And Catch Fish He Did...

von behr · Oct 19, 2013

I count myself lucky this past week that I was able to get up to the Eastern Sierras one more time before winter sets in. This trip was just to decompress with my wife and children. We were able to enjoy some mild weather with spectacular fall scenery.

Since the government had been shut down prior to our arrival, the area was quieter than normal for this time of year. All of the campgrounds and National Forest facilities were closed, along with National Parks and monuments.

We practically had the place all to ourselves. Fishing wasn't the focus, but it couldn't be entirely avoided either. Between exploring with the family and little wilderness outings, I was able to get a couple of short sessions of stream time. The half day I was able to devote to solo fly fishing left me smelling like a skunk. I got one vicious strike from a brown, but I just couldn't close escrow. A few head shakes, and he wanted nothing more to do with me. Despite my lack of fish catching on this trip, I observed an intrepid little creature who had achieved an amazing level of success where I had failed.

I've seen some decent sized crustaceans in fresh water, but this guy was more like a juvenile lobster than a large crayfish. He was huge. He only had one claw, which made me wonder what the other guy looked like, because this beast was big and tough...a real survivor. He just nonchalantly walked by me in the stream carrying his prize in his one thick claw. In my poor showing with the fly, I was easily distracted by the scenery, and this creature occupied my day dreaming for a little while.

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To provide a sense of scale, that's about a 6" trout in his claw. I wear extra large gloves, and he was quite a bit bigger than my hand.

We paid our respects, and he went on his way with his delicious meal. I did pull him out of the stream briefly to pose for the photograph, but I assure you that no crayfish was harmed during said filming. I can't say the same for that mangled little trout that swam too close to that massive claw.

Anyway, here are some pics of the beautiful fall scenery around the area:

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The last photo was taken earlier in the week when we were all fishing together. There were fish everywhere, and we were having some fun in a wide meadow section of one of the nearby creeks. The kids did particularly well on that day. It was nice to get away and recharge the batteries.

Cheers,

-VB :icon_cool:icon_cool

mikel · Oct 19, 2013

cool stuff with the 'dad

and nice to see a dusting over there. I wish we'd get that 1st big storm out of the way and get a snowpack going. I'm jealous...

Ard · Oct 19, 2013

These pictures are simply beautiful Eric,

The crayfish, that photo & description changes the way I think about them. Actually it sounds more like a small lobster than what I'm accustomed to seeing when I lived in their ranges. Wow.

Ard

cletus · Oct 19, 2013

Beautiful pics, man I miss being out west...

fly_guy12955 · Oct 20, 2013

...........and I just happened to be watching an old Godzilla movie.........!

Mike

von behr · Oct 20, 2013

Thanks for the comments, guys. Mike, they got a dusting of snow the week before our arrival (about 8 inches worth), but much of it had melted away by the time we got there, except in the higher elevations. Hopefully they will get some decent snow this winter. We sure need it for many reasons. I'll bet the ski operators are doing their dance to tempt the snow gods right about now.

As far as that little lobster, he would have made a welcome meal for one of those reality survival show hosts...a little steam and some melted butter...tasty.

He'd been eating trout, so I'll bet that succulent crustacean meat would be a home run, steamed or grilled. As far as a trout eating him, that would have to be one very big fish to choke down a monster that size. If you chucked a lure that large, most people would laugh, unless you were targeting huge largemouth bass or an otherworldly lake monster.

He was the biggest I've ever seen, and I was surprised to find him cruising in less than a foot of water in a small creek 8,500 feet up in the mountains. Who would have thought?

ghocevar · Oct 20, 2013

Nice pics and an even nicer Abel Reel!

mcnerney · Oct 20, 2013

VB: Great trip report with some awesome photos! That crayfish was a real monster.

Larry

gzarboni · Oct 20, 2013

Those Pics are beautiful. Thanks for sharing.

chechem · Oct 20, 2013

Lovely pics. You are a lucky man.

jaybo41 · Oct 20, 2013

VB, your photos and write up are magnificent! The scenery is just stunning and the photos of the crustacean in action is just plain cool, even if it is eating a trout

Is that a Brookie I see with that Brown trout?

von behr · Oct 20, 2013

jaybo41 said:
VB, your photos and write up are magnificent! The scenery is just stunning and the photos of the crustacean in action is just plain cool, even if it is eating a trout

Is that a Brookie I see with that Brown trout?

Yep, you caught me. It's a brookie catching a brown. Oh well, I'll take what I can get.

Thanks for the kind words.

-VB

argail · Oct 21, 2013

von behr said:
I count myself lucky this past week that I was able to get up to the Eastern Sierras one more time before winter sets in.

Anyway, here are some pics of the beautiful fall scenery around the area:

Uploaded with ImageShack.com

Cheers,

-VB :icon_cool:icon_cool

"crazy" beauty... :thumbsup:

nicknick222 · Oct 21, 2013

Great shots!!! Im very jealous. Hopefully I can make it up in the next two weeks for a little bit. I want to catch it before all the leaves hit the ground and it looks like they are getting close!

Last time I was at the EW I managed to "catch" one of those Maine lobster wannabes. My indicator went down, set the hook and this thing comes flying out at me. Needless to say I was a bit confused. And even more confusing he got hooked in the claw! I still cannot figure out if my line just happened to get wrapped around its claw or it actually grabbed my SJ worm out of the drift... maybe these guys are more predatory than we think.

von behr · Oct 22, 2013

fly_guy12955 said:
...........and I just happened to be watching an old Godzilla movie.........!

Mike

Mike,

That's too funny!

Here you go:

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This lobster guy looks very familiar...I wonder who wins.

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Now, you've inspired me. I'm going to tie up some of these for my next trip to Chernobyl:

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stl_geoff · Oct 22, 2013

Great pics, i think that brookie reel isnt functioning properly, theres a lot of line it has picked up properly, you better send it to me for some examination.

stimulator2 · Oct 22, 2013

Thas a great report it's always nice to get away.

flymoron · Nov 2, 2013

the pics are great, where is the melted butter?

von behr · Nov 2, 2013

flymoron said:
the pics are great, where is the melted butter?

If only I had brought some with me...

I took my sweet time before I laid a hand on that guy. I was eyeing that claw the whole time, because it looked like it could snip off a finger, or at least do some major damage to said finger.

After the brief photo shoot, I respectfully let him continue on with his trout project. I figured that beast has been around a while and he'd come out on top of more than a scrape or two. He deserved a pass.

-VB

MAD777 · Nov 2, 2013

With scenery surrounding me as beautiful as that, I don't think I could concentrate on fishing! And you did a masterful job of capturing it, VB!

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And Catch Fish He Did...

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