October 2004 Short Reports
by
We've passed the autumnal equinox and the chill of fall is becoming evident in the evening breeze. This can only mean great fishing as the trout become more earnest in their feeding, and the salmon and steelhead become more diligent in their annual migrations. If you've been out and about, why not share your experience with the rest of us by submitting a report – just email a couple of paragraphs to the and let us know all about the action.
Lake Alpine, Stanislaus National Forest
Lake Alpine, September
23: I caught this 4-1/4 lb. rainbow at Lake Alpine last Thursday
on a black bunny leach with a green body. Jerry landed a 3-1/4 lb. rainbow,
and we caught many other, smaller, trout. The leach pattern has been dynamite
all season long. The boat ramp is almost out of the water at Alpine. Float
tubers can access well into the fall but boat launching is almost over.
DFG stocks this lake with lots of trout in the fall and many are up to 6
lbs. In size. At 7,300 feet, the air is real cold in the morning and if
there's a wind, it can be tough on us low landers. The fishing has been
exceptional and will be well worth the suffering.
– Tom Lamb
Browns on Silver Lake
Silver Lake, September 3-4: I was desperate for a "mountain fix" and the wife was off to aid a sick daughter, so I just had to escape to the hills.
I threw the canoe on the car, and headed up highway 88 to Silver Lake. I got the one and only campsite left. As I went out to fish the "FULL" sign was up. It was Saturday. Lots of folks lined the bank to dunk bait and swim. A couple of float tubers were milling around. They said, "Well the bite is off, but the wind is less."
Around 5pm I could see some rises where the lagoon met the lake. I slipped my canoe in, and moved over to the risers. I put on the now "famous" Adams emerger. [A picture of this fly is available on the fly tying page. - Ed.] One cast and I drifted out into the lake. The wind was still pretty strong. As I drifted out I noticed a rock pile under water near the break. Now that looked promising! I paddled hard to get back where I could drift over it.
The second cast, and I was instantly into a 14" brown. The tubers said there was no bite?. Over the next 2 hours I caught 6 browns, and while out in the lake caught about an 18" hybrid. Landing him took a 100 yard drift out into the lake, but it was worth it!
Silver lake is in a pretty little basin right on Highway 88. It usually has a few people around. Sunday am there were even 2 brave water skiers. The water was cold, but I was able to swim. I only caught 2 on Sunday morning paddling around the lake. They were on a still water nymph pattern... black version of the classic green one.
Should you go? Sure. There is a great walk around the lake. It is truly beautiful and has an island off to one side where you can hang out. The afternoon wind can be a bit troublesome, but I have been there when it is dead calm. Our family used to go there every August to watch the shooting stars. There is a nice restaurant at just past the Kirkwood meadows turnoff if you want a sit-down meal. There is also a place offering horseback rides on the ridges. We always liked Places resort on the West side. The fishing is better on the East end though.
I enjoyed my sortie to the hills, albeit short, on a busy weekend. You might as well.
– Bob Schwehr
Half Pounders
Trinity River Fly-Only Water, September 11: I finally got a chance to fish with Mike McGuire. He's a great teacher and on the Fish Creek fishouts, I always came back more knowledgeable than when I left. This time the lesson was soft-hackles. They are very effective when the angler is faced with a large amount of water to cover because they are fished "on the swing" which allows the fly to sweep over a lot of territory.
We fished the fly-only section of water just below the Lewiston Dam and fish hatchery. The hatchery releases steelhead fry into the river, and they mill around all summer, growing fat on the bugs in the upper Trinity. The river was full of them, all uniformly 10 to 12 inches. Most of the ones I managed to fool went for Mike's herl brush soft-hackle fly. I had exactly two flies from our Spring fly swap, and because they worked so well, I have since cranked out a bunch more from my fly-tying vise.
During the evening, I stumbled on a slow, aggravating hatch. You know what I mean. The fish are leisurely slurping at everything, except your fly. I kept changing flies, all the time getting smaller and smaller, until I blew the dust off a #22 blue-wing olive pattern and tied it on. Although I couldn't see the fly, it actually tricked four or five fish. Mike, on the other hand, was patiently clipping material off of his soft-hackle, and eventually trimmed one down to the point that the fish started to take it! The ancillary benefits of fly tying.
– Rodney Chun