June 4, 2007

June 4, 2007

We have seen lots of references to fishing in the area. I just assumed Mono Lake must have been a fishing lake until I learned that it was so salty that it didn’t support anything but shrimp and fly larvae. When I asked a fellow camper about angling, I got an earful about how the trout fishing in this area is world-class. Being a trout god I had to give it a shot.

After unhooking the RV, I pick up a license and some worms at a local bait shop and head back up the Tioga Pass road towards Yosemite. Lee Vining Creek runs alongside the road. There is a string of forest service campsites along the creek and we pull into the first one. I put on my waders, assemble my fishing gear and head off for the stream leaving Aimee in the RV for some quality Mike-free reading time. Lee Vining Creek is only about ten feet wide but is a gully washer. This is not going to be easy to fish. I hike upstream until I find something that resembles calmer water. It takes me awhile but I get the hang of the stream and end up catching a half dozen trout, all rainbows and all about 12 inches. Not huge but they still give a good fight. Once I start catching fish, I am able to appreciate the scenery. The creek is pretty and runs thru a Jeffery Pine forest littered with their characteristic giant pinecones. In the background are the snow-capped Sierras. Pretty nice! I probably would have caught more fish but after yesterday’s Bird Watching walk every time I hear a bird call I now instinctively look up in the trees. Very distracting!

In the early afternoon, we set out north on Hwy 395. After several hours we arrive in Carson City, NV where we spend the night in a private campground.