Apparently some famous rock-star has made it into a fassion to wear hackle feathers in your hair. So, as if genetic hackles weren’t already too expensive, now they’ve become a hot commodity. I can’t find any anywhere. Anyone have a secret source they wouldn’t mind sharing?

Every year rivers change and when there is a wet year like this past winter rivers can change dramatically.    While up at the club I decided to take a hike down to the Cathedral to check out the trail that Bob Schardt cleared a while back.    I used one of the club boats to get across the lake and around the point and tied up by the path used to get downstream. Please be sure to tie the boat securely as we have lost boats downstream that were not tied securely.

The trail was clear even with the heavy growth we have had this year.     To start with the Gray Eagle side channel has opened up at the top to allow for a greater flow. Fishing both the top and bottom of the side channel should be very good.     There were fish rising in shallow water near the entrance of the side channel.  There were also fish rising farther out by the main channel.  I did not get a chance to get to the main channel where the two deep Gray Eagle pools exist. The rope is still there and lets you know where to cross and also is a marker to get to the Gray Eagle pools.

I then hiked down to the Cathedral and was shocked at how the river has changed. The large pool above now has a wide mouth which creates a wider stream from the pool to the Cathedral Wall. Sorry, I did not bring my camera. There is a side channel that was created on the north side of the river that flows back in just before the wall. The river does not crash into the wall as it has these last few years. It make a gentler turn to the left where it runs along the wall. There are new protected areas along the wall which should hold fish. There is a big eddy that has to hold large fish, but will be a challenge to fish. I hope to try my Switch rod there so I can keep the line off the fast water while fishing the eddy. Below the Cathedral the river has widened and I am hoping it will allow us to wade across and fish downstream.

I will let you know when I will be making my next trip downstream which I intend to do some serious wading to explore access. I hope some of you that are adventurous will be able to join me

Tom

Tom just sent an email out about heading up to HBP this evening and requested additional fishing reports…Here’s mine from last weekend.  I fished Friday & Saturday, July 22nd & 23rd.  The activity picked up nicely both days in the evening on the lake.  I fished all dry’s both evenings and landed quite a few…15+ fish on Friday and 10+ fish on Saturday with 6:30 to 7:30PM being the most productive hour.  I used Parachute Adams, Olive Elk Hair Caddis, Red Humpy, Royal Wolfe, BWO…all worked well.  The fish would go after my fly within the first few casts of putting it on and I would cast into the heavy foam.  Once I landed the fish and continued they would be on to me, so I changed the fly.  Once I put on a new fly they went after it.  I’ve always had good luck when I change fly’s often.  I landed a few 17″+ rainbow’s…real niiice!!!  I had some good activity in the section of the river just below the lake as well.  The river flows out of the lake then bends left into slower deeper water.  We cleared this section out about 2 years ago so there are no branches to get snagged underneath the water when you’re stripping back in.  I rigged up a Prince Nymph bead-head with a Hairs Ear trailer with an indicator at about 10 ft up.  I parked myself in waste deep water about 25 yards down from the bend and worked the slow moving water.  As I worked the drift, I had a couple of nice hits and finally landed a nice 16 inch fat bow.  It was a great time at the club and I met a number of new members as well!!!

Fish on!  BS

I managed to make it back from one of my bucket list exhausted but alive. While it wasn’t quite what I expected, due in part to the heavy snow this year, I did have a great time sharing the experience with Larry Ludwig and his wife Noelann who are members of HBP.   When I entered a horseback fishing trip on my bucket list, I really wasn’t thinking of riding a horse on the edge of a cliff on a path that would be difficult for a mountain goat to navigate. While the attached pics may seem somewhat manageable, I just didn’t have the nerve to take pics of some of the areas where a slight mishap would have resulted in hoping to be able to recover my body. This trip was not for the timid, actually it wasn’t even for those who like the E ticket rides. Enough about my near death experience.

Because of the heavy snow we were not able to get to the areas where the golden trout are abundant. We topped off at 10,000 feet and fished some small stream that while clear and fishable, they seemed to lack much of a fish population. The highlight of fishing was at Clark Lake one where brook trout was abundant and hungry. The wind was up the first day yet everyone caught lots of these beautiful fish. They were all in the 8 to 10 inch range and we were using three weight rods. The second day half of the group went for a ride while the rest of us fished the lake again. This was a good decision as one of those who went on the ride ended up in the Emergency room at Mammoth lake Hospital with a broken wrist after a horse was spooked by a hiker.

