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The Upper San Joaquin – a fly fishing tale

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Mark Sasser

Outdoor Writer at FresYes.com
Having been born and raised in the Valley and spending his complete adult life exploring the outdoors gives Mark a unique look at what we all see each day. From cycling to backpacking, solo or with friends, Fresno proper to the mountains above can at any time be where Mark is found living his life outdoors.

Latest posts by Mark Sasser (see all)

“If people concentrated on the really important things of life, there’d be a shortage of fishing poles.”

~ Doug Larson

Rainbow Trout

 

A few articles back I wrote about fly fishing, today I write about my first day on the San Joaquin for the opening weekend of trout fishing.

After that article went to press a patient of ours came in and we started talking about the post and the fishing up and around FresYes.

Knowing I’m a bit of a purist on such matters and a bit of a nut when it comes to no effort being to big for the reward he pointed me to Jimmy Morales at the Yosemite Fly Shop in Oakhurst and said “If you want to learn fly fishing, Jimmy is the Man”. Now knowing my friend and myself I knew if he was going to recommend anyone to me with that kind of remark they must be all that and a bag of chips. A quick google search and I had my prey locked and loaded in my phone and I soon had Jimmy himself on the line. Once we started to chat I’m not sure who reeled who in but it wasn’t long and a trip was set to take my wife and I up onto my favorite river the mighty San JO in search of rainbow trout on opening weekend.

That day was last Sunday.

My wife and I drove from FresYes to Oakhurst and met out day guides Dillon and Sean at 8 am and once loaded up it was back on the road heading to the Upper San Joaquin. The long and windy road, yes there is a song lyric in there somewhere, rolled past quick enough and we soon parked and started to gear up for the 500′ drop from the car to the Uber secret spot they had picked out for us.

Within 3 casts I had my first hit! Only a fingerling but I had my first wild rainbow on a fly line and my heart raced like I just caught a Super Bowl touchdown. The day went on and Ruste and I both had many more catches and a lot of near misses. The Sierra Fly Fisher crew not only put us in the right spot but coached us with the right level of skill, encouragement and local knowledge that we were able to fish like seasoned vets and not beginners like myself at least.

Ruste and a Rainbow Trout

 

As the day wore on and as I lost my Galaxy 5 in the river, I busted off a few more flys than I’d like to admit and fell neck-deep more than once into the chilly spring waters a feeling came over me so overwhelming that I’d be a liar if I said any of that really bothered me.

So I lost my phone, my wife is glad…… so I had to get a new fly or five retied, so I got wet all over……….

It didn’t matter one bit.

“If I fished only to capture fish, my fishing trips would have ended long ago.” Zane Grey

Ruste fly fishing

 

The part that mattered was I went on an adventure.

I went on adventure with my bride, my favorite person.

I went on adventure on my most favorite of rivers and I guess you can say I paid the toll in my overly priced ball and chain of a cell phone.

The reward I received was an amazing day up above FresYes on our home river, made some wonderful memories with my wife. We both caught at least 10 fish each and returned them to the water as we made some new friends who are out in the wild teaching others the best parts about living and learning in the wild of California.

Its my belief that the forest lands belong to We the People, its up to us protect them as we enjoy ourselves so that our childrens-children will be able to do the same adventurous things we enjoy today. I’m not saying we need more monuments or parks, I’m saying we should respect the lands and wildness. I’m saying clean up not only after yourselves but also pick up after those who did not, I’m saying do not take more than you need and I’m saying keep our wild places wild and free for all users in the years to come. Hunt, Fish, Camp and most of all preserve our wild places as you chase your dreams. We owe it to each other as Americans and lovers of the outdoors.

Sierra Fly Fisher Tours

 

“The finest gift you can give to any fisherman is to put a good fish back, and who knows if the fish that you caught isn’t someone else’s gift to you?” Lee Wulff

For more information on fly fishing with Jimmy Morales and the Sierra Fly Fisher go to www.sierraflyfisher.com and tell them Mark Sasser and FresYes say thank you.

Fishing with style

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Mark Sasser

Outdoor Writer at FresYes.com
Having been born and raised in the Valley and spending his complete adult life exploring the outdoors gives Mark a unique look at what we all see each day. From cycling to backpacking, solo or with friends, Fresno proper to the mountains above can at any time be where Mark is found living his life outdoors.

Latest posts by Mark Sasser (see all)

 

fly-fishing

“There’s a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot”    ~Steven Wright~

FresYes is a fishing gateway to the Sierra and we are lucky enough to have right here at our fingertips the information to learn to cast a fly rod and break out of the norm of just sitting on the bank like Huck Finn with a cane pole.

