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Weekend in the Sierra
Post 12 Aug 2022, 12:35 • #1 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 05/22/16
Posts: 1760
Location: SJC
It's been a while since I did just a weekend trip. Things at work have been a bit crazy, and I had a meeting on Monday with another product team, so on Saturday I did my usual long wee-hours drive across the valley. On up to the ranger station to pick up my wilderness permit, then a few more hours to the trailhead. I managed to get on the trail a bit after ten.

The previous week had seen some pretty good thunderstorms fueled by monsoon moisture, and the ground was still moist, a good sign. I headed up the trail through the forest, then off a spur trail through an area that burned in 2020.

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After a bit I came to a creek crossing, with a pool around the bend. I wondered if there were still fish in the creek after the fire. I saw little fry, and then a larger model lurking in the shadows. I tossed out a small purple haze on my tenkara rod. Hello there :)

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I continued up the trail a ways to the lower lake.

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There was a bit of a breeze. I hadn't been here in a while, so I forgot that this was the shallow shore of the lake, and spent a bit of time fishing fruitlessly. Oh well. After an hour I continued on to the upper lake; fishless, as far as I could tell, but pretty, and then up cross-country to the ridge.

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Nice to see the Sierra crest off in the distance. There were a few puffy cumulus formations, but I wasn't expecting any rain. I was really beat, and felt a bit like a nap. By the time I made it to my destination, I was definitely ready. After pitching my tarp and tossing a few token casts out on the lake, I snapped a few pics of the evening alpenglow, and laid down for a rest.

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I awoke after dark, ate dinner hastily and went back to sleep. In the morning I decided to make up for lost time, and walked around the lake with my Orvis Superfine Glass 4wt and a BFS rig. Some of these lakes can be a little moody in the summer, what they call the "midsummer slump". I headed for the marshy area opposite where I'd camped and made a few casts with a 3g Daiwa minnow in Akakin.

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Aliexpress special: Pure Lure "Creek Dance" 6' 4-section BFS rod / Tsurinoya Dark Wolf Ultra with aftermarket bearings and magnet upgrade
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The BFS rig caught a few more fish before the sun cleared the ridge and made the fish skittish. It is a low-water year in the Sierra, after all. After a late breakfast I got started again around the crack of 10 :) and headed back the way I came, down to the lower lake.

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Ah, now I remember. This side of the lake has the nice dropoffs, where the fish like to hold. I caught a brookie on a hopper with my SFG.

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I decided to try the BFS rig again, but this time spoons seemed to be the ticket. Silver/blue kastmaster and a gold tsurinoya seemed to work.

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I packed up around 1-ish, and headed down the trail a ways, crossed the creek again, and then decided to descend it cross-country. I'd done this trip before, so I figured it would work out. There were a few spots that had obviously burned, and I worried about the fish. There were some nice pools though, and last week's rain had probably helped.

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One particular pool I remembered from last time, and there was a nice fish in it. I think last time it was a rainbow ?? I got out my tenkara rod and tied on a CDC and elk.

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OK, not a rainbow :)

I continued on, following the creek where I could, making occasional detours around brushy or cliffy areas, through a few more burned spots. Good to see there were still fish in places. Down lower things were much as I remember them, and I got back on the trail. I was back at the car by 6pm, a bit later than I'd hoped, but late enough to miss much of the Sunday-coming-back-from-the-mountains traffic.


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Post 12 Aug 2022, 14:30 • #2 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 02/12/16
Posts: 4094
Location: USA-CO
Another beautiful report, Odonata. Especially good to see the waters coming back from the fire. That first brook trout is a chunky gem.


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Post 12 Aug 2022, 16:02 • #3 
Master Guide
Joined: 06/07/12
Posts: 865
Location: US-CA
Super cool. Thanks for sharing! I have some super dupers and a Fenwick glass pack spinning rod from the 1970’s that my dad gave me. I’ll have to get them out there and see if I can make them work. My old Mitchell 301 is a bit of a tank when it domes to weight tho…


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Post 12 Aug 2022, 17:06 • #4 
Master Guide
Joined: 11/04/15
Posts: 631
Location: US-FL
Another fine trip report with excellent pics to illustrate!

Finding a report like this always makes my day!


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Post 12 Aug 2022, 18:20 • #5 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/16/05
Posts: 2537
Location: Georgia
Nice to know the fish got past the fires, and glad you got the chance to find that out.


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Post 12 Aug 2022, 19:38 • #6 
Guide
Joined: 02/23/11
Posts: 237
Location: Tulsa, OK
Awesome post as always and I’m jealous as usual!


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Post 13 Aug 2022, 06:00 • #7 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 11/09/10
Posts: 1355
Location: US-CA
Always a great report.


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Post 13 Aug 2022, 09:30 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 06/23/05
Posts: 4966
Location: US-MT
Beautiful


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Post 13 Aug 2022, 19:21 • #9 
Master Guide
Joined: 07/21/21
Posts: 447
Location: Florida
I really appreciate you taking the time and writing these reports. I lived up in Northern California for a few years 2006-2009 but not sure I’ll be back any time soon. Reminds me of Trinity County trips I used to do …


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Post 15 Aug 2022, 10:42 • #10 
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Joined: 02/26/14
Posts: 3578
Location: US-MN
Nice!


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