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From Stockers to The East Carson River
By: Mark Wiza
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From its high-altitude headwater feeder stream, Silver King Creek, the last known home of the endangered Paiute cutthroat trout, to the heavily stocked roadside sections outside Markleeville, California, to the deep canyon pools of the wild trout section as it winds into the Nevada desert, the East Carson River is a trout stream with something for everyone, and that something is a fat, feisty trout! Years ago, I made the backpacking pilgrimage into the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness to the fabled Silver King, finding nonstop action on spinning gear for the small, beautifully marked Paiutes below Llewellyn Falls. Above this miniature waterfall, which is supposedly impassable to fish from below, the rare Paiute trout has been determined to still contain its original, pure genetics, and to protect the species all fishing is banned. Downstream, though, the gene pool was contaminated in the late 1800's and early 1900's by introductions of rainbow and golden trout, carried by trout-stocking pioneers as fingerlings in wooden barrels on the backs of horses and mules. Both of these closely related fish crossbreed freely with the Paiute cutthroat, and today the descendants of this inter-species stew are fair game, with bait, barbed hooks and a five fish limit permitted under DFG regulations. They still look exactly the same, though, as the pictures I've seen of pure-strain Paiutes, and I recall vividly the sublime and politically incorrect experience of catching, frying and eating an endangered species while camping in a wildflower-filled valley surrounded by rugged, snow-laden peaks. |
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The crown jewel of this system, though, is the wild trout section, which begins below Hangman's Bridge and snakes away from paved roads, down the east slope of the sierra for eleven miles to the Nevada border. This is wild, rough, country, with trout to match. For the last few years I have developed a fly-fishing love affair with this challenging, rewarding fishery- let's take a look at some of the specifics: Regulations: Zero limit. Downstream of Hangman's Bridge, all trout must be released and only artificial lures or flies with barbless hooks are permitted.
Environment: This is arid, juniper and sagebrush country. Deep pools and runs hold plenty of trout, but in the low-water conditions prevailing this season, long sections of shallow unproductive riffles between holes require extensive hiking to hit the highlights. Bring plenty of water and slather on the sunscreen. Free range cattle are the dominant animal species for the first mile or two. They are generally harmless, but will panic and stampede if cornered by a noisy angler within the canyon. There is also the occasional aggressive bull, and plenty of rusty, forgotten strands of barb-wire waiting in the grass to puncture skin (how current is your Tetanus shot?) or expensive waterproof-breathable waders. The farther you get from Highway 89, the better chance you stand of encountering signs of deer, bears, wild turkeys and even rattlesnakes. Cliff swallows have their little bees-nest type homes glued to vertical canyon walls above the pools. They buzz the river's surface and compete with trout for insects- last week I hooked one by the wing tip with my fly while casting, and the tiny thing actually carried thirty feet of my # 7 fly-line in circles over my head while I struggled to strip it in then endured several vicious pecks on my hand while pulling my hook free. Techniques: Barbless spinners and minnow plugs hook trout in the high water of spring, but snowmelt flows have peaked early this year, and fly fishing techniques are now responsible for the majority of fish caught. Subsurface flys provide consistent action in the morning, while hatches of dry flys are common towards evening. Mid-day lulls can often be broken by fishing large grasshopper imitations on top. Strikes on these terrestrials can be spectacular, splashy affairs; try to avoid overreaction, setting the hook not on the visual attack, but when you actually feel the weight of the fish on your line.
Final Word: The East Carson is dropping rapidly, and by midsummer will present low, clear conditions to challenge anglers. Stealth, careful reading of the water and downsized fly patterns will still produce trout, though, until the season closure on November fifteenth. Remember that this fishery relies upon natural reproduction and the goodwill of anglers, not the fortunes of the hatchery truck. Poachers are fairly common in the backcountry- please help me to drive them off when not outnumbered, and balance their damage by gently releasing every fish that takes your fly. |
Downstream, as the snowmelt trickles of the upper East Carson feeders such as Wolf, Silver, and Monitor creeks combine, the Carson grows into a classic freestone river, with wild trout in the upper stretches and a huge number of both average and trophy size rainbows planted annually near the quaint "old west" town of Markleeville.
Fish: Historic records show the lower East Carson once hosted the largest known examples of Paiute cutthroat, but today the dominant wild trout are descendants of introduced species: Rainbows, Browns and Lahontan cutthroat trout. Rainbows rule, with abundant freshly stocked and holdover planters mixing with wild fish for the first mile or two below Hangman's. Further down, and much more rare, are wild brown trout and Lahontan cutthroat, some of them quite large. There are also monster whitefish, which are native and will hit the same flies as the trout.
Caddis and stonefly patterns are important here, both nymphs and drys, but I've had some of my best success on the East Carson with attractor patterns. Small woolly buggers, dead drifted along the bottom, have accounted for many of my best trout here. Good alternatives are prince nymphs, zug bugs, and egg patterns. On June thirteenth, I bounced a #16 micro-egg along the bottom of a deep pool to hook one of the largest rainbow trout of my life, a 25 inch leviathan that took over ten minutes to net.
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