Planning a trinity trip questions [Archive] - Bill Kiene's Fly Fishing Forum

PatrickM

10-26-2007, 12:24 PM

Welcome to the board, Nick. Always nice to have new people joining in.
Don't be too discouraged if people aren't lining up to share their favorite Trinity spots with you. As you're probably aware, it can get quite crowded up there this time of year. If someone has a spot where they can usually find fish and avoid other anglers, they're probably going to keep it to themselves. Exploring and finding good water on your own is always fun anyhow.
If I can give a bit of advice, get the Streatime map of the Trinity. Look at the boat access spots in the areas where you're planning on fishing. Get out there early in the morning before the boats put in, and fish down below those spots. Then when the boats start coming through, hike up above the boat put-ins and fish there. That way you should get to fish a decent part of the day without fishing water that the boat guys have already pounded.
Sorry, but I don't have any info on the campgrounds. I usually do the motel thing up there.
Hope that is of some help, and best of luck.

fishon

10-26-2007, 02:55 PM

With regards to campgrounds, East Weaver Campground is located in Weaverville and not too many people know about it. It's located east of Weaverville, off of highway 3, and up East Weaver Road. I like this campground because it's close food and bars.

My buddies and I fished the Trinity last weekend. We all caught enough fish to make us happy and I don't mind sharing the location. Park at Junction City bridge and drive down river to the end of the road. Walk down river about 300 yards and fish the tail-out and work your way up-stream.

Have a blast!

Frank Gonsalves

10-27-2007, 07:45 AM

If the douglas city campground is open it is nice and right on some good steelhead runs.

bubzilla

10-28-2007, 10:56 AM

I don't know about the camping situation, but I will say that you'll need to take your own rock to stand on in order to fish. I met up with a buddy from Eureka in Weaverville on Friday, and I was in total shock. I have fished a lot in my life, and a lot of different places for anadromous fish, and I have never seen anything as ridiculously over crowded anywhere. This is a small river, and every likely holding water would have four and five guys standing nearly shoulder-to-shoulder. There were spots with guys, who weren't together, fishing the exact same spot in the same run from different sides of the river. Reminded me of the mouth of the Russian River on the Kenai during the B run sockeye return--only more sad because it was fly fisherman crowding each other like cattle while fishing for steelhead. You expect that on rivers with lots of gear guys during a salmon run, but not for steelhead. I was totally waiting for a fist fight to break out so it would be just like salmon fishing.

Have to say that if you're into a quality fishing experience, you might want to rethink going to the Trinity. Don't mean to be negative or to discourage you in the least about fishing, but I wish someone had told me what that place looked like in terms of crowding so that I would have talked my buddy into meeting somewhere else. He had just heard some of the glowing reports, like on this board even, and had not really done much homework otherwise. Just a really bad experience that made me wish I was at work. There were definitely fish being caught, but then I don't know how a fish could run that gauntlet and not get caught--deep sea drift nets don't put any more line in the water than what there was on the Trinity this weekend. Just ridiculous.

bigtj

10-28-2007, 11:03 AM

Bubzilla,

With some of the reports I've seen lately on the internet it's no wonder it's getting so crowded. That really sucks.

-John

Rick J

10-28-2007, 11:27 AM

It doesn't take internet reports to get the crowds - once the runs picked up on the Trinity a number of years back it has always been crowded - a river close to populations will always get hammered when th runs are in. If you think this is bad try fishing the Mad :(

I have pretty much given up on many of the rivers due to crowds. The lower river usually does not get hit as hard. I love the lower Klamath this time of year as much of the boat traffic is gone and the fish are still coming though - one of my favorite times is around Thanksgiving, weather permitting

Bill Kiene semi-retired

10-28-2007, 11:44 AM

I would blame the CA DF&G for developing such a large hatchery run up there of Kings, Silvers and Steelhead. Ha ha...only kidden'

In the 1980s after the big drought of the late '70s there was no one on the Trinity River or Klamath because there were very few fish.

If we had a budget to pump up the lower American River's winter Steelhead run it would be crowded too.

jhaquett

10-28-2007, 12:15 PM

Don't fret guys its also so busy up there because the weather has been gorgeous. To add to that EVERYONE who is heading west to fish the Trinity is stopping in Junction City because its the closest spot to actually catch steelhead & I think a whole lot of those people are from the city.

