Cairo’s snowy trip to the Sierra in July…2023

Cairo and his Mom and Dad along with his GMa on Aimee’s side, ventured up to the Eastern Sierra in early July 2023 after the wettest year since 2017. There was still a tremendous amount of snow piled up in the higher elevations around Bridgeport, CA…

Cairo prepping with his new sleeping bag…

…and his Patagonia “puffy”…

Some casting practice with Dad at the Pasadena Casting Club after having his bubble filled…

…like a Pro…

Virginia Lakes Resort, still not open on July 1, 2023…

Portions of the parking lot have over six feet of packed snow…

…early dinner at the campsite…

…then some fly and bubble tossing at Little Virgina Lake…

Little Virginia Lake…very cold water…

…another view from where the boats and float tubes launch…

With Mom at campsite…

…Sunset at Little Virginia Lake…

Big Virginia Lake…

Blue Lake Brookie…

Roaring falls in the backcountry…

Rainbow for Cairo…

…it tasted real good…

Cairo preparing to trek…

Michael and Cairo in the aspens and mule ears…

On the trail to higher elevations…

The meadow at Green Creek…

A roaring Green Creek…

On the trail…above Parker Lake…

Parker Lake…

Michael packing Cairo in a snowfield with avalanche downed trees…

A waterfall coming off a snowfield above Parker Lake…

Coming back down the trail from Parker Lake…

…another waterfall coming off a big snowfield…

At the campsite with Mom and Dad…

Strawberries and pancakes…

On an after dinner hike with Dad and Bob…Mono Lake is the the background…

Taking care of business…

Watching Dad cast at Blue Lake…

Michael working the water for Brookies at Blue Lake…

Intensity with a snowbank in the background…

The dudes at the Jolly Cone in Bridgeport…

Nightfall above Bridgeport, CA…

 

NEXT…Montana, August-September 2023…

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

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HERO – Memories that will not fade… PART I

This is a tribute to Ally’s rescue dog HERO . Because we (family) have a lot of photos it will be BLOGGED in Two Parts. HERO was ALLY’s companion, protector and best friend. Wherever Ally went, there was HERO. When HERO was a puppy, he lived next door to my oldest daughter Nadia. His owners did not take care of him and left him in the backyard while  they were gone all day…

This is the first photo of Hero taken by Nadia…

One day, Nadia noticed the HERO was no longer in the backyard next-door and left a note on her neighbor’s door that HERO was missing. After a day, she went back, in the evening and  asked where HERO was. The occupants feigned ignorance and stated that HERO must have run away. Nadia didn’t buy that explanation and went looking for HERO …

She found him here, at a nearby pound/shelter…

HERO was not a happy pup…Nadia  called her sister Ally and asked if she would be interested in fostering HERO, until a permanent home could be found for him. Ally was all engaged in that suggestion and went through the process of adopting HERO. Fat chance that HERO would not become Ally’s shadow and a fixture in her life…

A young HERO…

HERO at home in Simi Valley with Gabby…

HERO beside himself after ALLy’s trip to China and the Philippines with NICK in 2018…

HERO was the best fed dog…

HERO loved sunshine…

HERO basking…

By the pool with Gabby…

HERO & Ally…bed mates

Stylin’ O’Pop’s Stetson…

Ally’s favorite photo of HERO at home with a bandana…

HERO’S daily view…

HERO was an outdoor adventure kinda’ guy. What follows are his trips to various locations here in CA before he moved up to Pullman, WA while Ally got her degree in Veterinary Medicine from Washington State University. HERO may have had something to do with Ally’s choice of profession…

With O’Pop at 6AM along Lone Pine Creek 2013…

Ally & HERO Symmes Creek in the Owens Valley along the base of the Sierra…

Water dog…

Taking care of BIZ near Manzanar in the Owens Valley – 2013

Near Lone Pine Creek…

Sunset at Lone Pine Creek…

In the sagebrush at Goose Lake, Dec. 2013…

Goose Lake…another favorite of Ally…

In the Owens Valley…2013

Ready for my close up…

Hand out at Georges’ Creek Sandtrap…Dec.2014

Downtown Lone Pine with Michael –  Dec.2014

 

HERO also enjoyed his visits to urban areas like San Francisco with Ally and sometimes the family…

