Birthday Browns

[JasonB]

Well I've been working far too much for the last couple of weeks, so it was with great pleasure that I was able to sneak in a quick 2 days of fishing on the east side over my birthday! I'd hoped mostly just to make sure that I could still cast my fly rod, and maybe get lucky and hook a fish or two. My wife was eager to get to test her first set of waders out, and possibly even get to chase a trout in them...

Turns out we both got our wishes and then some:D For a coupla' newbies I think we did out ok, and more importantly I think we had as much fun if not more than just about anyone on the river that day trying...

No HUGE pigs, no crazy numbers of hookups, just some hard challenging fishing and some very feisty trout that were NOT ready to come to net easily (the biggest one kept trying to jump out of the net, and damn near did a couple of times). We were certainly not the only ones out there, so the crowd factor was a bit of a downer. Though everyone we met was quite friendly, and several folks (mostly guides I think) went out of their way to offer tips and suggestions. I did get kind of bullied out of one hole that I had been working, at least they were friendly while they moved in on "my" turf... no worries though as I still managed to land 2 there (and a couple the next day as well).

Later that day we had a very brief (1/2 hour?) period of some surface slurping, and I was able to hook and land one on a small dry. Gotta love it when you can watch a nice sized brown come torpedoing up from the depths to grab your little morsel offering right at the surface! My wife had a breakthrough (a few actually), and managed her first multi fish day and managed to land more than me for the first time as well (we're not competitive I SWEAR!).

The second day was proving a lot tougher for me, as I was mostly fishing with streamers and trying to figure out what to do with them. I did have one really nice sized (20"+?) brown for a while before he finally ditched me. Finally found a nice little "mini hole" that I'd never really seen anyone fishing for some reason... seemed too good to pass up, and it was really out of the main ebb and flow of assorted flies and spinners. Sure enough, as soon as I got the depth figured out on my third drift a big brown took my "hares ear" for a run across the river and up and down the river for a while before I coaxed him into the net my wife had waiting for him.

Getting older seems A-OK so far too me :D I learn more every day...
JB

[amoeba]

Although I'm sure almost everybody suspects:

You neglected to mention the exact location, which is the only place half-ways fishable within a daze drive of here (walker below bridgeport). Everybody and their second cousin is there.

[JasonB]

Although I'm sure almost everybody suspects:

You neglected to mention the exact location, which is the only place half-ways fishable within a daze drive of here (walker below bridgeport). Everybody and their second cousin is there.

Oops, I did forget to mention that: yes EW, that run right above the first bend in the river, approximately 6.75' depth to the indicator, exactly 3 small split shot... sorry but I'm keeping the fly selection SECRET, and I forgot the exact GPS co-ordinates, but you get the idea :lol:
No big secrets I think, and yes everyone and their cousin and their dog and even a few car stereos were all present and well represented. Met "Bubba" and a few of his Kin too with their spinning rods and cammo outfits (I think that they were the ones blaring the country music from the car stereo?)... but I have to say that they were THE most friendly and courteous of everyone we met there, even volunteered to move on to another hole when he saw us scouting for an open patch of water to fish.
JB

(btw, just to be clear, the last part is the ONLY part that was factual)

[Dave Neal]

Happy Birthday, Jason (belated).

Glad you got over on the EW for a little adventure. The river has been fishing very well, as most people know!! Pay your dues and learn that river and it will change your life, maybe.

Since a lot of anglers are loving on the EW right now, it can get pretty crowded at times. Most people around here are pretty easy going. Communication is KEY. If you think somebody is too close, just tell them that.

The Miracle Mile can get fished pretty hard. When there are a lot of anglers out, I always expect folks to cram a little closer than usual... kind of like Hot Creek.

There are plenty of smaller, less travelled streams and lakes around here for folks looking for solitude.

I love the E Walker.

[JasonB]

Thanks Dave.
Yeah for the most part things were cool, if a bit circus like. Really good point about communication, and being kind and courteous to fellow FFF (fly fishing folk). Should have said a bit about that in my report:

I have tried to make a point to have a few friendly words with everyone that we crossed paths with, and most of them did the same. I've found that it makes a HUGE difference in how everyone feels to just ask if they mind if I fish above or below them. I know I feel a lot more relaxed about sharing some water with someone if they are clearly respectful of my wish to work a certain part of it. Being somewhat new, I also found that communicating a specific feature as a boundry line helped to clarify who is fishing what and prevented any sore feelings: for instance I would ask someone if they minded if I tried my luck on the other side of those rocks below them. Everyone responded with either a "yeah sure", or offered an alternative. Pretty cool really.