It is pretty amazing how many of these people will be sitting at home snuggled up with a blanket when the average high of October (70 degrees) turns into the average high of November (50 degrees).

Once that average drops another 10 degrees for December you have nearly the entire river to yourself and there's still lots of fish around.... 8)

Be patient and let mother nature kick those fair weather fishermen out of your run :wink:

jhaquett

10-28-2007, 05:16 PM

Hey Tristan,

Given your inputs on this thread, how did you come to the conclusion that my quote was false? I noticed you had to say that you didn't agree with parts of it but you never said why....in fact, you solidified what I was talking about. 8)

jhaquett

10-28-2007, 08:51 PM

I think a whole lot of those people are from the city :wink:

I didn't mean they are the only people around...

There are definitely a TON of mountain folk, willow creekians as I like to term them :lol: :lol: I've stopped to buy some snacks too many times in Willow Creek on my way to Trinidad. :shock:

The sort of people I'm referring to are everywhere but there seems to be a pretty dense population around the Trinity.

But, there are also plenty of yuppies that stopped off at the bay area Orvis store and spent $1,500 before coming up to "tear up" the steelhead during their annual fishing trip in between tee times at the Tiburon country club. :roll:

matt johnson

10-28-2007, 09:01 PM

Pretty difficult to have a "quality fishing experience" on the top end of the Trinity the last couple years.

I used to blame the guides and the fishing industry for pimpin' out the resource, but now I think, like Tristan is getting at, that it is simply a matter of "supply and demand". Most of those guys in Junction/Douglas city right now just want to experience hookin' up with something big and cool that swam in from the ocean. Who can blame them? We all want the same thing. The Trinity just happens to be one of the few reliable places to catch a steelhead anymore. The Bulkley around Smithers, all the way up in BC, is really crowded too!

I am fishing less and less for summer steelhead now because I kind of feel bad for them. They are recieving a ton of pressure these days. The steelhead really don't owe us anything. They are just trying to be steelhead.

What really sucks about the state of summer steelhead is how difficult it has become to play the game proper. I just can't get my hopes up to swing a Silver Hilton on a floating line at the Douglas City Bridge Run or at Steiner Flat behind 4-5 guide boats fishing indicators and that many or more bankies all dropping down to #16 red Copper John's....

Oh well, you could just drive downriver another 45min-2hrs and fish Del Loma to Hoopa right now and have a great shot at open water and a resonable chance at hooking a fish a day swinging a muddler or a hilton. Oh, maybe I shouldn't have given anyone any ideas... Matt.

jhaquett

10-28-2007, 09:15 PM

Yea its too bad that the Trinity is such a secretive, cut-throat kind of fishery. I hate that about it. I love being able to give an extensive report about an awesome day of fishing somewhere and not have to worry about a whole cities' worth of people being there the next time I go.

I don't think I'll be returning to the Trinity until the daytime temperature drops about 20 degrees and it starts raining like crazy.

jbird

10-28-2007, 09:22 PM

wjorg

10-29-2007, 07:50 AM

I caught 50 fish, all on the Hatch of the Day! Its called the Secret Angler Fly. There are so many Anglers on the river, the fish are just biting on them!

bubzilla

10-29-2007, 07:55 AM

Makes me want to go back to gear fishing. Those guys coexist with eachother on the water. Sure, that can change with too many keystone lights, but they have a comradery. Us flyfishermen see 5 other flyfishermen on "our" river and we start crying! We are the most uptight of our species. IMO

Jay

Well, that could be, Jay, but my original point remains: that river is unbelievably crowded. Imagine Lower Touvelle after it was over-promoted on the Internet except multiply by a factor of ten. It's not a "my" river thing; it's a there are guys standing on top of one another making it impossible to fish thing. Please correct me if I am wrong, but if I recall correctly you have never fished the Trinity or the more crowded North Coast streams of Oregon for steelhead, right? I am not claiming to be a world traveler, but I have fished all over the Pacific Northwest for steelhead, and I have never seen anything that bad involving fly fishermen. There wasn't one or two key holes with people in them, it was EVERY likely spot. There were 20 plus vehicles at every takeout, and this is a river with takeouts everywhere. It was the world's largest open air circus! That's not whining--that's "Oh My God what a mess!"