In the marshes with Ally – 2012

Ally & HERO on the beach in Carmel, CA – 2012

With Liz Tran in September 2012

Up in SF for Michael’s graduation – May 2013

 

Some of HERO’s favorite places in the Eastern Sierra:

Bridgeport Reservoir – 2014

Hiking with Ally above Little Virginia Lake – 2014

On the trail with Ally –

Cooling off…

Hugs at Virginia Creek Settlement – 2015

Boat snooze with Ally & Nick, Little Virginia Lake – 2015

Mt. Whitney Fish Hatchery …

My favorite photo of Ally & HERO …at the summit – 2015

North Lake Trout…

Upper Twin Lake Bridgeport, CA – 2015

Lanark Lake, Eastern Sierra – 2016

Smokey snooze lakeside…

North Lake above Bishop, CA – 2016

Sierra Road Dog…

Long leash …

Above Kernville in the Southern Sierra…

Kern River – Dec. 2016…

Kern River Dec. 2016…

Cabin in Northern CA – Dec. 2016…snoozer

Alabama Hills Sunrise…

Alabama Hills and Mt. Whitney…

Bishop,CA and long gone Culver’s Sporting Goods…

Long Valley in the snow…

Malibu Beach, September 2016…

Somewhere out beyond Joshua Tree…

Death Valley, CA…

Just another dry lakebed…Death Valley, CA –  2016

More dry lakebed…with bumps…Death Valley, CA 2016

Agua Dulce hike…2016

Red Rock Canyon – 2017

Looking for Flash Gordon – Red Rock Canyon…

Up there…

Goose Lake with Dad looking for small, pointy, black stuff…

Alabama Hills with Michael…Dec. 2017

Alabama Hills, above Lone Pine, CA…

Mt. Whitney Portal waterfall…Michael, Liz Tran, Ally & HERO…Dec. 2017

Northern CA…first trip to Pullman, WA  to recon WSU…

With Kyle and Liz in the redwoods…

Big trees…

With the family at Virginia Lakes – August 2017…

Family hike into the backcountry…

The last phone booth, Bridgeport, CA August 2017…

AM snacking at the Jolly Kone in Bridgeport, CA…

Taking a break in the parking lot a Little Virginia Lake…

Pleasant Valley Res., Bishop, CA – November 2017

Sandtrap Lone Pine Creek…November 2017…

 

NEXT:  HERO Part II…Pullman, WA, Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Nevada and home…2018 -2023

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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UP TO THE SIERRA WITH NADIA and MILES…

I have been somewhat remiss in putting up posts. Life has a way of taking over. I completed a miniPCNL surgery in June, 2022 to remove all remaining kidney stones and fragments. The Doctors tell me it was successful and now it’s question of preventing the formation of new stones – given that my Ostomy is a creator of the same. Got slammed by COVID  early in January, spending four days in the hospital and a visit with Ally to the emergency room a week later for COVID / COPD related breathing problems…Got all my vaccinations and  boosters so I am still above ground and sucking in air… it would not have been so pleasant had I not done that. The anti-vax crowd can take Elmo’s rocket to Mars or just drop dead…Three members of my Senior Georgia Military Academy class are gone due to COVID. One was a best, lifelong friend who refused to get vaccinated and had become a devoted cult member … SMDH

So I have all these pictures to put up and I will start HERE:

Departing Los Angeles for Bridgeport, CA with my oldest daughter Nadia and my Grandson Miles…

The remains of the Homestead, where Hwy. 14 turns into Hwy. 395…burned to the ground in April 2022…a lot of great meals were served there to my family from the 60’s on…

The remains…

Approaching Red Hill above Little Lake…Owens Valley ahead…

…another casualty …the Ranch House in Olancha, CA…

Owens Lake in need of water…

…somewhere down there, on the road to Owens Lake, out in the sand and sagebrush, lies a wedding ring that my Mother tossed after an argument with my Father around 1953…

The Winnedumah Hotel in Independence, CA…a bit of roadside history…

…walked a lot of miles in the sand and alkali dust over there on the right with my Dad, Twin Brother and kids…

