Outdoors with Don Q: Stunning fall colors and fantastic trout fishing

Elaine and I just returned from a fabulous, four-day, three-night visit to the Sierra Nevada, just west of Bishop, Calif. I highly recommend that each and every one of you duplicate our fun-filled trip and be sure to do it as soon as you can within the next two weeks.
The purpose of our visit to the mountains was two-fold:
1. To photograph the fall colors of the Quaking Aspen trees and bushes.
2. To fish for trout in some of the waters in that area.
We succeeded beyond our wildest imagination on both purposes.
As a bonus: The weather for the entire trip was gorgeous: Cool temperatures, bright sunshine, no clouds, no wind and a near-full moon at night.

On Tuesday, September 25:
We drove on U.S. 395, from Carson City to Parchers Resort near South Lake, California, via Minden, Gardnerville, Topaz Lake, Coleville, Walker, Bridgeport, Conway Summit, Lee Vining, the June Lake Turnoff, the Mammoth Lakes Turnoff and Bishop.
The total distance from Carson City to Bishop is about 170 miles.
In Bishop, you turn onto West Line Street and then drive 18 miles west to Parchers Resort, which is one mile from South Lake.
In the 18 miles you climb from Bishop at an elevation of 4,147 feet to Parchers Resort at an elevation of 9,260 feet. The air is thin up there.
During that 18 mile drive, we stopped frequently to photograph the awe-inspiring colors of the leaves of the many groves of Quaking Aspen tree.
And, we were not alone that day as there were many other people doing the same thing. It was a great day for color photography of fall colors.
At Parchers Resort, we had advance reservations for two nights in Cabin No. 08, which consists of a small cabin with a private parking area, barbecue pit, front porch with two chairs; and inside, there is a large room with a queen-sized bed, a dresser, a small closet, one chair and a fully equipped kitchen area with a breakfast bar with two stools, a four-burner gas kitchen stove, a refrigerator with freezer; and large bathroom with shower, which all combine for superb accommodations for two people.
Our dinner that evening consisted of pre-dinner cocktails, Cornish Game Hen, stuffing, salad, rolls and a glass of wine. Not too shabby for camping!
You can go to www.ParchersResort.net, go to their map of the resort area, click on the icon for Cabin No. 08 and see where we stayed.
And, best of all, there is no cell phone coverage, no internet and no television with all of the obnoxious political ads. It was very peaceful.
As a matter of interest, our Cabin No. 08 was in the shadows at 4:34 p.m., the entire complex was in shadows at 5:00 and the temp dropped quickly.
During our stay at Parchers Resort, we also had the pleasure of meeting Jarad Smith, the Proprietor, and thanking him for sending his weekly fishing reports for Carson Now www.southtahoenow.com.

On Wednesday, September 26:
We had some early coffee in our toasty warm cabin (it was chilly outside with frost on the vehicles); and then later, we wandered over to the main lodge for their continental breakfast ($4.95 per person).
As a special tip: Their biscuits and gravy are very, very tasty!
Then we hoped into my little red pickup, and drove the short distance to South Lake (elevation 9,755 feet) to photograph the scenery in that area and to fish for its brook, brown and rainbow trout.
On my very first cast with a small, red/white striped Tor-P-Do lure, I caught a small rainbow which jumped out of the water and came off the lure.
A great start to our fishing, but after that first cast, fishing was slow; and it was more fun to just enjoy the spectacular, high country scenery.
After several hours of unsuccessful fishing, we jumped back into the pickup and drove the short distance over to Lake Sabrina (elevation 9,130 feet), which also contains brook, brown and rainbow trout.
We did not fish the rest of that day, as we were having way too good of a time enjoying the scenery and weather.
If you are a fisherman, you might like to know that the area of the Upper Bishop Creek Drainage consists of 83 lakes with trout as follows:

Eastern brook trout in 58 of the lakes
Brown trout in 5 of the lakes
Golden trout in 9 of the lakes
Kamloop trout in 3 of the lakes
Rainbow trout in 36of the lakes

