The feather river FLOP!!!

[loganmike]

Well, where do I start. Thought it was going to be a nice four day weekend fishing the feather for some steel. Well, No sireeeee BOB.

I arrive at my favorite hole to see 3 other vehicles. NO problemo, move to another hole, well, 2 white trucks and a minivan on the side of the river later I decide to try a spot that has never produced. J.C. a car there as well. WTF people, does not anyone work on Friday!!!

So, I decide to go fish. After about 1.5 hours of fishing, nice solid dead drifts, I get a tug, no dice, I am lazy and a bit frustrated with the crowds. BUT boyy oh boy does the day get BETTER.

I fish 3 other holes only to not only be low-holed by other wade fisherman, but there is a damn jet boat on the water. I don't know who it belonged to, but if you own a purple jet boat and have a cowboy sorta style, next time, please give the bank fisherman some space and let us work a run to. I know you may have a paying cliient. but hell man, hows about some respect. INTRUSIVE.

So, not only where there many bank fisherman but many boats as well. Pounding the hell outta my fav holes, my honey holes, apparently theirs too. Hope the honey has gone stale as I landed one fish, missed 2 others, and only say a few boats pull some out. Minus the intrusive purple people eater cowboy boat that seemed to pull fish out from the end of my line. Did I say intrusive once?

ANyway, I am heading elsewhere fo the remaining 3 days of my 4 day weekend. I know there aint no head like steelhead, but when I am taking it from both ends on the river, I will take no head and find some nice trout infested waters either farther east or north.

Just be careful not to blow your whole weekend on being low holed and having steel stolen from your line!!!

Damn, sorry about the ferocity of the post, but rude guides, and even ruder low holers do not make me a happy boy when I have 4 days to FEESH!!!

me

[Finsane]

Go give the Pit a shot (Pit 3). Should be just what you're looking for. :D

[jhaquett]

Dude how about the bright side? You landed a fish. 8)

I've been there four times so far this season without a tug. I was even out there when it was pouring rain just to hit the best weather, still....nada.

[stevie steelhead]

Just look what has happenned to the Trinity. Although there are not many jet boats as yet, they tried to start coming onto the lower Trinity last year. We are trying to get them outlawed, as well as jet skis, from the Trinity.
We, and I mean "catch and release" flyfisherman, must step up to the plate.
I am also sure that the internet, and detailed posts about steelhead fishing, have had a major contribution to the upswing of people/crowds from afar. I know that fisherman as far away as the East coast, guides from Montana/Wyoming are now targeting the Trinity and bringing clients.
Some of the other posts in this forum have indicated this scenario/problem.
My advice is to share without details, ie. don't tell everyone where you went and exactly what you caught, and please don't say "drop what you are doing right now and go!", cause they will! Steelheaders are hunters and individualists, not groupies who all want to hang out with other fisherman all the time.

[slimfishin's]

Was this intrusive jet boat a center console type boat? I suspect I might know who that is. Send me a PM if you'd like my guess... as I don't think it would be appropriate to slander a guide's name on the Net. I've had similar experiences up there with an individual matching that description.

SF

[mr. 3 wt.]

loose lips sink ships!

Internet is the #1 source of information these days. Those who don't think reports, like the ones that have been sprouting up lately, don't have an impact are blind or ignorant.

Let the whining begin!

[roostersgt]

I'm with Loganmike on part of his issue. I'm sure glad he mentioned what I'm sure a lot of others have been noticing lately. Doesn't anyone in the Sacramento area work normal hours with weekends off anymore? I see the same people posting 3-4 times per week with fishing reports from both out of town and local trips. And no, I'm not talking about retirement aged guys here.

In years past I would only see older gentlemen on the stream mid-week. This past season, I've never seen so many 30-40ish year old guys fishing all throughout the week. As someone who has middle of the week days off and starts work early/ends work early, seeing all these guys where they normally shouldn't be irritates and puzzles me to no end.

To get away from everybody and to have a quality trip devoid of the "fish bums", I've taken to burning lots of fossil fuels and hiking in several miles over rough terrain. I avoid "low hole" and crowding issues this way. Time is too precious and fishing too important to be spent combat fishing or irritated by others.

[sacfly]

[quote="loganmike"]

I fish 3 other holes only to not only be low-holed by other wade fisherman, but there is a damn jet boat on the water. I don't know who it belonged to, but if you own a purple jet boat and have a cowboy sorta style, next time, please give the bank fisherman some space and let us work a run to. I know you may have a paying cliient. but hell man, hows about some respect. INTRUSIVE.

So, not only where there many bank fisherman but many boats as well. Pounding the hell outta my fav holes, my honey holes, apparently theirs too. Hope the honey has gone stale as I landed one fish, missed 2 others, and only say a few boats pull some out. Minus the intrusive purple people eater cowboy boat that seemed to pull fish out from the end of my line. Did I say intrusive once?

Sound like you were fishing in the high flow. as well as mathews and shithouse. IF you dont want to run into boats you have to hit up Robinsons. It is at the very downstream of the low flow (from the oroville side).

From the 162 bridge go on the dirt road past sh*thouse, past mathews, then you will hit a row of trees and the road will go right, you will just go around these trees (go for about a mile) so then you turn left for about 30 feet, another left (a uturn) and then go the mile. You will have made a big u turn and be about 30 feet in front of where you started. You will see a road going to the right ending at a white gate. There is three forks of river below so you dont have to worry about crowds.

If you see me, say hi (I am 6 feet 2, red hair, wearing a SF Giants hat).

I have been catching 1-3 steelies 19-30 inches here, most 19-25 inches.