Ally likes this BBQ joint in Big Pine, CA…

A family favorite in Bishop, CA...Schat’s Bakery…

Crowley Lake…Mammoth Lakes ahead…

Gotta’ stop here for a few essentials...Troutfitter

Mono Lake, CA where the seagulls breed and brine shrimp live…

Coming down the grade towards Bridgeport, CA…

Virginia Creek Settlement source of most excellent pizza and other good eats…

I have not been here since October 2017 so it’s treat time for the guys… Bridgeport Inn

The only place I will order meat loaf with mashed potatoes…Yummy

The Usual Virgin Bloody Mary…

Miles is so easy to feed …chicken nuggets and fries…

The Old Guy is pleased…

…an early evening trip down to the East Walker River…

..warm, dirty water with lots of algae and biting bugs…

Miles at the pipe…on the East Walker River…

Very little water in Bridgeport Reservoir…

Just a pretty sunset looking up towards Twin Lakes…

Early morning sunrise from the Walker River Lodge…

Heading up to Little Virginia lake for some coffee and bacon with Carolyn Webb…

That guy can’t wait to wet a line…

The catch board…

Time to rent the boat…

…so I let Miles row…

Not bad Miles !!!…First time Miles has fished since 2017…

OK…the Old Guy…

We quit around noon and decided to head up tp Green Creek. I haven’t been up there in quite a few years…

Nice pull in spot…there’s water…a biting bugs …

The fenced meadow…

Wet wader, scaring the Brookies…

We decided to have dinner at the Virginia Creek Settlement… no pizza this time…

I haven’t had this since I was about seven years old…

Taking a look at the menu…

Went with the fettuccine alfredo with chicken…

Burger Boy…

Salad Mom…

So…they raise Trout at the settlement that are planted in Green Creek. Miles go a bag of pellets to feed the guys…

He really enjoyed this…

…a quick run up to Twin Lakes to see what was going on….

...the dude ranch where Miles wants to stay on his next visit…

Last day of fishing…back up to Little Virginia Lake…

Miles can’t wait, so while we eat, he does the fly and bubble from shore…

There he goes…rigging up…

He caught one while waiting for us to finish eating…

…was a bit slower than the previous day…

There…pure joy !!!

All the Trout we caught were released to make someone else have a good day…

WE again quit around noon and drove to Leavitt Meadows for Miles’ and Nadias’ trail ride…

…geared up…

Trail riders…

While those guys went off into the hinterlands, I went down to the West Walker River to peek at the flows…

Very low and warm…

Miles the dog whisperer…

…next on the agenda was a soaking at Travertine Hot Springs…

Miles is an alien…

One more go-round at The Bridgeport Inn…

Garden salad…

Prime rib, Mashed potatoes and real horseradish…

Back to LA…

…but not before a stop at Schat’s in Bishop…

…YIKES !!!

Guys got the goods and some lunch stuff…

Wanted to give Miles one last chance at a Trout, so we stopped at the George’s Creek Sand Trap above Lone Pine…no moving water, algae and muck…

Really disappointing…

When one knows they have left the Owens Valley…Red Hill headed South…

 

These are the soft hackle patterns that I tied for this trip and for Cairo’s trip up to the Sierra…

 

NEXT: Cairo in the Eastern Sierra…

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

 

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Pullman to Los Angeles…

Aly and I left Pullman to head down to Los Angeles on Thursday, July 25. She went to visit her Mom and friends and I came down for further medical care in Southern California…I will be down here until there is a resolution of those issues. I look forward to being in Pullman once again and fishing in Eastern Washington and Idaho. I have already received an invitation to fly fish with a friend on the Madison River, in Montana, next Summer…I would like to do that as well…

See ya’ La Casa…

How is all this stuff going to fit in that tiny car ???

Belted up and ready to zoom …

Next stop Winnemucca, Nevada…

Scorching the Palouse on the road to Lewiston, Idaho for the last time… for awhile…

Past the Town Hall in Uniontown, WA…

Until next time…Clearwater River, Idaho…

South on U.S. 95 in Idaho…

Past Riggins, Idaho making good time…

Junk food from a gas station in Riggins…

Canyon driving in Idaho…Ally and I saw a horrific accident shortly after this photo was taken…

Along the Salmon River…

We saw a lot of folks in watercraft on the river…

Coming down into Whitebird, Idaho…

North of Payette, Idaho heading into farmland and the flats…

Hops for brewing near the Idaho / Oregon border…

More farms … Oregon is a few short miles up the road…where the hills are , in the distance…

Right up there…

HERO and Ally take a break…

Ally’s rental “Rice Rocket”…amazingly, we stuffed a ton of luggage and stuff in there…

The great expanse of Eastern Oregon…

Owyhee River near Rome, Oregon…

As we entered Northern Nevada, the clouds and lighting were downright splendid…I took a bunch of photos all the way to Winnemucca…

More #2…

More #3…

More #4…

More #5…

 I made Ally stop the vehicle, about 60 miles North of Winnemucca, for this one…Thanks Ally !!!

