Check Your Calendars

Write in some times that work best for you in the comments bar below, then we'll work to make a date that's good for everybody. For our first trip let's go for mid to late may somewhere, and for later trip(s) I need other months/weeks suggestions as well.Our first trip is set but we have another tie, so when all date suggestions are in we will see if we can't make 3 trips this year. But if we can't work that out we'll vote again between the two tied trips and go from there. Can't wait to get back on the water with all you guys, to good times and tight lines.

New Video Preview

5flysvol#1 preview (sneak peek)

Putah Creek Huh?

Fortunately the name has little to do with the quality of fishery, because I have to say Putah creek does'nt exactly conjure up images of place someone would want to visit let alone drive 6 hrs to fish for 4-5. But that's where we were (Hares ear, Klinkhammer, and mosquito) and darn it we'd make the best of it
Arrived at around 6:30 and their was a frost over everything and fog was trying to move in but the sun had begun to change both to a bright clear day. Met a couple of anglers near a parking area and found they were from modesto and had seen some youtube videos of the creek and decided to fish it.... sounds familir. Air temp. 33 degrees water temp. 46, so I hope it warms up a little. Hatches of midges were out early and we did see one good rise but other than that we saw nothing all morning. We all threw something different thinking that by splitting up and covering alot of water one of us would find the trick, But half the day in we were starting to beleave it would take much longer than a day to figure it out.
Lunch time, now we could regroup, discuss, plan, and even more importantly eat. A green bomb burrito and a soda later we're back on the water but this time a little further down stream and right off we notice something different, fish. And in no time I've hooked into one of the biggest fish I'd ever caught, zzzziiippp like a flash it shoots through the shallow water right in front of Klink making a strong run for the submerged tree and is no sooner wrapped around a limb, I jump the tree franticly sloshing through the creek to free it and was able to loosen it only long enough to wrap another snag give a few head shakes and wiggled right off the barbless hook aargghh.
It only got better from there and when all was said and done Klink had quite a few fish and even caught someone elses fly. He tied it on and turned out to be the hot fly of the day, nice catch. Also fish started to rise to some fairly large bwo's an olive dun worked well for me as I rose a couple rainbows.
Good day of fishing on some new water with a couple of the fly's was great but more importently I learned Just like you don't judge a book by it's cover you don't judge a place by the name. Good times and tight lines.

More locations needed

Anyone who has some more trip ideas for us add them in the comments bar below, add as many as you'd like

2012 Trip Poll Results

This years results are in and with 4 votes Manzanita and Mccumber lakes have been chosen!!
However we are not finished just yet, there is a logjam at 2nd place with 3 votes each the Carson and upper Sacramento rivers and lake Davis all had 3 votes. So we'll open another poll with the 3 said places only this time you only vote once. -Update- Results for round 2 are in there's a tie between Upper Sac and Lake Davis, so another vote is possible so stay tuned

Results-
1. Manzanita/mccumber 4 votes
2. Carson river
Upper Sacramento. 3 votes
Lake Davis
3. Upper Truckee river. 2 votes
4. Deer/Yellow creek. 1 vote
5. Trinity river. 0 votes Rnd #2 1. Carson river 1 vote 2. Upper Sac 3 votes 3. Lake Davis 3 votes

Take The Challenge

The California Heritage Trout Challenge gives anglers a chance not only to catch wild trout from their native drainages but for completing the challenge by catching, photographing, and recording any combination of the 6 of 11 native trout species still fishable in California. You will receive a personalized certificate with artwork from renowned fish illustrator Joseph Tomelari, showing color images representative of the 6 trout you caught along with date and location.
3 subspecies of cutthroat trout and 8 subspecies of rainbow trout are your target. Mosquito has identified 7 of them that are in our in our fishing range. Excluding the 3 golden trout for they require long hikes into wilderness in southern California, every other fish can be accessed within a reasonable area for a five fly's trip. Coastal cutthroat and lahontan, and coastal rainbow, eagle lake, McCloud, goose lake, and Warner lakes redbands are all catchable.

So are you up for the challenge.

club patch/ logo

PLEASE SOMEONE COME UP WITH A CLUB LOGO SO I CAN GET SOME T-SHIRT'S PRINTED BEFORE OUR NEXT TRIP.. I'M TO NEW TOO THE TEAM TO PICK ONE OUT, SO SOMEONE PLEASE POST ONE, (OR MAYBE A FEW AND WE CAN VOTE) AND ILL GET IT GOING.. HERE'S A COUPLE I FOUND

Finally, Baum lake

Loaded the boat with all are gear and topped it off with a load of wood, camping in the mountains during november can be cold. Late season fishing can be excellent or you can have a bad storm make for tough going we're hoping for the former.

Meeting Klinkhammer at Cassel camp where we plan to mostly fish baum lake, it's only a 5 min drive down the hill but also have the canal stretch of hat creek that flows right through camp good locale. Got in that evening got nice campfire going and ate meatloaf sandwiches while we bs'd and Klink tied flies for tomorrow.

