Having been born and raised in New England, I am generally skeptical of autumn on the West Coast.  I have been up and down the coast, and rarely have known the foliage to be as beautiful as back home. That was until I saw the yellow aspens of the Sierra's last weekend as we drove into Markleeville. They lacked the smoldering reds and fiery oranges of back home, but there unique take on autumn was breathtaking to say the least. 

This has been a hard season for the Trouts and Stouts fishing club. Busy schedules and high flows on most of our normal rivers meant we only took a few trips this summer, and those that we did take were somewhat lackluster. That was why we needed this trip to the East Carson river so badly. Friday night the three of us pulled into what may be the perfect campsite, mere feet from one of the most productive holes on the trophy trout section of the river. Camp was set up quickly and David landed the first trout on a crystal stimulator as the sun set. 

Saturday on the river was perfectly balanced. We spent the morning above hangman's bridge, fishing for the large stocked rainbows on wooly-buggers and large nymphs. In the afternoon, after lunch and a pitcher of beer in town, we fished below the bridge for wild rainbow and brown trout in the special regulations section. It was without a doubt, our best day of the season.


Here are just a few of the bright moments, click on any photo to enlarge.