The usual spot to spend the night…

Dinner !!!

…and for Allo, a cocktail which did not ward off the mosquitoes…

Cheese and Beef Burritos with the fixin’s and rice…Yummy…

6AM up and out …gas at the Mini-Mart…

Hero…ready to roll…

No…that’s my seat…

Pointed West and it is raining…

Walker Lake, just North of Hawthorne, Nevada…

Preppers delight …more ammo bunkers than anywhere else on Earth…

On Hwy. 6, approaching  the White Mountains in Western Nevada…

More of the White Mountains close to the California state line…

Americana…Benton Station, CA…

Almost to Bishop in the Chalfant Valley…

North of Bishop, near Five Bridges and the Lower Owens River…The Sierra in front…

Turn left…Here…

395 in Bishop and my favorite Mexican joint in the Sierra…

Big Pine…Lawd help us !!!

Lookout point for Tule Elk on the left and Charlie’s Butte  just ahead…pointy, black, shiny objects made from obsidian…

Worth the drive from Pullman…Frosty Chalet, Lone Pine, CA …

Lunch at Spainhower Park, creekside, in Lone Pine, CA…

Dogs with mustard, relish & onions…Rings too !!!

Back with this guy, in LA…

 

NEXT: Michael on the Metolius and Deschutes Rivers…

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

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DOWN THE ROAD…to L.A.

The following three posts will cover the trip that Ally, Nick, Hero & I took back to the environs of Southern California for the 2018 Christmas Holidays. Some of the photos in this family travelogue were lifted from Ally, Michael and Nadia…I only took a few photos over the duration ( 1600+)…This post features  our two day trek down to Los Angeles…

Nick packing up the rental vehicle so the kids don’t have to put wear and tear on their own rides…

Ally takes the first shift driving until dark. We left at about 11AM …Ally needed burger fuel…

Snow in the pastures as we headed South towards Lewiston, ID…

Coming down the grade into Lewiston, ID where the Clearwater River become the Snake River…

Lewiston, off to the right looking South…

Gas stop in the flatlands of Idaho, on Hwy. 95…

Canyon country South of Lewiston, ID…

Canyon driving with the white stuff…

Coming down a steep grade into Whitebird, ID…

Along the Salmon River…

Riggins, ID…Jet boat and rafting town…

Downhill towards Boise, ID…

A rough estimate of location…

Chilly out there…

Sunset near Marsing, ID…

A long stretch of road through Oregon and down to Winnemucca, NV where we finally got some food…Chihuahua’s | Grill & Cantina…

Up at 6AM…

Heading West in Nevada…

Walker Lake, near Hawthorne, NV…

Getting close, California is that second range of mountains in the background !!!

Ally takes Hero for a pit stop…right at the state line…

Back in the high life again…

That looks familiar…the High Sierra, Lower Owens River to the right…just outside Bishop, CA…

After gas…the place to stock up on treats for the family…Mahogany Smoked Meats, Bishop, CA…

Fill ‘er up…Paiute Palace, Bishop, CA…

Ally’s happy now !!!

Late afternoon in Lone Pine, CA…where it all started and a lot of good memories…

Cinder Cone and Fossil Falls…heading South on 395…

Red Rock Canyon State Park at sunset…Santa Clarita, CA …

Hwy. 14…lots of friends and memories here…

Unloading in Burbank, CA and waiting for Lil’ Moo, Greg and Nadia…

Dinner with the guys …where else…Bob’s Big Boy…

 

 

Next: L.A., Big Moo in the Upper Desert, PT & Family in the Lower Desert and around town…what do we eat next ???

