Wild trout a bear to access

[Dryrod]

[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3][cool]Wild trout a bear to access[/size][/green][/font] [font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Bear Creek offers reward of rainbows and browns to the adventurous[/size][/green][/font] [font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]By DAVE STREGE[/size][/green][/font] [font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER[/size][/green][/font] [font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]ANGELUS OAKS Fly-fisherman Bill Reese reached into the water and grabbed the prize he had hooked and fought from a deep pool in the creek.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]It was a rainbow trout. But not just any rainbow. It was a wild rainbow. He estimated it to be 10 inches — an impressive catch for these parts.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]"That was a beautiful fish," he said after releasing the feisty trout. [/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]"Bigger than average."[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]One might surmise the trout was caught in a backcountry stream. It was, but not in the Sierra. It was caught on Bear Creek, a remote fishery in the wilds of the San Bernardino National Forest. [/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]The wild-trout stream flows about eight miles from Big Bear Lake dam to the confluence of the Santa Ana River. [/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]It is a haven for the serious fly-fisherman, and it is aptly named because it can be a bear to get to, which is why the less adventurous stay away.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]"Since 2003, this has become one of the popular fishing spots for Southern California fly-fishermen that like to go tromp in the woods," said Reese, a Rancho Cucamonga resident who has been fishing the area since 1948.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Reese, who heads up the Fisheries Resource Volunteer Corps that protect and monitor Bear Creek, Deep Creek and other fishing waters, said 100-fish days are possible when conditions are right.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]"You can't count on it (however)," he said. "You should at least have a 35-fish day in the spring and early summer before the water gets too hot."[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]The rainbows and browns range from 4 to 15 inches and average 8 inches. But there are brown trout that measure 19 inches or longer.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]"I'm not going to say you're going to go out and catch a 19-inch brown," Reese said. "That may be once every three years."[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Frank Selby, the His and Hers Fly-Fishing Shop owner in Costa Mesa who has guided the creek, has enjoyed catching browns over 24 inches from the upper reaches of the stream.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]To catch these trophies, time on the water and experience is required. And, of course, a sense of adventure.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Bear Creek is accessed from three points: Camp Creek Trail near Snow Valley ski resort, Glory Ridge Trail about 3 miles below Big Bear Lake dam, and near Angelus Oaks.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]The latter is the easiest route because it doesn't require a strenuous hike on steep trails. But Forest Service dirt road 1NO9, a 5.7-mile stretch, is hardly a walk in the park.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Reese showed a fellow fly-fisher the way Thursday: From Angelus Oaks, a six-mile drive on Highway 38, a drive down Glass and Seven Oaks roads, both paved, and a bumpy ride on 1NO9.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]The ruts made by jeeps sliding around in the mud in the winter can be deep. Reese said the Forest Service didn't grade the road last year but anticipates it will sometime this spring.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]At the end of the road is a valley floor covered with rocks and boulders. It is where Bear Creek and the Santa Ana River (another fine wild-trout fishery) meet.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Going upstream on Bear Creek, one must negotiate rocky terrain and sometimes thick vegetation to access the many deep pools holding trout.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]On this day, not another soul was seen.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]"Sure is crowded out here," Reese quipped. [/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Pick a weekday and you're likely to have the place to yourself, even with this bit of publicity. [/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]There are some who would prefer a story about Bear Creek not be told, fearing a mad dash of anglers that would beat the fishery to death.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Reeves dismissed this premise.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]"If nobody knows about it and nobody is fishing it, then there's nobody that is going to be around to love it and protect it," Reeves said.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]Further, average Joe fisherman isn't a likely visitor, especially since there's an area on the Santa Ana River that gets stocked with trout. Really, mostly diehard fly-fishers access these waters.[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]As Selby said, "Most people don't want to walk two blocks to fish. That's why I've always loved (Bear Creek)."[/size][/green][/font]
[font "Poor Richard"][green][size 3]One more catch: You still need to know what you're doing. If you do and don't mind heading off the beaten path, the reward can be worth the effort.[/size][/green][/font]
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