Reel Mammoth Adventures

For more information on Reel Mammoth Adventures fly fishing guide service, please visit our actual website:  www.ReelMammothAdventures.com   

Or call Dave 760-914-0465c  email Neal2fish@Qnet.com or find me on Facebook. You can also sign up for my RMA Email Newsletter to receive more of the good stuff. Otherwise, enjoy my unconventional fish report for the Eastern Sierra:

Going From Steelhead to Wild Brown Trout... Winter Fishing in the Eastern Sierra!!

As I mentioned in my last post I'm back home for good in Mammoth Lakes. The local trout have been put on notice...

(Image: Another fine sunny day fishing on the Trinity River, Lenny Stahl putting on a clinic of catching...More steelie season wrap-up photos at the bottom of the page)

It's been a great week of decompression! I'm enjoying being home with my lovely wife, daughter and pup again. We have passed time skiing on Mammoth Mountain, watching movies and playing high stakes games of Uno and Go Fish!

Me and Buster ventured into the local hills in search of upland birds this week - the illusive ones with orange feet and black eye bands, and the little ones with the black plume on their heads... 

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 Buster did a much better job finding them than I did in dropping them!!

 

 As for local fishing...

I get really excited about our local fishing once we get into February!! The days grow longer and spring arrives early to the Owens Valley...

While you CAN have good fishing November - January locally, it's hard for me to get too excited about 1 pound trout when we've been steelhead fishing everyday since November 1st in Northern CA pursuing 5-10 pound anadromous rockets...

In between breaks from steelhead fishing - it's also a nice change of pace to chase upland birds and pursue waterfowl for the rest of the season. It will be a long summer break from hunting so you gotta get it while you can... and that time is now, late January!!

Here is what will be happening over the next few months... and why you should get excited, too...

• Crowley Lake has thawed out! The lake has been mostly ice free for quite sometime due to the warmer and dryer winter season. Years when the lake thaws early, the fish get a longer growing season. Each week that goes by these fish gain weight!!!! The lake opens April 28, 2012.

• Now that Crowley Lake has thawed, the daily average water temps in the Gorge and Lower Owens will slowly increase... this is a major catalyst in kicking starting the spring bwo and caddis hatches. (Currently the flows are 250cfs in Lower O - I'll get excited when these flows drop back under 200cfs for this time of year. Once the water temps reach mid 50's later in springtime it wont matter the flows - the fish will be a lot more active!!!)

• Access to Hot Creek and Upper Owens is pretty easy. There is not a lot of snow to negotiate. Personally I like the "tougher access" as it keeps all but the die-hards away and thins the crowds... we'll have to see what Mother Nature has in store for the rest of the winter. I'm thinking we're in for some more snow? Early season bwo hatches are beginning to pop on these two fine spring fed streams!!!

• If you are planning a ski/snowboard & fly fishing trip to the Mammoth Lakes region there is good news! Mammoth Mountain has received a few feet of snow. Its not "off-piste" friendly just yet... but the groomer skiing has been fantastic this week. A skiing/fishing trip would definitely be worth it right now!!

• Daily "winter season" airline flights continue into Mammoth/Yosemite Airport from several major airports: Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose, Santa Ana, Van Nuys and San Diego... Catch one and lets go catch some fish! Check here for flight info.

 My February - April program consists mainly of drift boat trips on the Lower Owens River and walk & wade fishing the Gorge, Lower Owens, Upper Owens, Hot Creek and East Walker River (when flows are appropriate) 

Currently, I have these dates available in February: 1-17, 23, 25-29

Please join me for a late winter/early spring fly fishing adventure in the Eastern Sierra! Call (760) 914-0465 mobile, Email Neal2fish@qnet.com

Lastly, I want to send out a huge THANKS to all my clients & friends who visited and fished steelhead with me this winter on the Trinity River!!

With your support and a little help from Ma Nature in providing a VERY GOOD run of fish this season... it was the best season for me in the years I have guided up there. Cheers to all of you and hope to see a few new faces next season.

Here are a few more pictures of steelhead fishing I pulled off the camera: 

 

 

 

 

 

 (Images: Steve Harrop and his big wild hen, 1st time steelhead for David Carranza and it's a wild one!, Jimbo going 2 for 3 in a row on 3 casts!!)

