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 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: 

The water was running fast and cold, the trout were eager to bite, and I had the whole creek to myself. Perfect.

Fishing for wild rainbow trout in the many mountain streams of Southern California has become one of my favorite pastimes.  While I love hunting largemouth bass and other warmwater species, wild trout in crystal clear, ice-cold streams are a treat to catch like no other. Recently, I took a new approach to photographing these fragile wild fish.  Keeping them out of water too long for a picture unduly stresses them, making it difficult to get a nice shot. Instead, I brought along a small "trout box", a clear plastic container, filled with (on occasion) stream water, to allow the trout to calm down and get a nice photo. (Click below for more photos after the jump) On my trial run with this box, at an unnamed stream, the trout box was perfect.  The fish all appeared considerably more relaxed than they normally would be in the grasp of a human and were all returned to this secret mountain stream quickly, without noticeable harm. I hope you enjoy t...

A few weeks ago, I went off the beaten path and explored a new stream in the San Bernardino National Forest. After hiking in, I came across a large, deep pool. First cast resulted in a missed strike, second cast with a micro jig was nailed-hookup! I quickly figured out that this was no small fry, as my drag was getting burned all around the pool. Took me a while to get a look at the fish, eventually it surfaced and I was very surprised. It was an extraordinarily large rainbow trout, especially for the size of this stream! A few more heart pounding moments later and I was able to land it, snag a few pictures and release it back to its water domain. I've spent a considerable amount of time thinking about the origins of this fish. Initially, I suspected that someone had dumped a large stocked rainbow from a nearby public lake or pond into this portion of the creek. However, this fish did not have any tell-tale hatchery signs, fin clippings nor did it have the usual wear and tear of ...

A little over one month ago, I took my longest hike into the San Gabriel Mountains. This was deep in the Angeles National Forest, and I hiked and fished to my hearts content at a tiny, secret mountain stream. The secret creek I explored meandered between cliffs and forests, partially hidden from the intense Southern California summer heat. Gear was pretty simple: ultralite rod/spinning reel, 2lb mono, micro jigs with plastic trout worms and plenty of water. I truly lost track of how many beautiful, wild rainbow trout I hooked and landed. (Video and more after the jump) Every pool contained stealthy shadows of wary fish, requiring a careful approach and exquisite casting technique. The dense thicket overhead forced me to primarily flip, pitch or side-cast to place my lure in just the right spot.   I reflected on this fantastic trip as the sun set and I hiked back to my vehicle. It was definitely one of my best small stream trout fishing experiences in SoCal.  Some of th...

Location: Los Angeles National Forest Target: Rainbow Trout Operation: Success Hiked in. Fished. Had fun. Enjoy the results.  (More after the jump + video) Check the gnarly bug hatch out! Threw micro jigs and trout worms. All fish catch-photo-release. Found some sweet rainbow trout action in deep pools further along the creek. Lost a much larger trout at the very end of my trip. Kind of overpowered my 2lb mono ultralite setup.  All in the Angeles National Forest. Please practice catch and release or these trout streams will quickly be empty (no longer stocked).

Went hiking in the San Gabriels, Angeles National Forest. Came across a fantastic waterfall with a deep pool at its base. The rest of the creek wasn't great for fishing, but this pool produced two tough, chunky rainbows, around the 12-14'' range. First was caught on a soft plastic worm/jighead, the second on a Yo-Zuri Snap Bean imitation lure. Both released to be caught another day.

Not much to share here, except amazing scenery, beautiful fish and another lasting set of memories from trout fishing in the San Bernardino National Forest. All fish 100% Catch and Release. Oh, and how about a little video from the trip? Check it out below.