Heartbreak on the Trinity

[mircetich]

Ok, I know I don't post much, but I feel something needs to be said regarding the Trinity. There are more fish in the river than ever imagined, it is a really good year and keeping this in mind we all know how word gets out, but I am seeing a trend that is very discouraging.

There are more boaters on the river than I have ever seen, and usually this is not a problem but on Wed the lowest shuttle count on any run in the Junction City area was fourteen, the highest was 19. This is obsured on one run in the river and yet I know for a fact that the majority of those people are not permitted by CDF to launch or float the river. To top it off, I have seen more bank fishermen on the water than any year in the past. None of this would be a problem if everyone could get along and use some common sense.

I know the water is public, and should be enjoyed by all but the reality of it is that the water is not being enjoyed. People are becoming hostile, fights are breaking out, bait fishermen are harvesting steelhead and salmon roe on the bank and leaving the carcas. Guides are combat fishing together, different outfitters are monopolizing holes rotating one boat for another. Vehicles are being broken into and shot at. An outfitter from Montana has brought in five or six boats, you try getting a permit to guide Montana being a Calif. resident and not associated with a local shop (Guides Association). All of this has occurred in the past two weeks.

CDF is not policing the launches / river, Fish and Game are not policing the river / catches, and Trinity County SO are not keeping the peace. It is up to us to manage our system, there are great numbers of fish from Hoopa to Lewiston, don't be afraid to fish these areas, not just what the"hot spot" is, and be courtious of your fellow fishermen / human, it can go a long way. I find the current situation on the Trinity not just discouraging but heart-breaking.

Be reasonable, courtious and most of all flexible when you decide to fish a hot river. Use good judgement when deciding where to fish, if you see a hundred trailers at a launch or take out site, elect to go elsewhere. We all know that a good run may have a dozen "good workable" runs on it, if the aount of boats exceed the number of holes...

Lastly, I want to apologize to anyone that finds this post 'preachy', I am just voicing concern for some of my home waters, and a place that I love dearly.

Sincerely,
Jon

[Jasonh]

Jon, not preachy at all. Its the truth! I have spent a fair amount of time on the trinity this year and have some similar experiences. It is really sad how some "outfitters" are hogging runs and trying to keep others from fishing runs. Most of us that fish up here know who they are. They need to be confronted in a courtious manner and they need to know how people feel.
For me, i just avoid all this mess and head for water that does not get much pressure and it has been very enjoyable with plenty of fish hooked.

The guides coming in from other states or those guiding without permits/licenses need to be turned in and called out. This is B.S. There are already a few that have been reported and cited that i know of. Until california regulates this somewhat it is going to continue to happen. We should adopt similar policies like Montana has. Thats my .02 cents worth.

[mr. 3 wt.]

100% agree. The place has become a complete mess. For the Oregon guide we had a run in for the lack of etiquitte, we know who you are! :twisted: :evil:

[Ed Wahl]

Cmon guys, stop your whining. The real fish are'nt in the coastal streams anyway. They're in the Sierras. There's a whole mountain range full of streams that only see a handful of anglers all summer long. I mean really, a real fish never gets over 12 inches long. A real fish ducks under cover at the merest sight of a fisherman. A real fish heads for the next county when a pencil weight hits the water. :lol: :lol: A real trout stream can't float a drift boat. :lol: On a real stream, a nightcrawler scares the hell out of the trout. :lol: Ever see twenty people lined up at a run in a foothill canyon to catch trout? On a real trout stream, ten boats coming down stream would have to be up on the road. Oh jeez, somebody stop me! :lol: Five guys waiting to fish a run, three are standing in poison oak, one's clinging to life on a cliff, and the other one's being eaten by a mountain lion. Hah, Bushmills at 8pm, that's what you get. Ed

[bubzilla]

Pardon my ignorance, but what's the deal with the CDF permits to launch or float the river?

[MrBig]

I have been on the Trinity a lot this year also and agree completely. My friend and I were just talking about this on Saturday while up there. There are bait fishers everywhere and they are loading stringers up. They stay in prime locations all day too. Sometimes in groups of 7 or 8. I have yet to see a single DFG warden in Trinity county. WTF? Unacceptable. You can go to some places and fart and a game warden shows up, yet in the #1 place they should be right now (in my opinion anyways) they are nowhere to be found. WTF?

:?: :?:

:cry: :cry: :twisted: :cry: :cry:

[Finsane]

DFG was there in full force last Wed checking everyone at the major takeouts.

[mircetich]

CDF requires all comercial vessels to have a permit to launch on their locations (90% of launches on the Trinity). Also, I may be wrong but I think they can require a permit on the water as well due to property ownership.

[bubzilla]

Thanks for the explanation on permit issue.

[jbird]

You can go to some places and fart and a game warden shows up






DFG was there in full force last Wed checking everyone at the major takeouts


So now the trinity is lined with farting gear fisherman? :D :D :D :wink:

Jay

[jayclarkflyfishing]

Unless I am mistaken the agency responsible for the administration of permits on the Trinity is the BLM, not CDF.No special permit is required to guide on state land.
As far as people killing 1 hatchery fish(the legal limit) I have no problem with it.I killed one this morning to provide a meal to my family and neighbors.
There are tons of folks up there right now and a smile and kind word goes a long way.Jon,you said what needed to be said and I applaud that.
Thats all I have to say about that.
Jay

[mircetich]

Jay,
You're absolutely right, my mistake, it is BLM (I have my permit that says so!), too many acronyms! As far as killing fish I too have no problem as lng as yu are within the limit and are eating the fish, not just harvesting roe
Thanks

[Xnjb707X]

I've fished the Trinity river for about 20 years and the river always gets crowded in the juntion city area. I actully never fish that area for that reason. The nicest thing about the trinity is drive a couple miles and go to a non crowded spot. and for the DFG I know that there arent that many in trinity county and even fewer in humboldt county, It's hard for them to regulate on the launches and the fishermen, they also have to deal with hunters and the weed growers, the area is so large, its just too many things to keep track of and not enough help. (thanks to the state of california for cutting the DFG budget, etc.). So just know when you fish the trinity river in certain spots expect crowds, especialy on the upper river. I personally fish the lower end, but access is mostly private, and the locals will greet you with a shotgun if you cross through thier properties. I've just been lucky enough that my grandfathers property gives me access to the lower end. :evil: So the only people I usially see are the random drift boat, or the local bears but they don't bother me. But anyways the trinity is a big river and plenty of places to find a nice run, it's sad to see that sometimes people get into fights, be rude, or take over there limit. I dunno .. I guess thats just how it goes sometimes..


- Nic