Thanks so much. I hiked the Sierra in the early 70s as an Outward Bound instructor. Yes, indeed, it is worth it. Just to walk in the high mountains is worth every breath, every beat of the heart and every drop of sweat. Go there to fish, to paint a scene, make a photo or just lie back and feel the sun and the wind. If you are very lucky you will survive a lightning storm and experience the cold and the wet and the Skys that follow.
As a hunter, fisherman, photographer and all round outdoors man. Most of my true friends have come from activities like this. It is these types of experiences that make it worthwhile. The fun, the hardships, the friends you have with you, the new friends you find and the new memories after you share old memories. Of course it is worth it. Worth every penny I spend on my licences to help support conservation also.
That was awesome well worth every moment for the memories, so glad I watched it, trout are special and them golden trout would be a shame to lose them. Thank you guys for the video.
I just crossed these guys off my bucket list with my dad. Im out of shape so I had to find a spot north of their native range where my truck could do more of the work. Im tired, sore, and probably the happiest I’ve ever been after a day on the water.
So awesome making me get the eastern Sierras fever I grew up spending my summers out there and fishing non stop great video I will be back for my elusive golden trout 👌👌👌🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷🇱🇷
@California Trout: I really enjoyed your video! When I saw your title line of the Golden Trout, I first thought of the Palamino Trout that you can find in parts of Colorado. You're video however showed so much more & then some of other trout to be caught. Luv it! The whole dang thing of hiking up the mountains, hauling your own gear, roughing it & fishing along your way for four days before reaching your 'Honey Hole'. That's a trip of a lifetime in S.America & something to Show&Tell your children, grandchildren & so forth. Thank you for sharing. 🖒
We went in 3 times...last was Kern River Canyon with Pack Mules and Dave...SUPER DAVE...I was farting around making my friends laugh by riding backwards on my mule...got Dave a little up on me...but I straightend up and we all rode down into the beginning of the Canyon( rode in all day) Dave had trouble with 1 mile not wanting to cross the little bridge...so he had to coax it across the river head waters...we all parties and slept...he left the nex morning...we hiked up into the canyon...great hike...fun and found hot tubs(I got sick because I left my chest exposed to brisk air hitting my sweaty chest...but after hot tub soak and putting on every stitch of clothing I had w me...I MADE IT...COVERING UP AND SWEATED IT OUT...SLEPT GREAT AND WOKE UP FINE!!! WHEW!!! WE Came out at Witney Meadows 10, 500ft...then back out to Cottonwood...1 week of super wilderness!!!
Its funny I went hiking in the John Muir Wilderness in search for the golden trout and saw a guy fly fishing at the trailhead where everyone parks. He wasnt catching anything and I saw some little natives rising on the surface so I skated a mosquito fly and boom. 5 minutes in I happened to catch a little 4" golden. Blew my mind
A green mosquito was my go to for every spot I fished, from Rush Creek(actually probably Bridgeport) south to the north face of the San Gabriels. Generally a size 14 or 18. I caught many Goldens, likely hybrids I'm sure, in Both Big Rock and Littlerock creeks into the 1990s. Didn't know it though till later, thought they were young, extra pretty rainbows.
I know a stream in the lower 48 that holds NATIVE brook trout that run to 18 inches. I have caught a 16 inch one... it is small stream that is overlooked because it looks like a stream ruined by mine drainage. But it is steep and cold enough that the water holds enough O2. The only thing is, it has very limited invertebrates so no hatches to speak of... it is either streamers or spinners/spoons. But native brookies to 18 inches. And you don't have to hike in, it runs through town.
I lived in Bishop for almost 25 years. What great fishing memories. Matter of fact I used to deliver Phil's mail. We used to fish Royce Lakes. Going up Pine Creek Canyon we would hit 1st and 2nd Pine lakes. From there it was a short hike to Honeymoon Lake. We would sleep at Honeymoon and in the morning make the hike up to Royce Lakes. No trail, just a notch on the mountain side we headed for. We were high school 10th graders, we didn't need trails! This was 1963 and it was almost void of people. Caught many a Golden but, never kept any. Memories!!
I backpacked & flyfished parts of the A-Trail, from Maine to Great Smokey Mtns, the wonderful trout waters of Pennsylvania. I canoed in the Algonquin Park & Boundry Waters. I backpacked & flyfished in Colorado,Wyoming,Montana and Idaho. But in the years after, I came to realize that The John Muir Wilderness was the place I was looking for, to backpack & flyfish. How I wish I knew more about the JMT back then. The other places were great, but the JMT is indescribably beautiful. Now I can only think of what if.
Nice keep the wild trout for all the future anglers to enjoy and experience!!!!!!!!! Great film enjoyed it vary much Jim Sconyers fishing adventures. Colorado.