 

 

PT/TB

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Outta’ HERE…or, follow THAT truck !!!…

So…on Monday, July 9, I said goodbye to Los Angeles after forty seven years and headed North with Ally, Nick and Hero for the Pacific Northwest, Steelhead and Salmon,new adventures and a stone’s throw from Idaho…

Under the bougainvillea gate…

Past the LA Aqueduct, on the hill, that brings water from the Eastern Sierra and Owens Valley into the San Fernando Valley…

A gourmet, tailgate breakfast with the crew in Mojave, CA where the wind always blows…

Through Red Rock Canyon State Park…

Past Little Lake on Hwy 395…

Goodbye, for awhile, to the Dino Hut outside of Olancha…

…and Owens Lake nearby…

Through Lone Pine, CA where I caught my first Trout when I was five and the Pizza Factory – (“We toss ‘Em , They’re Awesome”) that Michael loved when he was little…

High Sierra Outfitters in Lone Pine where my Father bought Salmon Eggs and Red Worms for my twin Brother and I, back in the 1950’s…

…and, of course , the Frosty Chalet where the best hot dogs, french fries and chocolate shakes I ever had  – after hunting for chukar, quail and pheasant in the Owens Valley back in the day…

This was the Georges Fire that had started the afternoon of Sunday, July 8 and was ragging in the foothills of the Sierra as we headed North towards Independence, CA…I spent a lot of time up in that area, through the years, fishing for Trout and later, teaching Michael and Ally how to target shoot…

Looking down towards the Owens Valley way up along Georges Creek…

The White Mountains below Independence, CA…

Ally’s favorite BBQ in the Owens Valley…Copper Top in Big Pine, CA…

Along Hwy 6, North of Bishop on the way to Nevada…

Ally & Hero at the stateline…later California…

Up the grade…where’s the truck?

S’Socorro’s Place, Mina, Nevada…

Ally…healthy eating…

“Don’t ask me…”

There is the truck !…on to Winnemucca !!!

Winnemucca …1st. stop.

Overnight accommodations…

Morning in Winnemucca…

Halfway there…

Looking East, North of Winnemucca…

Last Chance to gamble … McDermitt, NV..

Flagman…hurry up and wait…almost in Oregon…

Rustic indeed…

Southeast Oregon…more desert…

There’s that truck with Nick !…

Always with the stickers…

Pit stop for Hero…

Dropping down into farmland in Idaho…

Somewhere near Arcadia, Idaho…

North of Fruitvale, ID on Hwy 95…

Near Weiser, ID…looking North…

Looking South…

Entering Payette National Forrest…

Finally, some forested mountains…

This is a very pretty place that needs some additional exploring…

45th Parallel in Western Idaho…

Little Salmon River... headwaters…

The Summit above White Bird, ID…

The Salmon River…

Outside of Lewiston, ID…

Lewiston Hill…Entering Washington State…

On to Pullman, WA…

Apples in the front and backyard…

Ally & Hero…

My new view…  🙂

 

NEXT: Lil’ Moo in Maui then BIG MOO on the Madison River and other places…

 

 

PT/TB

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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BISHOP, CA … with Ally, Hero and Nick…

Ally asked me to come with her, Hero and Nick, up to Bishop for a weekend of fishing Nov. 3-5…and, “Oh yeah Dad, bring some soft hackles and Seal Buggers !”… 🙂

Red Hill (cinder cone) at Little Lake, CA signaling the entry into the Owens Valley and Eastern Sierras on Hwy. 395…North

Mt. Whitney from the Eastern Sierra Visitor Center in Lone Pine, CA

The center offers campfire permits, maps, information and some very interesting reading material. I have been coming here since the early 80’s when the building was to the right of this location and a lot smaller…

…more

and more…

So, when we arrived in Bishop, Nick and Ally went to pick out a primitive campsite for their stay. I went to the Vagabond Inn because they have nice soft beds, heat,  a shower and TV so I could watch the Miami / Va. Tech game on Saturday night…

After I checked in, we headed up to North Lake above Bishop to try out some soft hackles…it was cold and windy…Ally watches Nick fishing…

The leaves were almost gone from most of the trees in the area…

Nick caught a couple of small-ish Browns…

…on this soft hackle pattern which has been my top producer in the high elevation lakes in the Easter Sierras over the past three years…

