Digital Camera

  Stopped by Jackson Lake, near Wrightwood, California. This little lake on the NE side of the San Gabriel Mountains is reportedly stocked with rainbow trout intermittently, in addition to have a popular of sunfish, catfish, and largemouth bass However, when I arrived, I was taken back by the very limited amount of water that remained. It is just another reminder of California's current drought and another example of poor fishing in the region. The shoreline was receeded and the bottom of the lake was visible from the shore at most angles. Furthermore, most of the water reachable with a cast from the shore was less than 1ft deep. Very discouraging; the fish population is likely mostly gone as well. There was several 2-3" sunfish hanging around one set of reeds, but that was the extent of finned friends to be spotted.  Save yourself the trip for now, don't bother with this little lake! Hopefully the upcoming El Nino will fill it back up, for a long time. 

I really enjoy action cameras, from the ultra-affordable models to the high-end hard to find versions. As such, I am always excited to come across new and unique action cameras. Thus, when I found out about the Cansonic UDV-888 , I knew I had to try it out. It's unlike most any other action camera I have reviewed, as it combines a slick waterproof case design with a huge array of dash camera options.  Click below for more after the jump! Features The Cansonic UDV-888 is both a dash camera and an action camera. For the former, it offers easy windshield or dashboard mounting with adhesive backing to a ball-and-cup socket attachment. A host of awesome customizable features to best protect your vehicle are included, such as motion-detection, impact/collision/car keying detection, GPS compatibility/tracking/GNSS, G-sensor accelerometer, in addition to standard looping, auto color/white balance/exposure options, 140 degrees wide angle viewing, playback mode, Android and iOS app co...

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...

Probably should tag this one #notcalifornia!  Enjoy this short video from my trip to the beautiful Big Island, Hawaii.  Had a tough time figuring out the fish, didn't seem to run into quite as many predators as I did on the Garden Island last year. Still managed to land several interesting fish, plus the ever-present Lizardfish. Tight lines! 

 Took a brief trip to a favorite trout spot deep in the Angeles National Forest. Only managed to land a couple of beautiful but small rainbow trout. Still, very enjoyable, great scenery, and good to see the water flowing well!

Just returned from an absolutely outstanding bass fishing trip. It was truly one of the best angling adventures I have had as of late. My friend and I hiked in to a secret lake, hauling our heavy float tubes, rods, tackle, lunches, and more. When we finally arrived, we quickly setup our gear, then kicked out into the warm lake waters, casting a variety of soft plastic lures at fishy spots.    We were instantly rewarded with multiple hookups, lasting throughout the day. Even when I landed on shore to dry out for a bit, I continued to catch fish. All were solid, chunky largemouth bass, in the mood for fight, and they did not disappoint. After a thrilling tug-of-war, each fish was released. Take a look at the video; I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Hiked at the wonderful Peters Canyon Regional Park recently. Cloudy day, but it was still a pleasant hike overall. I was most interested in the Peters Canyon Reservoir. I have heard many stories of fishermen a long time ago catching largemouth bass and catfish out of it, but now there is no public access. This seems to be the case for many reservoirs and lakes in Orange County, a disappointing change from other parts of the country I have lived in.  Of note, the recent drought seems to have hit the reservoir particularly hard. It appears to be very shallow, and looked no more than a few feet deep from the shore. I wouldn't be surprised if most of the fish in Peters Canyon Reservoir have been eaten by herons or raccoon's.