Checking Out Big Virginia Lake (Virginia Lakes CA)

[@jfowler7604]

Wonderful spot. I got my F-250 stuck in the snow up there one spring. Lake was about 3/4 iced over so I cast a nondescript terrestrial onto the ice and then kept my rod tip way high and gently pulled just the fly off the ice and into the water. I hit a dozen or so fish doing that. (all little guys like yours) Slept in my STUCK truck that night and then dug out the next morning. There used to be a cafe right at Conway(?) summit that had incredible homemade apple pie with homemade vanilla ice cream. (maybe the very best vanilla ice cream I've ever tasted)That was what I had for breakfast after I dug out. Don't know if that cafe is still operating.....I'd guess maybe not but....(?)

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Trips like that get carved into your memory forever! I've had many like it myself. I spent 45 minutes trying to dig my car out of the snow in my most recent Lake Davis clip before a guy came along with a big truck and pulled me free so you aren't alone on that one! Your epic food description just made me real hungry!

[@craftytraveler9238]

I love Virginia Lakes. We were there in August 2020. We fished from shore about the same place you did your intor. There were people out in the lake fishing with tubes and inflatables. We did see a couple of large fish caught. Unfortunately we were skunked but I did video the day and saw an eagle. Beautiful.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Hey, there are far worse things than getting skunked while chilling by a beautiful lake surrounded by awesome scenery! Those lakes a little up the trail were really good. One was small brookies but they were ready for a fight! I think the clips are for Cooney lake and Blue lake. They are on my alpine lakes playlist if you haven't seen them and are interested. That was the first time I had been up there. The hike into the backcountry is top notch. It has one stunning view after another. Thanks for watching the clip.

[@edmusa7117]

Excellent video as always. Amazing looking place too. On one of your clips yesterday someone wrote a comment saying more fishing and less hiking. I just wanted to say that I found your channel when I was looking for fishing videos and I have never hiked for more than 2-3 miles and that was maybe once or twice in my lifetime but I absolutely love your hiking videos too. I don’t know what it is but your hiking videos are truly awesome and I look forward to them. Seeing the hike to the lake then the fishing at the lake really gives you the full picture and no one does it better. Keep it up I’ll be here watching

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Thanks man. I try to show the hike to all of my clips on my Alpine Lake playlist so viewers can get an idea of what they are getting into. I also just like to share the epic scenery I'm experiencing together. My clips won't be all things to all people and I get that. Thanks for the kind words and for tuning into my channel.

[@jeffjeff5845]

Your on a roll keep the great content content coming. I enjoy every video

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. Once the snow clears out completely I will be able to head into the wilderness above 10K feet with more certainty. I might make it to where I want to go next week but I might not!

[@ryanlunde1882]

nice looks relaxing 😌

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Being out in a place that has provides me with a complex mixture of tired and excited! There are a few other ingredients in that emotional cocktail but when it's all put together it just says go!!!!

[@mikeflo2089]

Love your raft bro !

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. I have a clip with details of my boat on my playlist 'outdoor safety and products I use' playlist. You can access that on my channel homepage if you are interested. That thing has served me well for nearly a decade.

[@KimchiJerry]

I love that place. The scenery is breathtaking! You should also try Walker River in Bridgeport!

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

It's on the radar. I've only fished the Walker River right off the 395 but I did get a fat rainbow. I have a clip up for it on my rivers playlist. I need to go out and explore that whole Bridgeport area in general. Thanks for tuning in to my channel.

[@KimchiJerry]

@@wildernesswithamani1027 the California side is better from my experience at least. But you should also explore Kidman Lake or Twin Lakes(if you haven’t). Great videos by the way 👌

[@SuperDuperOutdoors]

What a grind bro. That last brook fish was cool.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Grind? What I just got home from was a grind! 14 hrs of hiking and driving with 24 hrs at a lake to produce the content I have. The fishing was good! I'm going to start working on it now and hopefully most of it will be up tomorrow. Hopefully!

[@jonedmondo8806]

Great video! Thanks!

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Thank you. I always have fun making these clips. Viewers like you provide me with the energy and drive to do it so if you are willing to watch, I'll keep making them. Thanks for tuning in.

[@AdrianHernandez-ib7pr]

Great video! One question, what size nymphs do you regularly throw? Also you should try Little Virginia Lake! It’s very good to me.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I try a range of nymphs I usually order in assortment packages online. I try to get away with something around 14 but will go smaller if I'm not getting anything.