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 (Images: Rick Davis roped big wild buck, buddy Aaron Grabiel gets his game on (finally), Mark McCoy stuck many fine steelhead this day and a big brown ta boot, Travis and his 1st SH on the fly)

Home Sweet Home...

Made it home safely (just in time) as the big storm was beginning to hit Mammoth Lakes last Sunday! Woke up to a few feet of snow on Mammoth Mountain... we got pounded by rain/snow the last few days in Northern CA. The Trinity blew up pretty good!!

I will have a good post of the last few weeks steelheading on the Trinity River with some pictures as soon as I am able.

Presently, I'm enjoying being home, hugging the wife, kissing our girl and getting tongue slapped by my pup Buster (who has grown about 10LBS).

With only a week to go for waterfowl and quail season I might just play hooky a few days this week and test Buster's nose, my legs... and my shot, too!

Cheers.

A Nice Holiday Break

I've been back home in Mammoth Lakes CA for a short break from guiding steelhead trips on the Trinity River in northern CA.

Its good to be home! My pup Buster has been getting spoiled and has got all too comfortable sleeping on my side of the bed.

We spent the Christmas Holiday visiting all sorts of family over two states. First stop was Grandparents Neal and cousins Garret and Ethan Burton in Rocklin and Granite Bay CA - my home turf.

The trip for me was way to brief but at least my daughter got to spend some time with my family... 

After the Sacramento visit, we set off for Hamilton Montana and a visit with my wife's brother and family and a few of her close relatives.

Overall, our daughter, Bella, tore it up with with numerous cousins and had the time of her life getting spoiled by the extended family. We had a great time and saw some beautiful places.

Now that my brother-in-law is back in the Bitterroot Valley I sense some extended vacations w/ the family - I might finally get to fish some of the hallowed waters in MT that all my clients tell me each summer!

Trinity Steelhead Update:

More steelhead photos below the unfiltered and unedited drivel... scroll deep! 

(Image: This isn't Lenny Stahl's first rodeo)

The last few weeks of steelhead fishing on the Trinity in December were fantastic!! Despite the lack of rain and overall weather we saw plenty of great days with many fish hitting the net each day!

At this point in the season, there's still plenty of "colored up" hatchery fish moving through the system. Due to the lack of rain their progression has been slow. Every once in a while you may lock into a fresher fish - or a wild winter native - that just kicks your a$$ up and down the river.

When the region receives some rain, we should finally see a bigger push of the big winter wild fish to show up in droves.

I recall a few EPIC battles these past few weeks. Fish absolutely freaking out, flipping themselves silly and taking backing ripping runs!! I was able to witness many anglers and friends, new and old, hook and land their first steelhead!!

That's why we are here and those are the experiences and moments I never forget.

This being an Unconventional Fish Report... 

My chosen career path as a gypsy guide is bitter/sweet. Being able to "live the dream" requires long hours, occasional tough days, inconsistent income and living away from home for the better part of 3 months.

While it does create work opportunity it's not without some eternal conflict.

I make plenty of sacrifices and miss out on family life moments ... like my wife's Birthday, my daughter's first loose tooth coming out, her first violin recital, the passing of our longtime and loyal 15 yr old border collie, Luna, or my bird dog puppy, Buster, getting spoiled and decidedly off his game.

These are the prices I pay for admission to the circus - the merry-go-round ride of highs and lows which encompass my steelhead affliction. It presents the all too common working fishing guide's dilemma.

The steelhead circus involves sleepless nights of anticipation followed by hours and hours of hard work, pursuit, hunting, rowing and casting, tying and untangling!

It's a game of confidence, persistence, experience and sometimes just blind faith. Simply going through the the motions while lacking intensity or relying on arrogant desire alone will rarely fulfill what we search for.

We fish for many reasons and different rewards, but for me, guiding is construction…

My job is to develop building block skills in anglers less fortunate than me, who cannot spend enough time on the water. Maybe it's offering a means of escape from their daily grind?

I thrive on having a hand in creating those glorious moments when we finally connect, come tight and feel the pull back, head shake or leap into the sky from these worthy creatures of cold, clean water. 

