Sierra Trout Guide [Paperback]

Ralph Cutter (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

More than just a guide to finding trout in the diverse waters of California's Sierra Nevadas, this is a colorful and informative overview of the fish, their habitat, and techniques for bringing them to net. It begins with a detailed description of the native and non-native trout species of the Sierras, including beautiful full-color plates. Subsequent chapters include discussions of hydraulics, trout behavior, entomology, locating fish, and traveling in the backcountry. Anyone who fishes--or plans to fish in the Sierra Nevadas--should read this book from start to finish.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Frank Amato Pubns; Revised edition (December 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1878175025
• ISBN-13: 978-1878175021
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 11 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #642,955 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you plan to fly-fish the Sierra, this book is a must!, December 4, 1998

By 

Dan Gracia ([e-mail]) (California but now living in Vermont) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sierra Trout Guide (Paperback)

Ralph Cutter has done a superb job with his revised edition of "Sierra Trout Guide". The book was originally published in a much smaller format with only a fraction of the information contained in this edition. The ten years between editions was well worth the wait.

Ralph introduces you to the various species of trout and char that you will find in the Sierra, along with valuable information on their preferred habitat and environmental preferences. His chapter describing the fishery will help you understand why the Sierra Nevada enjoys such a wide mix of trout, and will give the history buff a load of trivia to share at the evening campfire or while moon-watching from a granite bluff.

Backpacking is a minimalist's sport and yet fly fishers have a reputation for carrying everything with them but the kitchen sink. The chapter "Into the Backcountry" gives great guidelines on what to take, what to leave, and what to expect to run into on a fly-fishing/backpacking trip. The chapter on "Trout Foods" includes information on all the major insects on the Sierra trout's menu and includes a hatch chart with some general recommendations to compensate for elevation differences. Ralph again takes the well seasoned backpacker's approach to his recommended fly assortment. You really can imitate most of the available insects in the Sierra with just a handful of flies.

The chapter "Locating Productive Waters" will enable you to make an educated guess about where to find trout by analyzing the features of the 7 1/2 minute maps of the areas you wish to explore.

As if that was not enough, the book includes distribution charts (listed by county) of all the rivers and lakes found in the Sierra that hold trout. These charts also tell you which USGS map they can be found on, the watershed they belong to, the elevation, and even the species of fish you can expect to find in the area you're considering. For example, if you want to fish lakes in the EL Dorado County area of the Sierra for Golden Trout, you can use these charts to plan your trip. My brother and I used this information to find a lake a few years ago that contained golden trout at 8100 feet of elevation and only a 6 mile hike in. The full moon illuminating the granite cliffs over the lake that night, and a sparkling jewel of a 14" golden trout the next day, quickly made me forget any soreness from the effort it took to get there.

The book is printed on top quality glossy paper and the pictures alone make the book worth buying. The 8½" x 11" pages are easy to read and handle, and the softcover allows you to easily slip it into your backpack. Don't go into the Sierra without it.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everything I know about Sierra trout I learned here., December 8, 1998

By 

Bill Gallagher ([e-mail]) (Alexandria, VA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sierra Trout Guide (Paperback)

Cutter's Sierra Trout Guide is more than just a how to catch fish book. It is a lovingly illustrated and highly readable narrative about the Sierras, the varieties of trout found there, where trout feed, and on what and when, how to know what the trout are eating and what best imitates today's insect selection. Equally important, Cutter provides a compelling history of each strain of Sierra trout and how man has done his best --luckily so far unsuccessfully-- to ruin this splendid fishery. Read this book and you'll weep at what our forefathers did to the once abundant Lahontan Cutthroat. But you'll also see the Sierras and their wild trout populations with a whole new appreciation for their magnificence.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Book on Trout Fishing in General!, August 27, 2010

By 

Rick Carroll (Bishop, CA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Sierra Trout Guide (Paperback)

This little book is jam packed with all sorts of useful and very informative information. Some of the Best drawings of the different species of Trout I've ever seen, not to mention the many, many photos contained inside the covers. My hat's off to this author and his dedication to the genre of Trout Fishing, at it's best!