Trip Report 8/8/15 - 8/15/15 Part 3

[Todd Johnson]

Day 5:
I got up just as the sun was making it appearance in LLV.  Got the camera out and took a few photos.  Also we took a small earlier morning hike over Morgan Pass.  It was amazing being up there at 8:00am in the morning what a view.  We made it down to the first lake for a look and then headed back to camp to pack and head down to base camp for showers and rest. 
The showers were wonderful after hiking two days in a row and not having showers up to this point.  After we got out of the showers and a quick bit to eat. We were getting ready to leave the resort and low and behold the stock truck drives by to stock the lake.  (There is the timing thing again!!!).  So we knew that they had stocked the creek, but we wanted to give them some time before going in to fish.  Also the campgrounds was not completely full and we did not expect that everyone would head down to hit them right off the bat. We were correct in the assumption as when we drove into camp, there was really no one out fishing.  So we got back, took a load off our feet and relaxed for a couple of hours.  Trinity was bushed and hit the tent for some R&R. 
We ended up after a little while taking the poles down to hit the stream. We happened to noticed that there were some fairly large size fish in the stream as well which seem to have been tagged with pink tags.  Later we found out after Scott caught one that there they stated “DFW Trophy – Do Not Report” Really!!!! Darn, we were hoping that they were money fish like we had seen a number of years ago near Tahoe Lake.
Anyways, both Scott, Trinity and I headed out to do a little fishing.  Scott headed one location right near camp that he and I had seen a tagged fish, and I headed down stream to fish another whole and to try to get Trinity a couple of fish. I went down towards the beaver dam with Trinity to find a good location to fish for her. As we came out onto a beach just about 50-75ft upstream from the dam, I heard a lot of snapping a splashing in the steam.  Well, I then proceeded really slowly to the bank and low and behold there was Mom and Cub playing in the stream. (wish I had the camera) So I stopped and slowly directed Trinity behind me, as we watch Mom and Cub. Mom was fishing in the creek and she saw me, but I just stayed still and watch her and the cub. At one point Cub made some load noise which caught mom’s curiosity, causing her to stand up on her hind legs looking over towards the dam.  We must have stayed there for about 5-10 minutes watching.  I was pretty cute seeing them interacting..  Mom decided to head back over to my side of the creek towards the dam, I lost sight of her, so I started moving back upstream and back into the bushes.  I was a little concerned as I could not see mom and didn’t know where she was headed, so as Trinity was making her way back upstream slowly, I took one last look out from the beach and came within about 25ft of mom. So the heart was racing and I started to yell at her.  What was interesting was this time she really didn’t move off like in the past.  So I backed off slowly and grabbed Trinity and got out of there.  We headed upstream about 500ft or so and stopped and waited to see if she continued.  Didn’t see her, but was not comfortable to fish, so we headed further upstream to meet up with Scott.  As we came back into the woods, we ran right back into Mom and Cub who also was on this side of the stream.  I yelled at her again and she and cub took off back across the stream around site 111.  I also called ahead to Scott on the radio and let him know they were headed his direction.  She and the cub ended up laying down somewhere over in between the creeks were they split.  Met up with Scott and told him that they were about 500 ft downstream and to keep an eye out.  He was also on the other side of the creek fishing in the hole with the tagged fish.  Trinity I decided to head back down stream again, knowing that Mom and Cub were not in the area.  Got back down towards the beach and beaver dam.  I wanted to let Trinity try to catch one all on her own from baiting and casting to hooking.  So sure enough not more than a minute in the water, she hooked a nice one. About 14”s.  Then a couple of minutes later, she got another one which was about the same size.  At this point she was very excited.  So then it was my turn to give it a shot. Threw into the same area and nothing.  Think they were all spooked by now as it took Trinity a couple of times casting out and also actually setting the hook when one was on.  She probably missed about three others.  Anyways, I started looking a bit further down the stream about 10ft or so and notice that there what seemed to be a large undercut within the bank. I drifted bait down under it a couple of times and all of the sudden a very large tagged trout showed up from under the bank.  This one was bigger than the other tagged one up the stream.  So I tried for about an hour and threw everything in my bag of tricks at this thing.  Caught all the other ones in the area, but this guy was not wanting anything.  As I was doing this, Scott on the other hand, had a much bigger event going on.  Guess that he was fishing for that tagged one up by him when all of a sudden, another fisherman starts getting his attention and point behind Scott saying bear!!!! Just as that had happened he hooks into a fish.  He looks behind him and sure enough the bear was very close.  About 15 -20 feet.  So he starts to head back across the stream with his pole bent over and drag just pulling out. He hadn’t realized at this point that he had the big one on, due to the bear being there.  So here he is, big fish on and bear at his back…….. At any rate, he gets this fish in after quite a struggle. Then sees it the big one and can’t believe his eyes thinking that he had just caught a money fish, while all at the same time watching the bear.
Im still downstream and hadn’t a clue on what was going on up stream.  I called him on the radio and told him to come down.  Wanted him to see the one I was looking at. When he arrived, I could tell that on his stringer was the big one.  He hadn’t been able to read the tag yet as it was too small of writing. So this is when I read to him what it said.  He was pretty disappointed that it wasn’t a money tag….

