Tales of fishing outings, all true!
Spring in the Eastern Sierra
A bunch of Santa Cruz Fly Fishermen crossed paths wetting flies in the Owens River water system as new green vegetation sprung forth on the cottonwoods, willows and nettles. Some of the shining moments included:
* John Cook finding a 15 fish (approx.) glory hole in the Gorge
* Joe Bigas and Tim Loomis both having stellar days of nymph fishing in the Lower Owens.
* Doug Severin finding that a fly as simple as the Sierra Bright Dot could catch multitudes of sizable browns in the Gorge, all day long.
* Elaine Cook could catch a bass with her recently tied popper bee pattern.
* Jon Bowman catching the unheard of 20 inch rainbow in the Lower Owens River.
* And last but not least, Betty Rentz learning a lot about sink tip lines and Kathy Powers about bass ponds
This whole experience being wrapped in a crown of snow capped peaks. - Elaine Cook
Yuba River
Sunday, April 18. Floated the Yuba from Highway 20 bridge down to the dam with son Adam and guide Gino Bernero. Fishing was tough, only two fish for each of us (14-16 inches), but numerous others missed due to excitement, lack of coordination and short attention span (on dad's part). Weather conditions were cold, rain and wind. Still wouldn't trade the day for anything. Gino is a great guide.
Met up with Bruce Dau and Howard Power on Monday 4/19, and set up in the Sycamore Campground (about 5 miles downstream from the Highway 20 bridge). Fished some riffles in the campground property with no success in the afternoon. On Tuesday and Wednesday, we floated from the bridge to the take out in the campground. I was trying out my new pontoon boat, while Bruce and Howard (and Sandy) were in Bruce's raft. Weather was somewhat warmer, windy with some rain, and fishing was again tough. Fish were sporadically rising, but we couldn't zero in on what they were eating. Howard scored big on Tuesday with five fish while I managed only one fish each day (Tuesday's was an 18 inch rainbow), Bruce was sandwiched somewhere in between.
If you've never fished with Bruce and Howard (and Sandy), it is well worth the experience. They are expert fly fishermen, generous with their advice, and great teachers of the art. They also provide tremendous amusement as the "Odd Couple" in any task requiring any degree of cooperation between them. And one more hint: it's a good idea to volunteer to do the cooking yourself. - Dougald Scott