I also think that it helps keeping it all in perspective too; in the case of being a bit crowded out of "my" hole, I don't think it ended up meaning any less fish for me. I thought about saying something to them about crowding me, but I felt that it might actually create more of a disturbance to the peaceful, friendly scene than was worth it. There wasn't a ton of room for them to find a place to fish, and I don't think they realized just how much they were crowding into "my water" as it looked like they didn't quite recognize where the prime holding water was. In the end I just moved a few feet further down and worked that for a bit before asking if they would like to switch places (giving us both an opportunity to fish some new water and show the fish some different flies). I think we all ended up being fairly happy, other than I think they were a bit down about not getting any love from the fish...

I only make this long winded reply on general stream manners because I think we're going to have a bit more of this sort of crowding than normal; with all the high water this spring closing down a lot of options for folks, there's likely to be some crowded fishing holes here and there. Hopefully we can all do a bit to keep it fun for all, might even make some new friends in the process:)
JB

[Frank R. Pisciotta]

Jason----The current spring 2011 issue of Sierra Fisherman has a discussion on stream ettiquette in the Pro-Tip article; page 35. You can view it now going to www.sierrafisherman.com.

I have an unscientific theory :-k about stream etiquette. 90% of the anglers who display poor etiquette are totally unaware that stream etiquette exists . This is a prime opportunity to diplomatically educate others; assuming there is an opening to do such. 10% of the anglers are aware of etiquette but are "gaming" the other anglers :evil:. Their mind-set is; if nothing is said they win [-X. These are the real jerks you can possibly encounter on a stream. And it applies to both anglers and guides. If the latter I suggest you find out if they work for an outfitter or shop and then contact the shop or outfitter relative to the poor behavior of someone representing them. If an independent let them know of your displeasure. If and individual...you decide what is approriate.

The summer issue of Sierra Fisherman is going to press next week. The Pro-Tip column's topic will be "Searching Tactics". There will also be a feature article on the big Truckee entitled "The Big Truckee...Mid-Year to New Year".

Frank R. Pisciotta
www.flyfishingcalifornia.blogspot.com

[amoeba]

jerk guides and fishing club members telling me that wading the truckee or yuba that have been legally accessed, are private property, and attempt to intimidate others, to get off. second are the Jerks who put up signs and string barbed wire across the truckee river. talk about attitude....that takes the cake. I'll go where I legally dan please and there's nothing that you, or the sheriff can do about it.

FYI - this is my recommended response to the aforementioned breach of etiquette:

"this conversation is not happening"

[bigfly]

A, I've walked all the Truckee River in CA. below Tahoe. No barbed wire across river.
LT too.
Maybe the dark cloud is effecting your vision.
There are a few folks that think they own water, when they only own shore.
If one is in the water, they have no legg to stand on. Just don't get out of the water.
I've yet to meet a local guide who is rude. We can't really afford it.
We have some folks pop up to guide the T, who may not have a locals sensitivity.
Far fewer issues than Ewalker though. The LT is the only place around here that suffers from crowding.
I just go find another place to play. Lots of them around.
I hope in the future, you have a good time fishing up here, it is possible.

Jim

[Dave Neal]

Well said, Jim.

Frank, I think an article on the "general considerations" of stream etiquette is a good idea. I'm surprised there have not been (many?) articles on this topic in recent ff publications. (Cal FF maybe??)

This is one topic a lot of my peeps ask me about. Etiquette can vary from stream to stream. On many rivers there are "unwritten" etiquette rules that you will pick up on, the more you fish those places.

Positive communication is simple and effective, always.

Kevin Peterson, long time local guide around here, once told me a "basic rule of thumb" for popular places like Hot Creek and E Walker:

Consider the water you can see, divide that by how many anglers there are - and that is how much space there is! Now this rule is for really popular, densely trout populated roadside streams!!

Freestone streams usually require more room to roam. I give anglers as much distance as possible in the remote areas like the MF San Joaquin, Gorge, etc....

But speaking of the EW, it is only crowded in the 1st Mile. I fished below the bridge all day yesterday and never saw one angler, and hooked fish everywhere I went. It's a "Miracle River", as my buddy Pat would say. How about NV?

General rule for the EW below the Miracle Mile... If a automobile is parked in a pull out - keep driving until you find an empty parking spot. Each pull-out has good water, but usually just room for 1-3 fishing buddies who know each other.

Have fun everyone... don't take things too seriously... do unto others...

[amoeba]

A, I've walked all the Truckee River in CA. below Tahoe. No barbed wire across river.
LT too.
Maybe the dark cloud is effecting your vision.
There are a few folks that think they own water, when they only own shore.
If one is in the water, they have no legg to stand on. Just don't get out of the water.
I've yet to meet a local guide who is rude. We can't really afford it.
We have some folks pop up to guide the T, who may not have a locals sensitivity.
Far fewer issues than Ewalker though. The LT is the only place around here that suffers from crowding.
I just go find another place to play. Lots of them around.
I hope in the future, you have a good time fishing up here, it is possible.

