Excuse the headline. My guide swore me to secrecy. Suffice it to say that I spent a day on a rarely fished stretch of river near Yosemite National Park. Here are some of the 30+ fish we caught that day:

I met my guide at 9am, he hopped in my truck and we drove a short distance via fire roads until the fire roads ran out. We got out of the truck, and began climbing down a river valley through some of the most nightmarish bush-whacking I’ve ever seen.

This is an area that burned several years ago. One of the first species of plant to move into burned areas is a fast-growing bush that grows 5-feet tall and forms a nearly impenetrable wall of foliage.

The only thing that allows you to make your way through this jungle is cattle. Yes, cattle. This is open range territory, where cattle pushes its way through the foliage as it makes its way to the river to drink. So you follow cattle trails all the way down several hundred feet in elevation, where you finally come upon a pristine, untrodden trout stream.

The land above is abused, but the stream itself is gorgeous. It’s lined with Elephant Ear, a broad-leafed plant that my guide says is a sure sign of a healthy stream. Trout rise everywhere to feed on the abundant aquatic insect life. My guide points out the numerous stone fly casings on the rocks as we wander up-stream.

If you’re the kind of guy (or gal) that throws your clubs after a bad gold shot, then fly fishing is not for you – particularly in this kind of fly fishing. It’s generally very tight, with very little room for back casting. You have to be very precise. I was introduced to exotic casting methods like the “bow and arrow” in which you pinch the fly between your fingers, pull back on the rod, and sling-shot the fly into your desired location. All I ended up doing is catching my own finger.

Despite my clumsy casting, and with the help of a few key pointers from my guide, I was able to land several 12 inch browns and rainbows, in addition to dozens of smaller, but beautiful fish.

30+ fish later, and at least a couple of miles of upstream wading, I was thoroughly exhausted – and exhilarated. I’ve never experienced such a productive day of fly fishing on such a pristine stream. My guide’s secret is out for at least one person. I’ll be back for sure…