Jimmy from Sierra Fly Fishing shows up right at 9 as promised. He lets us know that the stream behind our RV is stocked with rainbows, but he prefers to fish natural waters. He suggests heading out to another spot and tells us we can fish this stretch on our own on Sunday. We agree that this sounds like a great plan and load up the gear into his truck to head out.
We will be fishing the same stream, just 1000 feet higher in elevation. He tells us that the fish won’t be as large as where we are – mostly 6 to 8 inches – but it will be much more challenging that fishing the area we are camping in. A couple miles down a dirt road, ford a couple steams and we come up on a clearing called Big Sandy Campground. There are some campers out here, some with trailers. I am amazed that they have been able to get some of these rigs back here.
We gear up, put on our wading boots, but no waders as they will slow us down and we won’t be in much over our knees. He goes over knots and line set ups. Gives us some tips on moving through the water and brush and a refresher on casting. We then head over to the stream and he talks to us about the approach. The fish in these waters get spooked very easily. You need to stay very low, come if from directly behind and you only get 2 to 3 casts before they are gone.
He walks Jackson in to first area we are going to fish and takes his rod to show him how to make a cast into the short distance. This is very different than when we fished the bigger waters in Wyoming. His first cast goes out – and a hit. He pulls in a 6 inch rainbow. He gives us the “yes, I’m really that good” with a wink and a nod.
Now it’s Jackson’s turn. He gets a hit on the second cast and pulls one in.
Next area and Jackson pulls in a 10 – 12 inch rainbow. As I struggle to get the camera out while Jimmy unhooks it, it does a flip out of his hand and off the hook. We will be the only ones who will know the true size. To everyone else, it will just be another fish story.
I take my turn and we start working our way up the steam. Jackson gets another one, and I am getting some takes, but no hooks. Jackson starts working a small pool and takes a couple more. Jimmy asks if it is OK if we leave him there and move further up stream. He is fine, and we keep working our way up. I finally get one on the hook and then another. Jimmy goes back for Jackson who is now up to 6 fish for the day. I am at 3. A couple hours later, and our feet are numb. The water is really cold and you can see the snow still on the sides of the steam melting its way in. We decide to hit a couple more spots before heading back. I end up at 3 and Jackson has 8. Not a bad day at all.
As we are walking back on the bank, Jimmy tells us about the issues they are running into here in the National Forests around the Sierras. Poaching on the steams is becoming a big problem. People come up from the cities, pour a couple gallons of bleach in the water and stand downstream with a net catching everything that floats down. They pull out anything worth cooking and dump the rest on the shore. He also has some issues with the ATV’s that are out here. There were 6 in the camp we pulled through and we hear them screaming around in the forest. It is one thing to stay on the trails, but they make their own and it is destroying acres of forest. There are not enough people to patrol, so it is tough to catch them. As we are driving out, we come across a park ranger who asks if we have come across any poachers. They found some dead fish on the side of a steam a couple miles from here, and he is checking to see if they are still in the area. Very sad as if this keeps up, these streams will be completely dead within a few years.
Jimmy drops us off and we thank him for the great day. Wendy has headed into town to do some laundry and the girls are with her. We fix some lunch and set the wet clothes out on the table to dry.
When Wendy gets back, she tells me that she has booked a 3:30 train ride on an old steam engine up the road. The Sugar Pine Railroad line used to run here around the turn of the century when they were clear cutting the trees off these mountains. We head out at 3:15; sure we will have enough time as it is just a mile or so down the road. 5 miles later and it is 3:25 and she is sure we missed it a ways back. The girls are sure it is further up the road, but we turn around a drive a couple miles. We then turn back when we cross the road that Jackson and I headed up to fish as I am sure I didn’t see the steam engine this morning. We double back once more and a couple mile past where we stopped is the sign. It is 3:30 and we hear the whistle blowing and we are sure we missed the train. Turns out he was only doing a turn around and they are running late. Luck is with us again.
We wait another 15 minutes before boarding and then ride on an old lumber car from the turn of the century (last one – not this one). The ride is relaxing and we hear the history of lumbering in these parts and the history of narrow gauge railroads. A stop for water halfway through and they allow me to climb into the engine. Built in Lima, OH – it is amazing this thing still runs. It burns a gallon of oil and uses 40 gallons of water for each mile that it runs. The smells remind me of when we used to go to the Threshers Convention at the Fulton County Fairgrounds back home.
After the return, we drive back to the RV to pick up the National Park Pass and head into Yosemite. We are going to do a short hike in the Mariposa Pines and hope to visit the 25th largest tree in the world. We breeze in, no traffic this late in the day and quickly find a parking spot. The trailhead is right next to our parking spot and we head out. It says 1.6 miles to the Grizzly Giant and we head up the hill. About a mile in we run into a fork in the trail. We ask a couple people if we are on the correct route and finally run into someone with a map. It shows a loop with the Grizzly Giant right next to the parking lot (about .3 miles in). We will be doing a 2 mile hike, but got to see a small tunnel tree on the way. There is a much larger tunnel tree (one that my Dad got a picture taken after he graduated high school and took a trip out west), but it fell in 1969. The remnants are still there, but we did not make another loop to see it.
These trees are huge.
The Grizzly Giant is bigger than a 747, wider at the base and taller and over 2000 years old. We all admire it for a bit and head back to the car.
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| A Fallen Tree Near the Parking Lot |
A short drive back out of the park to our campground, fire up the grill for dinner and Jackson and Georgia start a fire in the fire pit. Jackson heads over to the camp host to buy some more wood. $7 a bundle and he picks up 3 with 5 to 6 pieces in each, making 3 trips back and forth to haul it back. We should be stocked for the remainder of the trip as there are only a couple more spots where we can make a fire.
Burgers done, we all sit at the table for a family dinner and then decide to play a board game rather than sit by the fire. After we are done, the fire is still going, so we head outside to make some smores (minus the chocolate – can’t seem to find it).
We let the fire burn down a bit, and then head in for the evening.
