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Gone Fishing: The Weekday Rookie Angler

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Kendra Gilbert
Writer at FresYes.com
Kendra Gilbert is a writer born and raised in Clovis. She has written for publications from Boston to Los Angeles and loves writing about fashion and people most of all. The abbreviated list of things she enjoys outside of writing includes: thrifting, photography, harmonica, beer, movies, hiking and skee ball.
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Working nights and fishing days.

On most weekdays, the hours before work are spent running errands and going down the “To Do” list checking off tasks one by one. (For those who work a normal 9-5 shift, the process is reversed.) Working nights can definitely be a drag, but it’s the unusual schedule that allows for some pretty incredible adventures and surprising simple pleasures. Case in point: weekday fishing.

gone fishing

I think they meant Go Fishing.

I’m certainly no die-hard angler. Fishing is more of a novelty to me, but one that I enjoy very much (the two or three times I’ve done it). So, when a coworker invited me on a group fishing trip — on a Tuesday — I jumped at the chance. A 6 a.m. wake-up call almost made me rethink my decision, but in the end the serenity of being on the lake, Huntington Lake to be exact,  won.

reel

Kicking back, reel in hand.

By 9 a.m., our crew of four was at the water’s edge. Minutes later we were pulling away from the dock in what I can only describe as a quintessential fishing boat (aluminum, wooden benches…spare wooden oar just in case we got stranded) with our rods in hand.

Expectations for the morning were high: a fishing forecast had predicted good odds for catching rainbow trout, kokanee, and German brown trout in the lake that morning. But, after two blissful hours on the water, relishing the sun, cool breeze, and tall mountain peaks surrounding us, we learned why it’s called fishing and not “catching.” Aside from one nibble, our lines went untouched. And we slid the boat back into its slip a few hours later empty-handed.

motor

Our fishing boat captain in his lucky hat

Fish or no fish, the trip was a blast. And a great primer for the eight-hour shift ahead. As someone who likes to sleep in, it’s hard for me to sacrifice a couple of hours of shuteye for, well, pretty much anything. But a morning spent fishing may just be better than a strong cup of coffee to get the day going every now and then.

Speaking of brewed beverages, that’s probably the only downside to the pre-work, morning fishing trip: no beer.

Invitation to the Ball

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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.
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(Historic Ball Ranch this Saturday November 7th!)

Deer

Once in a while we open the mail, well email, and find something both exciting and so rare you must take action.

A few months back I decided to take a short break from writing to focus on family and myself for a bit. In my head it was for two weeks tops. Three months later here we are back at the keyboard together.

Since my break turned out to be for longer than expected due to an injury training and now getting ready to compete at the International Brazilian Jiu Jitsu NoGi World Championships in Long Beach this weekend. All of this which has taken nearly all of my focus and creative energy and rightfully so has kept me from writing, until now.

Yet this morning I opened an email from my friends at the River Parkway Trust and in it was an offer to the people of FresYes to good to keep to myself.

At the lake

The Trust is inviting the public, that’s us, for a free day out at the historic Ball Ranch this Saturday November 7th. This property is typically locked away and access is limited but for us this weekend its open. Not only is it open to visit, its open for all to roam freely and explore from 8am – 5pm.

Being one who has had the opportunity to enjoy this area I urge anyone who loves the river to take the day and snap this rare offer us quicker than a bargain on black Friday.

Additionally there will be several opportunities for free family activities as follows in the press release.

River Parkway Trust

Activities include:

8:30 am – Guided nature walk

10:30 am – Guided nature walk

11:30 am – Fly fishing demo & instruction led by local Fresno fly fishermen

12:30 pm – “The Wilderness Adventures of John Muir” brown bag lunch presentation by Muir re-enactor Frank Helling

Readers of my past articles will remember my love for hiking, fly fishing and the like but if you can only make one activity, listen to Frank Helling.

I promise, I guarantee you will enjoy the presentation of our own John Muir.

Visitors are invited to spend a few hours exploring the property by hiking, bicycling, fishing, and birding, and are encouraged to bring water, snacks and binoculars.

To get to Ball Ranch from HWY 41: Take the Friant Rd exit and head north.  Pass Willow Ave on the right; Ball Ranch is in one mile.  Pass Cemex plant, Ball Ranch is on the left.

For more information, call Molly Schnur-Salimbene at (559) 248-8480 ext. 104 or visit www.riverparkway.org

I’m saddened to say I’ll miss this event but I am happy in many ways to know I was able to share this opportunity with my community and my loyal readers here at FresYes.

~M~

river parkway

The Upper San Joaquin – a fly fishing tale

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FresYes Writing Team
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“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.

Why summer camps are important

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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.
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It came to me recently that my outdoors life all started for me back in summer between the 5th and 6th grade while spending a couple of weeks up at Sequoia Lake for YMCA camp.

