Western Forks - San Gabriel Mountains Trout Fishing

Back at it again

Los Angeles Fly Fishing for Rainbow Trout

Had a hankering to get in another local trout fishing trip in the Los Angeles mountains before summer rolled in. Went out with a couple of good buddies and hiked into a remote, crystal clear stream deep in the San Gabriels. It's one of my favorite creeks - rarely does it produce a "big" fish, but it has a very plentiful wild rainbow trout population and consistent water flow to support them.

We caught dozens of shiny rainbows, amidst the sharp contrast of spring sunshine punctuating the dark canyon floor from above. All fish were safely released to be caught another day.

Canyon Trout - video of the fly fishing trip (and some conventional)

It's alive!

Scouted a local trout stream in the San Gabriel Mountains, outside of Los Angeles. In the past, I would catch many fish throughout the creek. However, with the drought, I saw most of the creek dry up and the fish disappear. Imagine my thrill and surprise when I hooked into several small rainbows in the creek while fly fishing today! Nothing huge but beautiful nonetheless. 

A California Trout Stream Comes Back to Life

Most of the local SoCal trout streams that I frequent have been almost wiped clean of trout due to the drought. However, one particular stream has surprised me. Prior to the drought, it held a few fish, but the reaches I hiked to were mostly empty. During the drought, it was definitely empty of fish. However, now after the intense storms and rain we were blessed with this winter, it's flowing and full of rainbow trout. I love it! Hat tip to my friend who scouted it out again and came back with a good report on it. Take a look and if you know the spot, keep it secret, keep it wild, keep it protected:

Wild Rainbow Trout in Los Angeles, California

Southern California's wild rainbow trout represent the remnants of a species slowly vanishing from the region. Some may be distantly related to the endangered California steelhead that still roam the ocean, seeking to return to coastal rivers and streams. Others are the descendants of rainbow trout stocked during the early days of pioneer settlements in the region, bringing life and vigor to cold mountain streams previously uninhabited by sportfish.

The drought has not treated these fish kindly, yet in remote creeks a few still survive. On a recent journey after the welcome rainstorms, I journeyed to one such location, and was pleased to find these finned, glistening trophies. All were safely released back into their pools, after a quick photo or video. You may recall the Trout Box post I wrote about several years ago, and it made a re-appearance on this trip, offering a safe location for photographs with less handling. 

I've read that the drought, which has affected around 90% of California, continues to recede, now dropping to around 50%. These numbers are encouraging but show just how dry the state is. Here's to hoping and praying for more precipitation to keep these streams and their rainbow treasures alive!

Happy New Year.

Tiny Creek Redband Trout San Bernardino

 Locating a tiny creek through online research and discussion with other fishermen, then hiking in and actually fishing it sucessfully is truly rewarding. Such was the case for one of my recent fishing trips in the San Bernardino National Forest.

 Armed with my ultralite fishing gear, I located this miniscule watershed and proceeded to catch many healthy Redband-strain rainbow trout in less than an hour. All fish were quickly released back into their mountain stream environment, colorful patterns and all.

The creek has been through a lot, with natural disasters and manmade problems really hurting the fish population. Still, some fish still exist here, as evidenced in the video I took of the trip: