Eagle Lake California HeritageTrout Challenge,not from Eagle Lake

   We were ready for the Eagle Lake Rainbow. Every person that turned in an Eagle Lake Rainbow for the Heritage Challenge turned there fish in from Eagle Lake, except for one gentlemen who turned his in from Pine Creek. We wanted to be different, we wanted to qualify with one from a lake that wasn’t Eagle Lake. Could this even be possible? Well with a little research we found a hike to lake that was in the drainage and  would qualify. We knew it would be a tough bite and we put two days aside to do it. The plan was to fish this lake first and if we caught our fish on the first day, we would stop at a lake for coastal rainbows on the way home.   

    Andy got off work around 2:00 am and we were off and running. We arrived at the trail head at around 7:00 am. We did the two mile hike fairly quick. When we arrived at the lake we did not see any fish rising and our enthusiasm was low. We pumped up our float tubes and started fishing. I hooked up within fifteen or twenty minutes. The fish was much bigger than I expected and I got worked. I lost the fish and I kept wondering if that was my only chance. Andy and I both lost a few more fish and we were starting to stress. It was now around noon and neither one of us has landed a fish. I went to shore to take a little break. I heard Andy scream and he had put a 20” fish in the net. I was jazzed. A few seconds later I heard Andy scream again. He had just dropped his fish in the water before we could get a photo.  He was devastated. I knew He was thinking, that fish could haunt him. Andy came to shore to take a quick break, on his way back out he hooked up again real shallow, but that fish came unbuttoned. Man we were having a tough bite. I saw that last fish was shallow so I moved in and started stripping an orange wiggle tail nymph. Bam I hooked up. This fish was mine I played him so cautious , I was not going to lose this fish. I got him to the net and was so relieved . This had been one of the most difficult bites we had ever faced and I did not want to come back. I had my Eagle Lake rainbow, and it was like I felt a blanket of relief cover me. Now it was Andy’s turn. He started fishing shallow but the fish would not cooperate. It was getting late. I knew the fact that Andy had already caught a fish, but dropped it was eating him alive. Five hours have now passed since our last bite. I thought for sure we would have to hike out, sleep in the car and hike back in the morning. Just when I was about to call out to Andy that we only had about thirty minutes of light left, I had noticed him fighting a fish. He did not say a word. I could feel the tension and stress he was going through from across the lake.  When I saw the fish get swept into the net I screamed for joy.  I just wanted to go home. The fish was about nineteen inches and was a perfect example of an Eagle Lake rainbow. A few photos and we were out of there.