Eastern Sierra Report - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Saba Slayer · 06-02-2016, 09:03 PM

395...the road to a small slice of Heaven...

The weather was a little funky for the first day.

That didn't stop Denis from tossing a line out with a nightcrawler...instant bite by a nice little Brown Trout...first bait, first fish...things are looking good even with the adverse weather...

Our campsite was right across the one lane access road from Silver Lake.

...so we were able to leave the yaks right on the beach and ready to go...

We tried Rush Creek the first full day and it was DEAD...!

A beautiful cruise but no fish...

So we trolled back across the lake for lunch.

Erico and his daughter Jada were staying in the campground for the holiday

They set some Crawdad traps at Silver across the lake from the campground as well as fished Virginia Lakes for limits for each of them. Before Eric left Silver he stopped by the campsite and asked if he could borrow a PA to retrieve his traps instead of unloading his PA again...Jada stayed with us and was really fun to talk to...she's in third grade and says summer is too short and she wants to be retired like Denis and I...Pretty damn cute kid...!

Eric caught his fish at Virginia on the Berkley mouse tail. When he left to return to work on Monday afternoon he gave me a lucky pack of the mouse tails...more on that later...

I'm out-a-here...!

This was something I had never seen before...a female crawdad with eggs.

It was great fun setting our traps and getting another big haul...

It didn't take long to have a full bucket...

MINI LOBSTERS...........

DeltaDelta/Dan and his girlfriend Emily were in the campground too and ended up right next to Eric and Jadin.

This is a close-up of the can in his right hand...Dan used a can of dog food in his trap and a big crawdad decided he liked it enough to move in.

Dan was using the cone wire traps and didn't do quite as well as the net type of traps.

He did find enough of the big boys to have a boil up there and he also brought a few back for a boil at home

We were lulled to sleep each night by the waterfall on Algers Creek...

Thanks Eric...Those lucky mouse tails caught me a beautiful Rainbow Trout

He turned out to be a 6 pound Trout weighed on the resort scale as soon as I could get there.

It was a great battle on 4 pound line with a 25 year old Diawa spinner...he jumped completely out of the water...I would have loved to see a photo of my eyes as that big fish cleared the water on his first jump.
He almost didn't fit in my new Promar ProMesh Net...

We ended our trip with a delicious southern style Crawdad boil...some local friends drove up from Mammoth and Crowley Lake and we had a great time stuffing our faces with those mini Bugs...

ALWAYS SO SAD LEAVING THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE..........!

Although we would have stayed another day or two, we were kicked out of the campground as they were about to start a badly needed repaving job through out the whole camp ground... so it should be new and improved for our next trip in September.
I have reservations for the first week of September after the crowds leave...come on up and enjoy the Sierras.

kayakfisherman · 06-02-2016, 09:22 PM

Why is my stomach growling??

Jim, what an amazing trip. And the crawdad with eggs, all you
need is a straw!!!

I want to invite myself and my wife to join you next time. I have
a lot of fond memories going up 395. Thanks for the beautiful
photography and great report!!

Plus, sharing the crawdad deal, wow!!

Stuck20 · 06-02-2016, 09:22 PM

Awesome report and that rainbow is beautiful! I'm staying up there in July and then in September for Labor Day. Did you get a look at Grant? I'm curious about the water level.

Saba Slayer · 06-02-2016, 09:33 PM

Grant was still pretty low...

FISH11 · 06-02-2016, 09:35 PM

What a great and informative post. Looks like you had a great time. I love Silver Lake and can't wait to go back there soon. I'll have to try hunting for crawdads, I've never done that except when I was a kid, a very very long time ago. Thanks for sharing.

slobound · 06-03-2016, 12:05 AM

Man, looks like a great trip!

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

blitzburgh · 06-03-2016, 07:18 AM

RAD!

RK · 06-03-2016, 07:51 AM

Nice report love it up there

StinkyMatt · 06-03-2016, 10:53 AM

Great report and some beautiful photos.

That rainbow is a beauty, well done.

Erico does not fish.......it must have been someone else!

Aaron&Julie · 06-03-2016, 11:27 AM

Awesome report, awesome pictures. Thanks, now we want to go.

summers in kuwait · 06-03-2016, 12:04 PM

Great detailed report. That area is so beautiful.
Thanks for sharing!

I think we might need some crawdad recipes...

Paging Yanni!

Reiner · 06-03-2016, 12:16 PM

My favorite area on this planet. Thanks for the report

deltadelta · 06-03-2016, 12:21 PM

Awesome pics Jim!

The trip was awesome and the weather was amazing after the first day. Congrats on the massive trout, I'm sure you ate good that night... and the next!

I just want to thank you again for yours and Dennis' hospitality and generosity, you made me and Emelie feel at home and we definitely made new friends! Your commitment to the sport and helping those starting out was amazing and something to look up to! People like you will continue to promote kayak fishing and inspire others to help other anglers!

Erico, it was nice meeting you and your daughter, she is hilarious and definitely very mature for her age. Thanks for hanging out around the campfire with us, it was a great time!

