There’s no doubt about it that some of the best fly fishing in California is located in the northern part of the state. The Sierra Mountains provide some great scenery as well as some great rivers and streams where the fish are plentiful and the weather is great. Because the California weather is quite static, year-round fly fishing is available to the fisherman.
Located above Crowley Lake, the Owens River is one of the best places to fish for trout in California. The river is one of a kind with a gentle current that flows through a glacial valley between mountains that are 9,000 feet tall or more. At one time, the Owens River provided water and power to Los Angeles. When they converted the gorge, much of the fish died out. With a restoration of the river back to a fly fishing destination, you can now find some beautiful brown or rainbow trout at any time of the year.
The McCloud River is one of California’s premier trout fisheries. This River feeds Lake Shasta and was the breeding ground for rainbow trout that was shipped all over the country to stock other rivers and streams. You can find big brown trout as well as rainbow trout in plentiful supply on the McCloud.
In Northern California, the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River provides some great fly fishing for some excellent trout. This river is one of the few places designated as wild trout waters by the state. This area receives a lot of fishing, so it’s a good idea to get there early in the morning to stake out your spot. Besides the normal species of trout, this river also boasts a hybrid variety of rainbow and golden trout with bright orange sides.
Hat Creek is another great place to fly fish in California. These, too, have been designated trophy wild trout waters, and you will find plenty here. This creek is very well-suited to both beginning as well as experienced fly fishers. The banks are laden with heavy brush that provides some great hiding places for brown and rainbow trout. Much of the creek is heavily stocked, but there is some natural reproduction that takes place making Hat Creek a very easy place to fish.
If you are looking to go fly fishing in California, you have a lot of options available to you. Much of the best fly fishing would be in the northern part of the state, but you can also find many other places where fish are plentiful and challenges about. You can’t go wrong with a fly fishing vacation in California.
Just a couple of miles north of San Francisco is one of California’s prettiest vacation lakes — Clear Lake.
A friend visited Clear Lake not too long ago and came back raving about the area’s unexpected scenic and natural beauty – so we had to investigate. On a recent swing through Northern California, we dropped in on Clear Lake, staying at a small, unpretentious waterfront resort that brought back childhood memories of vacationing at lakefront resorts in Central Washington state. It was like vacationing in a simpler place at a simpler time.
At 43,000 acres, Clear Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in California, and some say it may be the oldest lake in North America. The lake is the centerpiece for several communities in the Lake County area, including Lakeport, Clearlake, Kelseyville, Glenhaven and several others. Taken together, these communities and several parks in the area offer a wide range of family vacation activities.
Chief among those are boating, fishing and swimming, three main reasons people stay at the Seabreeze Resort in Glenhaven, headquarters for our brief stay in the Clear Lake area. Owner Steve Nash happened on the resort many years ago as he was looking to buy a waterfront house. His accountant advised him that the income from the resort would go a long way toward helping to pay for his new waterfront home, and so Nash – who had never operated any sort of lodging facility – took the plunge.
Today, Nash divides his time between Clear Lake and San Diego, where he lives during winter months. But every year, April through October, it’s back to Clear Lake and the round-the-clock chores of managing the resort. With only one housekeeper for help, Nash is up at dawn each day, working to well past sundown. But, as we discovered, he always finds time to chat and joke around with his guests – many of whom have been returning to the small resort for many years.
Since we were traveling with a four-year-old, we were booked into the “family wing” of the resort – some housekeeping units a little further from the water and from the guests in the waterfront adult wing. Our cottage was like a small apartment, maybe 1950s vintage, but nicely remodeled and cheerfully decorated. A full kitchen was included, as well as a living room, bath and a bedroom with two queen beds. Thankfully, on this summer visit, the unit was air conditioned.
Our cottage had a grassy area, lunge chairs and several individuals just outside the door. Nearby was Steve’s fragrant flower garden – which he obviously takes great care in maintaining – and then a few steps further was the boat launch, dock and swimming area. In short, the Seabreeze offered everything you need for a restful lakefront stay or a base of operations for your boating holiday.
But we were visiting Clear Lake to explore. Just why was everyone raving about this lake?
The first thing we discovered was that, as advertised, the lake and its surroundings are beautiful. The blue-water lake is in the middle of a hilly, mostly treed landscape that is especially interesting when approaching from the east. We also noticed that this lake is big. On the map it looked like it would be fairly easy to circumnavigate since there were highways, roadways and towns and villages on almost every part of the lake. Once we were driving, however, it soon became apparent our trip around the lake was going to take us at least a half day.
