Grizzly Wulff
07-19-2010, 12:45 PM
This last Sunday, 12 members of High Sierra Fly Casters of Gardnerville, NV met at Little Antelope Pack Station west of Coleville California for a day trip into Long Valley on Silver King Creek. For most of us on this trip, this will be the last opportunity to fish Silver King in our lifetime, not because of our ages but because of Federal and State Wildlife policies. The end of August of this year, the 11 miles of Silver King creek from Lewellyn Falls to the East Fork of the Carson River will be poisoned to eradicate a healthy population of wild rainbow trout. The intent is to sterilize this creek and then introduce Paiute Cutthroat trout. (See the posting titled “SAVE THE PAIUTE CUTTHROAT!!” elsewhere on this site.)
This isn’t the first time Silver King has been poisoned, in 1963 the creek above Lewellyn Falls was poisoned and Paiute’s were introduced. Except for two very short periods, one of 6 months and one of 3 months, since 1963 this section of Silver King has been closed to all angling. Closed that is to everyone except a few US Wildlife and California Department Fish and Game people who treat it as their own private preserve; last summer two US Wildlife personnel were caught poaching in the area by the Alpine County Game Warden, and the California DFG maintains a cabin in the area where they host “invitation only” fishing forays.
It will be several years before Paiute’s are introduced into the stream, and then a minimum of four years after that before they grow to maturity, and begin reproducing in sufficient numbers to even begin to approach the numbers of wild rainbows that will be destroyed. Based on the previous management polices in place for upper Silver King, the consensus is that this new area will never be open to the public again.
One last comment before I step-down from my soap box. Silver King is a major tributary to the East Carson River. While the Wildlife and Fish and Game folks all promise that the poisoning of Silver King won’t affect the East Carson, there are many who have a healthy skepticism about the long term effects on the resident rainbow and brown trout population.
Long Valley is 4.5 miles from the pack station so it’s not a place where you just drive up, park and start fishing. The pack station is at an altitude of 8200’, the valley is at 7800’, and the high point on the trail is 8800’. Someone in reasonably good condition can do the hike in about 2 ½ hours on the way in, and 3 to 3 ½ on the way out. The trip out can be brutal as it entails a long up hill climb on an exposed, west facing slope with no shade. We choose to use the services of the pack station.
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Lined_out.JPG
Lined out along the trail
Below Lewellyn Falls, the creek passes through a series of mountain meadows and narrow, plunge pool rich gorges. The meadow sections are a series of serpentine bends where the stream often winds up doubling back on itself. Undercut banks, riffles, and small pools each hold an abundance of small, willing fish whose appetites include anything that passes by. A big fish in this area is 8 inches.
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Long_Valley.JPG
Long Valley
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Silver_King_1.JPG
Silver King Creek in Long Valley Meadow
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Silver_King_2.JPG
Silver King Creek in Long Valley Meadow
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Silver_King_3.JPG
Silver King Creek in Long Valley Meadow
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Gorge.JPG
Starting down the gorge
The plunge pool filled gorges hold the largest fish, up to 12 inches or so and as you work your way up each pool holds trout. This is a great place to boost your ego, as the trout willingly take anything offered. The small size of the fish in the creek is due to 2 factors, a relatively short growing season and a lack of deep holding pools for wintering over.
The fish in both areas tend to be easily spooked and very quick to take and then spit out your offering; you only get one chance with these fish, miss a strike or spook one and its move on time. A lot more fish were missed than were caught and released by our party, but no one was complaining.
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Resident_Rainbow.JPG
A resident rainbow
We left Long Valley about 5:15 and were back at the pack station a little after 7. A quick, unscientific survey of the participants indicated several things; there were a lot of very sore backsides, no one was anxious to climb back on a horse, and everyone would do it again if the opportunity presented itself.
This isn’t the first time Silver King has been poisoned, in 1963 the creek above Lewellyn Falls was poisoned and Paiute’s were introduced. Except for two very short periods, one of 6 months and one of 3 months, since 1963 this section of Silver King has been closed to all angling. Closed that is to everyone except a few US Wildlife and California Department Fish and Game people who treat it as their own private preserve; last summer two US Wildlife personnel were caught poaching in the area by the Alpine County Game Warden, and the California DFG maintains a cabin in the area where they host “invitation only” fishing forays.
It will be several years before Paiute’s are introduced into the stream, and then a minimum of four years after that before they grow to maturity, and begin reproducing in sufficient numbers to even begin to approach the numbers of wild rainbows that will be destroyed. Based on the previous management polices in place for upper Silver King, the consensus is that this new area will never be open to the public again.
One last comment before I step-down from my soap box. Silver King is a major tributary to the East Carson River. While the Wildlife and Fish and Game folks all promise that the poisoning of Silver King won’t affect the East Carson, there are many who have a healthy skepticism about the long term effects on the resident rainbow and brown trout population.
Long Valley is 4.5 miles from the pack station so it’s not a place where you just drive up, park and start fishing. The pack station is at an altitude of 8200’, the valley is at 7800’, and the high point on the trail is 8800’. Someone in reasonably good condition can do the hike in about 2 ½ hours on the way in, and 3 to 3 ½ on the way out. The trip out can be brutal as it entails a long up hill climb on an exposed, west facing slope with no shade. We choose to use the services of the pack station.
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Lined_out.JPG
Lined out along the trail
Below Lewellyn Falls, the creek passes through a series of mountain meadows and narrow, plunge pool rich gorges. The meadow sections are a series of serpentine bends where the stream often winds up doubling back on itself. Undercut banks, riffles, and small pools each hold an abundance of small, willing fish whose appetites include anything that passes by. A big fish in this area is 8 inches.
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Long_Valley.JPG
Long Valley
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Silver_King_1.JPG
Silver King Creek in Long Valley Meadow
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Silver_King_2.JPG
Silver King Creek in Long Valley Meadow
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Silver_King_3.JPG
Silver King Creek in Long Valley Meadow
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Gorge.JPG
Starting down the gorge
The plunge pool filled gorges hold the largest fish, up to 12 inches or so and as you work your way up each pool holds trout. This is a great place to boost your ego, as the trout willingly take anything offered. The small size of the fish in the creek is due to 2 factors, a relatively short growing season and a lack of deep holding pools for wintering over.
The fish in both areas tend to be easily spooked and very quick to take and then spit out your offering; you only get one chance with these fish, miss a strike or spook one and its move on time. A lot more fish were missed than were caught and released by our party, but no one was complaining.
http://www.myfishingpictures.com/data/500/medium/Resident_Rainbow.JPG
A resident rainbow
We left Long Valley about 5:15 and were back at the pack station a little after 7. A quick, unscientific survey of the participants indicated several things; there were a lot of very sore backsides, no one was anxious to climb back on a horse, and everyone would do it again if the opportunity presented itself.