These brief encounters, experience has shown me – are possible on any given presentation of our fly, or only after the prerequisite 1001th cast.

Sometimes these moments come to fruition after unfolding the perfect cast, mend or just simply being in the right place at the right time (as MP would say "even a blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while").

But one thing is for sure, when finally we do engage nature's most doggedly persistent and survival driven creatures - time stands still.

Call them what you like, “the fish of a thousand casts", chrome ghosts, silver bullets, anadromous figments of our imagination... Steelhead have a knack of showing up when we pour our heart and soul into the effort by fully dedicating ourselves to the process of angling.

These are not merely 12" trout - they are ocean going super-charged rocket ships of mystical proportion. Fish that have been going at it for a millenia, but civilization has has nearly destroyed in less than 100 years. So they are worthy... of pursuit, connection and ultimately, protection.

My passion is my profession - cliche as it sounds. I consider myself fortunate and I am honored to share my experience with anglers who stand before me.

While I can't honestly admit that all the time, energy, sacrifice, or monetary payback is actually "worth it" (How do you quantify all the magical moments and emotions?) all I can do is be guided by my gut, my heart and my bank account to some degree.

After all, in today's world, next to the basic necessities of food, water & shelter we need also consider the financial element and reality of modern day survival and responsibilities.

So if "working a job" gives me great satisfaction while providing a sort of "soul re-fill" for my clients - then I do feel lucky. Very lucky.

Maybe I'm getting closer to solving the modern day riddle of "making ends meet" while actually excited to be going to work each and every day.

There's a lot more to fishing than throwing your hook into the water...

Here are a few of the pics from the last few weeks. Warning - gratuitous hero shots aplenty:

  

(Image: Lisa Santy didn't require 999 casts to hook and land her first steelhead ever. Only a dozen or so casts. How lucky is that??!!)

          

(Images: Frank Balog w/ a few, Alan Pierrot all grins and "confident", Landis Powell landed her 1st steelhead on a memorable trip with her father, Don and Bob gettin it done!)

       

      

        

        
(Hough Doi with a native slab, Smiling Steve Caplan, ... , the November brothers!! My boy Lenny hooked many, many, fine fish, Jim Broadbent got bent on a few, my gal Lisa definitely got the newbie dust off on her 3 day trip)

     

      

(Images: The river can often be moody, and it can also reward, day with the boys, anticipation on the dead drift, morning light, sculling for chrome, lunch break, different ways to go about it)

Well how about a Happy New Year!!!!!! Cheers to 2012 being a much BETTER year for everyone...

Cancellation Opportunity:

I was completely booked the rest of my January steelhead dates, but recently I got word of a weekend cancellation for Jan 17 & 18. If you or anyone you know is interested in these two dates let me know ASAP... Neal2fish@Qnet.com or call my mobile (760) 914-0465.

 

December Steelhead Fishing Has Been Incredible!

It has been a GREAT month of steelhead fishing on the Trinity River! December usually comes through - less crowds, more fish in the system, and colder weather separates the fair-weather fishers from the ANGLERS!!!

Even with the low and super clear water we have been fortunate enough to see double digit fish hookup days many times these past few weeks!! Fish are really in the system folks!!!

We are just now seeing the bulk of the hatchery run- in late December. I have taken at least eight tags out of fish (both wild and hatchery) this week alone. These fish were tagged earlier in the season. With the lack of rain and runoff many of these fish have been staging and moving pretty slowly upriver. Unlike last season where the endless deluge of storm systems made it much harder to consistently locate and catch fish.

I have been seeing pods of fish every day and despite the very technical conditions, a competent, knowledgeable guide can make make a huge difference if "success" is measured by opportunities to touch fish. Throw in some halfies and occasional large brown trout and the net stays wet.

I stress that with steelhead fishing (and fly fishing in general) it's not the number of fish you hook or land... It's the overall experience that matters.

I'll have some nice hero shots of our adventures really soon! I'm just not able to download the dozens of pics I have on my camera at this time... For now just visualize lots of big steelhead and even bigger smiles on my clients' faces..

