I finally took the opportunity to get out on the water for the first time in a while on Sunday June 26th, 2022. I took Katy the wonder dog with me up the hill early in the morning. We started off at Cole Creek, but the water was too skinny and the footing too treacherous for a 15-year-old chocolate lab. I managed to get a few casts in, but did not see any fish.
After loading Katy up, I headed around the hill and down into the North Fork Mokelumne River Canyon. It was a beautiful morning for a drive. I was scouting for a place with good fishing and easier access for Katy. I found the spot at the Devil\'s Nose Whitewater Put-in. Access was great, but Katy wanted to wander all over the place and I only managed a few casts before giving up the idea of fishing to spend time walking Katy. I did not see any fish there either. I know I have caught them there in the past, maybe I was too early for dry flies... The area is beautiful though.
I loaded Katy up and drove up to Salt Springs Reservoir, then back down, looking for another spot she might be able to access. Most of the banks of the river in this area are steep and covered in boulders. I decided to call it a day and headed home around noon.
On Monday, 7/4/2022 I decided to head back up and give it another try. This time I left Katy at home so I could concentrate on fishing. I headed back to the Mokelumne, just above the Devil\'s Nose Put-in. I found a nice spot to park, rigged up the 5-weight with a gray EC Caddis and made my way down to the water. The flows had recently been lowered, and it was a holiday weekend, so I thought the fish might be a little put off. Imagine my surprise when a nice 6\" rainbow trout smacked my EC Caddis on the third cast! Wow! I said to myself, \"it\'s going to be a great day!\" I then proceeded to cover 300 yards of river and didn\'t see another fish. I have had some really good days in the past on this stretch, but this day was not one of them.
After reaching the top of this run, I decided to make my way through the bushes and back up to the road. Once back at the truck I headed farther upstream, just above the confluence of the North Fork Mokelumne River and Cole Creek, on the Calaveras County side of the river. I found a nice parking spot and climbed over the boulders and down to the water. I changed the EC Caddis out for a yellow, size 12 Stimulator and hung a size 16 Flashback PT as a dropper. I caught one 7\" rainbow on the dropper, then I managed to miss several strikes on the Stimulator, one of which foul hooked a 6\" rainbow on the dropper. A few casts later I snagged and lost the dropper. I decided to run without it. I managed to land 3 rainbows in this section, all around the same size.
After working my way upstream for a half mile or so, I found myself on top of a huge rock with 15-foot drop offs to the water, rocks or trees. Since I was fishing alone I decided not to Rambo it and worked my way up to the road and hoofed it back to the truck.
I drove up to the gate at Salt Springs Powerhouse, parked there and proceeded to bushwhack my way down the hill to the river. I noticed there was a lot of algae on the rocks in this stretch, and different from what I had seen downstream. This stretch of water had nice riffles and pocket water. I took off the Stimulator and tied on an Elk Hair Caddis. I managed to land 3 more rainbows in this stretch and lost several more, one of which was the biggest fish I saw all day. Isn\'t that always the case in every fishing story?
