Fast action fly fishing for wild trout on a gorgeous and remote Southern California mountain stream. Date filmed: June 20, 2024 Location: South Fork Santa Ana River, San Bernardino Mountains
Fun story telling and editing! Thanks for showing it to us. Used to be up in Bear Creek alot many years ago. Spent alot of time in there until it got filled w gravel and all my favorite beautiful spots were filled.
Bear Creek is doing well. I was up there about 2 months ago and the stream looked healthy which included seeing some trout darting around. The road to get to Bear creek isnt looking too good though. A lot of washed out areas that require 4x4 and decent clearance.
@@vruiz90 thanks for the comment... looking forward to hitting up bear creek soon. did you go to the "slide lake" area of bear creek, or the confluence with the Santa Ana river? also what kind of vehicle did you take in there? I have a stock gmc canyon 4x4, hoping it can handle it.
A bit more info. FYI … This is a catch and release area with only small trout. If you are not into SERIOUS backwoods long hikes and getting many snags, losing flies / lures, while fishing this is NOT for you. A lot of closed roads in this area. I got a bit frustrated but realized most were due to Mother Nature. I hiked up WAY past the cabins which ended up being REALLY rough going. Super steep canyon with burnt & downed trees and thick brush. At times the trail was gone or hard to follow. Then you are just beating brush which I personally am not opposed to. What bothered me somewhat is the debris that created fairly large waterfalls where no fish could get back upstream without human intervention if washed down due to Mother Nature. I am not a specialist on fish migration, so maybe they can fair the storms, floods & fires. Still trying to plan my second trip to this wild creek. Thanks in advance for the time you put into this and your other videos!!! You Rock!!!
Thanks for watching and for the comments. To answer your previous question, a wilderness pass is not required for this particular section, although it is close to the san gorgonio wilderness boundary. Hope you enjoy your next venture up there!
Love the video! But please, try and keep locations like this in socal on the down low, these fish are very very far and few between, and unfortunately not many people practice safe handling and will devastate the population
Definitely understand! My thinking is that those that don't practice safe handling are not likely to hike in a couple miles to fish a challenging creek... they are more inclined to stick close to their vehicles. Maybe I'm wrong?
@@MO_Lives yeah most of the time that works, the only problem with this spot is the walking trail in. People will go around the forest gates(ive watched it happen) then its a fairly easy hike in from the tree:(
Thanks for the video. The hike down shows pretty much deforested mountain hill sides and trees at the stream. Hard to imagine how it looked before logging and fires over the past 150 years but I'd bet it was a lot nicer.
Yes the 2018 El Dorado fire dramatically changed a huge swath of the landscape in these mountains. Very unfortunate. The fire was started by a young couple expecting a baby doing a gender-reveal stunt gone horribly wrong. 😩
I spend a lot of time fishing Jenks lake. Ive tried the Santa Ana off 7 oaks a few times but never had any luck. Ive seen trout in bear creek but never landed anything even after getting a few bites. A few summers ago I was catching wild rainbow trout in Mountain Home creek regularly, but the fires and heavy rains have washed out a lot of the deeper pools and I haven't seen anything in there since. There is a section of the Santa Ana river that is TEEMING with wild rainbows! Last time I was there I counted about 25+ good size trout in one section, however it is only accessible with a 4x4.
thanks for this comment too... interesting to hear about mountain home creek, and I have a feeling I know the section of Santa Ana river you're referring to... looking forward to heading up (and down) there, after the temperatures subside a bit.
Just found your channel, good stuff, only two comments. Try bow and arrow cast in those tight places, and two, please wet your hands before handling/ releasing the fish. Thanks
Thanks for sharing. I didn't even know we had wild trout out here. I drive all the way to the Sierra to hike the backcountry and fish the wild trout. What 5' rod is that?
It's an inexpensive White River rod from Bass Pro Shops, I've been happy with it. And yes many SoCal streams have healthy populations of wild trout, they just require some work to get to.
What campground did you stay at? For a few weeks ago and the campground I saw was closed, looking for other possible locations to camp now that seven oaks is gone 😭
I camped at a dispersed site in the Jenks Lake area, but other established campgrounds I'd recommend are Barton Flats and San Gorgonio, both close to Hwy 38 and not too far from the stream. There is also South Fork campground but I think that may have been washed away too.
It seems the bulk of the rain must have occurred just east of the South Fork drainage, in the Fish Creek drainage and Heart Bar areas.... (South Fork campground is actually not on the South Fork Santa Ana River... its on a creek called Lost Creek)
Hey MO, Thanks for the Vid and all the work you put in to get to the South fork! Hope your Adventures are positive in Bridgeport Ca! Looking forward to the New Vids and some Fish! Thx 4 all the Expertise! Andy.....
