gone fishin

Reports From the Field

Middle Fork of the Stanislaus Article & Photos by Todd Pond

Ever since I read about the middle fork of the Stanislaus River, (see:http://www.flyfishingthesierra.com/ nfstanis.htm ), I’ve wanted to explore it. I read that it is one of the best fisheries on the Western Slope due to its rich aquatic insects, wild trout, and location. I also learned the Stanislaus is one of the wild trout fisheries closest to the Bay Area.

So much for reading, I was hooked. I packed a lunch, set my alarm for 4 am, filled my tank, and twisted up a couple of flies. I was off to see the river for myself. Somewhere in the middle of the Central Valley, I met the sunrise. I continued heading east on highway 108, past Sonora and then past Pinecrest. Finally, I found the road that goes to the China Flat day use area, just below Beardsley Reservoir. When I arrived, my odometer showed that in three hours and fifteen minutes of driving I had traveled 173 miles from El Cerrito. It was a 20 minute walk from the China Flat day use area to where I started fishing. Most of the walk was alongside a utility dirt road, next to the Beardsley Afterbay, which is beautiful. At the end of the Afterbay, there is a nice angler’s trail. For the most part, the trail is safe and easy to hike with the exception of a couple of steeper areas where extra caution must be taken. The walk/hike is pleasurable because of the amazing landscape. There is plenty of river to fish. From the Afterbay Dam to Sandpoint Campground (one of many campgrounds in the area) is about three miles downriver. There is an angler’s trail at the end of the Afterbay that goes all the way to the campground. It is similar to the one on the McCloud Conservancy. I fished about 1.5 miles down from the dam.

I quickly realized how similar this river is to the McCloud and the middle fork of the Feather River. The water flows were about 200 cfs. In many sections of the river, there are large pools between the runs and the ripples. Generally, I feel that huge pools are not productive, so I do not spend much time fishing them. On the Stanislaus, some of the runs and

THE IRIDEUS - DECEMBER 2019 pools are difficult to access due to large granite boulders and overhanging vegetation. Also worth noting, the wading at times was more difficult than at the Pit River. Even so, I found plenty of fishable water.

There were multiple types of flies in the air all day long. In the morning l saw midges and mayflies. In the afternoon, the mayflies continued. In the evening, there was a complex hatch, and the fish were feeding on top. I noticed many different types of mayflies, caddis flies, and midges. This river definitely is very rich in aquatic insects. The fish were feeding throughout the water column. I mainly focused on fishing subsurface, and had most of my success there. I did get two fish swinging wet flies in the film, and missed multiple attacks on the surface. This makes for a fun day of fishing, giving the angler many different options of where and how to fish. By the end of the day, I was very impressed with the fishery. I had netted over 15 fish, mostly rainbows. I lost some nice fish too due to them leaping several feet out of the water. The nicest fish was a brown trout measuring about 18”. For my first day fishing the Stanislaus, I was dazzled with the river, the scenery, and the fish quality and quantity. I wondered how I would do after learning the river. Unfortunately, I was fishing alone, and the sun had left the canyon over an hour and a half earlier, so it was time to hike out of the canyon, back to my truck. I decided to time myself, so I could guesstimate how far down river I had fished. I took to a quick pace, a determined hiker, and raced against the remaining daylight. The hike back was 40 minutes, so I figured I went down into the canyon about two miles. I made it back just before dark. On my way home I had dinner at a popular Mexican restaurant next to Highway 5. While enjoying a beer and a burrito, I wondered why I had not heard of people frequenting this fishery. Maybe it is the hike, maybe the difficult wading, maybe they had not read the articles I had read, or maybe other rivers get more attention in fishing publications. The Stanislaus lived up to the claims of the articles I had read. It is closer than the Truckee and the East Carson. The fish are all wild and have plenty to feed on. The river and the scenery, both, are amazing. In addition, both browns and rainbows share the river. I am certain the river holds some fish over twenty inches. Also, I fished the entire day and only saw one angler. The middle fork of the Stanislaus is a river that anglers should visit.

If anyone is interested in learning more about the middle fork of the Stanislaus, or would like to share information about the river, or wants to plan a fishing trip with me, please feel free to reach out. I can be reached at toddpond@ymail.com. Also, there are 2 links below. The first is one of the articles I read, the other is a video of my trip. http://www.flyfishingthesierra.com/nfstanis. htm https://youtu.be/adQK0gU8jd8 P.S. I will never give up on the East Walker. See the video of my latest trip there at https://youtu.be/3tjQ25pA5xE