[@Simpleoljesus]

Hey Amani you ever go target Goldens? Tons of fun. Great content by the way👍

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Thank you. yeah, Cottonwood Lakes is my favorite. I have several clips on my alpine lakes playlist. I hope to get up there late in the Fall before the snow falls.

[@Simpleoljesus]

@@wildernesswithamani1027 I just seen that clip yesterday, good stuff👍 that’s a lake I haven’t tried yet so far I’ve only caught a few out of a stream and one lake off the Sonora pass. Maybe one day we’ll cross paths Keep on fishing on

[@alex1wwf]

Man I’d love to come fishing with you one day. I also live in the Reno area and always fishing

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

If you saw how tight my schedule was and how loosely planned my trips are you might not think that! How I roll these days with producing content, going alone is simply easier. I've been fishing and camping alone for years since many of my long time friends stopped going once they had kids. I've actually become accustomed to it and have grown to like it that way. I have a couple of friends whos kids are going to college soon so I think they'll be "allowed" to go again!

[@xXGohan02Xx]

Years ago we were fishing that lake and my Dad pulled out one of my big boxes of hand tied flies. Took me months to tie them. And he left it on the shore somewhere. Probably $600 worth of flies. I always hoped someone found it and put the flies to good use. Most of the nymphs you used in this series look to be Copper John variants. A size 16 parachute adams killed it last time I was there.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Man, what an empty feeling losing that box you must have had. That is a sad memory to say the least. I've left a lure box behind once but that is nothing compared to what you describe. I guess all you can do is move on and keep fishing.

[@rcjubei3880]

Absolutely enjoying your videos. I am learning a lot and appreciate all the tips and info you provide. What type of boat do you have, can 2 people fit in it?

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

It can hold up to 1000 lbs or 3 adults. 2 people works if you skip the seat and sit on the sides. I have a clip featuring the details of my boat on my 'outdoor safety and products I use' playlist. I don't get paid for pitching products, I just make those clips for people looking for ideas. I also have a lot of fishing information on my fishing tips playlist. I hope you find some of it useful. Thanks for tuning in.

[@johncraig3948]

You can Camp at Trumbull lake Campground & also Fish in Trumbull Lake At Virginia Lakes

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. I know the area. I want to get up there.

[@Marta_Lledo_Video_Channel]

Many years back for the opener out of Bridgeport someone caught the State record Brown out of one of the Twin lakes. I believe it was something like 27 lbs. The next year someone else broke the record from the other Twin lake by a few ounces. Over the years we have seen some monsters caught out of that area!

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

I don't know what I'd do if I hooked something like that on my little 5' Ugly Stik. Probably just do the best I could! Jump in if I had to!

[@Marta_Lledo_Video_Channel]

@@wildernesswithamani1027 this is about the club Brown Baggers. Interesting article: epictrout.com/brown-baggers/

[@SuperDuperOutdoors]

I'm more impressed with the multiple post...dam bro how many post over the weekend? You gotta be fished out...i know i feel that way once in awhile...keep grinding brother.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Man, I have to power through it as soon as I get home because once I start work, it might never happen! I edited and posted this clip last night after work and it was no treat! I got a bit of an OCD thing going on in the sense that once I start something like this, I have to complete it. If I actually ever have more free time, look out!

[@TroutWest]

Virginia lakes used to ALWAYS be good, but are now highly dependent on Bridgeport fish enhancement and other private plants. DFG rarely plants anymore there because of the hatchery issues. It's still awesome scenery in the area though. There are better lakes in the hills near by.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Yeah, I was getting a sense of hardcore planter activity in there. The cool thing is, all of the lakes I fished within a mile or two of walking had no people and that goes for the small lake right above it. Virginia Lake has people all around it fishing but a little walking weeds out about 98% of them!

[@sylviawelsh9518]

How’s the rain gear today.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

It wasn't even cold. I've survived white out conditions above 11K feet where I couldn't even see Mt. Langley towering above me. I saved 3 people on that 1st week of October a few years ago who were woefully unprepared. Over 3 decades I've dealt with crazy mountain weather, rattlesnake infested river canyons, lightning storms above the tree line, bears in the back country and growers where my gun was out. Your concern is appreciated so I will just say you can rest easy knowing that I can handle a summer thunder storm in the mountains.

[@paveltk4179]

Wow feels nice to be first

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

It was fun just being out there! Tired? No time for tired!

[@Brewdiver82]

That rod looks like an old ugly stick lite pro lol. I still have mine from almost 2 decades ago and still catch fish on it all the time.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

It is! Those rods last for ever! I've been fishing that 5' rod for a decade and a half. It's a little shorter now because I had to change the eye on the tip because notches formed from the line over the years but other than that, it's still going strong! I have a few rods like that. My favorite fishing tools!