The Fresno Fly Fishers for Conservation is a one stop organization to help us all go from fishermen and women to artist in the outdoors. Their website www.fresnoflyfishers.com has everything from tips about fly tying to a forum to trade thoughts and ideas. Information spills out of the website as fast as you can read it and its very easy to feel the commitment to the sport that has gone into the project. As the non-Fly fishermen in our home I was amazed at how much information is waiting for us right here on the world-wide web and based right here in FresYes.

fly fishing on the san joaquin-

 

If you are a seasoned fly-fisher you may have already known all these things but for the new like myself or even not yet started there is a 5 week fly casting clinic every Wednesday in April out at Dry Creek Park in Clovis from 6pm until dark.

An added bonus to the package is after you have spent the month of April working on your casting skills and  we roll into May there will be  Trout Fest on May 2nd out at the San Joaquin Hatchery in Friant from 9am to 1pm to feed your need for more and more information about the addictive sport of trout fishing.
Rainbow Trout Stock
If you have ever watched the movie A River Runs Through It or had the pleasure of watching a master cast in the wild you have seen art in motion that is far more about the process than the outcome.
“Fishing provides that connection with the whole living world. It gives you the opportunity of being totally immersed, turning back into yourself in a good way. A form of meditation, some form of communion with levels of yourself that are deeper than the ordinary self.”   ~Ted Hughes~

A day to remember

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Mark Sasser

Outdoor Writer at FresYes.com
Having been born and raised in the Valley and spending his complete adult life exploring the outdoors gives Mark a unique look at what we all see each day. From cycling to backpacking, solo or with friends, Fresno proper to the mountains above can at any time be where Mark is found living his life outdoors.

Latest posts by Mark Sasser (see all)

With Valentines day fast approaching I’ve been thinking about what makes romance blossom and created an outdoors how to for some of the FresYes romantics this year. Guys follow along for a sure-fire winner of a date, and ladies if your significant other needs some help have them read this early and often.

The root of this plan started with a date night with  my wife to Gazebo Gardens on a beautiful fall night last year. We had been given the recommendation from a friend who told us about the Friday and Saturday night activities as a good fit for us as a couple. First tip to creating a romantic evening is finding something that is fun and low stress for both. Nothing kills romance like stress and this trip was definitely low stress. As we walked into the gardens my wife was instantly relaxed by just being there, I was instantly relaxed as I saw the beer bar stocked with a countless number of great craft beers at the ready for a night in the garden. There was music in the air, laughter of families and couples old and young, friends having fun and smiles all around. I tried to find someone who looked grumpy, I really did, couldn’t find anyone not even a tired toddler who wasn’t having a great night. Near the back fence there was a line of food trucks serving up the best of the best of the FresYes mobile dining world. We walked, ate, snuggled, had a drink or two and just sat leaning on each other enjoying the night.

That brings us to todays guide to Valentines Day Outdoors edition and guys Valentines Day is on a Saturday this year so plan for a full day if you can. Yes I realize its 3 weeks away, plan now and be awesome…… Wait for the 13th and find out the hard way how that’s going to work out.

Part one should start with an outdoors adventure with your sweetheart, not too early but not so late that it will create stress for the evening.

mark and ruste

This could be a hike up at Bass Lake along the Willow Creek trail, mountain biking the San Joaquin River Trail, day trip to the beach or an urban crawl on your bikes around town. It doesn’t matter what you do for the activity as long as its fun, adventurous and something you can do together and be excited about.  Yes, guys most women enjoy the outdoors, its science. What they do not tend to like is being in the outdoors with us when we forget they are there or worse yet insist of showing them how macho we are and dominate the day with how awesome we think we are. Engage with your date and have fun, talk, laugh and maybe sneak a kiss if you can. Make time to take some photo’s of the day while you are out there because its V Day and who doesn’t like a new profile pic of a cute couple every once in a while.

mark and ruste

 

Part two of the day should be a well thought out dinner that is equal parts great food and a memorable setting. This could be a nice restaurant you both love or it could be your favorite hang out. The number one thing to remember is it has to be relaxing and comfortable if you want it to be romantic. A picnic with a basket of good food and a bottle of wine in the right spot is much more romantic that waiting at the door for over an hour for a seat, trust me on this one. If you have that special restaurant in mind make reservations now, I did. Another tip to a great night is “accidentally” leave your phone in the car if that’s what you need to do to not check it while on your date. Nobody cares that you checked in here or there or that you took a selfie in the bar waiting for your table. Be present and attentive, engage and be the awesome person that your date wanted to go out with.

mark and ruste

 

Part three of this quick list should be to take an after dinner walk. Even if its to Starbucks, park a little further away than normal so you can stroll a little bit, hold hands, find a spot to kiss under the stars because even if you trip on a curb like I tend to do you will be so far ahead of the curve you two can laugh about it and add it to the days adventure.

Part four is up to you…..

The take away from this list is you don’t always need flowers, candy or a card when it comes to Valentines day. Save that stuff for your mom, grandmother or daughters because they will love it, your date expects more and you owe it to yourself to step it up this year so bring your A game in 2015.

Your date wants you for Valentines Day, not stuff.

Give her the gift of a great day, an outdoors day, a romantic day.