Lee Vining
- My tattered little Sierra Bright Dot fly drifted
downstream toward a logjam and I hoped it would
attract the attention of a brown trout. I had
caught a rainbow, brook and golden, and needed
the brown to complete my Grand Slam.
I was fishing Lee Vining Creek just below Saddlebag
Lake in the shadow of Yosemite at an elevation
of about 10,000 feet. This is one place in the
High Sierras where an angler who is eager to
bag a Grand Slam, can do it in single day.
 All
I needed was a brown trout and I could run back
to the Saddlebag Lake Resort and buy my Grand
Slam tee shirt.
Richard Ernst, the knowledgeable owner of the
resort, told me exactly where to go if I wanted
to bag my brown.
"The browns like the dark spots under logs
and cut banks," he said. "The rainbows
hang out in the pools and look for the brookies
in the tail water.”
Since I had caught the other three, I just focused
on the log pile and was hoping I wouldn't lose
a fly in the tangle.
As the current carried the fly into the dark
water, a nice brown exploded from under the
log and inhaled my fly.
I had my Grand Slam !
Known as the 20 Lakes Basin, this is a fisherman's
paradise where those who follow a five-mile
loop can expect to catch and release as many
as 40 fish in a day. These are native fish,
not stocked and not large because they only
have a feeding season starting from early to
mid-July when the ice melts and extending through
October at best.
To reach the basin you can hike from the resort
at Saddlebag Lake, or take the lake shuttle
boat, saving several miles of hiking. The boat
drops you at the entrance to the Hoover Wilderness,
and if you plan to spend more than the day here,
you must have a forest service wilderness permit.
Go equipped with a good map, water, food and
most importantly, rain gear. I've made this
trek maybe 10 times and have encountered rain
on most of my trips. At this elevation, the
weather can change rapidly from mild to wet
and frigid.
This is delicate fishing country where anglers
frown on bait fishermen. The beautiful native
fish are respected and released after being
caught.
 Escondido
trout author John Barbier introduced me to this
place and to what he calls "real fishing.”
“Real fishing involves working the stream
or lake, casting to likely holes, and moving on
if there's no action," he wrote. "It
involves casting and retrieving a couple hundred
times in one day, and enjoying the beautiful colors
of a golden or brook trout for a few seconds before
it slips through your fingers and is released
back to its home.”
The basin is rugged and beautiful, but rewarding
to the soul of the "real fisherman.”
The easiest route through the basin is counterclockwise,
starting first at Hummingbird Lake where eager
brook trout will rise to almost any fly. Black
gnats and Sierra Bright Dots are standards,
but don't go without elk hair caddis, Adams
or humpy flies in your pocket.
Continue through Lundy Pass to Odell Lake where
the crystal clear waters are home to Golden Trout
who flash their colors when they rise to a fly.
If your time is short, you can return from here,
or continue on to Helen Lake if you want to complete
the  loop.
Helen offers aggressive brookies and maybe the
best action in the basin. From here you climb
a small ridge to Shamrock, Excelsior and Steelhead
as you head back to the boat landing. Between
the lakes are connecting streams that are filled
with brookies. Just off the loop are other waters
like the Conness Lakes where native goldens
reside.
The only fish you won't find in the loop are
browns, but just below the dam at Saddlebag
you can follow Ernst's tip and complete your
slam. Don't forget to treat yourself to a piece
of Carmon Ernst's homemade pie while at the
resort!
To reach the basin, go west 12 miles on Highway
120 from Lee Vining and then turn north on Saddlebag
Lake Road for three miles.
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