Black Diamond Canyon Follies

just photos, waders, friends and NRS rafts

follow me at: @bernardyingram

Ground Zero - The Global FlyFisher Site

* Note the books: Martin's self published gem about sea run brown trout angling nd my humble contribution, The Curtis Creek Manifesto (of course he already has a copy dammit!).

On a recent visit to Denmark, I reached out to one of the founding fathers of Fly Fishing on the Internet: Martin Joergensen of the website Global Flyfisher. This was one of the first sites that I found when exploring fly fishing resources on the internet and I remain a huge fan. We are talking ages ago. Remember, I am the knucklehead who still uses an AOL address (don't worry, I also have gmail). 

One of the topics often covered in his site is angling in Scandinavia for sea run brown trout. What has been fun to note is the parallel between this pursuit and that for sea run cutthroats in the Pacific Northwest. The similarities are huge. In the course of our fun hang on a rainy day at the national library in Copenhagen, Martin also told me of spawning gravel restoration project in Denmark for these migratory browns. It sounded so similar to what happens here in the West. He and I are currently talking about my contributing some content reflecting issues in the Western United States. Take a good look at his website and enjoy! It is full of gems. If you have been a fan for a long time or decide that you want to support his site moving forward, he is also taking donations.  Go to: https://globalflyfisher.com/

In his own words: "I started out in 1994 with my site Fishing Denmark aimed at people wanting to fish for sea trout in the Baltic. It was made as a response to people inquiring about our coastal fishing through mail, and after having sent the same reply many times, I decided to embrace this new thing called the World Wide Web, and make a web site with what had grown to be quite a lengthy mail. At the same time GFF partner Steve Schweitzer made a site about his favorite subjects called the Midwest Flytyer. This site concentrated on fly-tying as the name implies and took its outset in the Midwest. All this was back in 1994-1996 - the true infancy of the web more than 25 years ago."

Klamath Update :: Fish Water People

 The CalTrout podcast "Fish Water People" offers a Klamath River dam removal update. It's a LONG listen but worth every second. Super enlightening and covers many angles. This is truly a big deal and it's not just sounding good on paper, it's HAPPENING! Please give it a listen. Definitely good for your next long drive. Link HERE.

Lake Tulare Continued

 Very very hard for me not to continue with the fascination. As can be expected, the new narrative is the logical next step: How foul is this lake? Read about it HERE. Thank you to the Guardian.

Lake Tulare - 2023 - WOW!

No better time for a run-on sentence than when speaking of 2023's epic water year in California. If the rains did not create an incredible situation, the snowmelt will top off the season as the headline act and yes, play a very long set! I always feel a curious sensation as I head up and down HWY 99; knowing that I am driving through a lake bed. It pains me to think that many people have suffered (flooded homes, farms etc.) because of the recent winter's heavy precipitation esp. those in the Central Valley that, yep, you guessed it, is Lake Tulare's original bed but still, let's be clear, this is mother nature doing its thing; climate change or not and she has decided to let Lake Tulare make a showing. My fave and perhaps THE pre-eminent fisheries biologist in the state, Peter Moyle, offers this all-encompassing summary of Lake Tulare's 2023 manifestation. Coming to think of it, when the French use the word "manifestation" it is often in the context of a demonstration or protest. That's put that in your aqueduct and smoke it! Read the entry HERE

April 2023

Pre-Rains of 2023

High Flows from On High

 Here's some January footage taken for CalTrout of the creek mouth and the derelict dam on Malibu Creek - moments after heavy rains.

Blue Lining Into 2023

 As 2022 closed, a trip up into the "locals" to assess the condition of a cherished stream was classic So Cal. It was full of mixed emotions. There was celebration as recent rains brought much needed water while the past fires generated silt and sandy runoff to traumatize the habitat ... oh and humans, driven even crazier than before by the pandemic, clearly took to the stream this past summer to paint, party, vandalize ... But against all odds, last but not least, small trout have persisted; giving us hope. Click on the images to enlarge.

Did you make it this far? Please look at the new Restore Malibu Creek website [https://restoremalibucreek.net] and while you are at it, sign up for the newsletter and by all means, feel free to contribute to CalTrout [https://caltrout.org]. I am proud to be a photo contributor to both.

In closing, look for a much more frequent series of post throughout the year.

LARIVERFLYFISHING's latest entry :: June 2022

A reminder of the struggle and the resilience of so cal trout ...