Along the way we stopped in several little lakeside towns, including the largest city, Clearlake, which is the largest population center in a region that only has about 12,000 year-round residents. Each town is different, but all share the beauty of Clear Lake and recreation opportunities are never far away.
Along most shores of the lake you’ll find a combination of private residences and small motels and inns like the Seabreeze. We did note, however, there is a large timeshare resort on the northwest shore, as well as the famous Konocti Harbor Resort and Spa, known for bringing headline musical acts in for performances in the Outdoor Konocti Field Amphitheater as well as the resort’s indoor showroom. Altogether, the resort puts on about 100 shows per year.
We noticed that parks are abundant throughout the region. Many are located on the more than 100 miles of shoreline but, in addition to camping and watersports, several parks offer other features. For example, the Anderson Marsh State Park is known for nature walks and birdwatching, while the Middletown Trailside Nature Preserve offers the “EcoArts Lake County Scupture Walk” conducted on 107 acres of natural park. The area’s history is highlighted at the Anderson Marsh State Historic Park.
There are plenty of other opportunities to learn about the history of Clear Lake, including two county museums, the Lake County Museum in Lakeport and the Lower Lake Historical Schoolhouse Museum in Lower Lake. Learn about the stars at the Taylor Planetarium and Observatory in Kelseyville.
For those who enjoy visiting wineries, this region has several that are all within easy driving distance of the lake.
No matter which shoreline, there seemed to be plenty of anglers taking advantage of what the locals say is the best bass fishing in the West. The bass fishing is so good that several professional bass fishing organizations have designated Clear Lake as the best bass lake in the country. But it’s not just bass — catfish, blackfish, Sacramento perch, hitch, crappie and bluegill are all caught at Clear Lake.
There was no fishing for us this trip, but we did enjoy the great swimming area right at the dock in front of the Seabreeze. Our midweek visit was quiet and restful – and like a step back into the days of Ward and June Cleaver when family vacations just seemed a lot simpler.
.
AT A GLANCE
WHERE: You can reach Clear Lake by driving north on 101 and then east on Highway 175. From inland cities, you can drive north on I-5 and west on Highway 20.
WHAT: Clear Lake is known as one of the best recreation lakes in California, partly because of its size and services, and partly because it is easily accessible from Northern California population centers.
WHEN: Any time of the year, but the typical lake recreation “season” runs from April through October.
WHY: Clear Lake offers a throwback to a simpler time with fewer crowds and quiet little beach resorts dotting its shoreline. Lake County offers a tremendous number and variety of parks and recreation, so there are many choices.
HOW: More information on Clear Lake and Lake County are available at Lake County Visitor Information Center, 1-800-525-3743 or visit www.lakecounty.com. Email: info@lakecounty.com. More information on the Seabreeze Resort is at 707-998-3327, or visit www.seabreezeresort.net. Email: info@Seabreezeresort.net.
Cary Ordway is president of Getaway Media Corp which publishes websites focused on regional travel. Among the sites offered by GMC are www.californiaweekend.com, featuring California spa and beach resorts and www.northwesttraveladvisor.com, focusing on Pacific Northwest travel .
Driving from Santa Cruz to Portola Redwoods State Park on a Wed evening during rush hour traffic. I think Hwy 17 is pretty bad during this time?
What about Hwy 1?
Dunoon sits on the Firth of Clyde in the Cowall Peninsula and bordered to the north by the villages of Kirn, Hunter’s Quay and Sandbank, and by the Holy Loch.
The town has a connecting ferry with Gourroch that for a hundred years has been transporting tourists to the picturesque town, today tourists can still get aboard the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world, The Waverley, which still calls in regularly at Dunoon through the summer months.
Interestingly the Holy Loch during the Second World War was used as a submarine base, and it played host to an American Naval Base during the Cold War. It has now been transformed into a sophisticate marina, with facilities for boat and yachts that is enjoyed by sailing enthusiasts from across Scotland.
One of the main tourist attractions in Dunoon is the Cowal Highland Gathering, the largest Highland games in the world held on the last Friday and Saturday of August.
The tournament includes the World Highland Dancing Championships, piping and shinty competitions; attracting participants and spectators from around the world. Also of interest is Castle Toward originally dating back to the 15th century but since renovated several times in different decades.
Ownership of the castle passed to the council in the 1990’s and it has since turned into an outward bound activity centre, and recently the grounds of the castle have been used in the BBC’s children’s TV series Raven.
If you are interested in botany or enjoy strolling through parks and gardens then Dunoon and Cowal host some of the best flora and fauna in the West of Scotland. Situated seven miles north of Dunoon is the Benmore Botanic Gardens, 150 acres of garden featuring some of the tallest trees in Britain including a great avenue of Giant Redwoods.
