4 STAR GUIDE TO FLY FISHING IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA

CENTRAL CALIFORNIA HAS MANY LAKES AND STREAMS WHICH ARE SUITABLE FOR FLY FISHING California has hundreds of lakes and streams suitable for fly fishing, and Central California has its share. Later I will try to cover many of the lakes and streams, but now I will focus on the ones I am familiar with. For example, to start, I will describe some of the qualities of the Merced River and Spicer Meadows Reservoir. For those of you who are unfamiliar with fly fishing, we do not go out in the summertime and catch houseflies and put them on our hooks for bait! *Smile* Fly fishing is the age-old practice of fishing with artificial lures called flies, which are made out of natural and synthetic materials, and which are created to match the natural aquatic food of the fish. Some of the prominent insects imitated are Caddisflies, Stoneflies, Mayflies, grasshoppers, crickets, etc. Anglers who fish with spinning rods and reels use the bait or lures and any attached weight on the line to carry the line out when cast. On the other hand, since in fly fishing the lures are often small and lightweight, the line itself is the weight used to carry it out when cast. It takes several weeks to master the technique of fly line casting, and even the better casters are constantly learning how to do it better. Many fly fishers tie their own flies, and one of the great rewards of fly fishing is to tie a fly, take it to the stream and fool the fish with it. The first fish I ever caught on a fly I tied was around 1975 when I was taking a fly tying class at Merced College from Roger Imbrogno. I took my fly out to the outlet canal at Lake Yosemite, which is on the outskirts of Merced, California, observed a natural fly fall into the water, saw the fish grab it, then cast my fly to look like the natural, and watched as the fish gobbled the fly. What a thrill!

MERCED, CALIFORNIA FLY FISHING CLUB I am a member of the MERCED FLY FISHING CLUB, whose general meeting is the 4th Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. at the CITI BANK at 1840 M Street (corner of 19th and M), Merced, California. The club does not meet during the months of June, July, August, and December, since most members are either out fishing somewhere or celebrating at home with their families. Click on the Merced Flyfishing Club web page at MercedFlyfishingClub. In the picture at the right Wade Meiers and I are manning a table during a fly tying demonstration at the Merced Mall. Club members do a variety of activities in order to publicize the sport of fly fishing and give instructions on how to get started. The club also works on a Free Fish Day for disabled young people out at Lake Yosemite, as well as working with the schools in the area on trout-hatching programs. We also do conservation activities, like picking up the trash along the banks of the lower Merced River and fighting to keep the upper Merced River a wild and scenic waterway. Once a year in June on the free fishing day, the Merced Flyfishing Club assists the Merced County Recreation Department and the State Fish and Game Department in the Handicapped Fishing Day. About a hundred children and adults fish at Scout Island on Lake Yosemite, just outside of Merced, and they have a wonderful time, catching 5 fish and having them cleaned so they can take them home. The picture on the left is of the Calaveras Fish Farm employee planting rainbow trout, and the picture on the right is of Bill Knapp, a member of the Merced FlyFishing Club, helping a handicapped person land and save the trout. (Thanks to Robert McGinnis for these pictures.) The club's home river is the Merced River, but these days the lower river below Crocker-Huffman Dam is without many decent game fish, although it has plenty of rough fish. The picture of me on the right was at a time when the river was the home of rainbow trout. The upper river from Yosemite National Park downstream to Bryceburg is mostly trout fishing and below Bryceburg is mostly smallmouth bass fishing although you might find either trout or smallmouth in either section. The river within the boundaries of Yosemite National Park has both Brown and Rainbow trout, as well as rough fish. From the Happy Isles footbridge (Mariposa County) downstream to the western boundry of Yosemite National Park at El Portal, the season is the last Saturday in April through November 15. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used, and the limit is 0 Rainbows and 5 Brown trout. This picture of the Merced River was taken by J.R. Dunster, who loves Yosemite and who has an excellent web site accessed by clicking Yosemite Photos and Art. From the boundry of Yosemite National Park at El Portal downstream to the Foresta Bridge, the Merced River is open all year, with artificial lures and barbless hooks. 0 Rainbows may be taken and 5 Brown trout. From Foresta Bridge downstream to Lake McClure, rainbow trout are planted regularly, and anglers can fish with bait or artificial lures; in this section the season for the last Saturday in April through November 15 is 5 trout, and the season for November 16 through the Friday preceding the last Saturday in April is 2 trout. The most prominent flies in the river are Caddis flies, but there are also Stoneflies and Mayflies, too. In Merced County, from Crocker-Huffman Dam downstream to the Schaffer bridge on Montpelier Road, the season is January 1 through October 15, with artificial lures and barbless hooks, and the limit is 0 trout and salmon. From the Schaffer bridge on Montpelier Road downstream to the mouth, the season is January 1 through October 15, and bait may be used, but check for the special regulations for the April 1 through fourth Saturday in May period. DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS ABOUT FISHING IN CENTRAL CALIFORNIA AND ESPECIALLY YOSEMITE? A good source for information is a member of our Merced Flyfishing Club, and a certified Yosemite Park fishing guide (and a good one) Tim Hutchins. His web site is Here, and his email is Tim@yosemiteflyfishing.net. If you have questions about fishing the Merced River or fishing in the area around Yosemite National Park, why don't you contact him. He is much more knowledgeable than I am about conditions and where to fish. Another excellent source of information and also a member of our Merced Fly Fishing Club, Steve Beck, has written an informative guide to trout fishing in Yosemite National Park. He covers all the main geographical areas of the park, and includes maps and pictures for illustration. He has written a second book on fishing the John Muir Trail, and both books are accurate guides if you like to fish in the Sierras. You can contact Steve at sbeck@elite.net. If you have questions about fishing in the Yosemite Park area, please contact Steve. He knows more about conditions and places to fish in that area than anyone is our club. A guide service for the lower Merced River is Tim Bermingham's fly fishing guide service. He features jet boat, drift boat, and wading expeditions also on a variety of streams other than the Merced. His web site is here. If you want to check out the stream flows of the Merced River, click HERE.