Read here: https://lariverflyfishing.blog/2022/06/13/right-now-the-world-needs-a-small-miracle/

Well, here's 2022

 

Trails and Flowers :: Fall 2021

Contrarian Gorge

 Sometimes a sign says one thing and it tells me, in my mind, something else. I took a long hike recently with a buddy with whom I had not fished with since childhood. The trailhead said "Meadows". The meadows were there but an extra mile or so coughed up a yummy gorge! Yes, water levels were lower than normal. I may refrain from returning until fall. Some of the earlier photos show the impressive amount of trail work to clear fallen trees. Many fell last year as a result of an unusually heavy wind event. Obviously, many of these trees have already been compromised by drought and/or bark beetle. It was impressive to see the crazy amount of trail-work that had been done.

Scorched Earth Policy

 Be it mother nature or an errant cigarette butt or a hot point of light from a broken bottle ...

Suspiciously Green | Feb. 2021 | So. Cal.

Although we have not had much snow or rain in So Cal, this stream was suspiciously green with algae. Photo was taken mid February(!!!!). Water was cold; roughly high 50s. I have been visiting this creek for years and have only seen it this bad in, say, July. Maybe too many "nutrients" from cattle a few miles upstream? I remain baffled.

Untitled - Dec. 2020

 

The Corbina Diaries

 Fly Fishing is a place where obsession, the thrill of trying to fool a finicky animal and, hell, science and wisdom all collide. Very few things offer a better crossroad that the game of hunting Corbina in the summer on So Cal beaches - with a fly. I have played the game many many times and have had all sorts of humorous, disappointing as well as victorious moments. It’s simply fantastic. Gathering all sorts of wisdom from his own years spent pursuing this fish as well as the wisdom of others, Al Q has published a book that simply kicks ass. I can say with confidence that I would love the book almost as much even if I was in another country where Corbina do not even exist. Maybe the same way I love reading about people fishing, say, for Searun Cutthroats or Taimen. This is simply a great and fun fishing book. Just when you thought you’d read it all and had enough vicarious fishing thrills to last you a lifetime … you might want to squeeze this puppy onto your bookshelf! Order here: https://bit.ly/thecorbinadiaries

 

Note: These fish are both common and mythological. I wish to say that YES, I have caught one before! Here's a hog from a few years ago: https://alquattrocchi.com/2015/07/15/perseverance-pays/

"Perro Avion" now available on vinyl! - Limited Pressing

I'm gonna keep this to-the-point! Details here: http://bit.ly/perroavionvinyl 

Bear Butt Canyon - October 2020

Ok so why Bear Butt Canyon? One of the most exciting aspects of this area is that it is full of bears. Last time I was here (2007) we saw several including one ornery and unusually large male. Luckily on this trip, all bears were skittish. Our count on this trip was just shy of 10 (depends who you ask!) and two of these were healthy cubs. At one point, as we did some cross-country stuff along the river bed, David climbed up over a rise and found himself looking at a bear's behind hence the title of this entry. Here's some bear footage to for your listening and dining pleasure ...

Sculpted by nature ...

Sculpted by humans? bears? This trail was far from anything.

The grind out of the canyon ...

For those extra curious, this trip log (not mine) summarizes much of what our trip was. Link HERE. The difference is that we took a short-cut cross-country to the river about 1/4 mile from the bottom of the trail to hit the river and explore. I do not recommend this move because of terrain unless you are not carrying a heavy backpack. We also had to keep a close eye on what the National Park Service would decide as far as trail access due to nearby fires. See image below.

Last but not least, this was after all a "Black Diamond Trout" expedition so a few of these came to hand and were all safely released.

Vote for the Planet

Image courtesy of https://theyearsproject.com

Psychedelic Houston

Rebecca and I just wrapped-up some travel to visit family and were treated to some San Francisco styled psychedelia at Houston Hobby. It truly caught us off guard and it was hard not to wonder whether or not the colorful overhead projections from the Fillmore in the 60s are not to be thanked. Although a bit nervous about travel, we felt pretty comfortable on our flight minus one guy who was very sloppy about his mask use. Soundtrack is the actual song "PAR AVION" as inspired by the Insect Surfers (who were in turn inspired by the enigmatic 80s indie band Pel Mel). This recording is from our first release Surf the Friendly Skies and features DJ Bonebrake (X) on drums. The music is available here for a "pay what you want" rate (free if you're broke!): http://bit.ly/surftheskies

Surf the Sky | Par Avion | On The Bamboo Balcony

I'll let the music do the talking ... https://bit.ly/surftheskyforeventsinlbc