Small Stream Steelies

[Rick J]

One of my favorite things to do in the fall is to go to a small stream I have been fishing for over 35 years. It is very rugged and most of the fishing is in a deep gorge

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I can tell you, it was a lot easier on this body 35 years ago - you take your life in your hands - just drop off the mountain and you cling to brush and rocks to get around the deep pools. Walk about 2 miles up river and climb back out!

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It is very difficult to flyfish so I have always used an ultralight spinning rod and throw big rooster tails (#4 and #5's). All this struggle and scrambling is often worth it

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This day I had 8 hook ups with 4 to hand plus another 4 to 5 good half pounders. But this does not tell the whole story - I had at least another 6 to 10 fish come out of the deep pools and grab the spinner - the rod is such a noodle that it is hard to set the hook - it is a very old 6' gold fenwick - a couple of years ago I decided I needed to remove the duck tape holding on some of the guides and re-wrap them - it is a kick with a 6 to 10# steelie on the other end

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Even without hooking up, and I have gone through this excercise and been skunked, the scenery and isolation is well worth it

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Just not sure how much longer the body will put up with it!!

[Don Powell]

Kudos Rick!

Your passion is evident in your commentary and photography!

You would not continue to go if the experience did not energize you!

Congratulations on a successful trip this Autumn...I know many more will follow!

Don

[jbird]

Great report Rick! I love to see that kind of stuff.

Thanks

Jay

[SteelieD]

That is too cool! Thanks for sharing.

[Adam Grace]

Awesome report Rick! That looked like a bunch of fun. Nice pictures, did you increase your cameras resolution?

[Rick J]

Adam - I did - not to max but higher that I had been using before - still some shaking - hard to take a photo by yourself when a fish is carwheeling all over the pool :)

I am sure gimping this morning but nothing that a half dozen IBP won't cure!!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Really special Rick..............thanks.

I have heard of lots of secret places in my 40 plus years of selling fishing tackle in Sacramento but this is maybe the best.

__________________________________________________ ________

About 20 years ago I had a report from a guy who went on a weekend camp-out in May with a group of friends. It was to Lake Pillsbury on the South Fork of the Eel River. He was a trout stream fly fisher and he brought along his gear. On the lake is a little store with tackle. They had pictures of what he thought were big Rainbow trout caught on a stream. They said it was from the SF Eel River right below the reservoir.

These were actually Summer Steelhead that ran to 10 pounds by the photos. There were special regulations on the river then. Don't even know if it's legal to fish there now?

Off of Hwy 20 very near Hwy 101 is the Potter Valley. This is where it is found. The river runs out of the dam on Lake Pillsbury and down about 10 miles in a canyon to Van Arsdale Dam. On the north side there was a dirt road and on the south side there was a paved rod.

He went down there and caught about 20 fish in two days that were 16 to 22 inches on #14 Irresistible dry flies on his 6 weight fiberglass trout rod.

While he was fishing there two young guys in a little pickup stopped and walked out to the stream to talk with him. They were locals from Ukiah and asked him how he found out about it because they had fished it for years never seeing anyone else. They were very happy that he had stumbled on it by accident and that it was not in the newspaper somewhere.

I told my friend George Innes about it so the next May we headed over there. It was high and muddy with too much runoff that year. There was some big gray/brown #10 mayflies coming off in that off color water though. That guy who had found it took his entire two weeks vacation that next spring and later told me it had been muddy. I told we went over and found the same thing.

That next Fall he went over and hit them again, this time on caddis dries and wets.

We never went back.

__________________________________________________ _________

I have heard hundreds of stories, many I never repeated or followed up on myself. I have heard a dozen stories of customers running into Summer Steelhead on forks of the Salmon, Trinity and Eel Rivers over the years. Many of those stretches could be closed now for their protection?

[matt johnson]

I think that was one of the best steelhead reports I have seen on this board. Thanks Rick! Matt.

[jhaquett]

Wow, good for you for knowing some secret spots like that....

[denny griffin]

Rick,
Wonderful story and beautiful photos. Thanks for posting it.

[nrthcsteel]

Absolutely great Rick!! Wonderful pictures and words as well. Was just scoping out the local coastal rivers last weekend after the rains, cant wait for another month or so. Small streams are so much fun@! Youve got a special place there for sure. Thanks for sharing. Kevin

[Xnjb707X]

hmmm.... I think i've been to that spot before. It looks familar. :D