Our annual stream cleanup and outing is coming up on Saturday May 12th. This annual event is a not only a good way to give a little something back to the fi sh, but also a great opportunity to learn about fi shing somewhere new, close to home. Over the past 5 or 6 years we have focused on upper Bear Creek at Slide Lake which seems to have less and less trash as we search harder every year to find something to pick up. Now that fishing is allowed (and good) on Deep Creek again, I would like to return to our previous approach of having a group of people at both Deep Creek and Bear Creek. This assumes we have at least ten or so volunteers. During my local fishing the last few months I’ve also noticed more trash along the stream away from the parking area. So in addition to the usual approach of pick up trash for a couple hours, have lunch, then fish, we’ll also try to have a few hardier souls head out from the parking area with bags to walk a mile or so of stream while picking up trash, then fish their way back. This way we can get good coverage of not just the parking areas but also the areas where we fish. For the crew going to Deep Creek, we’ll focus on the Devil’s Hole area, and meet at the Sky Forest Ranger Station. For folks headed to Bear Creek we’ll focus on lower Bear Creek near the confluence and first mile or so of the Santa Ana below the confluence. This group will meet at The Oaks Restaurant in Angelus Oaks. Please contact me via e-mail stevekopp@hotmail.com, phone 909-793-6831, or sign up at the May meeting, and specify if you have a preference for Deep Creek or Bear Creek. Based on the number of signups I will contact everyone the first week of May to let you know the final plan. You will want to bring a snack or lunch, something to drink, sunscreen, hat, work gloves if you have them, and of course your fishing gear. The streams are small and the fish average less than 12 inches, so bring the lightest rod you have. Anything 5 weight or less is fine. For flies, your favorite caddis, mayfly, humpy, royal Wulff, royal or peacock trude in size 16, or even a hopper or stonefly pattern to size 12. For nymphers, beadhead pheasant tail and hare’s ear in size 16 both work well. The water can be pretty skinny in some places so keeping the moss off your nymph can be a challenge. Waders? A personal choice. These are good places to wet wade on a warm day if you like it, since you spend little time standing in deep water, but be sure to wear long pants for protection against stinging nettles and poison oak. This is a great chance to learn about some good local water and give a little something back, so come on out and find your new favorite place.