Hoover n Ice Not All Nice July 12-14

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giantbrookie
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Re: Hoover n Ice Not All Nice July 12-14

Post by giantbrookie »

SSSdave wrote: Fri Jul 19, 2019 6:21 pm Almost every lake in Wilderness Press's Sierra South touting large trout, especially large golden trout, has been pummeled over decades. Heck fishermen and many backpackers still target Lake South America thinking that doesn't change even though it is one of the most boring lakes in that basin. I know a list of lakes that still have large fish but that is mostly because they are multi days from trailheads. On the other hand small lakes with large golden trout just a day's hike from trailheads without natural reproduction are on shakiest ground.
I think it is true that SS and SN have led folks to various lakes and I must confess to being one of them. However, I don't know if it's really impacted the fishing. One of the Dusy's had a 23" rating in some versions of SS. If that has gone down it is mainly owing to the natural reproduction slowly building up a higher population density, I think. In other places I think their top end was not so glamorous: LSA was long rated with a top end of 12", which isn't exactly inspiring. The "featured" camp spot on severl trips was 11440 which they put a top end of 14"; this may have actually gone up as the small brookie population ate up the goldens (which themselves were pretty nice) with time. Versteeg was only given a top end rating of 14" so not exactly eye opening (in contrast to the famed Dusy rating). The highest rating (for top size) I recall from SS or SN is Emigrant, which was given a top end of 24" in some SN editions and 28" in the Anglers Guide. I don't think there is any question that SS and SN did in fact lead more folks to various lakes, but I don't think the fisheries were negatively compromised to a significant degree. It has been said (trailside banter on this subject in the 1980s at Lower Horton---some of the best fishing yarns I've ever heard) that too much fame killed the once giant brookie fishery in Echo, leading to the switch to rainbow fingerlings, but who knows. As for inaccessible and big fish, I will maintain and I think I have produced a smidge of evidence, that the biggest fish in all of the Sierran backcountry are super popular, easy-to-reach, trailed lakes in Desolation. I have yet to catch anything north of 20" outside of Deso (still trying, and yunno this trip report was part of that effort).
Since my fishing (etc.) website is still down, you can be distracted by geology stuff at: http://www.fresnostate.edu/csm/ees/facu ... ayshi.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Harlen
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Re: Hoover n Ice Not All Nice July 12-14

Post by Harlen »

100_2307.jpg
Giantbrookie wrote:
Kinda figured you were kidding based on the proportions of the fish and the track record of those lakes but you never know.
And I replied:
[*the pan is less than 6" in diameter. So, if this was in fact a 16" pan, that would be a "Brookie" worthy of your name, and you might have raced up Pine Creek to try to catch one yourself John! Curses! Wouldn't I have been in trouble then?
I suppose "honesty is the best policy," even in fish stories.
.... Or is it? If some people are outing and ruining remote big fish spots, then maybe the best tactic is to confound them (the "powerbait Googans" as TahoeJeff calls them) with my sort of bald-faced lies, photo tricks, BS, and other misinformation. Oldranger can superimpose his Alaskan trout into a Lake South America photo- that'll keep 'em busy for awhile! If multiple fishing sites on the Internet were inundated with this sort of garbage wouldn't it help erase the spot-burn problem? :littledevil:

152.jpg
Copeg, can you please photoshop this 6" rainbow into King Salmon for me?
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Fly Guy Dave
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Re: Hoover n Ice Not All Nice July 12-14

Post by Fly Guy Dave »

Nice! I've hiked into that lake three times and once it was completely iced over and there was no fishing to be had, even if I wanted to! That is a long slog and the last part it is especially difficult to find the trail, and with all of that snow it sounds like it was even more difficult. Glad you both persevered.
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Re: Hoover n Ice Not All Nice July 12-14

Post by Wandering Daisy »

Serious fishermen have been tight-lipped about their favorite fishing spots for ages- this is nothing new. Not necessarily scientifically based, but an old tradition. What is new, is the age of social media where everyone wants to tell everything. A good friend of mine is a professional fishing guide and he does not even tell ME where the good fishing is! Stumbling onto a good fishing lake is like finding a buried chest of gold; that is an experience that should be preserved for future generations. If everything is put out there on social media, there are no more secret gems to discover.
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Re: Hoover n Ice Not All Nice July 12-14

Post by ryanerb »

Wandering Daisy wrote: Tue Jul 23, 2019 8:07 am Serious fishermen have been tight-lipped about their favorite fishing spots for ages- this is nothing new. Not necessarily scientifically based, but an old tradition. What is new, is the age of social media where everyone wants to tell everything. A good friend of mine is a professional fishing guide and he does not even tell ME where the good fishing is! Stumbling onto a good fishing lake is like finding a buried chest of gold; that is an experience that should be preserved for future generations. If everything is put out there on social media, there are no more secret gems to discover.
Just some ponderings....

I think everyone is in the 'I want it now' syndrome, that taking time to explore and discovering hidden gems is almost a lost art form. In the modern rat race, how many people have gobs of spare hours to go exploring to find the new gems...and so, without all the spare time, they expect the research to shorten that 'hunt' down to a more direct quick easy immediate fullfillment...

Whats more sad is once some secrets are on social media, that the troves of people who trash or over-fish it. Can humans not be trusted? Unfortunately many cannot.

Obviously all natural resources can only sustain a certain amount of people, but if everyone practiced proper catch and release and picked up trash, resources could go a lot further... I suppose there even is a limit to this, such that 100 people fishing a backcountry lake at one time all practicing catch and release and not leaving trash would still not be very relaxing... some level of solitude in nature goes a long way....

It's amazing how conditioned fish become with substantial angling pressure... and amazing how willingly they bite when they only see an artificial fly or lure a couple times a year in those seldom visited lakes... A good book on this topic (not related to trout fishing, but rather bass fishing: https://www.amazon.com/High-Percentage- ... 1517384206 )

Again, just some ponderings and my .02 cents.
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Re: Hoover n Ice Not All Nice July 12-14

Post by fish4gold »

As usual, a fantastic post! Can’t wait for your next TR! I also have to say, what a fantastic Daughter you have!
Thank you so much for sharing!!!
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