[@Brewdiver82]

@@wildernesswithamani1027 yup. I got mine as a rod and reel combo at walmart for like 25 bucks lol. Since then I've gone through 4 reels and the rod keeps on kickin. Indestructible.

[@Sedona-Faise]

Weather forecasts seem to mean nothing there. You can go from shirtless fishing to sideways snow in 10 minutes!

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

That is the absolute truth! Ran into a lot of that last month when I was shooting content in the 20 lakes basin area.

[@califmike2003]

one of the most beautiful lakes in the Sierra is Virginia problem is the fish are tiny you can catch a hundred fish a day on that lake but they're all little panfish.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Yeah, I saw a lot of small fish action. There are some cool fish in the lakes above. I have a couple clips on my 'backcountry lakes and creeks playlist' that I plan to hit again when the snow clears. I think Blue Lake was one and Moat Lake was the other. Nice rainbows and brookies.

[@sylviawelsh9518]

Do you just sleep in your car😎

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

No, I'll be backpacking over night next week. On a trip like this, I only had about a day and a half to cover as much territory in the area as possible. If I stay in a campground, I have to spend time and energy setting up and breaking down camp and I also have to worry about check-out time. Sleeping in my car allows me to fish all day when I get there and then be in position to pop out of my car at the trailhead at first light. It isn't cozy or luxurious but it is extremely efficient for the limited amount of time I have on each trip. It also helps me keep my costs down. As I stated in the beginning of this clip, I used to sleep in my car at a rest stop near my destination quite often on the way to areas like those east of Fresno, Sonora, or the Eastern Sierra that I used to frequent when I lived in SoCal. I learned over those decades that if I wanted to go to the mountains and fish often, I needed to do whatever it took to make it happen or I would only get to go a couple of times a year. I made my own schedule at work back then so that certainly helped! Not so lucky these days so it is what it is!

[@Jeff-uf3cv]

I'm leaving for Bridgeport, check your video later .

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Right on. Good luck!

[@Jeff-uf3cv]

@@wildernesswithamani1027 when fishing , do you look for the deep water , 20+ ft. ? Would you prefer to be in 30ft then 15 feet . Do you also shorten your leader when fishing with inflated nightcrawler? Thanks in advance

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

@@Jeff-uf3cv I like 30 feet of water over 15 feet of water because in the deeper option, I can bring my stuff in and out from deeper to shallow in an effort to locate fish. With that said, I take as deep of water as I can get, especially in Lake Tahoe! In reservoirs I am unfamiliar with or the water level is really low, I try to seek out the dam area. With inflated crawlers, I go with as short of a leader as necessary to get it out to where I want it. They are far more awkward to cast than a tiny ball of powerbait so the shorter leader helps to make casting full crawlers easier. When you are in an area that drops off fast and is deep 10-20 feet from shore, I make the crawler leader a bit longer because I don't need to cast it as far. Sometimes, even in deep water, the longer leader isn't always best so I start with a longer leader and then I might trim it down if I'm not getting any action. For instance, if the trout are feeding on Crayfish/crawdads on the bottom, a 4 foot leader might not be ideal. A 3 foot leader or shorter might put your bait in better position for the trout to smell it. The crawdads might smell it too and pull you into a snag so the trick is finding that happy medium. Hope that helps. Good luck.

[@stevencole7331]

Need to give up your day job and fish full time

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

Believe me, I wish that could happen. If I reach a point where I can achieve that, look out! I want to fish the Sierra Nevada from end to end! For now, I will keep chipping away at bits and pieces! I haven't even gotten into the dozens of places I have fished and camped at on the western side of the range over the years. Yeah, I have a lot of work to do!

[@sdbassin1143]

I appreciate your energy and your enthusiasm but you Gotta stop blowing up the spots man. 🤷🏻‍♂️ nothing worse than getting narcissistic notoriety & likes by blowing up the good fisheries. Just saying from one seasoned angler to another it’s good to have tight lips because, 🤷🏻‍♂️loose lips sink ships🤷🏻‍♂️ Narcissistic Anglers are the worst for any fishery.

[@wildernesswithamani1027]

If there wasn't 10X more information on the place than in my short clips with a few strokes of the keyboard I might agree. I feel I have enough spots on my channel playlists where it would take a decade for the average person to go to half of it. Figure if they are going to be researching it, get a view from someone who practices catch and release in the back country. Agree to disagree.