Steve Schalla

A lot of us enjoy fly fishing due to the surroundings we find ourselves. We are outdoorsmen that love the fresh air, enjoy a strenuous hike, and take in the visual stimulation of being close to nature. You can be a birdwatcher, amateur entomologist, geology buff, naturalist, or photographer. Fly fishing gets us to areas that triggers many interests. An area close to us in Southern California is the Golden Trout Wilderness. This area is unique to the Sierra Nevada in that it was the only area that evolved three subspecies of our State Fish, the Golden Trout. Besides being one of the most beautiful fish in the world, the Golden Trout has adapted to changing conditions for thousands of years. Like the canary within the mines, the Golden Trout has also been an indicator as to how we impact our streams and watersheds through management of our watersheds. My program will cover a natural and cultural history of the Golden Trout Wilderness. We will look at how the Sierra Nevada mountains formed, impacts from glaciation and volcanos, fish migration, introduction of fish species, and how fish populations adapt to their watershed. From the cultural side, we will look at how timber, mining, fishery management, and water interests have impacted our Golden Trout. Many of you are familiar with my website, www.FlyFishingtheSierra.com . It is filled with maps and other tidbits, such as fly tying tutorials. Basically, it is a repository for all the things I’ve been learning about this activity for the past 30 years. My goal has been to create regional maps covering all of the waters of the Sierra. These maps show fish species, fishless areas, access trails, fishing regulations, and permit needs. Also a hatch chart with a suggested fly selection. Recently, I just finished all of the regional maps, but like most things in life, it will always need some tweaking. My background is as a graduate Forester from Cal with an emphasis on Botany from UCSB. I established reforestation nurseries in Calif, Oregon, and Washington and grew close to 45 million seedlings for replanting many of our forests. I am active with Fly Fishers International and my local club, Sespe Fly Fishers.