Though the address reads Yucaipa, it sits in the shadow of the San Bernardino mountains. The house is hidden away, a few yards down a dirt road driveway. It is hidden by neatly staked walls of fire wood, overgrown weeds, with a dilapidated orange fishing boat under the canopy of a large tree. This is where I found his nondescript house and a tool shack. It is the humble abode of an elderly sage whom I have know for countless years. As I enter the driveway, I spot him walking around his vegetable garden, wearing his usual baggy blue jeans. With his delicately grizzled face, he looks like any grumpy old fisherman hanging around the boat docks. However I don't think many fisherman hanging around possess advanced degrees from California State University like him. Once you get to know Bob you realize that he is grumpy but only sporadically.
When I mentioned to Bob that his place was not easy to find, he responded, "The people that find me are the ones I want to find me". Upon entering his dimly lit home, I noticed the walls and corner were randomly decorated with piles of fishing rods of all lengths and colors. Tables and floor were spotted with at least a hundred bait containers in a variety of colors and scents, reels and spools filled with fishing line, nets and hooks all reminiscent of an old village tackle shop.
No, Bob won't tell you how best to hook trout, he'll want you first to have a drink, preferably brandy with coke. I was advised to bring the appropriate libations with me, as a token of respect. He invited me to sit down outside in some debilitated, well used plastic chairs around his fire pit. Erratically laid stones encircle a hole which was dug into the ground, to burn the mounds of collected firewood. After a couple drinks, during which he feeds wood to build a warm fire, he exudes a certain energy, a joie de vivre, sharing his considerable fishing adventures over decades. These stories range in locales from California to Oregon and most of the Southwest. I query him about his predilection for targeting rainbow trout. He explains, "I find them challenging, elusive and stubborn. My biggest triumph is, when everyone else is struggling to hook their first one, I've reached my limit for the day".
I mention that I have often herd a strong mormorio in the fishing community, throughout the Eastern Sierras, that he is known as the "rainbow trout slayer."
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Being a modest man, he seemed pleased with his moniker however, he considers that it is not deserved. "Other who are better anglers than me deserve the distinction". In this picture he said that he was measuring the vibrations of the mono-filament line, which indicate the trout's proximity to his bait. "If you are very quiet you can hear the trout communicating with each other". He said. Hum... are you sure Bob? I asked. |
Robert is highly regarded for producing the largest trout catch during the fishing season in the Eastern Sierras as well as most rivers, lakes and streams. He attributes his success to his off-season preparation and some simple guidelines. The month before opening day, this seasoned angler can be found cleaning and lubricating his reels and poles as well as trying out new equipment and testing new leaders. "Preparation is the key", he whispers, "just like basketball players scouting the opposition and implementing new strategies". He scouts the lakes he will fish in. "Being attentive to the conditions and scouting their geography will yield more fish," he declares. During a trip to his favorite fish food restaurant in Irwindale CA, I asked him on the philosophy which has earned him the sobriquet "rainbow slayer," he muses,"well, remember Earvin Johnson? He became Earvin Magic Johnson because of his magic; he slayed his opponents". He attributed his success to hard work and practice.
Before departing, Robert shared with me the following points which he calls his magic in preparing for a successful fishing trip:
1. Lake conditions: Knowing the conditions can help you choose a more productive spot and avoid the
crowds that gather in certain spots. Trout congregate around large rocks and shady areas. They spawn and feed in the deeper areas of the lake. Bob likes to target the water line marking the edge of deep and shallow water. He also targets the shadows of large rock or tree trunks.
2. Fish with quality equipment, tackle and new quality line: He prefers 2 lb. and 4 lb. with either size 16 or 18 gold plated treble hooks. They must always be tied with strong knots. His pole preference is a light six footer a spin master spool with a smooth drag.
3. Always use the strongest knot possible: He's preference is the improved clinch knot with allows you to keep line strength at 94% . He loves the finesse of drop shot rigs with a sliding small swivel stop with 1/4 to 1/2 torpedo sinkers.
4. Keep your bait moving: Many rainbows are lost because many anglers cast their bait and park their pole and the bait goes to the bottom where fish do not feed. Success is achieved by smooth movement, and at times pumping action. Your rig must keep bait off the floor of the lake.
Bob prefers to use the split shot rig . Tie a 16 or 18 size hook to the end of the fishing line. Gently pinch the smallest split shot about 24' above the hook. You can slowly drift the split shot down a stream towards a trout waiting for a salmon egg. If you are at the lake, cast your line towards the deepest end and slowly retrieve your line. These methods have been very successful for him.
His advice to all anglers is to have confidence regardless of where you are; fishing is not a spectator sport. You just can't sit and read a book and expect the fish to jump on your lap. "You must work it! work it, just like working your mojo ".