And, I have to take exception to the "camaraderie" comment regarding gear fishermen. They don't fish shoulder-to-shoulder because they love one another's company. You make it sound like they're group huggin' after every fish. Gear guys fish close to one another because they can--that is, they don't require space to cast and they fish with a method that allows for a should-to-shoulder line. Fly guys were so close on the Trinity this weekend that they couldn't even cast without getting in each other's way. No exaggeration. If you want to "fish" in those conditions, then that's your choice, but I was just sayin' I wished I had some advanced notice of just how bad it was there so that I could have avoided the whole experience. It was depressing. The Rogue is going to look like that someday, for exactly the same reasons, and I will wager now that you quit fishing it when it does. I know I sure will.

Maybe fly guys, including myself, are "uptight". I will admit I enjoy as much solitude as possible, and I don't feel the need to promote fisheries for any reason. Unfortunately from my perspective as one of the "uptight" fly fisherman, fly fishing is a sport with a lot of people who have this incessant need to promote fisheries and themselves. That is, there are a lot of people who feel the need to say "look at me, look at me" I am the world's greatest fisherman and here are the pictures to prove it, and it is also a sport with a lot of people trying to make their living off of public resources by promoting those resources well beyond their capacity. Add that to increases in population and more people with time to be on the water, e.g., retirees, and it's a recipe for disaster.

Darian

10-29-2007, 08:24 AM

Hey Bubz...., Don't be knockin' the retirees.... (I am one :D ) Actually, I understand the issue as I've seen it on other rivers (one in Oregon) , as well. I suppose the "....retirees...." comment applies to the retirement of the great number of "baby boomers" coming down the road and is valid. :? However, as a long time Streelheader in California, I guess I've become used to crowds; not like you've described tho. :( :(

Please correct me if I'm wrong, I think Jay may (indirectly) be making the point that instead of complaining, maybe we should be trying to suggest/advocate solutions to problems of this type. 8)

Not sure what could be done. But, if we're keeping the welfare of the fish in mind, there're some obvious suggestions that may or may not be acceptable. Here's some for discussion purposes:

1) Limit access to the water through a permit process.

2) Ban the use of drift boats on specified portions of the river (especially in low water years).

3) Limit the number of drift boats on the river at any given time.

4) Eliminate the use of bait of any sort in the river.

There're many others that come to mind but hopefully, many of you will cover those in your own suggestions. 8)

Having made these suggestions, I can see many objections from guides and all other types of fisherman to each. However, I don't intend to list them here.

So, lets hear your suggestions.... :D :D :D

bubzilla

10-29-2007, 10:07 AM

I just want to clarify something after reading your post Tristan. I did not see anyone that I would have characterized as rude, and there were lots of gear guys fishing along with fly guys. People were being as respectful of one another as possible under the circumstances. I mean after all most people are polite enough when they're all jammed together at the airport or in bumper-to-bumper traffic too, but most of us wouldn't seek out those experiences on purpose.

Check out this picture of the Russian River in Alaska.

http://www.sf.adfg.state.ak.us/region2/areas/index.cfm/FA/kenai.russian

Until this past weekend, that was the biggest zoo I had ever personally witnessed. Granted, the Trinity was not quite that dense, because we're talking about people who were nymphing with fly rods, but it was the fly fishing equivalent. And, the thing about the Russian, or other really popular spots on rivers in the lower 48, is that the pressure is generally localized to one or a handful of holes. The crowding on the Trinity seemed to be everywhere.

Anyway, don't mean to beat a dead horse. I was just totally shocked is all, and thought I would throw out what I had seen for others to do with what they will. If someone is into big crowds and social fishing, then maybe they will really enjoy fishing the river. For me, it was just the opposite of what I look for in a fishing experience.

To answer your question Darian, I don't know what to do, and wouldn't know where to begin. For me personally the answer is simple: don't fish there, and be VERY quite about the places I fish that are not like that yet. I don't even really go to the Rogue anymore for the same reason; although, now I see how much worse it is going to get there in the not too distant future. But, just as a sample of something I think could be done potentially, how about limiting commercial use, i.e., guiding, to certain days of the week and even then capping the number of permits that are available? What have they done elsewhere to maintain the quality of a fishery that was on the edge of overuse?

jbird

10-29-2007, 12:01 PM

We are in an age of overcrowding everywhere. Going to a popular steelhead river thats having a banner run (when few others are)during peek season on a weekend, in california??...Its like going to the grand openning of a Krispy Kream shop and think your gonna get a donut and still make it to church on time. Face it, its not 1992 anymore.

