This was a bit of a surprise trip, having been given Monday off without much notice. My original plan was to do a longer loop, hitting an extra couple of lakes, and the focus for the trip was to take my fly rod out and try fishing some lakes.

I ended up cutting the trip shortly, largely because I decided I wanted to spend Monday at home, resting instead. However, it was great to explore the new area, having not been to the Mokolumne Wilderness before. And while I didn't catch any fish, I was glad I got out and practiced with the rod and started getting over my nerves carrying and using it.

I came home, even a day short, feeling super relaxed and and ready to get the most out of my week, which is always the goal.

Day 1

I started driving up Saturday morning, and it was a smooth excursion. The parking lot at Wood's Lake was pretty full by 1 PM, but I still found a place. Parking costs $10 per day, and they are okay with overnight parking - just pay for all the days up front.

I walked out to Round Top Lake around 3 PM and got to doing some fishing. This was my first time really using my western fly rod, and my first time fishing lakes instead of streams. So my lack of experience combined with a pretty windy afternoon resulted in some tough fishing. It was good casting practice, but I didn't get any bites or even see any jumps. So after about an hour, I packed up and started making my way over to 4th of July Peak and down to Emigrant Lake.

As I picked my way down to Emigrant Lake, I saw a fish jumping. I didn't have time that evening to fish before setting camp but it seemed promising. The night was fairly warm, but the wind started kicking up a lot after dark. I was really happy I didn't set up under any widowmakers. I curled up in my quilt, watched some TV I downloaded on my phone and listened to my book.

Day 2

Unfortunately, when I woke up in the morning, the wind had not given up. I took my time making a hot breakfast and breaking camp, hoping that the wind might die down before I finished packing. But by 9:30 AM, the wind was still going strong. I gave it a good try, and was able to position myself to have the wind behind me some, but I didn't see any jumps in the morning and didn't get any bites.

I eventually gave up and started making my way back up over 4th of July Peak and back to Round Top Lake. I already decided I was going to head home that day, rather than stay out the night. I considered making my way down to 4th of July Lake, but I decided against it because I was dealing with some hot spots on my feet and my knees weren't feeling great. It didn't seem like I was going to be happy hiking down to and back up from that lake. So I skipped it and made my way to Winnemucca Lake. It was another beautiful, popular lake, and I saw some fishing jumping. The wind died down here, so I was optimistic I might have some luck. The casting went much better without all the wind, but I was still not quite able to cast far enough out to get to the fish.

While at Winnemucca, I heard someone walking by saying that 4th of July Lake has so many fish "you can't dip your rod in without catching one." So, maybe I should have taken the time to get down there ha.

Fleece Bottoms - These were probably overkill, and they weigh a bunch, but I slept so comfortably. They will likely be in my kit for any colder trips, at least until I pull the trigger and buy myself a warmer quilt. I am considering a 20* Nunatak for sure just so that I can have more worth without these things, though.

Fly Kit - I was able to successfully carry my fly rod and reel this weekend. The DIY tube protector for the rod was good. I can't fit the rod in there with the sock, though, and the sound of the pieces clinking gets old, fast. I will look for a better way to pack them in there to reduce the noise. The sand socks were a great choice for lightweight wet wading. I was able to go in up to my knees with my pants rolled up.

Gloves - Even though I felt colder on this trip, I still didn't weather the gloves or the beanie. I need to figure out when these are actually useful pieces of kit, because I think it is much colder trips than this one only.

Fleece Top - Again, this was likely overkill, and for sleeping I would have been better served by my down vest. But it was great to have while I was sitting around fishing, so I don't really have any regrets.

Cellphone and Netflix - I watched some TV while I was out there and was worried it would kill my battery. However, I was able to watch maybe 1.5 hours on extreme battery saver mode and only use up ~10% battery in the time. So that is a success I will go with again on trips where there is an early sunset.

Quickdraw - This was really my first trip with the Quickdraw. It is crazy fast!