The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Howdy, Has anyone packed in to the lakes in Trinity Alps that might want to share their experiences, recommendations, and tips on which lakes are good to fish, and which are not? I am considering a hike in from China Camp to Grizzly Lake and wanted to see if anyone has experiences to share from the Alps. Are there good lakes in the Alps that are closer and worthwhile?

I did a search on this board, "Trinity Alps", and got a couple of old hits, but not much first-hand info on actual experiences. Mainly just references to the Alps area.

I know it is still too early for that region, but I am thinking about July/August timeline.

Have been ITCHING to go fishing and so far, only got in one Sunday at Putah Creek. It was Easter Sunday. It was hot, breezy, and the rattlesnakes were out, but no trout!

Email GM. He has packed that area quite a bit and might be willing to share a few tips.

Thanks, Phil.

Hello,

I, as FlyNgo, would like some information on the Trinity Alps(TA). My son and I are going to be in the area the last two weeks of June on a fishing trip. We want to fish the streams of TA as well as the Sac, Hat, and Pit.

I have heard and read access on the Hat and Pit is very limited and often crowded especially on weekends but somewhat less so during the week. I find such news disappointing at best.

First, is this information correctfor the last two weeks of June? If so, I think one way around it would be to camp at campsites on the water so we have some access. Is this a good solution?

Any help you could give us would be greatly appreciated.

I'm driving out from Kansas and picking up my son in Santa Cruz. He is a chef with only this as his vacation time this year so you can understand how important it is to me to be able to give him a successfull trip.

Thanks,

Brad

When my dad was Younger, (he'll be 74 at the end of May) he used to take people into the Trinity Alps. I don't know if he could be of help or not, but if you want to email me your request and email address I would be happy to forward it to him and maybe he could help. If you need references as to whether or not I am sincere, ask GM.

Jeff

I've backpacked along many streams and into many lakes in the Trinity Alps for the past 20 years, but I have not been to Grizzly Lake. We used to pack in along the North Fork of the Trinity River and fish (catch and release) for summer steelhead when the stream was still open to fishing. The fishing was so good we never got to Grizzly Lake. This was coming in from the west side which is a longer hike.

If you can go in the first half of September after school has started you will have most places to yourself unless you get very unlucky.

Any time of year you can have great privacy if you camp along a creek/stream or a little away from the major lakes. A short day hike up or down to the lake for fishing is an alternative. I've rarely felt crowded in the Alps.

You can catch pan sized trout in most of the streams. Don't expect to catch any lunkers in the lakes unless you are very knowledgeable and lucky, but there are a few hogs here and there. The few people I know who know where the hogs are are rightfully tight lipped about them.

You might be able to find someone by checking with the USFS office in Weaverville to get an idea about what species of fish are still in the various lakes. But make sure you find someone knowledgeable, or any guide book is just as good.

I do believe that Grizzly Lake would be a good choice for a trip, even though I have never been there.

A couple of my favorite trips have been to Caribou Lake (be sure to hike above the lake and look up the Sawtooth Mountain drainage and down on Emerald and Sapphire lakes, spectacular! I also really enjoyed the hike around Silago Peak. There are four small distinctly different lakes (Deer, Summit, Diamond and Luella)and the view are wonderful. We came in via Granite Lake.

Expect spectacular scenery, plenty of pan sized fish and anything over 12 inches is a bonus. With those expectations you should have a great time.

Jim