The year before my Grandpa Buck had passed away and with him went nearly every chance I held for becoming an outdoorsman. Learning to read a map, fishing, living outdoors, learning to hunt to feed my family all were lost to me with my grandpa’s passing and while I didn’t know it at the time it was all still right there at the ready because of a twist of fate that lead my parents to send me to camp for a week.

My Dad you see was an adrenaline junkie, not a woodsman. If it had wheels and even better yet wheels and an engine my dad was the MAN, period. He was a fast as sin motocross racer with wild eyes and nerves of steel nick named the Wild Man for his racing style. Before that he was both Bo and Luke Duke in his cars running around the countryside for sure up to no good.

My mother on the other hand was a small town girl who was not a fan of my grandfathers hunting for one and to tell her to she was sleeping in the dirt was a declaration of war. That last part may be a little far-fetched but while she would camp in a tent over night that was about it. She preferred our comfy home and being poolside than out in the woods with the bugs and the bears.

That year as summer came and both my parents working full-time, our family still dealing with the loss of my grandpa and me in no way being allowed to just stay home by myself my parents asked if I wanted to go to camp for not 1 week as was the norm but two. I can remember thinking 2 weeks at camp seemed like forever and I was all in.

That trip was the one where I went from a kid who got sent away to one who went away and let me tell you that is huge difference to a 10-year-old.

Instead of being forced into arts and crafts I found every outdoors option I could.

I went fishing and caught a rainbow trout for the first time ever.

We went for an over night walk…..aka as backpacking to the adult group.

I learned archery, swam across the lake, learned to make fire, learned to orienteer, learned not to kill what I don’t expect to eat, learned about the trees, rocks and streams.

I became a 10-year-old expert in 2 weeks.

File0017

 

Fast forward 35 years to the present day and I look at my life outdoors and see an outdoorsman my grandfather would be proud of for sure. I’ve hunted the Sierra alone in the high mountains for so many days I’ve lost count. I’ve learned to only take what I need to feed my family, learned to survive on 3 days food for over a week, been face to face with monster bears and stayed calm enough we both walked away to live another day and I’ve seen places most Americans only see in photo’s.

I see an outdoorsman and father the YMCA would be proud of if they knew how much my time in their camps shaped my life.

But most of all when I see my children out in the woods learning for themselves all my wife and I know combined I see an outdoorsman that I am proud of.

While I have always wanted to have my grandfather look down on me and smile it was 2 weeks at summer camp that taught me the lessons he didn’t get the chance to on his own.

If you have a child who even remotely enjoys the outdoors think about a summer camp. You could just change the entire shape of their life.

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For more information on YMCA Summer camps visit them online at www.campsequoialake.org or find them on Facebook as YMCA Camp Sequoia Lake.

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~

The San Joaquin River – Looking back to see the future

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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)

I’d like to invite you the FresYes reader to come with me on a year-long journey to explore the most precious of our outdoors locations the one and only, my personal favorite place in all of Fresno, the San Joaquin River.

So great is my love for The River that it was a crime to try to do a single post about our river. During 2015 expect a post every other month or so about the river itself, the micro spots that some know and some don’t, the recreation factor and the people who work hard day in and day out to keep it safe, exciting and protected.

As luck would have it I was introduced to Finn Telles of the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust over the holidays. Finn and I had a fun fireside chat about the vision and goals of the Trust, I learned about the purchasing of lands from willing sellers along the river from the Dam in Friant to Hwy 99. That was the most fun talk I’ve had about a topic since I started writing for FresYes. Finn has such an excitement for the river and its lands I couldn’t help but be infected by his enthusiasm. I look forward to this coming year exploring with him to bring you the river series and I think the end result will be amazing.

To really get started and to get a feel for what they are looking to build for us all I had to take a look back into our past to get an idea of what the river was 100 years ago before we can see what it could be again. From a once unhindered beast in the spring time to a meandering river of summer the San Joaquin was as changing as the people who have lived on its shores. From the Yokuts and the Monache peoples, the miners who preceded those trying to escape the dust bowl days in the 30’s to you and I today people have looked to the river for the basics of life.

The river has always provided water, food and shelter but it was its use as a waterway that in its early years separated it from the rest bringing small ships all the way from the San Francisco Bay. The building of the Friant Dam brought with it a whole new river, some say for the better others say it was the worst change possible. While I’m not here to debate that I can only imagine how cool it must have been to see salmon in the water less than a mile from my home.

STEAMBOATS

Today we are lucky that a few people in the early 80’s had a vision to stop the decay, repair the damage and restore the river to a modern usable version of its older self. The River Parkway and Conservancy Trust has no matter what side of the “conservation” fence you fall on has without a doubt become the saving grace of the once wild and mighty San Joaquin.

Stay tuned for a mini Lewis and Clark style expedition from Friant to 99 that I hope will open a whole new way of looking at OUR San Joaquin.

river map