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)
(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 the fish were quite large, especially by wild trout standards in this region of the world. My largest was roughly 14'', safety released back into the wild after a quick photograph.
I hope you enjoy the video I've put together showcasing this fantastic trip, piano music and all.
Tight lines!