At this point Scott now had the biggest fish (no surprise) at 16 ¾”. They also looked a little more like a hybrid of a trout and salmon.  The heads and girth were monstrous. We all of us tried for two days to catch this other big one, yet it never came out …. We must have thrown everything in our bait box at it and not one bit.  All the other ones did, which we kept releasing.  Scott however did see another big tagged one upstream from where he was.

 
Morgan Pass

 
Fist lake over Morgan Pass

 
Trinity and Uncle Scott atop of Morgan Pass.
 

Gem Lakes


 Trinity Crashed out!!!
 

Scott’s Fish
 

My fish

 
Bear in relation to where I was on the beach

DAY 6:
Thursday was all about focusing on the stream.  We knew that the creek had been stocked and that there was tagged fish in it.  However we took our time in the morning as we were still a little bushed from the hike the day before. Got up to a nice clean air morning and made a trip down to Tom’s to get ice and look for kindling and to have breakfast. Then both Scott and I headed back up and out with Trinity to hit the creek. We knew that it would be good fishing as the campgrounds was still not very full and not a lot of campers to hit the stream.  Scott headed up the stream a bit from camp, and Trinity I headed down.  Trinity was more about watching and netting the fish this time around and wanted to just relax while I fished. We spent a good hour or so in one to two locations catching a releasing.  We knew of two tagged fish still and so that was our focus.  Neither one of us had much luck trying to catch the big ones.

We headed back down to Toms Place for dinner, which was the prime rib dinner special.  Yum it really hit the spot. Came back to camp and relaxed.

DAY 7
Got up and had banana pancakes and sausage for breakfast. Then headed up to the lake again to see how things were going. We looked at the dock area and it was not seeing much action, plus the wind had picked up and was a little too choppy.  We decided to head to the inlet and try our luck there.  Sure enough, after wadding out to the edge of the sand barge and casting out into the deep water, I hooked into one.  At first it was not fighting very much at all. It actually almost felt like I was stuck in the weeds.  So after a little more time, then my drag started reeling out. And then really reeling out.  Had to tighten a little and Scott came out with the net.  I was able to guide it right up to the net with ease.  As soon as Scott scooped it up, he noticed that this one seemed to be on the larger size and had to put his hand over the top of the net as it was filling the net and bouncing all around.  He handed me the net, reeled in his pole and casted right out to where I was….. LOL.  Anyways, after getting the fish on the stringer, Trinity and I measured it at 17 ¼” Well this was now the biggest.  But no tag….    Anyways Scott knew that not only did I have the first fish of the trip but now the biggest with it being the last day of fishing.  Obviously it was now crunch time for him…..  We fished at the lake up to about 1PM and nothing else really to speak of. Scott caught one, and if it wasn’t hooked so bad would have been released. 

We leave the lake and headed back down to camp. We get out of the truck and not more than five minutes later as I was trying to get stuff ready to clean the fish, Scott decides to go back to the creek.  “I’ll be back in a bit!” he says….. LOL, I knew what he was up to….  Wanted to try to catch the big one that he had also seen earlier and also was tagged.  So about 15 minutes later, here is Scott running down the trail with his pole in one hand and a net with the fish is the other.  The fish was still hooked in the lip….  So he is obviously very excited that he may have just redeemed myself in taking the lead once again.  We get it up on the table and measured it. First time it measured 17”, then 16 ¼” and then finally we got it nailed down to 16 ¾”. Scott kept trying to make the fish grow as much as he could…. It was pretty funny…..  At this point he runs it back down to the stream thinking that he could release it back in, but it was too late.  The fish had been out for about five minutes.  We ended up heading down into camp and giving the fish to a family that had had not much luck in catching fish that day.

So there it was…. This was one trip where I had won both categories… very very rare.  But it sure was fun.
Trinity and I had a great time, great bonding experiences.  I think trinity caught on this year why the Sierra’s have such a big influence on my life and what it does to one when they visit.  This trip was probably one of the best in many years as not only was the weather pretty good, but so was the fishing.

[wshawkins]

Great trip report Todd!  Some great photos too.  Always love to see the children catch trout, especially awesome when it’s your daughter!  That backpack on her looks almost as big as she is!  Loved the bear story, kind of an ongoing theme that’s going on this year it seems on this Board.  I remember the money trout from 10 plus years ago or so, that was fun making money as you fish.  Good for you winning the fishing contest, great way to end your trip.

[Gary C.]

Great report!!! Thanks for sharing.

[fishpole]

Thanks for the report. Makes me itchy to get out there