Outdoors with Don Q: Fishing The California Alps

It’s that time of the year to pick up your copy of a widely-distributed and widely-read annual publication known as “Fishing The California Alps.”
That outdoor newspaper is your personal guide to the fishing, camping, sightseeing and vacationing world in our general area and it has many, many pages of in-depth information provided by lots of experts in their specific areas of knowledge and experience.
Be sure to use this 2012 edition as your handy and ready-to-use guide on what, when, where and how to enjoy the Great Outdoors.

And, be sure to use it over and over again. It will become your personal reference for outdoor activities in this part of the world.
On a personal note, I’ve had the pleasure of being the front-page writer for “Fishing The California Alps” for many years, and I wouldn’t trade that experience for all the money in the world. Heck, where else can you rub elbows with so many great folks who want to share their knowledge about their particular area of expertise?
If you’re wondering about how large of an area “Fishing The California Alps” covers, consider this information:
The material in this year’s publication covers a huge geographical portion of Eastern California and Western Nevada, all along the eastern side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.
That area in California extends from Lone Pine way down in Inyo County on the south end, all the way to the Oregon state line on the north end.
On the west side it covers Alpine and El Dorado counties.
On the east side, it extends into Douglas and Mineral counties in Nevada.
That is one big chunk of country.
So, now that I have your attention, what does this newspaper contain?
Well, the answer is simple: “This paper is jam-packed with great articles written by very knowledgeable individuals, each an expert in his/her field.”

Here are some of the 2012 contents:
01. My feature story is “Some choices on where you might want to fish” with all kinds of information on all kinds of fishable streams, creeks, rivers, lakes and reservoirs in California.
02. “Campfires Past and Present” by Paul “Wogg” Washam, who writes an annual article in this newspaper, similar in content and style to those written in the past by his dad who died several years ago.
03. “The Ever Changing Face of Eagle Lake” by Bryan Roccucci of Big Daddy Fishing Guide Service that offers trophy trout fishing trips at Lake Almanor, Lake Davis, Bucks Lake and Eagle Lake in Northern California.
04. “California Fish and Game News” by the Calif. Dept. of Fish and Game with an article on the travels of Wolf 07’s return to Oregon.
05. “A Little Lit of Everything for Everyone” by yours truly, which is an article about Wiggin’s Trading Post in Chilcoot.
06. “Welcome to Sierra County,” a full-page article written by the Sierra County Chamber of Commerce.
07. “Small Creek Fly Fishing in The Tahoe Basin and “Kids Fishing at Sawmill Pond” and “40 Plus Miles of Fly Fishing,” all three written by Victor Babbitt of Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters at South Lake Tahoe.
08. “Fondest Memories of East Fork Resort” by Gloria Washam.
09. “Two People Per Square Mile…And You,” assorted information and a directory of telephone numbers by the Alpine Chamber of Commerce, including the Alpine County Visitor’s Center located in Markleeville.
10. Lahontan Cutthroat Trout – A Threatened Resource by William Somer.
11. A comprehensive listing of campground information for Markleeville/Woodfords – Hope Valley/Blue Lakes/Caples Lake/Kirkwood – Bear Valley/Lake Alpine – Topaz – Bishop – Big Pine – Independence – Long Pine – Rock Creek Canyon – Eagle Lake and Northeast Lassen – Susanville and Southwest Lassen – Mammoth Lakes – Lee Vining/June Lake – Bridgeport – Walker – Sierra County – Plumas County – Lake Almanor – Shasta County – Trinity County.
12. A listing of emergency telephone numbers for Alpine County, Douglas County, Inyo County, Lassen County, Mono County, Plumas County, Sierra County and the U.S. Forest Service which also includes telephone numbers for California Road Conditions and Nevada Road Conditions.
13. “Yes, They Fished Back Then, Too” by Karen Dustman.
14. “Some Nevada Waters You Might Want To Fish” by yours truly.
15. “Want Action? Then Visit Northern Mono County” by Tim Fesko.
16. “Sometimes People Aren’t Pulling Your Leg When They Tell You A Fish Story” by Adam Washam.
17. “Hiking With Your Dog” By Carolyn Webb.
18. “The Sierra Blue Ribbon Spring Creeks – Upper Owens And Hot Creek” by Sierra Drifters Guide Tom Loe.

Where to obtain a copy:
Here are some selected Nevada and California locations where you can pick up your 2012 copy of “Fishing The California Alps.” Be sure to take the time to pick up an extra copy (or 2-3) of this publication to share with your relatives, neighbors, co-workers and friends. I guarantee they will enjoy it too, and best of all, the price is right.

Carson City:
U.S. Forest Service – Carson Ranger District
Fandango Casino
Curry Street Smoke Shop

Douglas County:
Carson Valley Market and Gas Station at the Carson Valley Inn
Washoe Tribe Smoke Shop
Eastern Sierra Feed
Topaz Landing and Marina
Topaz Lodge Casino
Topaz Lodge General Store and Gas Station

Alpine County, California:
Alpine County Chamber of Commerce
Sorensen’s Resort
Caples Lake Resort
Kirkwood Inn
Plumas County:
Wiggin’s Trading Post at Chilcoot
J & J’s Grizzly Store at Davis Lake.
Eastern Plumas Chamber of Commerce

Finally:
“Fishing The California Alps” is published on an annual basis by the Washam Family of Woodfords, California.
I know that they would be delighted, if you were to take a moment and call them at (530) 694-2966 and tell them, “Thank you for another great edition of “Fishing The California Alps” and keep up the good work.”

Bet Your Favorite Pigeon
Bet your favorite pigeon that he can’t tell you who delivers copies of “Fishing The California Alps to Wiggin’s Trading Post, which is located at a tiny dot on the map known as Chilcoot, California.
If he grins and says, “Heck, that’s easy. Don drops off bundles of that publication on his way to the Quilici cabin near Davis Lake,” he has been along for the ride in Don’s little red pickup in past years.

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for South Tahoe Now and CarsonNow.org. He can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com.