I was finally feeling better last week after COVID and a nasty sinus infection and decided to take a trip with my friend T. for some camping and fishing. I've been teaching T to fly fish, he is an accomplished back county hiker and mountaineer.
We drove over the pass on Highway 20 on Friday and into the mountains north of Winthrop. The area burned in 2006 and was an interesting landscape. We planned to fish 'Big Rock Stream' but it was very low. We camped at about 7K feet and got an early night. A deer came by.
Saturday, we hiked into 'Diamond Lake.' it was beautiful and quiet. Lots of bear sign. There is a shelf/ledge that runs way out into the lake and then drops off. That was great for T, who is working on his cast, because he could wade out to the drop off and reach the fish that were cruising the shelf.
I lost count at about 25 brookies. They have their fall colors on and were very pretty. I fished a dry that doubles as a wet with a partridge and orange dropped 18" behind it. The surface takes were savage and the fish took either fly, about half on each. They probably would have taken any fly. We shared the fishing with a bald eagle and a couple osprey.
I was expecting cutthroats, but all my fish were brookies, all 10-15 inches.
T bought some nice steaks and we ate them Saturday night.
Sunday we had breakfast with a nice local guy we met at the campsite, packed up camp before the rain started, picked up a couple tiny trout in Big Rock Creek, and drove back over the pass.
It sure felt good to get out!
We drove over the pass on Highway 20 on Friday and into the mountains north of Winthrop. The area burned in 2006 and was an interesting landscape. We planned to fish 'Big Rock Stream' but it was very low. We camped at about 7K feet and got an early night. A deer came by.
Saturday, we hiked into 'Diamond Lake.' it was beautiful and quiet. Lots of bear sign. There is a shelf/ledge that runs way out into the lake and then drops off. That was great for T, who is working on his cast, because he could wade out to the drop off and reach the fish that were cruising the shelf.
I lost count at about 25 brookies. They have their fall colors on and were very pretty. I fished a dry that doubles as a wet with a partridge and orange dropped 18" behind it. The surface takes were savage and the fish took either fly, about half on each. They probably would have taken any fly. We shared the fishing with a bald eagle and a couple osprey.
I was expecting cutthroats, but all my fish were brookies, all 10-15 inches.
T bought some nice steaks and we ate them Saturday night.
Sunday we had breakfast with a nice local guy we met at the campsite, packed up camp before the rain started, picked up a couple tiny trout in Big Rock Creek, and drove back over the pass.
It sure felt good to get out!
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