We also have golden trout here in Alberta brought in clay pots to the Canadian rockies by miners in the early 20th century. Hi alpine lakes and a few small streams near mine towns. So cool marvelous fish to catch with color few fish can matter
Thank you so much for allowing me to join you by watching your journey. This really hit home with me... I work with threatened and endangered turtles and my favorite eating fish is trout.... This video really touched my heart... thank you again!
Although it was the more scenic route you couldn't have picked a longer path to pure native golden..... Up through johnsondale is a 3 mile hike to the upper little kern...... Takes you right down to the volcano golden area.... Way shorter ...allows more fish time on goldens and the subspecies.... God I love the Sierras
not ideal. will work in creeks but not so much in many lakes I use a 8'4" three weight for dry flys in creeks and lakes. a 10'6" 3 weight for nymphing creeks and rivers. they are ideal for the Backcountry. if you want to save weight bring one reel.
Thanks for sharing the story; as I recover from open-heart surgery last week I was taken by surprise. I am thankful for these videos to keep my spirits above the sadness which peeks in and out.
We fish all over Colo/Wyo/Idaho/Utah/New mexico.and so on.........when we find a great fishing hole /as well as great hunting places we keep it a secret..only the photos & video................?
I had the pleasure of catching a Golden Trout in Crystal Lake in Mammoth just this summer. I caught it on power bait believe it or not. It was also the only fish I caught the whole trip.
When I first entered wilderness areas in the 1950s we didn't have all the lightweight outdoor gear. Our backpacks were made of canvas, leather or wicker. Pack frames were made of wood and our food was canned, or packed fresh (coffee, eggs, bacon, veg, etc). Tents were bulky made of heavy canvas and were really heavy once they were snowed or rained on. Clothing was mostly wool or flannel and canvas sleeping bags were huge and often had wool or flannel blankets rolled in them. Some trips we just lived off the land and relied on eating wild game (fish, upland game birds, rabbits, porcupines, squirrels, etc). You sure as hell didn't go there without a firearm or in cute shorts with leotards LOL. Anyway, I ain't pokin' at ya, just sayin' times have changed... ; -)
This brings back so many memories of backpacking and fishing in the high country. Sadly, none of it was in the High Sierras. Gorgeous country! Ultra gorgeous fish! I have hiked, seen and even fished very similarly just two or three states farther east. I've even caught golden trout there. I'm now getting old enough to have motivation not to hike so much or so far. Was it worth it? Absolutely. The primal contact with nature. Escaping the blasphemy of hours, dollars and superficial relationships most certainly makes it worth the constant trudging up and down and glorying in new vistas. Thank you for that reminder!
Very nice vid ..... been to the West .... should have sought out the Golden trout back then (early 70's). I guess there are those dreams that keep you dreaming ..... never stop dreaming. Take care.
It's one of the best reasons we have as humans never to smoke or do drugs! Enjoy the time you have by enjoying what God has created for us! I lived in Southern California for 25 years and when ever I got a chance, almost every weekend I would pack up my fishing and hiking gear, drive 250 miles north and head into the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Bishop was my home away from home, SouthLake, Sebrina, Northlake and Long Lake with Mammoth Lakes, Lee Vining, June Lake Loop, Convict Lake, Crowley Lake, Bridgeport Reservoir all have my footprints around them. I will never forget the entire length of of the Owens River or pretty close to all of it. Just me and my German Shepherd Max. I loved it so much I didn't have time for marriage or even a Girlfriend. At 43 I developed Diabetes and that put a stop to my longer hikes but nothing could stop me for flipping a fly (fly fishing)! Thanks for sharing this trip with the world! Maybe I'll see you on your next trip. If I had my life to do over again I would have worked in the Department of Fish and Game. All I ask of our Younger generation is to keep America Clean and Beautiful for your children and their children!
Satan'sOnion accept Jesus Lord in your heart and repent from your sins and you’ll receive eternal life...Jesus said am the way the truth and the life and no one goes to the father but only through Jesus...while there’s still life left in you ..you still have time God bless
I back packed to the devils bathtub near there and the fishing was unbelievable.but sadly only Brooke trout.it was a fun trip for an 11 year old like me
This is what I want to do so badly. Hike to remote lakes to fish but I don’t have hiking experience and I don’t know anyone so it’s pretty hard getting started. Or maybe I’m making excuses who knows
caught some of those coffee can goldens on a creek more than 200 mi N of kern. been many yrs since then more than 20. beautiful and small variant with most all the same markings. I took pics too. I want to say it was on onion or dejoin creek. good times!
This was my backyard growing up on the Eastern Escarpment. Back when you could spend a month in the backcountry and see no one else. I have cast a fly in most all these lakes.