The crowds here on the rogue ebb and flow. To say that "look at me" flyfishing forums are going to cause the ultimate overcrowding of this river and result in me giving up on fishing it is just silly. I have fished about 2 dozen times on the rogue this fall, and frankly, it has been the least crowded year I have ever fished. Granted its been a crummy summer/fall, but you can always catch fish on the rogue with a little persistance. I am not posting as many reports anymore cause I realize nobody wants to "Look at me!!" When the rogue gets good again it'll get crowded again. We're in an age of more money for less work and everyone wants to hit the great outdoors and anybody who wants to can be a guide. All that adds up to the recent experiences on the trinity.

My original point is that, We are making the river more crowded and WE are complaining about it. Its like finishing off the milk and then complaining theres no milk in the fridge.

Jay
[/quote]

Darian

10-29-2007, 12:32 PM

How about borrowing some soltuions applied to other species.... :?: :?: :? Not sure if it's still in the reg's, there used to be an alternating year closure for clamming in affect on the beaches to the north and south of point St. george. 8) 8) Clamming was allowed on north beaches in one year and clsoed the next. The same was true in alternating years for south beaches. Portions of the Trinity (and any/all other rivers) could be closed during odd numbered years, etc. 8) 8)

Of course, none of this will stop overcrowding. I stopped fishing for Salmon/Steelhead in the American many years ago due to the fact that there were too many boneheads out there looking for a fight, vandalizing vehicles or dropping trash all over the shoreline. All a product of overcrowding.... :( :( It's easy to complain and it feels good but doesn't solve the problem.... More of us need to be like Mike McKenzie; a real activist.

Let's face it, there's only so many places we can fish and (in California) well over 30 million people looking to fish there. :( :( Sometimes, simultaneously... :lol: :lol: :lol:

At any rate, my personal solution is to rediscover warm/saltwater fishes.... Still have some very lonely days on the water. :D :D :D

jhaquett

10-29-2007, 12:44 PM

I agree with your last post but the "gear guy" talk is plain wrong in my opinion. The shoulder to shoulder "camaraderie", at least when applied to the salmon run I am familiar with (Feather), is a bunch of people so desperate to catch a free dinner that they carry machetes and are literally ready to use them on anyone to get the best spot.

It has nothing to do, at least for me, with being uptight. The DEAD LAST reason that I fish is to interact with other people. Over-interaction with people is the exact reason that I get away to fish! If I wanted to talk to people I would just stay on campus all day....

All I said is that it sucks for true fisherman who spend a good deal of time on the water annually (like me and many others on this board) to not get a chance to have a quality fishing experience for an awesome fish such as the Trinity steelhead in the lovely October weather.

There are LOTS of other secluded fisheries that are fishing really well right now. Also, fortunately, as I mentioned earlier, as long as you can handle a little dip in the temperature, you CAN have that quality Trinity experience here in a month or so.

My advice is to fish elsewhere until those Trinity "fishermen" decide to start spending Saturday froliking in Golden Gate Park 8) 8) 8)

jbird

10-29-2007, 01:26 PM

I stick to my guns on the gear fishing comment. There are some bad ones that strereotype them. Thats unfortunate cause there are tons of gear guys out there that are just as passionate as anyone else. And they are very enjoyable to fish with. They typiacally like to have fun and arent all caught up in having a "nirvana" experience. Yeah theres the cutthroats, I know, we have them here...believe me. But you can go 100 feet away from them and have a good day fishing. Heck, you could go 20 feet from them and have a good day if your willing to get along.
I totally know what you mean about wanting solitude. There is not many things more wonderful than solitude and good fishing. My point is, if your going to go to disneyland, you probably should expect to get disneyland....
I have to be totally honest, I am a gear fisherman stuck in a flyfishing world...call me a bull in a china shop...or a fart in church..or...whatever :D

Finsane

10-29-2007, 01:35 PM

So what is the solution? Should we stop writing reports? I thought I was doing guys on this board a favor by letting themknow the river was fishing extremely well. If that was an error on my part, I apoligize. That was the first time I really fished the Trinity and I was excited by the results of our trip. I did say in that report that "people and boats were everywhere." I was suprised at the amount of people on that river. I remember thinking on the drive back to town about how that kind of pressure would affect the system as a whole. I would guess that this last weekend had more pressure that the previous.