I wanted to give my Tenkara a real test as it seemed perfect for these little but hardy Brook Trout. The fishing was sight fishing and I landed around 14 fish in the first hour. Casting and handling of the Tenkara rod came very quickly. Even when the wind picked up I was able to put the fly on the fish far quicker than those fishing with the standard fly rod. The simplicity of Tenkara allows you to change direction and place the fly under low hanging brush easily without much practice. Imagine being on a stream and with one quick movement being able to place a fly anywhere in front of you when there is nothing but high willows directly behind you a few feet from where you are standing. I was literally able to place a fly under the brush 90 degrees to my left and then put it 90 degrees to my right along the edge of the brush in a single movement. When others were waiting for the gusts to die down I continued to cast without a problem by casting sideway close to the water. The long 12’ rod also allowed me to fish over brush that was impossible to with a standard rod and also slide a fly under the overhang along the shore. All in all, I plan on using this rod more up at the club. If there is enough interest from the membership, I will try to arrange a clinic where the Daniel Galhardo the owner of Tenkara USA http://www.paflyfish.com/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=86 (check out this video) will come give a clinic at the club. The Tenkara is definitely a tool that will not only improve your success. It is tool that will allow you to realize the simplicity and serenity of catching a fish on a fly.

Fly fishing is more than catching fish. It’s a time to share some quality time with friends. Before sitting down for lunch along the lake, I wandered over to one of the other members of the trip and invited him to sit down for lunch. It’s a great time to share fishing experiences and also learn what other have used successfully. Having one of our HBP Reserve Churchill cigars seemed appropriate. It was a beautiful afternoon and sitting in the sun enjoying the surroundings was very relaxing. We chatted for an hour or so and developed what we hope will be a long term relationship

So while I enjoyed the experience, I am looking forward to getting back up to the club to spend some time fishing and not worrying about surviving.

Tom

I Fished with my Dr. buddy Saturday afternoon from about 530-7. Boxcar area. He caught a nice fat 15″ and a 13″ on prince nymph, using his 3 wt. Fun!. I was using a stimulator and a BWO with nothing, and switched to a large rubber legs with a PT dropper. I caught a 16″ (all fish were bows) that was one of the healthiest fattest bows I have seen outside of the Lower Sacto.

Tight Lines
Stuart Hanson

You probably have read about the dinner we had last night so I wanted to chime in on the fishing conditions. The flows continue to lower, but not quickly enough for me. While I was up at the club I took some pics behind the boxcar and thought I would send them out. This area is definitely fishable.

The first pic is what I call the boxcar run. I usually start fishing at the far right of this pic and work my way up nymphing along the seam between the fast and slower water.    If I happen to sight an area or boulder that looks like a great place to protect a fish I will cast above it and let the flies drift down through the most likely food lane.  I always keep a rod with a dry fly handy and at times cast it to see if I can make a fish rise.   The Turk Tarantula and large Stimulators are my favorites with a 16-18 PMD or BWO about 18” off the back of the top fly. Shake a bush and see what around to make a decision on the second fly.   I just can see these small flies so I watch the large flies and set the hook when anything rises around them.

As you near the top of the run there is a pool of quite water extending perpendicular from the shore out to the turn where there is white water. The fish holding there are waiting for a meal to come by. They are smart and can be spooked easily. Being stealth is critical and fish it from a distance to avoid spooking them. The water is approximately 2’-3’ deep so adjust your indicator accordingly. You might even try a few dry fly casts if you can do it delicately so as not to spook the fish.



The second pic is what I call “Large pool behind the boxcar”. In the late summer evening the fish hand below the brush on the opposite side. I mean within 5’ of the bank. You need to be able to put the fly just below the brush. To do this you need a float tube or pontoon boat, While the water is cool, I still don’t use waders in this heat. I may use the Simms neoprene guard socks because they almost reach up to the knee. Start near the top of the run and cast from the middle where the water is not as fast. There is an eddy about half way down that just looks inviting. Any flies that fall and are not eaten immediately will end up in the eddy. Once you have fished the length just kick or row back up to the top and do it again. You also may choose to fish the large eddy at the very top.

Below the campground was awful inviting as well. I didn’t take any pics of the water, but it was definitely fishable.

Good luck and keep your line tight.

