The best fishing trip I've ever been on!
Over the years I've spent more time fishing the backcountry than anywhere else. I'm not always miles or days from the parking lot, but I generally seek out places others will not be. When you're out there all alone you have a chance to find yourself and, in my case anyway, it's the only time I can really chill out and spend time thinking. It's not often that we have time to do any real thinking, between jobs demanding constant attention and our phones taking up any other valuable moments, it's very tough to escape it all.
If you're someone who spends time backpacking and fly fishing, you've either seen some water you really wanted to fish, or you've planned a trip specifically to get to that water. I'm partial to the latter. Two summers ago I took a trip to the Ansel Adams Wilderness in California, just my dog and I. This trip is one of those backpacking adventures I can't stop thinking about. I live in Flagstaff, Arizona, 10-12 hours from Mammoth CA-the gateway to my favorite fishing trip. I took a long weekend off from work, and on a beautiful Thursday night in August, I hit the road just in time to watch the sunset. Through the night I drove out to Mammoth with my trusty co-pilot snoozing by my side. The goal was simple, hit my favorite coffee shop, and get on the trail to find some fish. Mammoth Coffee Co. holds a special place for me, over my many trips to the high mountain town, I've found their coffee to spark many adventures. With a warm latte, a bag of beans, and gooey cinnamon bun in hand, I made my way through the steep winding road up and over Mammoth Mountain to the trailhead.
For about 9 miles Riv and I hiked through the Sierra, every step more breathtaking than the last. We arrived at the perfect camp spot and got to work scouting the area for fishing opportunities. I set up camp above a large pool nestled between a few babbling riffles. That is the absolute best white noise to fall asleep with.
Dinner at 6, set up camp, and in my not quite warm enough sleeping bag by 8pm. Overnight temps fell to 25 degrees, and the morning sun couldn't come soon enough. I forced myself out of my tent and over to my bear canister, a necessity throughout the Sierra. Coffee and a warm breakfast was the motivation I needed to get the day going.
I had thrown a few casts between dinner and going to bed, but not enough to scratch the itch, so after packing up camp, I filled my pockets with some fishing gear and headed up stream. The original plan was to hike up 2ish miles to an alpine lake and then fish my way downstream back to camp. While I did make it to that lake, I actually fished my way upstream and didn't even throw a single cast beyond the stream.
The fly of the day was a size 16 Balloon Caddis, a long time favorite pattern of mine. I've found this fly works unbelievably well in the alpine, particularly in the smaller sizes. I also found some success with a foam ant, copper and peacock brassie, and the trusty buckskin.
In the backcountry I carry a simple and small fly box with 50-60 flies, nipper/hemostat combos, and a spool of 5.5X or 6.5X tippet. That's it for fishing specific gear, this keeps it very light in my pack and allows me to carry everything in a pocket, though I subscribe to a much bulkier and more comprehensive setup for full days on the water. I could talk for days about gear, I love testing everything, searching for the best systems, but on longer trips I find myself bringing less and less with every trip.
With a few hours on the water and dozens of fish to hand, it was sadly time to get heavy and hike my way through the beauty back to the truck. I made it back around 2pm, made my way to town for a quick lunch at distant brewing, a delicious favorite for lunch, and hit the road for the very long ride home. The Sierra is worth sleepless nights on the road, the expensive gas, and the miles on a truck. Adventure doesn't always have to be 12 hours away, but for the Sierra, I would drive 50 hours for a quick overnight. Far and away the best fishing trip I've ever been on, and I can't wait to get back there!