With the wind starting to blow a lot harder, we decided to take a jaunt down the mountain and visit the Lower Owens River below 5 Bridges an area I haven’t been to in quite awhile because of the drought here in California…I knew the flows were too high for wading and fly fishing (541cfs. that day)…

This photo was taken in 2002…

This is the same spot in 2017…The spot was filled with brush and there had been a die-off of the trees on the opposite bank…

I used to drive my rig in here and park on the left next to the extended tree branch…There is now a deep gully between where I am standing, taking this photo and Ally and Hero near the bank of the Owens…

… in fact, just to the right of where Ally is standing , this large tree once stood. It is gone…

…Nick and I standing where brush did not exist a few years ago…

I used to park just under the branch that extends off the right of this tree in the past…

 

This is looking upstream from that spot…The entire area on the near side of the bank is completely overgrown…

This is another location, just upstream of where I used to park my vehicle…looking towards the White Mountains…

…and back towards the Sierras at sunset…

I have taken a lot of nice Trout out of the bend section just upriver…

This run is very deep at this spot…and shallows out to riffle water just below the trees in the distance…

I took this Brown out of there  when the flows were much lower awhile back…

I will return when the flows decrease…

Saturday morning, it was off to Schat’s Bakery before going up to Pleasant Valley Reservoir…

Trudging along the Owens River where it runs just above PVR…it is a great place to fly fish when the flows are lower…

This is the spot we chose to toss our flies…

Ally, Hero and Beer-O…

Looking South…Some folks next to us took a few small Rainbows on PB, Mice Tails and Inflatable Worms…for us – nada…

…so we trudged back to the vehicle…

…and decided to go back up the mountain and try Intake II on Bishop Creek…

…a small Brownie on a PP&P…and I am wearing gloves because it is cold and very windy…

…a view of a portion of Intake II…

…another Brown…we stayed for about two hours until our hands and fingers did not work anymore. Nick and Ally decided to also get a room at the Vagabond Inn because of the wind and cold…

Something unusual from the doorway of my motel room… at sunset…

This place had been closed for a number of years and had recently reopened…

…back in the day their food was probably among the best served in Bishop…they need to come up to that standard again…

Sunday morning at Jack’s Waffle Shop…

Ally…

back at Intake II…

I found a sweet spot in the center of the pond ,over a weed bed and caught about 25 small Browns and one Rainbow in two hours…using the PP&P…

Finny Rainbow…

Hero keeps an eye out for Nick’s catches…

…of which there were quite a few…

Around mid-day we packed up and headed back to LA…stopping at a few sand traps around Lone Pine to toss some flies…Here at Georges Creek…

and Lone Pine Creek…

Reverse side of Red Hill and out of the Owens Valley…

 

NEXT: Back to the Firehole and Madison Rivers in Yellowstone National Park

 

 

PT/TB 

 

 

 

 

 

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PT, ALLY N’ HERO…Lakin’ it in the Sierras…

