East
Fork Blown-Out
San Gabriel River - East Fork
June 23, 2005
On arrival at
the East Fork, I was surprised at the magnitude of change the river had
undergone. Now that the rain and major runoff waters are gone, the
resulting destruction of the riverbed is clearly visible. Click the
picture (on the right) for detailed view. This picture was taken at
a turn-out, just after passing the turn-off to the shooting range (along
the East Fork Road).
Although I was
taken by surprise, the view wasn't totally unexpected. I'll admit, I
had nearly forgotten what the river had been through this year.
Seeing her today, was a clear reminder. If I didn't know better, I'd
swear I was looking at the Moon.
For those new
to Fly Fishing, with the now absent shrubbery and forest, the East Fork
may represent a good place to practice casting.
I wasn't
feeling much like hiking today. Rather, I wanted to enjoy a relaxing
day without the 'Death March'. I was content to cast flies between
Heaton Flats (downstream) to the bridge. Driving to the parking lot,
at the end of the road, I was immediately pleased to find no one else
fishing. Great, I'll have the place to myself. No, on second
thought, this isn't a good sign.
The
water clarity was a bit of a mystery. I can honestly say, I've never
seen this shade of blue before. Not just blue, but milky blue., with
a gray powdery sediment settling on the bottom.
The chalk like
substance painted most of the bottom and rocks. In places where it
had dried, I discovered the stuff to be very much like 'Cement Dust'.
The picture, at
left, shows a once favorite run. Swimmers had placed a 10' pole
across it. Why, I'm not sure. The pole itself points directly
to the deepest part of the run., easily 6' deep.
First things
first, I went to work removing the obstruction. And then worked the run,
as I had so many times before. Seemingly, a waste of time. Not a
single strike. My hopes of catching a fish were dwindling.
Somewhat
saddened, I reeled it in and went down river a bit. There was a
familiar spot, that was always difficult to angle because of the
overgrowth. Well, not anymore. Thinking there was no way a fish
could see in this stuff, water clarity being what it was, I tied on a size
10 Beaded Head Twenty-incher and gave it a try. While stripping back
on the first cast, I got a subtle strike., followed by a series ferocious
tugs. I went from semi-depressed to sudden excitement, in a
nanosecond. I wasn't disappointed in the least, when the fish came
off. It was there, it could see... therefore, others could
too. It was going to be a Great Day! Equally motivating was
the realization that this fish felt much bigger than the usual East Fork
wild trout., and may be a hefty stocker.
While casting
and searching for the behemoth, I got three little 5-6" fellows.
None, of which, had the feel or fight of the first strike. They were
hastily released, as I was eager for the BIG guy. I widened my
search area, but still couldn't find it again. The little guys stopped
playing too. So I tied on a BH Prince Nymph and bounced it around
the bottom, let it drift 20-30', strip it back, bounced it around... and
BANG! The BIG guy struck with a vengeance. You can image my glee, as
it ran for the ocean. I'd let it run for perhaps 10' and briefly
stop the drag to make sure the hook stayed firmly set. Each time I did,
the rod bent over and I could feel the fly line stretch., so I was quick
to let him run some more. I was nearly to the backing when the BIG
guy settled down and I started reeling. It broke the surface and
leaped in a last ditch effort to get away, and took off running
again. What a fighter!
I
knew I couldn't reel him in without breaking the tippet. He was sure
giving my 5wt a workout. I quickly realized the fish was in control
of the situation., and I'd just have to wait for him to surrender. I
can't remember when I had to fight a fish for so long. After, what
seemed like 3-5 minutes, the fish settled down and I was able to reel it
in. What a beauty!
It's head was
covered with a light film of the 'gray' dust, so I wiped and washed it
away before taking some pictures. I figured I'd keep this one.
Rather than release it to be caught and kept by someone else.
A tired and
beautiful specimen, it made for a perfect photo-op. Now, if I can
just get the silly little camera to be as cooperative. I took several
pictures before placing the fish on my chain. And then went back to
fishing the same area some more.
Not finding
anymore players, I went back to my favorite run with renewed dedication.
Not that it mattered. Hard as it was for me to believe that the deep
run didn't hold any fish, I couldn't get a single strike.
Just then I was
buzzed and circled by a Helicopter. What's this? No markings
to identify it as being Forestry, Sheriff or TV crew. I was puzzled, as it
kept circling at about 1,000ft. and then lower and closer to the parking
lot. It landed somewhere near the parking area and I went back to
fishing for a couple more minutes before heading up to the parking area.
On
arriving at the parking area, I was somewhat in awe of the sight of this
helicopter attempting to nose in and land. Clearly I'd need to move
my truck if he hoped to get out of there easily. The pilot set his
ship down on the edge of the lot, nearest the restrooms. I guess,
when you have to go, you have to go. No, that wasn't it. Come
to find out, he was there to pick-up a few bungee jumpers and take them to
the 'bridge to nowhere'. Hmm, that's cost effective? I guess.,
if your pockets are deep enough.
A fly in and
hike out, seems kind of cool. You'd be able to fish the entire 4 (or
so) miles, at half the effort.
Unfortunately,
by my calculations, the luxury of doing so would equal the cost of a
high-end fly rod, in the $300-600 range. In which case, I'd rather
buy the rod and hike the extra 4 miles. Even with four anglers, the
breakdown would be in the $200-250 per person range.
After talking
with the pilot awhile, I headed the truck down river... stopping at points
between the parking area and the bridge. It's amazing to be able to
fish these waters without all of the vegetation. Regardless, I was only
able to C&R a couple more wilds before reaching the bridge. So, I
decided to call it a day and head for home.
Just
before the turn-off to the shooting range, I pulled over to take this
telephoto shot of goings on in the riverbed (where the East Fork meets the
Main stretch of the river, normally flowing to the reservoir).
Met with a
convoy of dump trucks headed up stream on the East Fork road, I'm guessing
they were transporting the soil back to where it came from. In fact,
they had allowed the water behind San Gabriel Dam to drain and give them
the ability to truck the dirt back.
I'm not sure,
but I'd imagine a lot of the stuff will find its way back to 'Follows
Camp' and the areas around the little East Fork community.
Meanwhile, the
scenery East and South of the OHV area is downright ugly. Sadly, its
going to take Mother-Nature a long time to heal this wound. Or, so
I'm thinking.
Oh well, lets
take another look at that fish!
We'll
be back