Jim, you where right, these things are huge! Basically mini lobsters, you can actually get a huge piece of meat out of the claws (which tastes delicious).
[IMG]

[/IMG]

Now I must say, for the first time boiling crawdads I think I did a good job (with tips from Jim). My girlfriend, goes to school in Alabama, said its the best she ever had. She may be lying but I will take it. Also the Promar collapsable trap did WAY better than those conical ones I had, thanks for letting me keep one! I will probably end up replacing all of the conical ones with the Promars for future trips.

[IMG]

[/IMG]

Saw this guy off the kayak, I don't know what he was trying to get... the American flag?

[IMG]

[/IMG]

Thanks again for everything! I plan on going again this summer, maybe in August, or I might try to go the same week you are in September. Crawdads are definitely a new hit!

onetriphudson · 06-03-2016, 12:56 PM

Great report, you sure know how to have a good time!

ashmoz · 06-03-2016, 12:58 PM

very freaking awesome.

SDROB · 06-03-2016, 01:34 PM

Cool report! Thanks for sharing... That place is on my to go list.

Mr Fishback · 06-03-2016, 02:40 PM

Awesome scenery!

ericko · 06-03-2016, 05:33 PM

Hey Jim I'm glad the mouse tail worked out for you...Jada asked when were heading back well its a bizzy summer for us so September might be perfect. Dan hopefully I'll see you then also in September...

Jada wanted to say thank you for the crawdad trap and made it a point to say it's HERS lol.

Wrangler92 · 06-03-2016, 07:37 PM

Great report!! Thanks for sharing. June loop is my favorite place in the Sierras. Can't wait to go back..

T-Rex · 06-03-2016, 11:27 PM

Thanks for the report Jim. I've gotta try to get up to the Eastern Sierras a couple of times this summer.

06-02-2016, 09:03 PM	#1
Saba Slayer Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Palos Verdes Posts: 1,857	Eastern Sierra Report 395...the road to a small slice of Heaven... The weather was a little funky for the first day. That didn't stop Denis from tossing a line out with a nightcrawler...instant bite by a nice little Brown Trout...first bait, first fish...things are looking good even with the adverse weather... Our campsite was right across the one lane access road from Silver Lake. ...so we were able to leave the yaks right on the beach and ready to go... We tried Rush Creek the first full day and it was DEAD...! A beautiful cruise but no fish... So we trolled back across the lake for lunch. Erico and his daughter Jada were staying in the campground for the holiday They set some Crawdad traps at Silver across the lake from the campground as well as fished Virginia Lakes for limits for each of them. Before Eric left Silver he stopped by the campsite and asked if he could borrow a PA to retrieve his traps instead of unloading his PA again...Jada stayed with us and was really fun to talk to...she's in third grade and says summer is too short and she wants to be retired like Denis and I...Pretty damn cute kid...! Eric caught his fish at Virginia on the Berkley mouse tail. When he left to return to work on Monday afternoon he gave me a lucky pack of the mouse tails...more on that later... I'm out-a-here...! This was something I had never seen before...a female crawdad with eggs. It was great fun setting our traps and getting another big haul... It didn't take long to have a full bucket... MINI LOBSTERS........... DeltaDelta/Dan and his girlfriend Emily were in the campground too and ended up right next to Eric and Jadin. This is a close-up of the can in his right hand...Dan used a can of dog food in his trap and a big crawdad decided he liked it enough to move in. Dan was using the cone wire traps and didn't do quite as well as the net type of traps. He did find enough of the big boys to have a boil up there and he also brought a few back for a boil at home We were lulled to sleep each night by the waterfall on Algers Creek... Thanks Eric...Those lucky mouse tails caught me a beautiful Rainbow Trout He turned out to be a 6 pound Trout weighed on the resort scale as soon as I could get there. It was a great battle on 4 pound line with a 25 year old Diawa spinner...he jumped completely out of the water...I would have loved to see a photo of my eyes as that big fish cleared the water on his first jump. He almost didn't fit in my new Promar ProMesh Net... We ended our trip with a delicious southern style Crawdad boil...some local friends drove up from Mammoth and Crowley Lake and we had a great time stuffing our faces with those mini Bugs... ALWAYS SO SAD LEAVING THIS BEAUTIFUL PLACE..........! Although we would have stayed another day or two, we were kicked out of the campground as they were about to start a badly needed repaving job through out the whole camp ground... so it should be new and improved for our next trip in September. I have reservations for the first week of September after the crowds leave...come on up and enjoy the Sierras. __________________ Jim / Saba Slayer Last edited by Saba Slayer; 06-03-2016 at 05:41 PM.