Props to all who fish that system. All the people I ran across were first class. We walked our boat behind most waders and they all thanked us for doing that. The only ones we didn't walk behind were the ones that motioned for us to go thru in front. There was complete respect from all I encountered. This is rarely the case on most other rivers.

The downside is this. It's only gonna get worse. The population in NO CAL isn't going down. I've been here since 71 and gone are the days when you had an area to yourself. I thank God often that he gave me the brains to get out of LA-LA land in the early 70's.

The upside is this: We are a small percentage of folk that live in Steelhead country. We are the lucky ones. You will never hear me complain about fishing, fishing conditions, ect. You will see me adapt and overcome the situations and make the best of that hand I was dealt that paticular day, overcrowding, hi winds, downpours, ect.

There is plenty of solutions. Just do it!

bubzilla

10-29-2007, 02:46 PM

The crowds here on the rogue ebb and flow. To say that "look at me" flyfishing forums are going to cause the ultimate overcrowding of this river and result in me giving up on fishing it is just silly. I have fished about 2 dozen times on the rogue this fall, and frankly, it has been the least crowded year I have ever fished.

Obviously I don't know what someone else will or won't do. Maybe you have a bigger threshold for crowding than I would have thought. I was just saying that because I remember when you quit fishing LTV because of the crowding. And, I don't doubt this is the least crowded year you have fished the Rogue. But that's only because you have only been fishing it a few years, and most of those other years have been record years in terms of the numbers of fish. The run numbers this year are much closer to normal than the early 2000s were. It's all relative, I guess.

I had fished the Trinity previously several years ago, and it was not crowded. I just wished I had known what had happened to the fishery as of late was all I was saying. You might be right that it was something I should have expected, but then I think you're only saying that because you haven't seen it firsthand. It's pretty much impossible to expect what I saw in terms of crowding when you're talking about fly fishermen. It made the Holy Water during the salmon fly hatch look like the Sahara Desert. Besides, the Klamath is in Northern California too and has been having banner years of late as well. I guess that means, by your logic, people should know better than to go there because it surely must be crowded? Okay.... :lol:

At any rate, not trying to get the board completely off the subject at hand. Just thought I would provide fair warning to the guys that had said they hadn't been there before.

nrthcsteel

10-29-2007, 04:31 PM

I think this whole argument is pretty pointless. I went steelhead fishing this weekend and had a great time. Thats all I will say as I dont wouldnt want to be a "cause" of the overcrowding of a river. Ive given a few reports recently but guess I wont anymore. I chose to fish a different river than the Trinity. I knew the Trinity was fishing well, DID NOT need any reports to know that! This has been THE time to fish the Trinity for how many years now???? Face it, at this particular time of year there arent a whole heck of alot of rivers/streams to go steelhead fishing in Northern California. Obviously the river that is fishing the "best" or producing the "best" numbers is going to get the most pressure. Its not like there arent other rivers close by that hold steelhead, you do have a choice on where to fish. After all its about the whole experience,Not being on the river that is fishing best,at least for me it is. There are fish in other rivers. Get out there and find them. If you want to fish alone then driving down the highway and looking for an empty pullout on a popular river at primetime of the season probably wont work out to well. But if you take the time to hike into a spot or spend the afternoon hiking around looking for new spots then you will likely fish alone or with whom you choose. And when you return to these spots year after year you will probably find them uncrowded and most likely EMPTY! And hey as a bonus you may even catch a steelhead or two, imagine that!!! Anyway I could go on a on but Im going to tie up some flies for this winter rather than wasting any more time on this subject. Kevin

jhaquett

10-29-2007, 05:53 PM

I'll never understand how people always say how much of a waste of time a thread is when they are currently posting on it... :roll:

Dustin Revel

10-29-2007, 06:15 PM

I don't think I'll be returning to the Trinity until the daytime temperature drops about 20 degrees and it starts raining like crazy.

