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| The beginning of the wild trout section of Hot Creek |
It's not all about the fish. Any angler has heard that phrase hundreds of times. I had that lesson pounded into me at Hot Creek. The creek is generally regarded as one of California's best wild trout stream. A single mile of the creek contains about 11,000 trout per mile. However the average trout at Hot Creek is caught about five to six times a month. This creates very smart, but very large wild trout. Hearing the praise about Hot Creek, I decided to fish there.
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| Me and my brown trout that I caught at Crowley |
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| A sixteen-inch brown trout |
When we arrived at the stream the first thing I noticed was a giant sign that said, "0 fish limit". Despite the sign I still noticed dozens of anglers trying their luck. At most places I go to people fish for the food, not the fish. However, Hot Creek is a special place where anglers come from miles for just a glimpse of the fish. These anglers are in a special class of people that are hardcore catch and release fishermen. Just being at the river and walking through the meadow was enough for them. Fishing is all about the experience of enjoying the river and the nature around you. Whether you choose to enjoy it or not is up to you. Nevertheless, I hooked a nice sized rainbow with a green wooly bugger. While fighting it against the current, I was just about to net the trout, when the fly popped out of the fish's mouth. Seconds later, it disappeared back into the middle of the creek.
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| Hot creek |
Luckily, I had a chance to redeem myself the following day while fishing at Crowley Lake. The lake is one of the best trout fishing areas in the state. Note that it contains no wild trout. All trout are stocked at fingerling size, and grow about an inch per month due to the abundant food sources in Crowley.
Unfortunately for me, the fish seemed to avoiding my lure. During the past two hours I had been fishing from a float tube with a rainbow pattern Kastmaster attached to four pound test. The hits had been far and few between, and I was getting slightly frustrated. Anglers around me all had at least one fish with their fly rods. In a moment of desperation I switched my spinning rod to a fly rod. The fish soon began to strike the midges I was fishing under a strike indicator. Then a trout grabbed my fly and ran. I set the hook and settled in for the fight. Two intense minutes later a nice sixteen-inch brown trout was netted. I returned to the car a happy angler.
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