Up early.... it's kinda cold, but we're all up and have the boat on the water by 8:00 am. Within seconds of us getting down to the water and Klinkhammer has already spotted fish near us in the shallows and after further study of the water rises as well. Rowing to a spot where numerous rises had been seen and in no time I had a fish on nice brown trout on a bwo, skunk was off now. Oared in to an area where the water entered the lake, anchored in, and Hares ear was onto the only rainbow caught in baum this weekend, Shortly after Klinkhammer found a nice brown on dry and by then we all had got into a few fish nice start to the trip.

Another unfortunate part of fishing late fall is that it's dark by 5:30 in the summer you can fish till 9:30 so you don't have a whole lot of daylight. After fishing and Motoring around trying to learn the lake a bit it was time get a late lunch and if the sun permitted finish off with hat creek. The sun was good to us and so was the creek cause it didn't take long and Klinkhammer got what would turn out to be a good evening full of rainbows started. Back at camp we all decided to hit it fairly early to get an even earlier start, so not long after dinner snores could be heard.

Another cold morning but we are all up and after burning the last of the wood to warm us up we put on are waders and down the hill we went to fish baum once more. Rising again as we put the boat in, Crap I forgot my flies, luckily Hares ear decided to go back for them while we watched the boat. In the time he was gone I had caught a nice fish from shore and we realized how well you can fish here from land. A few minutes out on the boat and we were already taken hares ear to shore where he would go about catching one fish after another. But all was well we did just as well from the boat and finished off all fishing shore before heading back to camp to pack up . Great fishing trip everyone was content as we all had done well this weekend.

After 4 years of talking about going we made it and it was everything they said it was. Till next year

The Five Fly's go to Humbug valley

After a long drive we finally made it to a campground on deer creek where we went about setting up camp while waiting for Klinkhammer to arrive. The trip took longer than planned and alot of that had to do with missing a turn and driving all the way to Manzanita lake before realizing. Our new fly Blue dun learned the hard way about O'Brien mapless navigation. We did make it, all though it was a different campground and we did have to get directions from a local but we made it.
Woke up early and decided on fishing the water right near camp, it was a good idea Blue dun and Hares ear were on to fish right off. We finished the morning fishing a few miles down stream near the big red bridge where right under the bridge a rather large rainbow broke Blue dun off just as Prince was about to grab em... so close. We all decided that we would take the rest of the afternoon to pack camp and head out to look for Yellow creek and camp there if we found it, in an hour camp was down and we were on are way.
Way, way, way, up an old country road after washboard, potholes and enough dust to cause a dirt blizzard we find an enormous open valley with mountains on all sides and a small beautiful stream that flowed through. If nothing else it was sure a nice place to camp. Shortly after arriving we were on the water and even though we had action right off the bat we knew it would not be easy here the water is crystal clear fairly shallow not very wide add the fact that there's not much cover and it makes it real easy to spook fish. And if you do catch one the next problem is getting it in, large cut banks and heavy weed growth make for some real battles. As we headed back to camp are thoughts were of the evening hatch and the shadows on the water and as I come around the last bend of the creek before camp I here a big splash to big to be a fish and when I round the corner it's the newest fly Blue dun. He had gone to the creek to wet his hands when the ground went out beneath him and in he went it was quite a site, but he could laugh it off he wouldn't finish before he caught a trifecta a bow, brook, and a brown not bad.
That evening was no easier, and as we sat around the fire I felt humbled though we all had strikes and a few fish were caught I knew the keys to this fishery were yet to be found. That morning came and went quick and before I knew it we were saying are goodbyes packing up camp and on the road home. Good trip and a good welcome for the new fly Kurt (Blue dun) Kennedy til next time.

Cascade lakes adventure

The salmonfly possibly the west's greatest hatch

they're big, ugly, and the fish love em.
For those like me even talk of these bugs forces ones mind to slide into deep thought of rivers awakening with fish slamming the water and getting the attention of even the streams biggest and weariest residents. I find it's also a time when small sections of river get packed in like sardines with the masses of folks who have been thinking the same thing as you only it almost seems acceptable even though it wouldn't be my typical solitude and peace found in fishing places less travelled, it still holds a certain appeal and tradition that I don't want to miss.
The timing of this hatch is critical hit it early and fish won't yet be keying on the big guys, but don't wait to long cause the main event may only last a few weeks. It also won't neccessarily happen at the same time each year with variables like weather water and air temp ect., it could be as early as mid may or as late as the end of june. But when you hit it right you can be in for a ton of action and even get a shot at a big one.
I'm one of those under the impression that the pattern and size nor the twitch or the dead drift is not that important, I've used many patterns from stimulators to mac salmons and many sizes from 6-14 twitched, drifted, skated, or submerged all have taken fish. But you don't always get them to hand in fact you'll pry have so many strikes, takes, rejections you forget that its only 3-4 fish to hand but all the action makes you feel like you caught fish all day. Many great hatches occur out west but none maybe have the exitement and anticipation of the salmonfly.