I guess I'll see you over there... I'll be the one decked out in orvis that had to gather change for gas money to get there

jhaquett

10-29-2007, 06:37 PM

It says you're from Anderson man......not exactly what I consider "yuppy"

I'm in Chico so I'm considered more yuppy than that... :lol:

My bad if you like Orvis a lot or something its just that I've been to a few Orvis stores in certain places, including one in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Enough said... :shock:

smokeater

10-30-2007, 03:00 PM

OK, this is going to be a long shot, but how about if we start a smear campaign against steelhead fishing? In fact I'm sure we could encourage the editor of the leading golf magazine to assist us with add space. Just start compiling testimonials regarding the darkside of steelhead fishing. Anything we can do to discourage interest in the sport and redirect the masses to something else like maybe golf or I know how about Halo 3. Like ummmm mountain rivers are cold.......ummm we don't always catch fish........sometimes it rains...ummm and if you did happen to get into some good chromers don't say that, instead say you saw one but it was dead and floating downriver. By the power of propaganda we may be able to live the dream once again.

Don Powell

10-30-2007, 06:42 PM

Hey Guys,

I'm just a "poor working slob", but I had the presence of mind to head up to the Trinity to enjoy a day with a couple friends...trust me there are plenty of fish and more opportunities than you can imagine if you can get out there and "claim" your water at a "fisherman's hour", I'm talking about when the sun is just thinking about waking up...

The three of us hooked 13 and landed 8...I can't think of better opportunities than that! Biggest, just shy of 30", many others- "cookie cutter" specimens- 23-24"

Is it in you?

Don

jhaquett

10-30-2007, 07:03 PM

Congrats

I think if I could actually hook one I would still be going up there also.

nickstone

10-30-2007, 11:48 PM

Thank you everybody for all the "insight" and advice, I'll take what I feel is helpful and leave the rest. I think I am still going to head up this Thur. for a few days. I have no idea where I am going to start but am planning on doing a ton of driving, hiking and scouting. I will be sure to post a report on my "experience" Smokeeater, I was actully thinking about going up on the first day and running around the woods in a bigfoot outfit to try and scare away some guys from some of the better holes, but figured I would just end up getting shot. Thanks again, Nick

Adam Grace

10-31-2007, 06:59 AM

:lol: Wearing a bigfoot costume up there would be hilarious! :lol:

Great Idea! :twisted:

Dustin Revel

10-31-2007, 09:57 AM

I've thought about getting a bear costume. it would scare off all the yuppies, but i decided i din't want to get shot by one of the many gun-in-truck mountain presons.

jayclarkflyfishing

10-31-2007, 11:07 AM

Smart move Dusty!It was a pleasure meeting you and Aron(?)last week.With a little walking we we're able to locate some nice available water and did ok the final 2 days we were there.It is a zoo but what can you do.I guess we could all just stop talking about the Trinity for a while.That is all I have to say about that.
Jay

Don Powell

10-31-2007, 06:16 PM

Hey All,

I was lucky enough to get introduced to the Trinity in 1993 and I was so enamored with the beauty and potential that I have fished it multiple times every year since.

It is a true story in what a steelhead river can and should be...the fish returns ebb and flow just like good old Mother Nature and that is the draw...if it was all easy all the time, we would soon lose interest.

Adapt, do what is necessary... a true steelheader never loses his enthusiasm...

Kudos to DFG, they recognized the potential and have cultivated a consistent steelhead producing nirvana- count me in for as many years as I can still wade and cast.

All techniques work but as Matt Johnson pointed out, the classic swing is most rewarding...trouble is- you must work to find applicable water.

Long Live the Trinity and the dedicated fishermen who love her!
(Crowds don't bother me- I have chosen to live in California!)

Don

Dustin Revel

10-31-2007, 11:12 PM

Jay, It was nice meeting you and greg also. Aaron and i had a good few days as well... I mean it was crap. I just saw lots of dead fish floating around... It was actually really sad.
Dusty

robdog

11-01-2007, 01:11 PM

I don't know if anyone has touch this subject, but on the Trinity DFG is asking all anglers to take out Brown Trout that is caught. The limit is 5. I am a catch & release guy, but I will keep the browns now. I guess the Browns are eating the Salmon & Steelhead. Pass this info on to anyone who fishes this area.

jbird

11-01-2007, 01:17 PM

Wow. Thats too bad that such a wonderful fish has become an invasive species. Killing them would be hard for me to swallow. You could fill your pickup with water and cart them up here to some of our lakes :D

Jay

jhaquett

11-01-2007, 03:51 PM

What about the sea-run browns? What's the story there? I thought the Trinity has a healthy population of them?

Chris

11-01-2007, 09:13 PM

What about the sea-run browns? What's the story there? I thought the Trinity has a healthy population of them?

