Backpacking in Lassen; Fly Fishing the High Country

Backpacking into the high country is essentially a sweaty way to fish water that others rarely fish. That’s the good news.

The bad news is the season is short, the fish are usually small, you can’t bring a lot of gear, and the fishing can be moody. Still, even if the fishing isn’t spectacular, the views almost always are.

Moonrise, Lassen. The daytime views are cool, but the star views are even cooler.

Hiking in, setting up camp, eating, sleeping, breaking camp, and walking out don’t leave a lot of time to fish.

And when you get up early in the morning to fish and can’t because the line keeps freezing in the guides, it’s clear you’re about to experience a “quality outdoor activity” as much as a fishing trip.

The final tally wasn’t nearly as spectacular as the Lassen scenery; three grabs, one frisky rainbow landed.

The closer the squiggly lines, the harder you’re going to breathe.

Because you can’t fish anything you didn’t haul yourself, I left the 22 pounds of float tube, fins and gear behind and simply brought my 8.5′ 4-pc fiberglass rod and a few flies. The fly fisher in me didn’t appreciate the compromise, but my back sure did.

The fishing wasn’t spectacular, but lots of other things were. The deciduous trees were dropping their leaves, and the Lassen Wilderness is pretty stunning on its off days, and it doesn’t have any off days in the fall.

The hike out wasn’t long (7.5 miles), but it was mostly uphill, and it was during that hike that I developed a deep and abiding appreciation for the trend towards ultralight backpacking, where 40 pound packs are a thing of the past, and 18 pound packs are perfectly doable.

The success of the experience suggests I should take a hard look at my fishing vest.

What about the Brookies?

Originally I planned to fish a brook trout stream on Monday, but – crafty devil that I am – I pushed that back to Wednesday, when I get to fish it until dark.

Some say that modern fly fishing’s all about hunting trout, but I disagree. Most of the time, it’s really about the sleight of hand you play just to get the chance.

[tags]lassen, backpacking[tags]