Them comes the Morag’s Fairy Glen beside Innellan a woodland walk area that has a wide range of trees specimen including beech, birch, oak and ash lining the paths that run alongside the Berry Burn which follows into waterfalls and picturesque pools.
Ardkinglas Woodland Gardens, at the North of Loch Fyne holds one of the finest collections of rhododendrons and conifers within the British Isles; a visit during summer is highly recommended to take advantage of the beautiful blooms.
Dunoon sits on the Firth of Clyde in the Cowall Peninsula and bordered to the north by the villages of Kirn, Hunter’s Quay and Sandbank, and by the Holy Loch.
The town has a connecting ferry with Gourroch that for a hundred years has been transporting tourists to the picturesque town, today tourists can still get aboard the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world, The Waverley, which still calls in regularly at Dunoon through the summer months.
Interestingly the Holy Loch during the Second World War was used as a submarine base, and it played host to an American Naval Base during the Cold War. It has now been transformed into a sophisticate marina, with facilities for boat and yachts that is enjoyed by sailing enthusiasts from across Scotland.
One of the main tourist attractions in Dunoon is the Cowal Highland Gathering, the largest Highland games in the world held on the last Friday and Saturday of August.
The tournament includes the World Highland Dancing Championships, piping and shinty competitions; attracting participants and spectators from around the world. Also of interest is Castle Toward originally dating back to the 15th century but since renovated several times in different decades.
Ownership of the castle passed to the council in the 1990’s and it has since turned into an outward bound activity centre, and recently the grounds of the castle have been used in the BBC’s children’s TV series Raven.
If you are interested in botany or enjoy strolling through parks and gardens then Dunoon and Cowal host some of the best flora and fauna in the West of Scotland. Situated seven miles north of Dunoon is the Benmore Botanic Gardens, 150 acres of garden featuring some of the tallest trees in Britain including a great avenue of Giant Redwoods.
Them comes the Morag’s Fairy Glen beside Innellan a woodland walk area that has a wide range of trees specimen including beech, birch, oak and ash lining the paths that run alongside the Berry Burn which follows into waterfalls and picturesque pools.
Ardkinglas Woodland Gardens, at the North of Loch Fyne holds one of the finest collections of rhododendrons and conifers within the British Isles; a visit during summer is highly recommended to take advantage of the beautiful blooms.
Dunoon sits on the Firth of Clyde in the Cowall Peninsula and bordered to the north by the villages of Kirn, Hunter’s Quay and Sandbank, and by the Holy Loch.
The town has a connecting ferry with Gourroch that for a hundred years has been transporting tourists to the picturesque town, today tourists can still get aboard the last seagoing paddle steamer in the world, The Waverley, which still calls in regularly at Dunoon through the summer months.
Interestingly the Holy Loch during the Second World War was used as a submarine base, and it played host to an American Naval Base during the Cold War. It has now been transformed into a sophisticate marina, with facilities for boat and yachts that is enjoyed by sailing enthusiasts from across Scotland.
One of the main tourist attractions in Dunoon is the Cowal Highland Gathering, the largest Highland games in the world held on the last Friday and Saturday of August.
The tournament includes the World Highland Dancing Championships, piping and shinty competitions; attracting participants and spectators from around the world. Also of interest is Castle Toward originally dating back to the 15th century but since renovated several times in different decades.
Ownership of the castle passed to the council in the 1990’s and it has since turned into an outward bound activity centre, and recently the grounds of the castle have been used in the BBC’s children’s TV series Raven.
If you are interested in botany or enjoy strolling through parks and gardens then Dunoon and Cowal host some of the best flora and fauna in the West of Scotland. Situated seven miles north of Dunoon is the Benmore Botanic Gardens, 150 acres of garden featuring some of the tallest trees in Britain including a great avenue of Giant Redwoods.
Them comes the Morag’s Fairy Glen beside Innellan a woodland walk area that has a wide range of trees specimen including beech, birch, oak and ash lining the paths that run alongside the Berry Burn which follows into waterfalls and picturesque pools.
Ardkinglas Woodland Gardens, at the North of Loch Fyne holds one of the finest collections of rhododendrons and conifers within the British Isles; a visit during summer is highly recommended to take advantage of the beautiful blooms.
Them comes the Morag’s Fairy Glen beside Innellan a woodland walk area that has a wide range of trees specimen including beech, birch, oak and ash lining the paths that run alongside the Berry Burn which follows into waterfalls and picturesque pools.
Ardkinglas Woodland Gardens, at the North of Loch Fyne holds one of the finest collections of rhododendrons and conifers within the British Isles; a visit during summer is highly recommended to take advantage of the beautiful blooms.