 It was time to test out patterns for water at high elevation…me and two of the guys spent a day and a half up at Virginia Lakes in the Eastern Sierras. What follows, is a photo journal of that trip August 1-3, 2014…The lakes in the area have Rainbows, German Browns, Eastern Brookies and some Goldens in the higher lakes…  Or destination, Virginia Lakes, at 9700′ near ,Bridgeport, CA…  Sunrise on Hwy. 14, in the Mohave desert, just nort of Red Rock Canyon… ALLY, passing The Homestead, in Indian Wells Valley, off Hwy 395, as the sun comes up… The volcano…one has arrived at Little Lake and the gateway to the Owens Valley… The Dino Hut in Olancha, CA… Mmmmm….Mahogany Smoked Meats, in Bishop, CA…the best jerky on the planet… Just  a portion of what they have… Pit stop for Hero in Lee Vining…. Finally, after eight hours, the back porch…at the Walker River Lodge, Bridgeport, CA… We arrive…Little Virginia Lake…Tubers go left! I like to fish from a boat because it provides a high platform to spot cruisers… Some of the patterns that I used on Little Virginia: SOFT HACKLES… STREAMERS/BUGGERS… SCUDS…not the sowbugs !   WHAT worked best on this particular trip…   Pheasant Tail & Partridge…ticket was #16 / Peacock & Partridge, #12 was the champ… strip ’em fast on an intermediate line… STRIPPING SOFT HACKLES… Purple Peacock and Partridge, #12…I used this pattern first, stripped fast on an intermediate line and it slammed…but, I had others to try… YELLOW PT/ QSB/ STARLING SOFT HACKLE , #18 – I fished this over the weed beds on a floating line and caught Brookies and Rainbows around mid-day on Saturday… this little guy was a blast !  Little Virginia about an hour from sunset… KELLY GLISSMEYER’S SPRING CREEK SCUD – #18…Stripped slowly then a six inch burst, or using a hand twist retrieve with a rod twitch, near or over weeds or weed beds, this pattern is a High Sierra Lake KILLER…use an intermediate line if the air temps. are warm during the day…a floating line works well in the evening or early morning when the light is low and scuds are more active near the surface… OWENS “OFFENDER” HS CH  #6 – I designed this pattern for use in the Fall on the Owens River but had an idea that it would also work in some high elevation lakes…strip this fly FAST, on an intermediate line (the cone gets it down) with pronounced jerks of the rod tip…and hold on…this took my largest fish of the trip, a 4lb. Rainbow… LEFT OVER KLINK – This was a surprise..I had tied these up several years ago and have used them on a number of rivers with some success…these, in Olive, Brown and Black were absolutely fish slayers on Little Virginia Lake in #14 & #16…Srrip ’em fast on an intermediate line… The old guy with a 4lb. Rainbow that Ally took home…on this trip, I caught more fish in a day and a half than on any other visit of the same duration. Most were in the 10″- 12″ category with a couple of 16″ – 18″ Trout in the mix… Coming down the mountain, for dinner… …at the Bridgeport Inn… THE Garlic toast…this is as far as we got taking pictures…too famished !!!

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The next day: Ally in the boat… HERO in the middle…Then these two split… again… for some trekking while I stayed and fished… HERE is a compliation of trails, curios and lakes in the surrounding area…Thanks ALLY !!!! Cooney Lake…on the trail to Summit Pass (11.100′)… HERO takes a break… Frog Lake #2… HERO getting a workout… The Trekking Pup..with six legs..I gotta’ ask Ally how she did this… The Miner’s Cabin on the trail to Summit Pass, just before Cooney Lake… Another view… On the trail… Frog Lake #1…loaded with stunted Brookies… Ally… Creek break… Oh…doe deer… Above Frog Lake #2… Hero…taking in the view… Meandering (mostly) dry creek… Ally & Hero on the Alpine beach… A smoky look down the mountain…smoke from fires burning on the West Slope really got bad on Saturday… The same lake (Moat) without the beach dwellers… Up a creek… Hero plays it cool…   Ally and Hero selfie… Hero in the pines… Ally takes a short drive up to Twin Lakes… …and hikes a trail near there… Back up the mountain to pick up Dad… …and back down towards Bridgeport…the smoke is worse… Time for dinner at the Virginia Creek Settlement… Oh yeah…

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We we going to fish again on Sunday morning , however, the weather took a turn for the worse…so.. ...a  quick visit to Ken’s Sporting Goods… A view of the fly box…now that’s a FLY BOX…then off tho check out Bridgeport Res. and the East Walker River… Bridgeport Res. …not good…the water is very, very low… <- Bridgeport Res – East Walker River -> The first pool on the EWR…the flows are low and the water is warm with lots of algae…we needs a ton of snow this coming Winter… …Back up the mountain to say goodbye to fellow tier and operator of Virginia Lakes Resort along with her husband John – Carolyn Webb… Ally takes a seat and admires… …This six lb. Brown that came out of Little Virginia Lake in 2006… Where Carolyn server up some fantastic pies… The Trout board in the cafe… Ally and Hero…one last bite of left over pizza and a goodbye… …down the mountain to Conway Summit… Hero wants to see… The Mono Inn over looking Mono Lake…we have had some great meals here through the years and it has finally re-opened… Rain in the Owens Valley…Near Big Pine… The volcano and back to what passes as the real world…

Pop with Michael at Big Virginia Lake in 1987…

Just below Summit Pass… looking back towards Virginia Lakes…1987 – two years before Ally was born…Yup I like it up there…

NEXT: Gettin’ ready for Fall…

PT/TB  

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BURNIN’ SUNLIGHT…OWENS VALLEY…

