TR: Red, White, (and Blue) Loop. July 3-6, 2020

[Wandering Daisy]

Last time I camped at Laurel Lake it had tons of underfed fish. I caught a fish every cast! Good eating but not big. It really would benefit from some more fishing. Although illegal, I often wonder if I would actually do the fishery some good by catching 100 fish and throwing them in the bushes.

[SNOOOOW]

Great report. Another trip of an area I have mostly not visited. Thanks for all the photos, makes it so much more fun for me when I follow along on the map with your story and photos. Mono creek is always terrible in my experience, tons of flies and horse crap everywhere. I did have my only backcountry fire ever years ago while passing east through there from the JMT which kept the mosquitoes at bay sort of. Thanks again.

[Flamingo]

@Wandering Daisy Yes, so many fish in Laurel Lake. While we were there, my friend picked up a grasshopper with his hands and tossed it into the water; a dozen hungry fish raced to the surface to eat it. I imagine fishing here must be easy.

[windknot]

Great report of a nifty route! I like the photos, and having never been in this area the change in geology is especially striking to me.

WD, my personal favorite failed attempt at culling stunted brookie overpopulation in high lakes is CDFW's efforts to introduce fish-eating brown trout into some lakes with lots of small brook trout close to trailheads along the Eastern Sierra. I should say, it was a mostly failed attempt. The lakes still have tons of small brookies, but now they have a few huge browns swimming lazily around like sharks too. They ignore the vast majority of fishermen's lures (and for good reason -- they've got a veritable buffet floating around them at all times) but every once in a while someone gets lucky.