Scouting a Tip, Lake Marie

In an attempt to expand my fishing network, I recently became more active is a few local fishing forums.  My goal for the activity was simple; Share my feedback on local fishing holes with other fishermen, expand my social network in an attempt to find a few fishing partners, and most importantly, discover the knowledge passed on by other anglers.

After a local angler posted information on the Skyline Wilderness park, which harbored Lake Marie deep inside its dense surroundings, I knew that I had to check this place out.  After a quick search on Google-Maps, I was quickly able to locate the park.  To my surprise, the park was only a matter of minutes from my house.

As I made my way to the head of the trail that would lead me to Lake Marie, a narrow fenced-in path that directed the trail yielded warnings of Mountain Lions and Rattlesnakes.  With a bit of reluctance, I decided to press on into the beautiful wilderness.

The scenery along the trail was absolutely breathtaking.  Numerous streams and creeks could be seen trickling their way through the lush green forest, and the presence of wildlife was everywhere.

After a good quarter-mile hike from the head of the trail, I came to a Y in the road that yielded a map of the surrounding trails.  There were several grades of trails, that each harbored different scales of difficulty.  Wanting to take the quickest route to the lake, I decided to stay left on the Lake Marie Trail.

As the seven-percent grade of the trail continued up, I could hear the sounds of wild turkeys clucking in the distance.  It would not be until my return down from the lake that I would spot these birds just a few yards off the trail; however my camera had died at this point.

Once I had reached roughly the halfway point of my hike, the wilderness began to weave in and out dense forest and open fields.  Along the way, a cave was nestled deeply in the trail-side rocks.  Still leery from the warnings of Mountain Lions,  I quickly snapped a picture and pressed-on up the trail.

 Growing tired from the up-hill hike towards the lake, I decided to stop for a quick breather and a drink from my water tin.  Looking back in the direction I had started, the tranquil city of Napa could be seen resting peacefully under the cloud covered valley.

As I continued up the two and a half mile trail, another formation in the rocks jutted from the side of an adjacent hill.  The rocks looked as though they had been hand carved into the cliff-face, leaving a near perfect excavation of the ground in-between them.

 Pressing on further, the forest was beginning to thicken around me.  The only sounds were that of chirping birds, streams rushing through the bellow valley, and the occasional rustle of a ground-squirrel frolicking from one tree to the next.

Fearing that this up-hill trail through the beautiful Skyline Wilderness area would never end, sunlight finally emerged at the end of the trail.  Gaining a second wind from the "light at the end of the tunnel," I eagerly made my way forward.

But upon my arrival at the lake, a bit of disappointment set in.  Although the gent from the local fishing boards had stated that Lake Marie was a merely an over-sized farm pond, I was still expecting...more.  The steep embankments that surrounded the lake left little access to the waterside.  And even if you did make it down to the water, five-feet of weathered tulies would make landing a fish near impossible.

 After some visual scouting of the lake, a rock formation on the northern side  seemed to be the only place with "comfortable" fishing access.  Once I had made my way across to the formation, I had only about a three-foot opening surrounded by dense shrubbery to cast out.

Bringing only a few night-crawlers, half a dozen minnows, and a few small jigs, I began fishing several methods in an attempt to locate some fish.  Floating my minnows and crawlers at different depths under a slip bobber, the only action to be found was me casting repeatedly into the deep murky lake.  Although the lake was dirty looking from the recent rains, the presence of fish could be felt.  I think it might still be too early in the year though, as not even a bite was received during my small bit of fishing.

After a few hours of effort, and my camera battery dying,  I decided to pack it in for the day.  Being a downhill hike, it was a much quicker out of the wilderness area as opposed to walking in.  I am sure there are fish in this lake, and judging from the distance and difficulty of the hike, I would assume it is not over-fished.  I plan to bring the float tube back in the early summer; hopefully by then the water will have warmed up and made the fish a little more active.