There are 38 lakes in the South Fork drainage above South Lake, 33 lakes in the Middle Fork drainage above Lake Sabrina and 12 lakes in the North Fork Drainage above North Lake.
So if you fish, you will certainly not hurt for choices on where to go.
We returned to Parcher’s for late afternoon cocktails in the fading sunshine at the outdoor, group fireplace where we met David Carter and were invited to meet his fishing partners at their nearby cabin.
We went there and also met Doug Harris, Bob Francis and Robert Ferguson.
They are delightful persons and have come to Parcher’s for many years to enjoy each other’s camaraderie, the scenery and the trout fishing.
After visiting , we returned to our cabin for a great “camping” dinner of New York Steak, baked potatoes, salad, dinner rolls and a glass of wine.

On Thursday, September 27:
We had our morning coffee, a quick breakfast and then checked out off Parchers Resort to drive to Lake Sabrina for more fall colors and to fish.
At Sabrina, they are lowering the lake level to do repair work on the dam.
As a result, the lake is much smaller than normal, and many areas that would normally be under water are now exposed, high and dry.
Elaine and I walked out to a rocky area, normally under water, which is next to the current boat launch area and directly in front of the dam.
I began spincasting with my favorite red/white striped Tor-P-Do lure and Elaine was casting a yellow/black dot lure.
The results were astonishing for both of us, and we experienced the best fishing of our lives, at any time or any place.
On each and every cast, we would catch and release a rainbow trout, or have it come off the lure when the fish would leap into the air and shake its head or a number of trout would follow the lure back to us.
On one cast, I estimate that a school of about 50 rainbow trout followed my lure, before turning back into the deeper water. That school of fish looked like a black cloud following my lure.
It was the kind of fishing success that fishermen only dream about but never experience. It was mind-boggling and a ton of unforgettable memories.
We kept 10 of the largest trout (the limit is five for each person), up to 16 inches, cleaned them and put them on ice for a safe trip back home for some friends who had asked us to bring them any fish we might catch and keep.
In the parking area, we talked to another successful fisherman who told us that on his first five casts, he caught and released five fish. Awesome!
Then we drove over to the Bishop Creek Lodge, where we had booked “The Honeymoon Cabin” for the night.
The Honeymoon Cabin comes complete with a toaster, electric coffee pot, microwave oven, kitchen stove, refrigerator/freezer, bathroom with shower and is furnished with knotty pine paneling and cabinets.
That cabin is directly across the highway from the main lodge building, which contains the office, gift shop, restaurant and bar.
The restaurant and bar both have large flat screen television sets.
I expected the worst for traffic noises once it got dark, but very honestly, I heard one vehicle go past at 11:15 p.m. and the next vehicle that drove by was at 6 a.m. It was dead quiet all night.
We sat in comfortable chairs on the grass in front of our cabin, while enjoying a pre-dinner cocktail and watched the people and traffic.
After dinner, we walked along the highway to enjoy the last of the afternoon’s sunshine, and to prove that it is really a small world; we met Steve and Judy Smith, the parents of Jarad Smith of Parchers Resort.
They were there to have dinner in the Lodge’s restaurant.

On Friday, September 28:
We had our morning coffee and reluctantly left the Bishop Creek Lodge for our return back to Carson City, where we arrived at about noon.

Finally:
I highly recommend that you visit the Bishop Creek area in the very near future to enjoy the Stunning fall colors and fantastic trout fishing.
I guarantee that you will not go wrong.
Here is how to reach either of the two locations were we stayed overnight:
Parcher’s Resort: www.ParchersResort.net (760) 873-4177
Bishop Creek Lodge: www.bspcrk@schat.com (760) 873-4484

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can’t tell you about the most unusual thing that occurred on our trip.
If he grins and says, “While staying in Cabin No. 08 at Parchers Resort, Don and Elaine gleefully discovered that the cabin’s cold and hot water lines are switched, and that their toilet was plumbed for hot water,” he might have also stayed in Cabin No. 08, sometime in the past.

— Writer Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now and www.SouthTahoeNow.com. He can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com.