They are non natives that were introduced. I think DFG is doing the right thing with this policy.

jhaquett

11-01-2007, 09:45 PM

Yea I know they are introduced I was curious how they began the sea-run process though that is kind of interesting...

mr. 3 wt.

11-02-2007, 05:01 AM

and you know this how? Or are these just your assumptions? So I suppose we shoot every bird that eats fish as well. Steelhead are having another banner year so I can assure you the browns in the system aren't hurting their numbers. The dismal salmon season isn't because of the browns that are swimming around.

bigtj

11-02-2007, 06:34 AM

I talked to the DFG biologist at the Willow Creek weir about a month ago, he said the se-run thing is a myth as well. They have found some young browns down in the Klamath estuary. However they don't find browns in the willow creek or junction creek weir. If there was a true sea-run they'd get them in the weir, and they'd see them moving upriver. The idea of sea-runs probably started because of their light color and size (attributable to enviornmental conditions) and speculation that this was caused by the fish going out to the ocean.

As far as a "banner year" that's a function of the hatchery. Most of this run is composed of hatchery fish. The runs on the trinity are a fish-factory phenomena, to some extent this masks the health of the wild run. It's been shown that hatchery fish don't spawn successfully in-stream, so the effect of the browns is mostly on the wild run. Could there be a stronger wild run without the browns? Hard to say. But it's something to think about. Bottom line is browns are pretty hardy critters, and like it or not, they're here to stay, no matter what limit we put on them.

ycflyfisher

11-02-2007, 07:24 AM

The general concensus is that the brown trout population on the Trinity is migratory but not anadramous. We typically do see 200-600 browns each year over the JC weir but you've got to go back a decade or more to get to a single brown moving over the WC weir. This simply doesn't follow the same trend of anadramous fishes in the basin which always have higher counts over the WC weir.

The reason harvest of the browns is being encouraged by the USFS is that the brown trout population in the upper river has exploded in recent years, and the concensus is that the browns generally exploit hatchery parr, and the inriver migration patterns are illustrative of this.

Browns were introduced to the watershed at a decades defunct facility that was located near WC.

ycflyfisher

11-02-2007, 07:29 AM

Browns were also propigated at the existing facility in Lewiston, but that pratice was discontinued, because the browns were residualizing in the upper river.

jhaquett

11-02-2007, 10:22 AM

Doesn't matter if they are sea-ran or not, I won't even be able to remember how to get to the Trinity river when I'm hooked up with a TRUE sea-run brown next semester in Denmark! :lol:

Speculation probably comes from the fact that the browns were planted from original populations that may have been sea-runnning individuals

Whatever, they're still fun to catch :D

jbird

11-02-2007, 04:05 PM

As far as a "banner year" that's a function of the hatchery.

I've been knida scratching my head on this fact for a while now. Comparing, for example, the Trinity with the Rogue. The Rogue releases large amounts of hatchery steelhead that return and enhance the overall steelhead numbers. This year, our runs are quite low (as compared to previous years with similar hatchery escapement). Our hatchery AND native returns are equally down this year. If runs are strong due to hatchery supliment, wouldnt that be more consistent throughout an ecosystem that shares the same ocean? Long question short...Why is this such a successful year for trinity hatchery fish but not other rivers with aggressive hatchery programs?

JAy

Bill Kiene semi-retired

11-04-2007, 06:04 PM

I guess this continually building hatchery Steelhead returns plus the Kings and Silvers that they plant are probably having a positive effect on the local economy on the Trinity River drainage.

__________________________________________________ _________

Maybe we need to see if our local American River hatchery has adequate funding?

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jbird,
I with you. I wonder way the Rogue is not having big hatchery returns too.

Darian

11-04-2007, 07:37 PM

If I recall correctly, funding for all hatcheries was guaranteed at a specified level of revenues by the passage of AB-7 in California 2 or 3 years ago. Of course, that's assuming the budgeteers/bean counters don't decide to use the money for some other purpose (....similar to the misuse of Prop 98, gas tax, funds). :x :x

Finsane

11-06-2007, 04:23 PM

Heading up to Weaverville tonite to fish Wed. and THurs. Will post a report when I return on Friday. 8)

BigOkieWhiteBoy916

11-06-2007, 04:47 PM

Heading up to Weaverville tonite to fish Wed. and THurs. Will post a report when I return on Friday. 8)

You better :lol:

Finsane

11-08-2007, 09:34 PM

Fishing is still excellent. If you are considering a steelhead trip this is the place to go. Hire a reputable guide and you can expect to hook 8 or more fish a day. If you want references on good guides, PM me and I'll tell ya what I know.

