Smolts Swarming on the A

[KJE]

Anyone else running into incredible numbers of smolts on the A? I'm fishing mid-river (above Watt but below Ancil Hoffman) and can barely keep them off my fly at dusk. It's almost troublesome as I'm really out looking for their big brothers, which I'm finding about every other evening.

Don't get me wrong, I'm perfectly happy catching trout on dries five minutes from home. I'm just wondering where in the world all these fish came from. I run into them every year right about now, but the numbers this year seem exceptional - if so inclined, I could hook them continuously until dark.

Did the hatchery dump a million fish in recently? Was steelie spawning immensely successful last winter (doubt it)? I just can't figure it out. I am sure that I would run into more adults upriver, the downside being that I would run into more adult humans, as well. I'm generally the only one in sight in the stretch I've been hitting.

Well, hopefully someone can answer this conundrum.

Also - on top, tan elk hair caddis and caddis cripples are working like gangbusters. Soft hackles and caddis emergers are working down below. Go get 'em.

[Mike R]

If they are fin-clipped they came from the hatchery. If not, they are wild smolts that are eating as much as they can before the water cools down. Don't sore mouth too many of them....:).

Mike

[Jgoding]

Haven't noticed an unusually high number but all the ones I've caught appear to be wild unless the hatchery doesn't clip all their fish. A lot of young squaws too but that's normal too. I have noticed some of the smolts are really hot fish and jump and make some pretty fast runs (but not like they can take line out on my 8wt) but it's impressive for a 6"er.

The spring run was as good as I've seen it in a few years as well and I've done alright in the last couple weeks and can't complain. I have been skunked a couple times, but I've landed a couple nice fish, missed a real pig last week and lost another nice fish. Still waiting to see a salmon though....

[Scott V]

I saw a good number of smolt in the 3 inch range during shad season, I wonder if a good number of them stayed in the river.

[Darian]

Not sure where these fish came from but using the adipose fin as a measure is not always correct as DFG does not clip that fin on all smolts. According to staff I've spoken to, there's not enough hands to clip fins on all of the fish they grow/stock.

Don't have all of the particulars but I was told by a guy from NMFS that there's a computer modeling program used to project outcomes. :-|

[Jgoding]

Hi Darian,

I thought it was automated.... I swear I saw the process somewhere but maybe it wasn't nimbus but it was a pretty cool set up.

[wjorg]

The more of those smolt that you squeeze and touch, let alone hook, the LESS adult steelhead that will return.


If you are catching tons of smolt, how many are you getting through the eyeball?

I move spots altogether, or I go to a bigger hook gap. Rarely do I catch adults where I am getting tons of smolt.

[KJE]

wjorg-

I'm not targeting the smolts, I'm fishing water that consistently holds adults in the fall and spring - and where I hook said adults on dries and swung flies regularly. Thursday night I had a smolt and an adult hit an emerger on the same drift. The 17" halfpounder I landed was holding in the exact same type of water as the six incher eight feet upstream. My post was simply noting that there are unusually large numbers in the river this year, enough that it is actually a nuisance when fishing for adults.

I've fished this stretch for nearly ten years precisely because other anglers overlook it. Moving upriver with the crowds simply to increase my catch rate just isn't going to happen. That's not why I'm out there.

[WinterrunRon]

It happens on the Trinity in October before the first big rain washes them downstream big time. If you fish adjacent to the shallow slack water, especially near the bank, your fly will be bitten to death. Fish deeper and/or heavier current and you won't ever hook one. If you're swining, don't let your line dangle at the end of the drift and you should avoid them altogether. After the first big rain, let it dangle... that's where the biguns 'll be! Just my experience. Other's may vary.

[OceanSunfish]

wjorg-

I'm not targeting the smolts, I'm fishing water that consistently holds adults in the fall and spring - and where I hook said adults on dries and swung flies regularly. Thursday night I had a smolt and an adult hit an emerger on the same drift. The 17" halfpounder I landed was holding in the exact same type of water as the six incher eight feet upstream. My post was simply noting that there are unusually large numbers in the river this year, enough that it is actually a nuisance when fishing for adults.

I've fished this stretch for nearly ten years precisely because other anglers overlook it. Moving upriver with the crowds simply to increase my catch rate just isn't going to happen. That's not why I'm out there.

Keep on fishing and don't let anyone on this forum curb your enthusiasm. The by product of fishing is that some fish will die..... no matter how delicate we handle them, etc. The only way to insure that no fish will die is to stop fishing and that is the last thing we want, etc. (The water exporters would love for you stop fishing)

Lastly, I surmise you probably killed more smolt today by flushing your toilet a few times vs. what you actually hooked and released..... <grin>

[wjorg]

Oh dont worry, I wasnt calling you a bad human.

[huntindog]

all hatchery steelhead are fin clipped, there may be a stragler or two that get through the system but that would be the exception. Only a small percentage of salmon are fin clipped. The salmon that are fin clipped are the ones that have a coded wire tag implanted in their head. When the bio's are doing surveys and they find a fin clipped salmon that is their way of knowing to take the head into the lab to retrieve the CWT.