Jack Trout’s Weblog

*****STEELHEAD ARE LURKING, MEANWHILE PG&E IS BLASTING THEM UP RIVERS THROUGH BAY AREA MAN-HOLE PROGRAM!*****

Burney Falls is a great place to visit. Teddy Roosevelt once proclaimed that Burney Falls was the 8th Wonder of the World.
I like to hike down to the bottom of the falls and fish in the pool. Try a Parachute Adams and tell me how you do? On this day we toured a group of seniors from Fresno. We had a terrific lunch in the park and headed out for more views! jt

We took them to a place to view Lassen Peak and told them the history of Mt Lassen and how it erupted between 1914 to 1920.
Lassen Peak is the most southern volcano in the Cascade Mountain Range.

We then ventured to Hat Creek Rim to have an awesome view of both Mt Shasta and Lassen Peak on a plateau that is 1000 feet
up from from the Hat Creek valley floor.

At the end of this 3 day tour, we went to Rail Road Park at the base of Castle Crags. You can actually rent one of these train cars that have been converted to motel rooms and wake up to Castle Crags and the sounds of the babbling brook
as Castle Creek makes its way down to the Upper Sac just stone’s throw away.

Bud was the character of the group, and normally took the brunt of everyone’s jokes if he wasn’t driving the train. I really enjoyed meeting you Bud, take care back on the home front! jt

The last night we took the group on the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train for a great dinner and fantastic entertainment. Kudos for Robin Kohn’s helped on this tour. We enjoyed our meal immensely. Thanks Drake Tours look forward to seeing you again in the fall. jt and Robin

Dinner was gourmet, I enjoyed my Beef Wellington and fantastic dessert! www.shastasunset.com

I enjoyed going outside and taking in the views. On this trip we went from McCloud to Mt Shasta via the mountain. I thought about all the old time lumber camps that used to exist
on these same rails. Lumber camps like Penryn Kinyon and others existed back as long ago as the 1880’s. Men would ride these same rails into Sisson (Mt Shasta prior to 1924)
to cruise the pubs and gossip just like we do today. See, much hasn’t changed around Shasta–folks were talking dirt even back then. I love the Shasta Sunset Dinner Train, you should check it out the next time you’re up! It’s wife approved for sure dude…

My friend Doug York put on a murder mystery/dinner show for all of us and like always, he entertained us all!

Shasta Caverns were cool! They were first discovered by a Wintu Indian hunting bobcat in 1878. He headed into Redding and got
his friend James Richardson to come over and check it out. When they climbed down the cavern, they pulled on a skeleton from previous Native American discoverers. Later, the Richardson family would play a game with in-laws by giving them a box of wooden matches and the clothes on their back to find the exit and win the game. Many family members were found a couple of days later, hungry, naked and cold from burning the clothes off their backs to find their way out!

Did a fly casting & fly tying demo for the Mt Shasta Elementary 4th graders. I would like to thank the Fish & Game here in Mt Shasta for stocking Castle Lake. We caught 7 trout that day and the kids really got to see what fly fishing was all about! What a bunch of great kids!

David Cargill sent this picture to me from his trip to Scotland with this obscene Atlantic Salmon. David is from England and is going down to Chile this year to catch lunkers with me!

Michelle and I went to Burning Man this year and had a ball! I don’t know why folks think this gig is so out there? I think you would all like it there. It’s the greatest party in the world for a week! 35,000 people dressing up like Mardi Gras, crazy displays like Brazil’s Carnival and a light show from a Pink Floyd concert. Michelle and I spent most of our time drinking and laughing at what folks came up with to entertain us. I know there’s no river, but don’t be so one dimensional, even trout need sand in their gills once in a while! I swung many times on this huge rock swing that must have been 7 stories. The fiber optic cars and people at night is a once is a lifetime experience to witness.

Michelle and I had so much fun renting this RV and dressing up every night to go out dancing and people watch. We decided that this would be an annual event on Labor Day Weekend. check out www.burningman.com

I about fell off my bike when these folks drove up in a motorized couch potato buggy. This whole event put a smile on my face and Michelle lit my heart. It was a romantic week to say the least! I highly suggest this place for couples looking for something to do together (I’m in love!).

Haven’t been guiding much here as of late, this is my time of year to vacation and get ready for Oct – Jan Steelhead. Aaron Martin Fisheries Biologist for the Yurok Tribe on the Trinity and Klamath Rivers sent me this pic this past week of a steelhead caught on the middle section of the Klamath River. I did do a trip with my old buddies from Portola High School in Plumas Co. Scott Kehoe and Jan. We floated the Hoopa Section on the Trinity. Stay tuned next week for those pics!

Aaron, also took this picture under water of this cutthroat trout in the Smith River. Thanks Aaron! Aaron couldn’t put up the 7lber you caught the other day can you send it again jpeg? jt*****STAY TUNED SIZZLERS AS I HEAD OFF TO THE PLATTE RIVER IN COLORADO TO FISH WITH THE OWNERS OF IBM & MORE PICS FROM AARON MARTIN ON THE TRINITY AND KLAMATH ALSO MIKE HIBBARD PICS!***** MANY RIVERS TO YOU, JACK TROUT