Although we have based our fishing trips in Mammoth Lakes in the past, this year we stayed in Bishop. This year's fishing trip was just me and Rick. In the past we have had both families. We elected Bishop because it is central, but we tended to fish in the locations we have found fruitful before. In hindsight we could have stayed in Mammoth.
The La Quinta provided a nice place to stay and our breakfast was included in the deal. Got to start each morning with a good breakfast included in the deal.
I don't think Bishop is a pretty town, although I would have no trouble living there. What makes Bishop work for me is it's location. It is central to just about everything in the area and the views looking out form town in just about any direction are fantastic. In 1996, Men's Journal Magazine, according to Sierra Web was named the "coolest mountain town." That works for me: I agree.
From Bishop, one can drive west about 20 miles to the Lake Sabrina, 9,100 feet elevation. There are a lot of lakes in this direction, but Sabrina is an easy one to get to. Trails will take one into the high country lakes, which are simply incredible. Although I have hiked to these lakes in the past, that was not in the plan on this trip. Click here to see a satellite view of the area and zoom out to see all of the high country lakes that are relatively close by. One has to be in good shape for the hikes. Also, take a look at some really fine photos of the lakes taken by Susanne Z. Riehemann. Do not know her, but her pictures of the area - Sabrina Basin - are outstanding.
Big trout are caught in Sabrina every year, mostly rainbow I believe. Behind the lake stands Mt Tom, around 14,000 feet high, (unfortunately, not named after me) and at the lake there is the trail head for seven of the high country lakes. Steve Eckert put together some driving information for more of the trail heads in the area.
To the north of Bishop there are two options: Hwy 395 which works its way to Pendelton Oregon and Hwy 6, which runs through Benton and then turns east through Nevada and Utah. It ends in Green River, Utah. I have not taken the Hwy 6 option.
Highway 395 climbs out of the Owens Valley -Bishop sits at the north end of the valley at xxx feet - to about 7,072 feet at Tom's Place. Another location not named after me. Continuing even higher Hwy 395 continues north toward the June Lake cutoff. I'll cover this area in a following post.
To the east of Bishop are the Bristle Cone Pines, a forest of ancient trees at about 11,000 feet in the White Mountain Range. Actually, there is no direct east running road. One has to go south to Big Pine and then turn east, but at the top of the White Mountains, one realizes that the trees are east of Bishop. More on this in a follow-up post.
Also out of Big Pine is Big Pine Creek Campground and Glacier Lodge. Turn on Crocker St. which becomes Glacier Lodge Rd. More on this in a following post.
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Fishing Trip
We fished from early in the morning to sunset and had a great time. Weather was great. All was good except for my fishing results, but still, I had a fantastic time.
Why do I enjoy fishing any way? Why do people fish? Rick caught some beautiful trout and those that could not survive being released (we try to use catch and release methods) we tried to give to less fortunate fishermen. However, no one that we offered the fish to wanted trout to eat. Why? Why is it that some people love fishing, but not eating the fish? Rick and I talked about this while driving between fishing locations. Some locations we visited were thirty miles apart so driving was necessary. Rick likes fishing because the catch is exciting. I agree although I had less excitement than he did on this trip. Still I had a great time so it isn't just the catch.
I think it is like any other sport which requires focus; by necessity, one is unable to think about the daily things that are normally irritating or stressful and thus there is a de-stressing aspect. Fishing in a stream requires a good understanding of the water flow, the terrain, and the behavior of fish. It also requires good equipment and rigging. Here comes a fish story: Although I came up short on the fish count this trip, I did hook the big one that got away. Because I was struggling with the fish count, Rick and I agreed to swap equipment. He was feeling bad because the difference in the fish count was so substantial. It was with his pole and rigging that I was using when I hooked a trout that looked to both of us like a three pounder. I worked it across the stream and as I tried to get it close to the surface the fish then took a dive down through the mid-stream current and the hook and some of the four pound test line went with him. A three pound fish in a fast running stream is heavier on the line than it would be in a placed lake. So much for the fish that got away story.
Fishing in the Sierra's offers incredible vistas. I think this is part of the fishing appeal. Sure I could hike a trail and see similar things, and I do that, but fishing, such as fishing in a stream, also allows me to focus more closely on what is immediately at hand. Working a stream makes me very much aware of the smaller vistas - the flow of white water into a deep rippled pool or the brush and flowing plants that hug the banks and create shelters for the fish..
There is the climbing in and out of a locations that often do not have trails. I guess what I am saying here is, there are plenty of things to see and unique challenging places to negotiate and that makes fishing a fun experience.
Okay, thus far I have said fishing offers excitement, is de-stressing, provides adventure and offers challenges. The degree of any of these that one experiences is based on what the fisherman wants. I can remember hiking a mile down into a canyon with my dad a rather long time ago. There were no trails and it was snake country on the Kern River. All went well, but the climb out, with fish (my dad was one of those that actually liked to eat trout as long as it was coated with meal and fried) was hell. This recollection reminds me that building memories is another reason folks like to fish.
