There are plenty of small tributaries hidden away in the mountains, but this creek in particular offered me a new experience and a bit of mystery.
I set out in the morning to search for a creek that a friend had told me about. A drive up the hill and through the forest, along the winding roads took me further into the Sierras. Over the river, and along a cliffside I climbed higher and higher up the mountain. There were plenty of small creeks along the way, but I was focused on finding one in particular. Finally, I came upon a spot that matched the description my friend had given me. Not a terribly unique description, but I understand why, as there were plenty of nondescript turn outs along the way. I parked my car, grabbed my pack and headed into the woods.
I could hear the creek as I navigated my way down the brushy hillside. There was one landmark that was suggested as a starting point, and that is what I was looking for. As I made my way down I came to a section that seemed impassable. Thick bushes and trees blocked the direction I was heading in. I decided to go along the hillside, closer to the creek to try to find a spot to cross over. I found a relatively shallow run that was clear of foliage, but looking at the rest of the creek that I could see, I thought to myself “There’s no way you can fish this.” Regardless, I remained hopeful as I crossed the water and carried on in search of this landmark.
About half a mile beyond where I crossed I finally came upon what I was looking for. Surveying the creek for a moment, I decided to continue on just a bit more so that I could enter the water a little further down and work my way up into the beautiful little pools that were nestled in the hillside. After getting my gear set up I was ready to fish!
My friend wasn’t lying when he told me about the creek. Everything about it matched his description, even if trying to find it was a bit harder than he led on. The creek was steep, with pool after pool creating a bit of a ladder to climb your way back up the hillside. I checked my surroundings both behind and overhead as I prepared to make my first cast.
I started further back from the pool and slowly crept up closer with each cast. The first cast - no bite. The second cast - no bite. But as I got into the position for the third cast I could see some little fish coming to the surface closer to the head of the pool. I inched just a bit closer, then placed my third cast to the side of the current and was immediately met with a little rainbow snatching the kebari off the top.
This was a very active stream, it seemed like almost every cast garnered the attention of a trout intently looking to the sky waiting for a bug to fall. Not every trout that went for the fly was successful. It may have been my excitement getting the best of me, causing me to pull the fly away too quickly. Or, maybe they were just too small to grab the fly? I don’t think any of my catches were bigger than my hand in length. Regardless of what size fish would be considered a trophy for this stream, I was enjoying my time out in nature.
The air was rich with bugs. Flies, and mosquitoes were joined by a mayfly hatch after I worked my way up a few pools. This made the fish go wild! I sat and observed for a few minutes as the little trout were popping the surface of a larger pool, snatching up the rising insects. After observing a bit, it was time to put my fly on the water.
The next fish I caught was different. The fight was the same, but after getting it to the net I had to take a moment to admire it. A rich, toasty yellow color contrasted by dark, defined par marks along the sides. A deep red stripe dashed through the par marks and saturated the gills with a purplish hue. What was it? At first I thought it was a brown trout, then maybe a cutthroat. But we didn’t have cutthroat in that area to my knowledge. All the other fish in the pool were rainbows, so maybe it’s just a rainbow. That’s the answer I’m going with. It seems that is the most logical. But all the same, this fish was my favorite catch of the day, and still one of my favorite catches years later.
I continued climbing my way up the creek and casting into pools, but the fishing was dying down. I finally hit a wall of branches that crowded a small waterfall that was just a bit too tricky to climb, so I made my way out of the water and struggled my way up the hillside. Further up the hill I tried to reconnect to the creek, but with more branches and shrubs crowding the runs and pools I decided to call it a day.
I got back to the car, had a snack, and set off on my way back home. All the time, reminiscing on the great day I had. The adventure that fishing had led me on was well worth the time. It felt like fishing was becoming less of a secondary activity that I would do when I had the chance, and more of a hobby that was consuming most of my free time. I was alright with that.