Digital Camera

Escaping the intense heat of SoCal for some summer trout fishing in the Eastern Sierras. What a trip!

 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 overcast sky and cooler temperatures made for a perfect day for a long hike back into the Los Angeles mountains. I grabbed my trusty collapsible trout fishing rod, backpack full of lures, and hit up a favorite mountain stream.  The hike was fairly grueling but rewarding, with epic views and a enchanting creek in the canyon.  Water levels were fairly good despite the drought; the recent rain had kept the creek gushing along, with pools looking nicely full. I spotted several small rainbow trout in the first major pool, a good sign. Fishing was back to the basics for me: cast, drift, and set the hook on the strike. I landed trout after trout, most small, but with an occasional larger model thrown in for fun.  I noticed each pool seemed to have 1-2 hefty fish, but they were very hesitant to bite and let the little trout hit the lure first.  All fish were safely released back into the creek to get bigger. Spent several hours enjoying this meandering stream but finally...

Recently, a friend and I hiked into yet another hidden stream in Southern California. The hike was arduous but definitely worth it, as the multitude of colorful rainbow trout we caught evidenced.  I hope you enjoy the photos and the video, filmed with SJ4000 Action Camera and a few shots with GoPro Hero.

Took a little hike to the East Fork of the San Gabriel River. Fortunately, the water was flowing well, despite the recent drought. Unfortunately, the trash and destruction wrought by weekend crowds and careless gold prospectors still peppered the shoreline. I also could not find any trout, no wonder given the poor state of the stream. Did manage to land a tiny (or large for his usual size?) Arroyo Chub while fishing for trout. He was safely released, as seen in the following video of the trip. Tight lines!

Just returned from a fantastic trip to the Pacific Northwest. Managed to get in some excellent smallmouth bass fishing on the Columbia River in Washington State. To make things even better, I also caught a summer steelhead while fishing for the smallies!  Check the video out below, filmed with the BlackVue Sport Action Camera.  Also, check out these underwater photos I took of steelhead smolts as well!

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

  New spot to explore and fish in the Southern California mountains. Took a long, long time to hike there. Wild trout were plentiful, but very easily frightened. Beautiful, rough scenery. Enjoy!

Intro While names like GoPro and Contour have dominated the action camera market, many companies have started offering much more affordable alternatives. Amongst these is the interesting Midland XTC series . Now, while Midland is often well-known for its line of radios, they also have released a solid line of action cameras aimed at fans of the great outdoors. I took the XTC300VP4 HD Wearable Action Camera out on a several fishing trips and really enjoyed it. Interested in a affordable action camera with a wide range of accessories and high quality video? Read on! Features The Midland XTC300 will film in three modes: 480 (low), 720 (med, 60FPS), 1080 (high, 30FPS), with wide angle lenses (127 in 1080p, 147 in 720p), and fits up to a 32gb micro SD card. Other features include: Single Slide Switch for easy operation - On/Off Includes Submersible Case (up to 100 ft) (More after the jump) Also Includes 4 mounts - Helmet, Helmet Strap, Handlebar and Goggle Can Switch between 1080p, 720p...

Went hiking and exploring the San Gabriel River for new spots. The weather was a little chilly, by California standards, but the clear skies made up for the cold. We found plenty of interesting water, including deep pools and bends, but no fish. Perhaps in the coming months these spots will be worth returning to. Still, it wasn't a bad trip, as the fantastic scenery is a testament to! Check the video below as well for a better idea of the variety of locations we scouted.

This my second brown trout to come from fishing in the Angeles National Forest. It's from a pretty accessible spot, so I definitely will keep it on the secret side. Not a very big brown trout, but definitely a delightful fish to catch and release!

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...