GPFF at eagle canyon trophy trout

By Josh Genser

As more of us are vaccinated, we’re slowly getting back to what this club is all about: going fishing. In fact, the first such trip since the advent of Covid-19 took place on February 21. Bob Woznicki arranged for GPFF to visit the Eagle Canyon Trophy Trout Lakes (thanks, Bob!). The Eagle Canyon Trophy Trout Lakes are actually a pair of ponds on a ranch in Tehama County near the town of Manton.

The ponds are full of huge trout, of no less than three pounds. The ranch is open from January to April each year, and only up to eight anglers are permitted each day. The fishing is pretty much limited to underwater; these fish rarely eat on the surface. So, the easy way to fish is to suspend a nymph beneath a strike indicator and just wait for a cruising fish to swim by and decide to eat: the fly fishing equivalent of bait fishing. The more active method is to tie on a heavy streamer, cast it as far as you can and then strip it in: the fly fishing equivalent of using a spinning lure.

There were seven members of the Club present, including some of the most experienced and expert fishers in the Club (I do not include myself in that group). Even though fishing in these ponds might sound too easy for such experts to enjoy, in this environment every opportunity to get out of the house is special.

Also, fishing these ponds is an opportunity to try new things. I tried out an eight-foot fiberglass rod that I had not before had an opportunity to use (I didn’t like it; anyone want it?). I tried a mouse fly, figuring that these fish might be large enough to go after it (they didn’t, but at least I learned to cast it and strip it). I tried many different patterns of stripping, casting different streamers, and even multiple streamers at the same time. Heck, just getting to practice my casting was a great help.

I recommend Eagle Canyon for beginners. It’s easy to get to, although it’s a long drive (about three hours). It’s easy to stand on the banks of the ponds or to wade into them, there is room to back-cast safely, and you’ll have a full day to work on your timing and rhythm. So, next year, you less experienced fishers, sign up for this outing before registration fills up. If you want to go there yourself, here’s the web site: https://eaglecanyontrout.com.