Very Interesting...I wanna go

Roberts finds gold... golden trout, that is

By: ERNIE COWAN - For the North County Times

Don Roberts was looking for gold.

As we crawled over refrigerator-sized boulders at the edge of Pine Creek, you could see the gleam in his eyes. Roberts is a High Sierra hunting and fly fishing guide, and the gold he was seeking was not shiny nuggets but colorful golden trout prized by many anglers.

Native goldens are typically found only at elevations above 10,000 feet in the icy lakes and streams tucked into granite canyons reached only by foot or horseback. But Roberts knows the waters of the High Sierra like a prospector knows the rocks that hold the riches he seeks.


As part of an Outdoor Writers Conference, I had a chance to spend a day fishing with him and learning his interesting story. I knew we didn't have a lot of time to fish, and was surprised when he said we were going for gold in Pine Creek, north of Bishop.

"Yes, I realize that most golden trout are found up high, but there are some at the 8,000-foot level of Pine Creek," he said.

A call to the California Department of Fish and Game in Bishop confirmed that golden trout do wash down creek from the upper Pine Lakes in the John Muir Wilderness.

Roberts said the fly fishing in Pine Creek is challenging because the water is swift, the banks are steep and dotted with boulders and the brush is thick and hungry for fishing line. But he knows these waters well and has an almost intimate relationship with the fish.

"There's a nice golden right in that pool that I've caught at least a dozen times," he said.

His teaching was right on and his skill as a guide really demonstrated the importance of knowing the terrain. In the few hours we shared, our group all landed golden trout. The first one I caught surprised me. I thought I had snagged in the rocks until he continued to fight. I could hear my wife yelling with glee as she landed another one from a small pool on the far side of the creek. With the help of our guide, the short fishing trip introduced us to some new fishing country, some great fishing and a new friend.

Roberts was raised in Southern California, but headed to the Sierra in the early 1980s at age 19 to work on the ski slopes of Mammoth Mountain.

"After three years of shoveling snow, I woke up one morning and decided I didn't want to do that anymore, so I moved to Bishop," he said.

His love of the High Sierra was spawned by frequent camping trips with his dad. He still has vivid memories of catching trout at age 5. That introduction to the high country was reinforced when he was old enough and began backpacking, skiing, hunting and fishing on his own, which led him into guiding.

Roberts earns his living as a roofer, but his guiding business is growing.

In addition to fly fishing, he guides for big game and wildlife photography. While his sons were growing up, he served as a scoutmaster in Bishop and hoped to pass on his love of the Sierra by requiring that all Eagle Scout applicants complete a six-day, 50-mile hike in the wilderness.

"Some hated it while they were doing it, but I've had them come back later and thank me for the things they learned," Roberts said.

Trout fishing is his passion, and he especially loves the scrappy brook trout, which he has adopted for his company logo. He is also passionate about sharing his love of the Sierra with others, and despite his rugged and fit physique, quick smile and eager way of attacking the outdoors, his spirit is deeply affected by the massive mountains.

As we walked the edges of Pine Creek, deep in a canyon shadowed by granite walls more than 2,000 feet high, he paused to comment.

"I'm humbled by this place, and it's nice to be humbled once in awhile," he said softly.

You could see why. The new spring green leaves danced on the aspens as a gentle breeze drifted up the canyon, and on the vertical cliff above us a herd of bighorn sheep provided a spectacular show as they climbed, jumped, grazed and basked in the warm spring sunshine.

Roberts guides in both Inyo and Mono Counties and can be reached at (760) 873-7678.

-- Ernie Cowan is the outdoor writer for the North County Times. If you have an outdoor story of interest, call (760) 518-8050, or e-mail to ernie@packtrain.com.

Fishing in SoCal