Wise Counsel I'll never forget Jake. His legs seemed too thin and spindly to hold him against the current of the river. His patched and discolored waders looked older than he was. His fishing vest was tattered and held together with safety pins; his ancient hat was battered and sweat-stained; his antiquated fly rod was scarred and taped. I watched as he worked his way upstream to a patch of quiet water and began to cast. Then I took notice! He was fishing the same water I had fished earlier in the day and catching trout where I had caught none. Here was a man who could teach me a thing or two. All I had to do was ask. We gain insight when we listen to those who have gone before and who know more than we do-insight we miss when our pride stands in the way. We're able to learn from others when we humble ourselves and acknowledge how little we know. Willingness to learn is a mark of those who are truly wise. Consider our Lord as a young boy, "sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions" (Luke 2:46). Proverbs 1:5 says that "a wise man will hear and increase learning, and a man of understanding will attain wise counsel." Let's ask questions of those who've spent their lives seeking God's wisdom. Source: Our Daily Bread, Jan 13, 2003, David Roper

HAVE TROUBLE WITH POISON OAK OR POISON IVY? One of the downsides to fly fishing is going to places infested with poison oak. It can ruin a perfectly successful fishing trip. In the 1998 July/August issue of Health magazine (published by TIME INC HEALTH), author Cynthia Gorney gives us good news about some products that are helpful in preventing or easing the dreaded rash. She recommends "Ivy Block," a clay based compound, which can help keep the gooey stuff from sticking to skin. Then, if you do brush against the plant, she recommends washing with rubbing alcohol and then with water. Or you can purchase "Tecnu," which works like the alcohol. If the rash does start, some products helpful for keeping you comfortable are: calamine lotion, Aveeno oatmeal cream, bath powder, or for mild cases, maximum-strengh antiperspirants or a little baking soda with water. For a serious case, of course, one should always consult a doctor. For full detail of the research and methods of application, see the article. Also, check Dr. Andrew Weil's Web Page for further information. Click under Q/A on Archives, and then click on the article on poison oak and poison ivy.

Spicer Meadows Reservoir is located about 20 miles above Arnold on Highway 4. The lake opens whenever the road is cleared of snow, so it changes from year to year. On 6-11-99, Ken Jensen, his brother Barry, and I fished the lake where Hobart Creek comes in and we had a great day. The weather was in the lower 70's, the sun was bright, the wind was still in the morning, but came up a bit gusty in the afternoon. There were several people there, with a smattering of boats and float tubers and people scattered along the bank where Hobart Creek comes into the reservoir -- but it wasn't crowded, with plenty of room for everybody. The fishing was good, with most of the fish going from 9 to 12 inches, but an occasional 14 incher landed. Ken, Barry, and I each caught about 20 fish (catch-and-release for us), and the best flies were bead-head Bird's Nests and LaFontaine green Caddis pupa, although the fish may prefer different flies as the summer progresses. Alas, Spicer has been changed greatly by the engineers. Hobart Creek is no longer the great place to fish from the bank, but is now a trickle, and is off limits. This is strickly lake fishing now, as float tubes and boats are essential. A good fly shop to consult if you like to fish the area around and above Arnold on Highway 4 is White Pines Outdoors, P.O. Box 2055, Arnold, CA 95223, (209)795-1054. The shop is located right on Highway 4 in the Meadowmont Shopping Center. Ask for Dan and then be sure to stop in and buy some flies or something. Ask Dan about White Pines Lake at the edge of Arnold and also Alpine Lake which is above Spicer Meadows Reservoir. Finally check out the Stanislaus River in the Big Pines Park just past Arnold. Often by law the water flows are kept consistent during the summer.

FISHING ON THE UPPER SACRAMENTO RIVER A group from the Merced Fly Fishing Club traveled to the Upper Sacramento River near Dunsmuir and had a great time catching Rainbow trout. The best time was an hour before dark when the insects began to swarm in large numbers. However, we usually fished at different times of the day and had some success anytime. During the day we used small flies, from #14 down, but in the evening, when the fish went crazy, we could use big stonefly patterns or other large buggy patterns and the fish would take them.

Do you know what the fish said when it swam into a concrete wall? "Dam!"

Thanks to Jon Williams for this.

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