I was fortunate to experience some great memories these past few weeks - witnessing many anglers new to the steelhead game, hook, fight and land their first steelhead(s). We all know the patience, persistence, luck, and determination needed to perceiver to end where you can connect, battle, tail and release these magnificent creatures!!

A quick story:

The native wild fish in the Trinity system are born from high achieving parents in dozens of small tributaries to the Trinity River. Suitable wild bucks and hens lay in wait in the mainstem river for enough rain to swell these tiny creeks then shoot upstream and do their wild thing, returning back to the saltwater when the journey and end goal is complete. The eggs hatch and the tiny alevins get introduced to the rough and tumble life of a future wild steelhead.

They spend the next few months avoiding predation from the ever-present ospreys, eagles, herons, mergansers, bigger fish etc! The desire for a better life and high flows of spring eventually push these young fish westward and into the saltwater. In the salt, it's a great mystery where these fish go... (I've heard second hand stories of Trinity fish tagged with tracking devices located all the way into Asian waters!?!)

In the ocean, countless other predators try to eat them and only the very strong and fast survive in this great sea of tribulation. In a few years, and many pounds gained, they reach maturity and the strong pull of home waters brings them back to their natal streams. It could be Canyon Creek, Reading Creek, or the North Fork but these wonderful creatures make the great journey as millions have done before them for countless centuries.

The fact that we can even touch them with a fly line and rod - pulling a size #14 Copper John or swung leech from their mouth is beyond what my feeble and humble words can begin to do justice...they are indeed a very worthy creature deserving of our stewardship, conservation, and protection. The pursuit of steelhead is a forever life changing experience for many of us "haunted by waters"...

I want to send out a huge Thank You to all my wonderful clients who have taken the time, spent the money, booked trips and worked hard in my boat all day to allowing me to share this wonderful experience and steelhead adventure with you. This has been an awesome season to date and I've completely booked all of my winter 2011/12 dates this year!

As always, feel free to contact me regarding any questions or inquiries into my guide service, whether on the Trinity or my home waters of the Eastern Sierra and Mammoth Lakes. Please visit my website www.reelmammothadventures.com email me at Neal2fish@qnet.com or call my cell (760)914-0465

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas to all of you. Cheers!!

Steelhead Are In!!!!!

Hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving and enjoyed spending time with family and friends! I’m back home in Mammoth Lakes for a short break from steelhead fishing on the Trinity River in northern California.

I apologize for the lack of content and reports these past few weeks. I have been incredibly busy working nearly every day in November – up at 5:30am and home after 6pm on many days… I came home to a broken computer and no internet so I am scrambling to even make this post happen.

The early winter steelhead fishing has been overall GOOD. We have even seen some GREAT days recently with adult fish netted each day. Throw in some nice half pounders and the occasional big brown trout and there can be a lot of excitement in the boat.

My last few trips on the river were under rainy skies (the first meaningful rain since early October) this storm came on the heels of the last full moon, also, which contributed to a pretty decent steelhead push. We witnessed A LOT of fish on the move!!

There are even more salmon still coming up river. I believe the best conditions of the fall season is about to hit us – the river is poised to “go off” in the coming weeks. If you don’t experience it – you will be reading about it… and that is just not as fun!

Good news/bad news… I am completely booked Nov/Dec except for a cancellation I’m trying to fill Dec 17 & 18.

I have just a few dates left open in January so get on it if you can. Best would be to email me, Neal2fish@Qnet.com or call my cell (760) 914-0465 I would be more than happy to refer you out to one of many of my good buddies (Independent guides all of them) who also know the Trinity inside and out. I have a short list and assure you will have a great time w/ any of these local guides.

Here are a few pics of our recent trips… sorry to my peeps for not posting all the photos I am pressed for valuable time right now. Also, note the number of wild steelhead!

My good buddy Gabe Duran Flyfishingnorcal.com holding a slab o wild....

Good buddy Brad McFall Mammothflyfishing.com holding a kick ass Chinook...

Probably won't hear from me until after the Holidays. I'm back to the grind in just few short days. Get on your winter steelhead dates ASAP or wait until next season!!! You can also purchase a RMA Gift Certificate for Christmas on my website www.reelmammothadventures.com Give the gift of fishing this season and support American labor and small business!!!! Happy Holidays everyone!!