Michael and Aimee came in from NYC for Christmas and Michael and I wanted to do something with his sister Ally that we have not done together in awhile…at his time of year…

A pond which will remain nameless somewhere in the middle of the Owens Valley around which native Americans lived and hunted…

Déjà (Ally & Moo) vu…

Michael checks the map coordinates…

HERO says, “This must be the place !!!”…

Ally says. “Yup, he’s right !”…

The black obsidian and yellow or red jasper thingees may be found in the surrounding area…

Ally and HERO at the George’s Creek Sand Trap…a stop for a bit of lunch and a lot more water than when we were here in March…

Michael prepares the Sierra standard…

Mmmmm…good stuff !!!…

HERO gets his handout…

Back in the day, I found the largest obsidian spear point ever…along that creek bed in the distance…my Dad wore it around his neck in a gold setting…

Michael scours the landscape…

A stop by Lone Pine Creek where Michael learned how to fish when he was little…

Ally in the parking area below Whitney Portal…getting ready to look for a snowball to hit Pop with…HERO lurks in the background…

There was a little snow up there…

Looking down the same road towards the Owens Valley and Lone Pine below…

The colors at sunset…

Last Light…Mt. Whitney Portal RD.  ….

The Bridge on Lone Pine Creek…

Ally, Michael and HERO…hanging out for a time before…

…dinner here…

…eats…

A plate of stuff we found, during the day…Hit some areas we had not been to in about 15 years…lot of much older obsidian on the plate…

NEXT: Finish the SCUDS and then some new attractor patterns including Euro Jigs…

PT/TB 

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8 Days on the EASTSIDE (SIERRAS) PT and SON…PART III

This is a compilation of different photos of the the Eastern Sierra areas we visited on our trip to Bridgeport this May..in no particular order, a little bit of everything…

Hot Creek, before it flows into the Upper Owens River...

Michael with another nice Brown from the East Walker River…

Bridgeport at dusk…

Michael…the Brown Boy…

He catches them in the snow too…

The East Walker, on a nice day, in the section above the meadow…

Another Brown from the bend…

That kid just won’t stop…

Michael…looking for MORE…

He’s killin’ me…

Release !!!…

Gary Cooper goes Fly Fishing…with Beef Jerky…

The “OLD GUY” gets one…

He’s got that MORE on again…

Driving down to Hot Creek…Mono Lake in the foreground…and “Grey Guy” has his Simms waders on…

Michael walking and working Hot Creek…

A nice Rainbow from Hot Creek for Michael…too windy…

Michael preps a Brown for Aimee’s Bronica…

Another Brown at the bend for MOO…

STOP..I am dead already…  

The West Walker up in the meadow…

Aimee with her camera up in the canyon of the West Walker River…

Up in the canyon…

Robinson Creek at Doc and Al’s…

Lower Hot Creek…

Mono Lake…

Main StreeT, Bridgeport, CA…gettin’ ready for dinner…

The SPORTSMENS maybe ???…

NAW…Virginia Creek Settlement for dinner…

Brown to net…

Brown in hand…

SMILE…that one came from the white water above…

MOO, workin’ the meadow section when the flow was at 400 + cfs. …

PT gets one more…

Wading the “SUCKER TRENCH”…did take a nice ‘Bow and Brown in here…

Keep ’em coming…

Michael chases something big around the bend into heavy water…

Michael working the far bank as shadows start to fall…

Aimee, camera at the ready on the West Walker River…

Robinson Creek, before the meadow…

COWS, for ALLY, along the Upper Owens River…

GREY GUY wadered up and ready to go Fly Fishing…

A cold morning looking North at the Sierras in Bridgeport, CA…

Past Bridgeport Res. and on to the East Walker…

Michael selects a fly pattern (one of Aimee’s photos that will appear elsewhere – I will link )…

OLD, “Hippie Dude”…fly fishing the East Walker…

Michael at the bewitcin’ hour on the East Walker…using a Simply Red…again…

The Bar at the Bridgeport Inn where some BOZO “threw away” his first sobriety in 1987…only  spicy,”Virgin Marys ” for the past 17 years…

The camera that took most of the photos…

ALLY’s ” ‘TUDE “… on PT & Son’s GREAT Adventure…”Take me shooting again !!!…”

Next: UNFINISHED CADDIS

PT/TB  

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