Last month I traveled to Tom’s Place in the Sierra to celebrate the Centennial of Riters visiting Rock Creek. Back in 1925, Dad traveled up the washboard dirt road of 395, and 100 years later I drove my F150 the 300 miles up the paved highway. The fishing, while very good, didn’t match earlier years, but memories and retracing his steps again brought joy to my soul. Sleeping in the Ford’s bed found me tossing and turning, and looking out the window prompted…
Read MoreHello Again, Old Friend
Earlier in the day, the trout on Rock Creek almost jumped into my creel. I’d parked alongside the road and hiked overland to a rarely fished stretch, not another fisherman in sight. Anywhere. I loved both the solitude and lack of competition. The first hole yielded a small brown, maybe 8”, who likely appreciated being returned to his frigid home.
He was the first of twelve trout caught in just over two hours that day; two were keepers at 14” each, and provided dinner for Sheila and me my first night back. Pizza at the campground’s café and a hot shower seemed to top off the day. But God was yet to surprise me. Relaxing in the small cabin…
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Brushy Streams
In streams like this, I lost countless hooks by allowing the line to drift too freely, catching a lot of branches and roots, both under and above water. Hundreds of times wild roses attracted my line like a magnet, requiring the loss of precious trout time to untangle the bird’s nest. Hundreds of wild trout darted to safety when I trod too hard, or unknowingly let my shadow cross the creek, or when I let the bait land too hard on the water. And fisherfolk face…
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image from wildlife.ca.gov
A Tale of Two Trout
Rock Creek, a bit above Bishop CA, has built a fine reputation for fall fishing, with an appreciated bonus of the aspen turning their holy gold. But every rule has an exception, and September 2018 served that role. In a good 1/2 mile of fishing, quite a bit when going into and out of all the holes, not a single trout had any interest in anything I presented. Then came the first, the gentle nibble of a trout trying to discover if this was a meal, but not ready to commit himself. Just a taste. But I felt the tug and set the hook by raising the rod tip, and pulled out…
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Breakfast on Rock Creek
A Tale of Two Conversations
Needing regular mountain fixes, I headed up to my beloved Rock Creek: a narrow canyon thrusting into the heart of the Sierras, a nice stream tumbling down the lowest points, the dry land covered with Ponderosa Pines and aspens and meadows and enlivened with blue jays seeking handouts. The pic above shows my breakfast, where our story begins. I had just finished fajitas and eggs and bacon for breakfast and brought out my tablet to work on some poems, Unconventional posts and a book proposal when…
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Rock Creek Campsite
Father's Day
Guess it’s not too late to keep celebrating Father’s Day. About two weeks earlier, COVID-19 forced us to scrub a timeshare trip to Phoenix that would have begun on Father’s Day, and since the week was blocked out already, I decided to take a restorative trip to Rock Creek in the Sierras, my favorite trout stream. Driving up on Highway 395, I decided to dedicate the trip to Dad. Here’s why…
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Misery--A Choice?
In early October around mid afternoon, the F150 pulled into a campground on Rock Creek. Gear quickly shifted from the truck to the site, I used a flex hose to connect the propane tank to my camp stove, and headed down to the stream for some solo fishing. Not another fisherfolk in sight, and the trout bit eagerly. A great beginning, and I cleaned the two keepers. Time now for dinner, so I got the tamales and chili ready to heat, but the stove
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Know Your Target
The location of the above spot on Rock Creek will remain a secret. Well away from any campground or road. No recently stocked trout, so if you happen to find it, forget using Power Bait. Wild trout reign here; at a minimum, stockers have lived here long enough to get cagey. So walk softly, watch your shadows, and stalk the fish with worms. Night crawlers are best. Techniques that land trout in campgrounds with newly stocked trout won’t work here. Ya gotta know the habits and leeriness of your targeted trout. Sharing Jesus...
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