High Sierra Fishing
Here are what you need to know:
- Fishing license if you're 16+, buy it at home.
- Know your knots: surgeons knot to join leader to reel line, improved clinch for fly/hook/lure to reel line.
- Pack light. Put rod in a cardboard sleeve to protect it (plastic golf club sleeves are great). Leave big plastic rod cases home. Check reel for operation, try it at home. Look for those little pieces that make everything work, like reel handle nuts. Miss any little part and you're out of luck!
- If you take salmon eggs or Power Bait remove them from glass jars and double, yes double, ziplock bag each bait. Remember bears love salmon eggs too! Store all smelly bait in a Bear Bag or leave it in Mr. Knapps tent.
- Barbless hooks. Bend down each hook barb, you'll rarely loose a fish with a barbless hook. If you do, try again. Hook removal is much easier if barbless. You'll thank me if the removal is from your finger!
- Know your limit. Trout limit in California is 5 a day. PRACTICE CATCH AND RELEASE. Thank you.
- Keep only what you will eat TODAY. Release all rainbow and golden trout.
- Keep the little brook trout for dinner because they reproduce much too fast and can overrun rainbows territory. The golden trout is our Calif. State fish.
- If a fish swallows a hook (bait fishing) cut the line and release the fish. The hook will rot away quickly.
- Releasing a fish? Handle it with WET hands to preserve its protective body slime.
- Help keep the wilderness clean, pick up someone elses trash every day. Leave the stream/lakes cleaner than when you got there.
Things to take:
- Multi-piece rod in a protective cover, reel with fresh 6# line.
- Cast-a-bubbles, small split shot
- Lures: Mepps, Super Dupper, Dare Devils, small chrome lures-barbless
- Flies provided
- Fly rod/reel on loan-treat this rig carefully
- Flour, oil and foil to cook trout
- Needle nose pliers (share with other guys)
- Sun screen and use it!!!
- A camera to show me your biggest RELEASED fish
- Take pictures and leave only footprints