Rick remembered his daughter as a little girl and the times they used to go fishing together. When he told one of his stories about how he would show her, at a very young age, how to hold the pole, I could actually see it vividly in my mind's eye. I recalled my dad and our experiences together and now my memories of fishing trips with my good friend Rick. Fishing is something one can teach others to do without a great expenditure and the conversations while on a fishing trip can be diverse and deep. Yes, I said deep. This I assure you, I have never heard anyone on a fishing trip talk about trite stuff. There are no Kardashians in fishing. Teaching the children or grandchildren to fish is actually teaching them to love and respect all that is natural at the same time; and sharing focused quality conversations about really important things, like how the beautiful scenery was created by great forces of nature, builds knowledge for all and deep memories too.
John Muir called the magical Sierra Nevada range the "range of light" because he took the time to live and experience the amazing places within the vast mountain range. He sometimes referred to his experiences in the mountains as spiritual and once said "....climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."
The Sierra Nevada, which in Spanish means snowy mountain range, can be experienced while fishing and any experience in these mountains will cause any and all visitors to wonder out loud about all of nature and its forces. Wondering and talking about such things together makes for memories like no others in life.
So the act of fishing is a way of sharing nature with friends and loved ones and thus enriching life's memories.
Why do I enjoy fishing any way? Why do people fish? Rick caught some beautiful trout and those that could not survive being released (we try to use catch and release methods) we tried to give to less fortunate fishermen. However, no one that we offered the fish to wanted trout to eat. Why? Why is it that some people love fishing, but not eating the fish? Rick and I talked about this while driving between fishing locations. Some locations we visited were thirty miles apart so driving was necessary. Rick likes fishing because the catch is exciting. I agree although I had less excitement than he did on this trip. Still I had a great time so it isn't just the catch.
I think it is like any other sport which requires focus; by necessity, one is unable to think about the daily things that are normally irritating or stressful and thus there is a de-stressing aspect. Fishing in a stream requires a good understanding of the water flow, the terrain, and the behavior of fish. It also requires good equipment and rigging. Here comes a fish story: Although I came up short on the fish count this trip, I did hook the big one that got away. Because I was struggling with the fish count, Rick and I agreed to swap equipment. He was feeling bad because the difference in the fish count was so substantial. It was with his pole and rigging that I was using when I hooked a trout that looked to both of us like a three pounder. I worked it across the stream and as I tried to get it close to the surface the fish then took a dive down through the mid-stream current and the hook and some of the four pound test line went with him. A three pound fish in a fast running stream is heavier on the line than it would be in a placed lake. So much for the fish that got away story.
Fishing in the Sierra's offers incredible vistas. I think this is part of the fishing appeal. Sure I could hike a trail and see similar things, and I do that, but fishing, such as fishing in a stream, also allows me to focus more closely on what is immediately at hand. Working a stream makes me very much aware of the smaller vistas - the flow of white water into a deep rippled pool or the brush and flowing plants that hug the banks and create shelters for the fish..
Okay, thus far I have said fishing offers excitement, is de-stressing, provides adventure and offers challenges. The degree of any of these that one experiences is based on what the fisherman wants. I can remember hiking a mile down into a canyon with my dad a rather long time ago. There were no trails and it was snake country on the Kern River. All went well, but the climb out, with fish (my dad was one of those that actually liked to eat trout as long as it was coated with meal and fried) was hell. This recollection reminds me that building memories is another reason folks like to fish.
Rick remembered his daughter as a little girl and the times they used to go fishing together. When he told one of his stories about how he would show her, at a very young age, how to hold the pole, I could actually see it vividly in my mind's eye. I recalled my dad and our experiences together and now my memories of fishing trips with my good friend Rick. Fishing is something one can teach others to do without a great expenditure and the conversations while on a fishing trip can be diverse and deep. Yes, I said deep. This I assure you, I have never heard anyone on a fishing trip talk about trite stuff. There are no Kardashians in fishing. Teaching the children or grandchildren to fish is actually teaching them to love and respect all that is natural at the same time; and sharing focused quality conversations about really important things, like how the beautiful scenery was created by great forces of nature, builds knowledge for all and deep memories too.
John Muir called the magical Sierra Nevada range the "range of light" because he took the time to live and experience the amazing places within the vast mountain range. He sometimes referred to his experiences in the mountains as spiritual and once said "....climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean."
The Sierra Nevada, which in Spanish means snowy mountain range, can be experienced while fishing and any experience in these mountains will cause any and all visitors to wonder out loud about all of nature and its forces. Wondering and talking about such things together makes for memories like no others in life.
So the act of fishing is a way of sharing nature with friends and loved ones and thus enriching life's memories.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)