11:19 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 01/02/12
Posts: 1859
Location: Gig Harbor, WA
As always, a great post and pictures.


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 11:56 • #9 
Guide
Joined: 09/05/17
Posts: 305
Location: On a Stream
Beautiful!


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 13:59 • #10 
Guide
Joined: 06/15/20
Posts: 260
Location: Toledo, Ohio, USA.
thanks for sharing. I always debate between a 3wt and a 4 wt as well. 3 wt for the fish. 4 wt for the big bushy flies. In the end, neither is a bad choice.


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 14:56 • #11 
Master Guide
Joined: 02/23/10
Posts: 784
Location: SF Bay Area
I really enjoy your Sierra post. I spent a good chunk of my misspent youth stomping around mid elevation (and up) streams. The handsome scenery and mountain aromas are unforgettable. I need to get back..


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 19:49 • #12 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/12/16
Posts: 4093
Location: USA-CO
Beautiful country, water, and trout! The coloration and markings on those fish are worth a few (more) looks.


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Post 06 Aug 2022, 21:10 • #13 
Guide
Joined: 09/03/20
Posts: 191
Location: Hiroshima, Japan
Thank you for sharing. Enjoyed the report as usual. I also use 3 wt rods at the expense of throwability. BTW there is too much water in Hiroshima these days. I wish I could bring this surplus water to your waters.


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Post 09 Aug 2022, 09:12 • #14 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
Good stuff ! The Sierra got quite the influx of monsoon moisture last week. From what I could tell last weekend the showers cleared out the smoke from the Yosemite fires and recharged the creeks. Nice to see rain-moistened ground again.


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Post 09 Aug 2022, 13:09 • #15 
New Member
Joined: 03/24/13
Posts: 16
Location: US-GA
Great report, beautiful location. The Featherweight really looks nice on that rod!


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Post 11 Aug 2022, 23:34 • #16 
Sport
Joined: 02/22/12
Posts: 54
Location: Motherlode
Very nice! We just got a smattering of precip here in So. Nevada County, but a day trip up to the 5000+ elevation level a week ago rewarded my 13 year old and myself a very nice array of trout over a few hours. It was nice to see fish back in a section of creek that had gone totally subterranean last year, but I predict it will be dry again this year.


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Post 12 Aug 2022, 11:37 • #17 
New Member
Joined: 07/06/14
Posts: 10
Location: US-Greater Northeast
Nice write up to see as well as the photography. It’s interesting how rain to us for a trip can be a god send, but for others ( beach) it’s the end of the world. I always enjoyed some moisture during fishing trips.


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Post 15 Aug 2022, 10:45 • #18 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Cool!


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Post 17 Aug 2022, 22:11 • #19 
Sport
Joined: 09/21/13
Posts: 71
Location: US-VT
Man, oh MAN that looks nice! Those fish are beauties, eh?

(Sorry, we stopped at Niagara Falls this summer and seeing Canada across the way inspired me to initiate my kids into Bob & Doug McKenzie over the car radio...amazing what you can do with a little youtube and bluetooth).


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