Tom

My good friends, Bob Burnham, Bob Townsend, Denny Freidig and I went up to the club last night around 5:00. Not to fish, but just hang out together since it’s been quite a while since we all hooked up together. We kept trying to get together, but someone was always busy or out of town. Once we arrived we all lamented why we hadn’t gotten together sooner. While it was a hot day with temperatures near 100 it wasn’t bad in the shade, at least not with a cold beer in your hand. We spent the next two hours catching up and reminiscing our fishing trips together and planning a future trip.

Around 7:00 we fired up the grill and started cooking. Steaks, portabella mushrooms and French bread were on the grill while the table was set with fine wine and salads. Food just tastes better when cooked on the river.

After dinner we cleaned up and headed for the point with cigars and drinks in hand. It’s amazing how time flies when you’re sitting around having a great time with your fishing buddies. When the sun set behind the ridge it really cooled down to a very comfortable low 70’s. The sky and river were a sight to behold. As the sun went down a sliver of the moon rose above the ridge and shined on the water below. I tried taking a pic with my Iphone, but it didn’t come out. Pics just don’t portray the beauty of nature, at least using a Iphone at night. It was around 11:00 when we lamented not bringing up some bedding as we could have stayed up talking for hours. We packed up and left agreeing that we need to do this again soon.

The club is more than just a great place to fish. It’s a place to relax in solidarity or to share with a few close friends. Also, it a great place to romance the wife. Cooking her a great dinner and sitting on the point overlooking the river is a great place to spend some quality time with your wife. As my wife say, “Making deposits in the love bank”.

Tom

I fished the club today (Sunday). It was one of those rare days where I could have gone home skunked but still with a smile on my face. Off the water it was a bit hot, but there was just enough breeze to keep you from melting inside your fishing vest. On the water it was absolutely glorious. The breeze from the water was just perfect. I could have stayed in the water indefinitely. The water temperature has come up considerably since just a week or so ago. I waded all day in thin cotton pants with neoprene booties in my wading boots. No numb toes today.

I started out nymphing with a zugbug with various flies trailing it. That yielded several nice fish, one of which had me scrambling down stream because he was big and hot and didn’t want to get into my net. He kept surging into the current.

By the time I got to the lake there were PMDs coming off. I nymphed from the rocks by the tunnel for a while, but didn’t catch anything. I decided to launch a boat to get close to the fish I saw rising. A parachute PMD, on the first cast, hooked one hot fish but the hook broke right at the end of the shank while fighting him. It must have been a fluke because that was it for dries for quite a while, even though more and more fish were rising. I didn’t realize at first that the rises were splashy and not leaving bubbles. Once I did, I used my aquarium net to scoop just below the surface. I cought a rusty colored spinner in the film. Luckily I had two Antron winged rusty spinners so I tied one on behind my parachute PMD. By this time there was literally a feeding frenzey going on. But the only thing that worked was to submerge my flies and strip them in slowly. All subsequent fish took the spinners.

I fished the Middle Fork outside the club for about an hour yesterday. Despite the high flows, there was a mixed hatch and fish working it. PMDs were predominate and coming off strong. Water was tinted the color of Lipton Iced Tea. There was about 1 foot of visibility.

Over all, though, it seems spring conditions are finally upon us.

One guy I ran into said he’s been catching browns on salmon eggs, so we might start trailing glo bugs behind our nymphs at the club.

I spent Father’s Day weekend up at the fishin hole with my wife & boys along with my brother and his son who were visiting from Stockholm, Sweden. As you well know, the river was flowing at about 4,000cfs…a bit high to fish any riffles! The best fishing was above the gauging station in the flat section. My brother and I both caught a couple of nice rainbows both on dry’s (Tarantula) and on a beadhead Prince Nymph. As the flows subside, the fishing activity will only get better. The fishing is just a part of the greatness of the property…just to be up there was real nice! We did see a nice rattlesnake at the Barrett House:

She let us know she was there. It was a great experience for the kids.

On Sunday we all took a hike down to Cathedral. The trail to the Bear Tunnel needed a lot of work. I took my chain saw and cleared out the jungle just below the climb to the Bear Tunnel. Once through the Bear Tunnel, I cleared the trail down to the bypass tributary and also cleared the trail down to the Cathedral. The Bear Tunnel down to Cathedral is officially open for the year! I cleared a lot of the brush off the rocks at the pool above Cathedral so you can fish the whole drift perfectly!

Don’t forget to bring your bug spray…100% deet if you have it! With all the water, the mosquitoes are thick in the evening.

Fish on!
Bob Schardt