Back in July of 2021 I had the opportunity to visit Mammoth and fish the area with a tenkara rod for the first time. This is the trip report from that visit…
Day 1:
The first morning I hit a popular stream in the area. After hiking down stream a bit and getting my kebari in the water, it started to become clear that the fish weren’t going to fall for just anything. A few missed hook sets kept me moving back upstream until I hit a stretch with plenty of cover. A dead drift through the submerged plants caught the attention of a brown. While it didn’t put up a big fight, it still refused to get close to the banks. After walking it downstream a bit I finally got it to the net! With a few more bites upstream, that brown would be the only fish I would catch on that creek for the day.
Day 2:
A short morning hike up to an alpine lake brought more scenery than fish. With plenty of rising trout, I floated some flies on the top, tapping the rod to draw attention. Some would come up, but no takers. After they stopped rising as much, I switched to sinking the kebari a bit and “swimming” it to the top. Got one to bite, but couldn’t keep it on the line.
After lunch and some down time, another hike up to a different lake added another species to my list. Using a bead head nymph and fishing the edge of shallow section next to some rocks, I caught the attention of a few cutthroat. I was able to bring the first one to the net, but unfortunately the second one broke the knot and took the fly with it.
Day 3:
Taking the morning off from fishing, a trip to The Devil’s Postpile and Rainbow falls brought plenty of scenery on our hike. Our previous hikes had started catching up, and the combination of heat and fatigue shortened the intended hike
After another mid-day break I was intent on looking for golden trout. A drive up to another lake yielded no interest from any fish. With the wind picking up, I moved off the lake and into a slower section of the creek that flowed out. With plenty of small brook trout rising, delicate casts and floating flies produced great results.
Day 4:
Had an early morning session on another popular creek. Not much action with the exception of two small rainbows, both under 4” pulled from a section with some shallow riffles.
While I didn’t reach my goal of catching a golden, I now have more of an excuse to go back. But the truth is, I don’t feel that I need one. I love this area of the Eastern Sierras. From the mountains and pristine alpine lakes to the high desert and creeks in the valley, it has to be one of my favorite spots in California.
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