I fished the river around Junction City with Jason and George on Wed and Thur. The river is flowing at approx 300cfs. Our flies of choice were PTs, size 14. Our landing of fish was nothing to brag about, but we hooked 14 fish for the day and a half we spent working through the crowds of flyfisherman that have converged in this area. We landed 5, all hatchery fish. 4 broke us off because of mistakes we made, ( which made us better flyfishers as we discussed this on the ride back to sac) and 5 came unbuttoned.

Jason is brand new to flycasting and didn't hook up on Wed. I shoved as much instruction down his throat as I thought he could take and he absorbed it like a sponge. In the first run we fished on thur. AM his mends, (both stack and bump) were looking 95%better than the day before, and with some encouragment, his confindence had skyrocked. I told him to keep working on his mends and the fish would come. At the second run we stopped at( just below Canyon Creek) all his practice paid off. After 10 minutes and a quick change of flies, FISH ON. Jason fought this fish respectfully for 4-5 minutes but inexperence got the best of him and the steelie snapped him off. Jason didnt care, those four minutes made the trip worth while for him and that huge grin on his otherwise expressionless face made the trip for me. As we drifted away from this area, he hooked up a second time, though nearly not as long, but all the wiser.

George didnt get nearly the instruction as Jason did, but did a fantastic job. He has been flycasting 2-3 years but you would think 5-8. He landed 4 fish for the trip and lost 4 others. Again, I was outfished, and had a fantastic time in doing so. We learned a ton and will be back shortly.

Its very crowded up there but new fish are always moving in. If you want to get into some steelies, get up there. A weather system is moving in now and rain and showers are forcast for Sat. thru all next week. Target the river on the drop and it should be first rate. I talked to a firefighter who told me he has been fishing the T since 85 and last year and this year have been the best ever. GO GET EM.

Finsane

11-17-2007, 02:58 PM

So my B.A.F.F. George rings me ( best amateur fishing friend) as says, “ How can we shed this amateur status. I tell him we need all the practice we can get. He says, “Where can we practice? How bout the A?” I say, “ The A would be good but how bout the T? Lots of experts up there that could probably teach us a thing or two.” We agree, hook up the boat, jump in the truck and are off to the T.

Wed AM we hit the water. It was so dark I’m not sure where exactly we are. Nevertheless, I tell George and Dan, (whom we met the nite before at the Victorian Inn,) “ We’re just practicing, we’re not fishing.” Dan asks why we aren’t fishing and George tells him its because we are only beginners and we need to get better. Dan says “Kool” and the lessons begin.

We all watched a tutorial on casting and mending on UTUBE the nite before and we all start practicing. Dan hooks into a hot fish right away. After an hour or so and countless discussions with all the boaters that drifted by, we decide to head downstream.

Dan is practicing better than us because he is hooking lots of fish. He then becomes the instructor and finally the rest of us start hooking up. Practice pays off! We continue to practice our casts and mends for the rest of the day and the funny thing is, we hooked and landed fish. “How many, you ask?” Not sure but more than the average human can count on his/her two hands.

After practicing on my drift boat handling techniques all day Wed, I feel I’m an advanced oarsman and need more time on the XP. George says to leave the boat on the trailer and hoof it. It’s agreed on and off we go. Its pitch black out so we’re still not sure where the heck we are. As the nite fades to fog we begin in earnest once again. We must be getting better because today practicing is much better than yesterday. (If that’s possible). The weird thing is we only see 1 flycaster all day long until the armada descends on us. Complete solitude on the T!

After all this practicing, we are begging the experts out there who showed or told us just how crappy of casters and menders we are, to up our ranking. We believe we are now Rookies! Is that possible? If we are still amateurs, maybe one of you kind individuals could give us a lesson or two. Thanks in advance from all.

I talked to locals and heard some amazing details, all of which I’m afraid to post of this message board for fear of persecution from all the experts that frequent. If anyone wants to know those details, PM me for info. I’ll give happily and freely, even to Winterrun. If you’re an amateur like us, get up there and practice your casts and mends. You’ll be amazed at the results.

No hero shots, no look at me pics, no proof whatsoever… Well maybe a little.