High Sierra Day

Sprinted off last night for a quick trip up to the High Sierras to look over the snowmelt, check on the fishing -- and snoop out some deer sightings. We saw six or eight deer (6), four or five outhouses and caught very few (0) fish and hiked more miles than I would have liked.

We camped at Hermit Valley under a full moon and fished this morning on the Mokelumne river. The water was pretty high and it was difficult fishing. Things that were normally out of the water were submerged and pocket water was transformed to something else all together. I thnk have managed a strike on a beadhead ... let's just say, there are no bragging rights.

Later in the day, we tried to drive out to Highland Lakes on the Stanislaus river drainage and check out some deer spots for the fall. The road had quite a bit of snow on it so we decided to walk. We never did quite make it out to Highland Lakes, but it was a pretty good hike. I did take this one picture though. Does anyone know what this plant is?

Gone Fishing ...

I am getting ready for some tavel which includes fishing ... so I have been going through my gear. Several things were pretty obvious right of the bat, my 5 piece Winston 3 weight rod is packed in a steel and brass container -- indestructable yes, but quite heavy, and my eight weight bass rod has no case at all. Nothing at all against Winston -- but packing thier rod in a bullet proof case is good for them, since they offer a lifetime full replacement guarentee. The case weighs almost a pound (15.5 oz.). and is 3 inches longer than the rod.

So off I went to work on a solution. Since I recently put a "Gone Fishing" sign up in my window and have virtually no worries for the next few months, I have time for stuff like this. I went off to the local chain fisherperson supply store looking for a new case for both. For the eight weight I found a simple 48" case and trimmed it down to match the 3 piece length of 29 inches, expoxied one of the old caps in place and voila, it's done.

For the 5 piece rod I found a small adjustable tube case, about two inches in diameter, and cut it down to 21 inches. In doing this I reduced the weight by 10.5 oz. and reduced the length of the case over the original by 2 and 3/4 inches. Awesome - and the whole business with the reel weighs just 14.6 oz.

Umm ... I am going fishing.

Ohhh -- I Remember When ..

Slim: Hey -- want to go fishing Sunday?
Me: Sure, where?
Slim: in the ocean. In Pacifica.
Me: Really? OK.

Sunday morning we get up and go over the hill to Pacifica and rent a sixteen foot outboard rowboat and they launch (drop) us off a steep, long ramp made out of telephone poles and we paddle through the breakers, drop the outboard, and poof -- we're in the Pacific in a 16' wood (freakin) outboard rowboat. Fishing for Ling-Cod.

"Just point right at the beach and the waves will take you home -- and {stay to the left of) try to miss the rocks and you'll be ok ... pull the motor up at the last minute ..." I can remember the shoreline from the ocean as if it were yesterday, but the odds of finding it from the beach side today are impossible.

I was sixteen, and Slim was about sixty-nine and my neighbor. I never was scared, and I never felt in danger. I never caught a fish, and I never was seasick. Slim threatened to throw his teeth up over the gunwale and told a shark story or two ... "The shark bit at the back end of the boat and left a bunch of teeth in it -- see -- here's a few," and he holds out a fistful of shark's teeth tied together with a string. If he were here today, I'd get in that boat with him again.

Holy crap. I wish I had taken a camera. You can't imagine the feeling of being on the very edge of the world, beyond the edge of the world -- and out there in the water. Looking back at the land with childish wonder. Holy crap. I wish I had taken a camera. I think it was here where the pillars are in the water.

And, damn, I won that camera the year before at the county fair, by shooting little targets with serious deadly accuracy, or some other crazy game.