Trout Family

This past week i had the pleasure of fishing with the Trout family for two days.  That's right, the Trout Family.  Noel Trout, Christian Trout, and Adam Trout.  Noel contacted me through the Tahoe Fly Fishing outfitters for a guide trip in my area.  Noel and his two sons are participating in the California Heritage Trout program and really wanted to catch some Lahontan Cutthroat.   Lahontan Cutties are native to the Lake Tahoe and the surrounding drainages.  At one time, not too long ago, they were the predominate species in all the small lakes and creeks from Pyramid lake to Lake Tahoe and throughout the entire Washo territory and into the headwater streams of the Eastern Central Sierra's.  These days controversial restoration efforts are under way to restore lost or struggling populations into the native range.  Long story short, wild Lahontan Cutthroat are hard to find.  We had a great couple days of hiking into some of the small creeks and high-country lakes in search of these beautiful fish. 

Dave N Kurt

Kurt Peterson with a nice East Walker Rainbow during a rain storm hatch. 
Dave Shenkman of Kite Connections (www.kiteconnections.com) with a huge East Carson Rainbow early season.  

FFM Cover

Walker Perch

East Walker is infested with perch.  They have been blowing through the dam in large numbers for months.  The only upside is that the small disoriented ones make a great meal for a hungry trout.  I really love to fish streamers in the east walker so my buddy Charlie Bisharat tied me up a couple really nice perch patterns.  When the time was right and the light was dropping, i tied that sucker on and threw it out there in a hole where i know some huge browns hang out.  Twitch twitch twitch and wham.  I thought for sure from the strike i had a fatty brown, then all of a sudden just dead weight.  It was a dam perch!  Cannibals! I did pull a couple nice browns on streams that day, but all the perch caught was another perch.  It'll happen Charlie, i promise.