How would you like to find a fishing spot that has bunches of hungry fish that will smash your hook on almost every cast? This mythical spot also has solitude up the ying yang, and you and your partner will almost certainly be the only ones there.  If you think such fantastic fishing is right up there with the Tooth Fairy and honest politicians, think again.  Fishing Nirvana really does exist right here in California and you can find it. How? By using the secret pass to great fishing. Be advised though, that the secret is found only via a four letter word, WALK. That's right, walk.  All you have to do is walk for a relatively short distance and the fishing increases geometrically.

The average angler is amazingly lazy and will fish almost exclusively near a road, bridge or campground. Then the average guy catches few or no fish, and says, "The fishing's no darned good". Well, Duh! Is it any wonder? Heres a great example. Lots of local anglers think they know where Boards Crossing is. Boards Crossing is on the North Fork of the Stanislaus River in the mountains East of  little community of Dorrington on Highway 4.  Boards Crossing is reached by a rocky unpaved road. Several miles upstream is Sourgrass Crossing which is reached by a nice smooth paved road. Many folks drive to Sourgrass and mistakenly think that they are at Boards. If you got there on a paved road, you're not at Boards Crossing. Fishing is OK at Boards Crossing and only fair at Sourgrass, because each is relative easy to reach by car.

Want some great fishing? Take two cars, leave one at one crossing , drive to the other and fish the river in between. I will not even assemble my rod until I have walked at least a half hour. Personally I always try to fish upstream, so I leave one car at Sourgrass, and my partners and I drive back downstream to Boards, and then fish upstream to Sourgrass. That way, you don't have to walk out to your car after a long day on the stream when you're dog tired, The fishing is great, and you have almost the whole river to yourself. The only catch is you have to walk several miles in the process.

I have used the same technique on the Tuolumne River, by leaving a car at the confluence or Cherry Creek, and beginning at the end of the Drew Ridge trail. You walk for a mile or two, fish upstream  for three or four more miles, and then come out right at your car. On the Drew Ridge/Cherry stretch I have caught 20-inch rainbows and lost fish even bigger. Am I a great fisherman? Heck No!  I am simply crazy enough to walk where the average angler won't go.

I've heard it said that 10 percent of the anglers catch 90 percent of the fish and I believe that's true. You can be part of the 10 percent.