GPFF Battle Creek Outing!
Fellow GPFF member Mark Likos last year returned from a brief evening wade in the South Fork of Battle Creek, shaking his head sadly. “I’m sorry to report,” he said, “that you have a serious infestation.” His frown turned into a grin, “Of trout!”
Yes, there is a place in Northern California where there is virtually no pressure on the waters, where trout are waiting with bated breath (pun intended) for your fly. And you can spend a long weekend there with all of your fishing buddies from GPFF, and, at the same time, support GPFF and its programs.
The place is Josh & Elaina Genser’s property in Tehama County. In past years, places on this trip were sold at the GPFF auction. This year, unfortunately, it looks like there won’t be an auction, because no one has stepped up to organize it. However, you can still help the Club financially and get a really cool prize for doing so by buying a space on the Battle Creek trip.
The cost is only $200 per person. You’d pay many times that price to stay at the Fly Shop’s Battle Creek Ranch or Oasis Springs.
The trip will be June 7-9, 2019.
To sweeten the pot, the speaker at the Club’s meeting on May 14 will be a guide from The Fly Shop to talk about Battle Creek. That way you can be prepared with expert advice for the trip only a couple of weeks later.
So, sign up on the GPFF web site just as you would for any other outing, except that the price is higher. All proceeds go to the Club.
To the property is a four-hour drive, not including stops to eat, use the restroom and get gas. To get there requires a real four-wheel drive vehicle, because the last four miles are cross country. We have at least two vehicles with capacity for 13 people, so you can come even if you don’t own your own 4WD. There is no cell phone service, but we have running water, hot water, a shower and a flush toilet.
I must warn you, though, that hiking up and down the creek can be challenging. If you have mobility issues you probably should not come. But everyone else should try it at least once.
Last year GPFF member Luong Tam went on this outing and he created and posted this beautiful video: https://www.dropbox.com/s/9qcsz1ki5t4glvg/BattleCreek-3.mov?dl=0. If you have any doubts about whether this outing can live up to this hype, take a look at the video.