I've fished for golden trout perhaps 300+ trips up the mountain. I lived in a tiny town at 6,800 ft. altitude drove up Tioga Pass to 11,000 feet then hiked a few miles. Here are some authentic tips on how to go about catching them. I "limited out" on low winter snow opening day when the limit was 10 fish. That shows I was trying. Golden trout in lakes are infinitely spookier than they are in streams. Much finickier about their diet and one mistake where they get a glimpse of you will stop them from feeding for several hours. Goldens can be caught on well presented dry flies. I caught very few this way after the first 20 minutes after it gets light enough to see. So until evening settle for Brook Trout. Mepps silver spinners or Panther Martin yellow body dotted with red and silver flasher blade. Nightcrawlers are the best bait by far in lakes stocked with brook trout. If you are using night crawlers and losing them to nibblers use a tool called a "worm raper" and slide the crawler up the hook and onto the line; Not very purist but you will be eating trout that night instead of dehydrated mac and cheese. Quiet summer evenings with glass-like ponds and lakes need to be studied to see where the goldens are rising. The fish can withstand just so many presentations then they stop feeding for a half hour give or take. If your fly cannot reach the rises switch over to a bubble and regular rod. Cast the fly and bubble way beyond the rises. Silicone spray applied to the fly keeps the fly working longer as you drag it across the target area. High altitude does not have giant bugs. A dry mosquito solid black in color with a single red streamer has been most successful for me. Locally the flies are called "Lake Mary Specials" I have never had a golden strike a worm or nightcrawler. Use Pautzke's Premium Balls of fire. Ignored by brook trout. Goldens have flesh as red orange as any king salmon I have ever seen. My largest fish was 17"' and two pounds. The same taste as a nine-incher. TOWSER LAKE behind Saddlebag lake at the top of Tioga Pass means a shuttle ride at to the far end from the resort then a 20-minute walk. This may be the easiest access for golden trout. Good luck AND CHECK REGULATIONS beforehand.
Dude, awesome video. I go on a 5 day backpacking trip for deer up there and fish along the way,. Really got me pumped! Good job. Some of the most beautiful country in the world if you ask me. Thanks.
Hike, climb and fish - the Mantra your group goes by is a good one! You should have also added eat and sleep. I have never eaten golden trout personally, but I hear that they are particularly tasty to eat. If you had to compare golden trout versus other trout as far as taste goes, where would you rank them on the taste chart? Great video, even though it is some six years old! It still holds its watchability extremely well. The nice thing about this kind of hiking and fishing trip is that the further you get into your hiking trip, the lighter your backpack burden usually gets lighter to carry. That’s due to your food and water getting consumed along the way, ultimately lightening the load significantly! Golden trout are a extremely rare to find these days and they are considered an endangered species found only in the rarely found mountain lakes at high altitude.
What threatens the Goldens' most is you guys for promoting these places. I've climbed ans fished these since the 60's with no RU-vid to guide me. Just gasoline and car.
awesome video....there are isolated populations of golden trout in drainages other than the Kern. Usually off trail and above cascades or falls. The government would poison the fish in those small basins and then replace with the golden trout to help preserve the species. If you are fortunate enough, you may find one of these paradises, but you will have to work to get there! I believe they are native based on the way they look, but I am only about 90% sure. I'm a novice.
Caught quite a few of these little jewels in the tiny streams & beaver dams of a beautiful little settlement called Tin Cup Colorado. I was 16 then nearly 40 yrs ago. I will never forget it.
Cole Fagley I live locally bro. Depending on the snow fall for he year April and May are good. Sometimes you have to wait till early July. Some of these lakes don't even open up legally till end of July.
Haven't packed the upper kern since the late 70s but there were a few lakes wheere I was gifted a few beautiful Salmo Gilberti (Kern River Trout) a rather unique trout from my POV. I immediately returned the gift to those beautiful lakes.
Awesome. Years ago we used to get Golden Trout just below the Le Conte Divide ... A little north of Hell For Sure Lake, got to think they are still there.
Have been fishing the Mammoth area for many years. Due to age, old body, etc., I once tried that short day hike behind Rock Creek Lake to Gem Lakes. It was such a beautiful hike and even more beautiful lakes that at the time weren't visited by many people.
Great video. I find the most interesting thing about the comments is, This video was published April 30, 2012. However the greatest number of comments have been in the years 2017, and 2018. That is a testament to the values being handed down to the next generation. I love that the next generation is learning more about respecting the great resources we've been given, than we, the old farts ever even dreamed about ..... Great story..
I was fishing for several years and after not catching anything i gave it up. After watching this, it reminded me of the feeling of catching a fish, the sound of the wind and nature, and the relaxation that I felt as i cast my line hoping to get a bite. Thanks for this great video. I look forward to my next trip to the sierras.
great piece of work, informative and entertain, search in real environment using muscles and high skills. I would love to be a part of your team if I live closer.
