Finally got out of town Thursday. It's been a hard winter and spring health wise around here.
Mike and I drove up to Bishop in 30 to 40 MPH wind Made a few stops on the way but no fish. Just looking and eating sand. We checked into our room then hit a few local spots without any luck. Took a ride around the countryside and did a little exploring. Went out to Round Valley and up Pine Creek road through Rovana and to the end of the road. Not really the end but to a gate that keeps you from going to the end. There is a Mine up the road called Pine Creek Mine LLC Avocet Tungsten.
We wandered around our side of the gate through the ruins of an old mining community and looked for promising pools on the creek which is rocky and treed over. As it was getting late we drove back to town, did a little shopping and ate supper.
Friday morning we drove up to the mountains and started fishing. It was pretty cold and there is still snow on the ground . We stopped several places along Bishop creek before we found a good spot with a few leftover trout. (last weekend was the season opener on the West side of the 395) Mike brought 2 to hand and I had a few long distance releases. About that time the stocking truck drove up and the DFG guy dumped 5 or 6 nets full of fish into the mix. Those of you who have to fish stocked creeks know what happens when the stockers come. Yep. All the followers of the stocking truck showed up. Before you could say What the heck! it was elbow to elbow along that creek. I reeled in and walked back to the truck without saying a word. When I turned around Mike was there with his gear. We drove on up to the weir pond below Lake Sabrina. There was 2 DFG rangers sitting in their truck when we parked. We walked past the truck and exchanged howdys. They took off a few minutes later. I found a hot spot with no one around. Don't know where Mike went but he's a big guy so I didn't worry. I was happy to have the creek to myself.
In a little while a guy walked up and watched me roll casting. He asked why I wasn't flipping the rod back and forth. I pointed to the trees behind me and explained how they eat flies. He asked if I was the guy who was at the creek where the stocking truck was just at. I told him I was but didn't appreciate being crowded out. Then he asked if I'd seen the game wardens. I said yes. He wanted to know if they checked me out. I told him they did not. Then he told me how they accosted him and searched his truck, found his 12 trout and took them. Then wrote him a ticket. He thought it was very rude of them. After all he was on a two week vacation in their town, staying at a local hotel and eating at local restaurants. I said 5 trout a day, ten in your possession is the rule in the book. He mumbled something else and left. I guess he thought he found a sympathetic ear. Poor fellow. He looked to be in his 50's so I figured he should have known what happens when you break the rules.
So he left, the sun came out for a little bit and them trout tore up my bead head wooly booger. In about 30 minutes I brought 5 to hand. The clouds covered the sun and the bite stopped. I walked back to the truck and found Mike reading a book. I guess he wasn't fishing when the sun was shining.
We decided to go up South fork Bishop creek and give it a try. It had been spitting little snow flakes off and on since the stocking truck came so we were not surprised when we got up by Parchers that we ran into a full blown snowfall. Big wet beautiful snow flakes were coming down all around us. Now Mike and I are a couple of desert boys and we don't see snow very much so we just sat for about 30 minutes or more watching it come down. There was no sign of it letting up and we were at around 9000 FT elevation so we headed back to town.
Today was a little overcast with a promise of rain and snow in the high country so we decided to pull the plug and head home. All in all it was a decent trip. I haven't seen snow in May since I left Northern New Mexico 35 years ago. I got to listen to a sniveling lawbreaker, I spent a few days with my good friend away from the real world. As soon as I download my pictures I will post a few. No fish pictures, Just mountains and snow. Jim