San Antonio River
Have you ever backpacked into a river to fish ? If not you have missed
a wonderful experience. Let me tell you a place that is great.
In Monterey County in California there is a lake called San Antonio Reservoir.
There is a stream that feeds it, San Antonio River.
It rises into the
mountains on the coast by Big Sur in Central California.
A group of my
friends and I have backpacked into the river many times.
From our beginning
point where we drive to it is only a mile and a half hike to our special
place on the river, But what a hike !
We generally carry about a 50 pound
pack when we go in, carrying sleeping bags, small two or three man tents,
several changes of cloths, cooking pots and skillets and utensils, and
lots of food stuffs, including eggs specially packed and steaks for our one
night all out gourmet dinner.
First mile of the hike in is fairly easy, you have a gradual incline up
to and thru the hiking trail at Salsupedes Ranch, owned by Timothy Bottoms.
Remember the movie "Paper Chase" , he was the star of it with John Houseman.
Once you get over the first moderate hill to his place and the government
hiking trail, you go for about a half mile thru wonderful meadows that are
a site to see with all the wild flowers blooming.
As you follow the trail
you take the right fork in the trail and sit and take a BREAK, cause you
are gonna need it for that last half mile !
Well we have rested for about 20 minutes and turn up the hill. As you look
it doesn't look Too bad .
Then you head up and you feel the leg muscles
suddenly begin to strain . The farther you go you are walking up a
60 degree incline .
It has a fairly good trail but man it is tough.
You can literally be walking and reach straight out with your hands and
touch the trail ahead of you it is that steep. Whew !!!!!!
When you reach the top you look down and you see a beautiful meadow and
a line of trees.
Heading down , as you get closer to the trees you can
hear the river rushing, a sound that gets ya walking even faster.
We go to a little bend in the river that has an old stone built house,
built by the Casey family of King City.
We drop our packs as fast as possible and grab out our fishing gear,
because there is 5 bucks for the first fish caught !
This part of the
river is so far upstream that you won't be catching any of the planted
rainbow trout , but going after the native german browns.
If you have
never caught a native german brown , you have not been trout fishing !
If you head upstream like i always do , about 200 yards there is a
little feeder stream heading off to the right.
It is steep to start up,
but about 50 yards up it there is the Hole.
Mr Big resided there.
If you
know where it is you creep up on it so that only your head shows around
the rocks. The Hole is about 15 feet across, and there is a 5 foot
waterfall feeding it.
Mr. Big used to love to sit under that fall and
catch all the goodies that washed over the falls. You got to stay low
and hidden by the rocks cause he is spooky, and cast up to the edge of
the rocks by the falls.
Using a Mepps Spinner with black tail, you
reel it in fairly slow. STAY down if you don't get a hit first cast,
DON'T raise up to pull the spinner out or you can kiss Mr. Big off.
You can probably catch a few of the young browns there , about 8 or 9
inchers.
This trip in for dinner that night, we had baked beans, salad with
blue cheese dressing, nice bottle of Frog's Leap Merlot, and this
nice 18 inch Mr. Big.
MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm He was Good.
Covered with a nice corn meal, and with sauted red onions.
There is nothing like sitting around the fire after a great meal with
your friends and telling whoppers about the ones that got away that
day.
Well, this day Mr. Big didn't get away ! Oh, and there is also
5 bucks for the Biggest Fish, which i tucked away in My pocket ::grins::
Fishing Story #3
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