Slick rocks rolled underfoot, throwing off what balance I still possess. Muttering, I wished for a wading staff. The water, beautifully clear, was cold, cold, cold. My son Alex had elected to wet wade- I thought he was nuts. I was cold through the waders. It’s good to be young.
Alex, on the Trinity River
We were on California’s Trinity River, a river Alex loves to fish. The Trinity has produced some large rainbow trout for him, (or as they call them in California, steelhead). And while it turned out we didn’t catch any big ones during our two days of fishing, Alex did stick one that looked to be four pounds or so, a fish that jumped off after a drag-screaming run downriver. Good stuff.
The Trinity comes from deep in the Scott Mountains, in Trinity County, running into the Klamath River at Weitchpec, California, a run of 165 miles. Two lake-forming dams are found along the way. As such, it’s a tail-water fishery where we fished, a very productive one. Rainbows, browns, and chinook salmon can all be encountered there. Some of the trout grow very large.
When we arrived the second day, a guide raft was anchored below where we parked. While we rigged our tackle, we watched the Sport, using a bobber rig, railing the fish. “Hey, raft guy!” I shouted. “What should I tie on?” “We got that last fish on a Prince nymph,” the guide said. “There are also dusky spinners and PMD’s on the water, and golden stonefly and caddis nymphs in it.” Then a coal black caddis fly landed on me. It seemed there were lots of bugs around, a conclusion that was born out when we got down to the water. There were all kinds of trout-nourishing insects down there.
Stonefly exuvium, one of lots, on streamside vegetation.
Alex said, “I’m going to swing a streamer. You want one?” I did. Bobber fishing has little appeal for me. I tied on the sculpin pattern he gave me, then tied on a trailing Prince nymph. May as well use the local knowledge.
But I get ahead of myself. The first day, we started at a different stretch of river, the Bucktail River access. The bobber rig was affixed to my leader. Alex opted for a spey rod with a streamer and nymph trailer. There were enough fish that he, at one point, got a double. Sure, the fish were modest, but still- two trout at once? I got a couple fish (one at a time) on a nymph called a Fireplug, but to my untrained eye all those little bead-head nymphs look pretty similar. I know trout see quite well but still wonder how much difference different dressings matter on a size 16 hook.
Alex chucks with the spey rod.
After a couple hours, we left that spot and stopped in Lewiston to get sandwiches. After the cold water, the hot sun felt nice! And on our empty stomachs, the sandwiches sure tasted good.
A modest trout double on the Trinity.
After snack time was over we stopped at the Trinity Fly Shop. More flies, more information. Armed with a map, Alex drove to the new spot, below the Trinity Dam. Fish rose, small ones. After removing the bobber, I tied on a Stimulator. Although I had two takes on it, I had more refusals. The fish were telling me it was too big. In the meantime, Alex stuck that handsome fish, only to lose it.
Too soon, it was time to leave. Cold and close to being spent, I didn’t argue much.
A couple days later, we were back, yelling questions at the raft guide. We both started by swinging the streamer/nymph combo. I got a small fish on the streamer, then a smaller fish on the nymph. Then I pierced my ear with the nymph, a first for me. But the bigger fish I was searching for didn’t happen. Fish were rising all over the river, and living in Florida doesn’t lend itself to dry fly fishing, so I cut off the streamer and tied on a PMD, #16.
The trout we caught were small but healthy.
Oh, yeah, that’s the ticket! Lots of looks, good numbers of bites, and a half-dozen fish caught and released. Alex, with no feeling left in his feet and legs, tapped out. I kept fishing. Then those slick rocks got to me, and I fell. The waders didn’t have a belt. While I got soaked, and my camera got ruined, it could have been much worse. I was able to regain my feet and stagger to the bank, where a piece of wood sufficed as a wading stick to get me back to the trail up to the parking lot.
Falling in is seldom fun. It’s not the first camera I’ve lost to falling in. It was not the way one fantasizes about ending one’s fishing trip. But the fishing had been good, with a chance at big fish, the river was gorgeous, the company sublime, and I’m not complaining.
I would go fish the Trinity any time. Next time, I’ll use a wading staff.
In the fishing community steelhead trout are distinct from rainbow trout. Rainbow trout are solely freshwater while steelhead are ocean going rainbow trout that come back to fresh water to spawn. Steelhead are typically much larger in size.