After 5 miles of mountain biking, I rigged up my fly rod, observed my surroundings, dapped a parachute Adams onto the surface of the 2-foot-wide creek and pulled a 15-inch Lahontan cutthroat into my net.
The mountain bike wasn’t mine. I borrowed it from Dave Sarazin. He also supplied the maps, the fly recommendations and numerous teaser photos in the leadup to my trip to the upper reaches of Slinkard Creek in the Sierra Nevada mountains.
This is a journey that Sarazin takes regularly. Long a champion for native trout and the places they live, he loves Slinkard Creek.
Whether it was the borrowed bike, or the fact that I hadn’t ridden one in probably five years, the trip was difficult. But I was rewarded with the rare pleasure of catching large, native fish in a tiny stream where they have been living for thousands of years.
For the adventure of it
In 2023, Trout Unlimited completed a project to further protect the resident Lahontan cutthroat trout from invasive species further down the watershed.
A resident of Reno, Nev., Sarazin has spent the last decade exploring Northern California as well as his home state, frequently with his tenkara rod in hand.
A mountaineer, backcountry skier and overall fan of the alpine, he started fly fishing as a way of better connecting with the places where he journeyed. His first trip was deep into California’s Desolation Wilderness.
After Sarazin experienced catching multiple wild trout in the high-alpine lakes of the area, the tenkara rod gained a permanent spot in his backpack. Since then, he has fished all over the Sierras. Of the places he fishes, he loves Slinkard the most.
“I’m drawn to the adventure of it,” Sarazin said. “It takes the whole day and you really have to put in some work to get up there. They are beautiful fish and surprisingly big in an impossibly small creek.”
Since then, he has visited this unique fishery more than anyone that I know, most recently with his 2-year-old son riding in the wagon hitched to the back of his bike.
A valuable asset to TU and Lahontan cutthroat trout
As with many TU supporters, angling was the gateway to conservation for Sarazin.
After he joined in on several local events his skills in the mountains and passion for wild places were recognized as incredible assets for the cause.
When Trout Unlimited was preparing for construction on a project to benefit Lahontan cutthroat trout on the creek, Sarazin was the first person called to assist with the electrofishing surveys. He has been a frequent volunteer for TU, assisting with surveys on Slinkard and the Truckee River, bringing new volunteers into the fold and helping with Truckee River chapter-led community events throughout the region.
In addition to his on-the-ground work, Sarazin has been a vocal advocate for the public lands that he recreates on. He’s worked with TU to pen support in local media for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF). Funding from the LWCF allowed the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to acquire the Slinkard/Little Antelope Valley Wildlife Area, opening and preserving access to over 11,700 acres of California’s eastern edge and prime Lahontan habitat.
Recently, funding for LWCF faced obstacles to its implementation, something that Sarazin feels would be a real shame given, “the sheer number of places that people recreate that have been funded through it.”
In addition to being an example of the immense benefits of LWCF, that large tract is also the gateway to the Slinkard Roadless Area, an untouched and rugged corner of the Sierra Nevada that provides incredible hunting, fishing and hiking opportunities, while protecting the Slinkard Creek watershed from degradation.
It’s hard to find a landscape that intersects TU’s priorities as well as Slinkard Creek does. It’s also hard to find a person who embodies TU’s mission as well as Sarazin. Between on-the-ground volunteering, speaking up for policies that anglers rely on and a true passion for the places he fishes, Sarazin is a true TU champion.
Fishery Spotlight: Slinkard Creek
The Lahontan cutthroat trout once occupied an enormous network of rivers, creeks and lakes across the ancient Lahontan Basin. Today, anglers seeking this remarkable native trout can still find opportunities to fish for Lahontans in some of the West’s most rugged and remote landscapes. Slinkard Creek in the West Walker River watershed is just one example of this wild habitat.
Supported by hatchery stocking, Pyramid Lake’s giant cutthroat regularly exceed 20 pounds. In the smaller populations that persist in desert streams, the fish are much smaller and often much harder to reach.
Slinkard Creek supports a healthy population of Lahontans but has seen extensive restoration work and the removal of non-native species. As true with Slinkard, most of the native Lahontan fisheries require extensive hikes and exploring to find catchable fish. Though it’s open to fishing year-round, California Department of Fish and Wildlife requires barbless artificial lures or flies and zero take is allowed.
Unfortunately, drought, climate change and development among other factors threaten the cold-water conditions that Lahontan cutthroat trout require to survive in their native range. Protecting resilient headwater streams like Slinkard Creek has become increasingly important for the future of native trout conservation.
Trout Unlimited and its conservation partners are working to restore habitat, improve stream function and ensure Lahontan cutthroat trout continue to thrive in their historic waters. Their efforts are helping safeguard not only a unique fishery, but also one of California’s most important strongholds for a native trout that once dominated waters across a large part of the desert West.
The same free-flowing rivers that sustain trout and salmon bring clean water into our homes, give life to vibrant communities and feed a passion for angling and the outdoors.
But today our fisheries and rivers face enormous challenges. At Trout Unlimited, we are doing something about it, and we need your help. Sign up to be a champion for the rivers and fish we all love and help us unlock the unlimited power of conservation.