Hey all, I just returned from a week-long backcountry fly-fishing trip into California’s beautiful Golden Trout Wilderness. I completed a 56-mile loop and fished numerous small creeks and streams in the 9K-10K foot elevation range. The weather was classic Sierra Nevada: bluebird days in the 70’s, and chilly nights. The meandering streams were all clear with good flows. The scenery — lush overgrown meadows, granite peaks, soaring pines, high alpine flora and fauna —was awe-inspiring.
The fish — only Golden Trout (California’s state fish) made it to my net, although there were a handful of browns on one stream — were beyond beautiful, with dark green parr marks, orange/red bellies, white-tipped caudal fins, and spotted dark olive tails. Ounce-for-ounce these little guys were the toughest fighters I have ever encountered. And the fishing was, in a word, exceptional. Best ever. The hike was challenging, but I’m so ready to do it again. I did not expect this to be a transformational trip, but it was.
If you're headed this way, give a shout, AMA, and tight lines everyone!
Posted by fuguelife
4 Comments
I thought most of the golden trout area was closed due to fires.
EPIC.
Very cool, thanks for sharing. I’ve been wanting to head up there, but was weary with the current fires. Did you see any bears, or other wildlife there?
Any trouble with bears?