06-02-2016, 09:33 PM	#4
Saba Slayer Senior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Palos Verdes Posts: 1,857	low Grant was still pretty low... __________________ Jim / Saba Slayer

06-02-2016, 09:35 PM	#5
FISH11 Member Join Date: Aug 2013 Location: Pine Valley when not fishing La Jolla Posts: 2,643	What a great and informative post. Looks like you had a great time. I love Silver Lake and can't wait to go back there soon. I'll have to try hunting for crawdads, I've never done that except when I was a kid, a very very long time ago. Thanks for sharing. __________________ MARK ......... 2016 MALIBU X FACTOR, 2020 SOLO SKIFF (Fishing Kayak on Steroids )

06-03-2016, 07:18 AM	#7
blitzburgh Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Menifee Posts: 2,509	RAD! __________________ ”The beauty of the Second Amendment is that it will not be needed until they try to take it.” ~Thomas Jefferson.........maybe

06-03-2016, 11:27 AM	#10
Aaron&Julie Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Spring Valley Posts: 1,400	Awesome report, awesome pictures. Thanks, now we want to go. __________________ "Never say die"

06-02-2016, 09:22 PM	#2
kayakfisherman Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2013 Posts: 715	Why is my stomach growling?? Jim, what an amazing trip. And the crawdad with eggs, all you need is a straw!!! I want to invite myself and my wife to join you next time. I have a lot of fond memories going up 395. Thanks for the beautiful photography and great report!! Plus, sharing the crawdad deal, wow!!

06-02-2016, 09:22 PM	#3
Stuck20 Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Rancho Cucamonga Posts: 100	Awesome report and that rainbow is beautiful! I'm staying up there in July and then in September for Labor Day. Did you get a look at Grant? I'm curious about the water level.

06-03-2016, 12:05 AM	#6
slobound Member Join Date: Dec 2014 Posts: 61	Man, looks like a great trip! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

06-03-2016, 07:51 AM	#8
RK Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2010 Posts: 736	Nice report love it up there

06-03-2016, 10:53 AM	#9
StinkyMatt Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Under a bridge Posts: 2,169	Great report and some beautiful photos. That rainbow is a beauty, well done. Erico does not fish.......it must have been someone else!

06-03-2016, 12:04 PM	#11
summers in kuwait Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: East County San Diego Posts: 657	Great detailed report. That area is so beautiful. Thanks for sharing! I think we might need some crawdad recipes... Paging Yanni!

06-03-2016, 12:16 PM	#12
Reiner Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Posts: 71	My favorite area on this planet. Thanks for the report

06-03-2016, 12:21 PM	#13
deltadelta Junior Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: University City Posts: 28	Awesome pics Jim! The trip was awesome and the weather was amazing after the first day. Congrats on the massive trout, I'm sure you ate good that night... and the next! I just want to thank you again for yours and Dennis' hospitality and generosity, you made me and Emelie feel at home and we definitely made new friends! Your commitment to the sport and helping those starting out was amazing and something to look up to! People like you will continue to promote kayak fishing and inspire others to help other anglers! Erico, it was nice meeting you and your daughter, she is hilarious and definitely very mature for her age. Thanks for hanging out around the campfire with us, it was a great time! Jim, you where right, these things are huge! Basically mini lobsters, you can actually get a huge piece of meat out of the claws (which tastes delicious). [IMG][/IMG] Now I must say, for the first time boiling crawdads I think I did a good job (with tips from Jim). My girlfriend, goes to school in Alabama, said its the best she ever had. She may be lying but I will take it. Also the Promar collapsable trap did WAY better than those conical ones I had, thanks for letting me keep one! I will probably end up replacing all of the conical ones with the Promars for future trips. [IMG][/IMG] Saw this guy off the kayak, I don't know what he was trying to get... the American flag? [IMG][/IMG] Thanks again for everything! I plan on going again this summer, maybe in August, or I might try to go the same week you are in September. Crawdads are definitely a new hit!

06-03-2016, 12:56 PM	#14
onetriphudson Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Carlsbad Posts: 143	Great report, you sure know how to have a good time! __________________ 2012 Dune Pro Angler 14, 1994 Yellow Scupper Pro

06-03-2016, 12:58 PM	#15
ashmoz 192.168.0.1 Join Date: Apr 2011 Posts: 397	very freaking awesome.

06-03-2016, 01:34 PM	#16
SDROB Malibu Stealth 12 Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Hollywood, San Diego, Gonzaga Bay Posts: 512	Cool report! Thanks for sharing... That place is on my to go list. __________________ She will keep you warm in the winter and give you shade in the summer (Rossman) I'm telling ya, you have to keep these suckers on a game clip until just before you drop them in the frying pan.(Rossman)

06-03-2016, 02:40 PM	#17
Mr Fishback Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 71	Awesome scenery!

06-03-2016, 05:33 PM	#18
ericko Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Huntington beach Posts: 594	Hey Jim I'm glad the mouse tail worked out for you...Jada asked when were heading back well its a bizzy summer for us so September might be perfect. Dan hopefully I'll see you then also in September... Jada wanted to say thank you for the crawdad trap and made it a point to say it's HERS lol.

06-03-2016, 07:37 PM	#19
Wrangler92 Junior Join Date: May 2016 Posts: 8	Great report!! Thanks for sharing. June loop is my favorite place in the Sierras. Can't wait to go back..

06-03-2016, 11:27 PM	#20
T-Rex Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Rancho Santa Margarita Posts: 770	Thanks for the report Jim. I've gotta try to get up to the Eastern Sierras a couple of times this summer. __________________