Jim

No dark clouds - there simply is barbed wire....and yup - right across river...which I suspect could be seasonal although perhaps not.....so rather than quibble, I'll check again....and post a picture of it if I see it. It' goes up, typically below the town but upstream of Boc near what is marked on the fishing maps as a private club (meaningless, the river is navigable) so I'm surprised you haven't noticed it.

I'll go where I legally please. Crowding, illegal signs, rude locals, won't make me move, I won't give them the time of day - no less have any effect on my own enjoyment. And I can stand out of the water too.

Good for you that you never ran into a guide who questioned your presence on the Truckee. But it happens....and close to town; and is not the only place. Sort of one of the elements of fishing. As I said, I don't get baited into discussions with them so it has no effect on me.

[JasonB]

jerk guides and fishing club members telling me that wading the truckee or yuba that have been legally accessed, are private property, and attempt to intimidate others, to get off. second are the Jerks who put up signs and string barbed wire across the truckee river. talk about attitude....that takes the cake. I'll go where I legally dan please and there's nothing that you, or the sheriff can do about it.

FYI - this is my recommended response to the aforementioned breach of etiquette:

"this conversation is not happening"

So was this just a general comment regarding etiquette? I hope that it wasn't in response to the two guides who shared some thoughts on proper etiquette. I appreciated having the tips on stream etiquette shared by the two guides who did post, I can't think of a more important topic for anyone who loves fly fishing. It's really a shame that you've had some negative experiences on the Truckee, but I will just say that for the record I've had almost entirely positive experiences there.

The Truckee was pretty much my stomping grounds all winter long, got in quite a few days there with mostly local folks (usually seemed I was the only one NOT from Truckee). I was consistently pleased and impressed with how friendly and courteous all the locals were to me on their home turf. My interactions with Truckee locals included all of the following (and then some): shared nuggets of advice on technique, advice on hatches and runs to fish, yielding a prime run to me when we came upon it at the same time, giving my flies to try (some worked too!), shared pictures of recently caught trophies, etc. I figure there must be some jerks that live and play there... I just haven't met them yet... maybe they all go to the little truckee or something?
JB

[Dan LeCount]

I haven't seen anyone put barbed wire across the Truckee. Ive seen some on the bank separating property lines like the SF Flycasters and some ancient stuff along Glenshire near the train tracks. High water marks tend to be gray areas and tough to lineate but if you remain in the water its generally a non issue. I guess its possible for a fence post or something similar to fall in the river or maybe some flood debris so always be careful where you step. I know a few of the fly casters and theyre really trying to make an effort to be more friendly toward the angling community, whether local or from out of town. If they had some barbed wire in the river on their property, that is a hazard and Im sure theyd love to know about it. If you see some, post a pic here and rough location, Ill be glad to relay the info to them and Im sure theyll remove it post-haste. Hopefully your future experiences in the Truckee wont be anything like the ones you seemed to have in the past.

[amoeba]

So was this just a general comment regarding etiquette? I hope that it wasn't in response to the two guides who shared some thoughts on proper etiquette. I appreciated having the tips on stream etiquette shared by the two guides who did post, I can't think of a more important topic for anyone who loves fly fishing. It's really a shame that you've had some negative experiences on the Truckee, but I will just say that for the record I've had almost entirely positive experiences there.

The Truckee was pretty much my stomping grounds all winter long, got in quite a few days there with mostly local folks (usually seemed I was the only one NOT from Truckee). I was consistently pleased and impressed with how friendly and courteous all the locals were to me on their home turf. My interactions with Truckee locals included all of the following (and then some): shared nuggets of advice on technique, advice on hatches and runs to fish, yielding a prime run to me when we came upon it at the same time, giving my flies to try (some worked too!), shared pictures of recently caught trophies, etc. I figure there must be some jerks that live and play there... I just haven't met them yet... maybe they all go to the little truckee or something?
JB

Yup - a general comment on etiquette a) don't be a jerk and talk private property smack to fishermen; and b) don't react to the jerk who does. Honestly - it is no factor to me, where I fish, and wouldn't make me move an inch.

[amoeba]

I haven't seen anyone put barbed wire across the Truckee. Ive seen some on the bank separating property lines like the SF Flycasters and some ancient stuff along Glenshire near the train tracks. High water marks tend to be gray areas and tough to lineate but if you remain in the water its generally a non issue. I guess its possible for a fence post or something similar to fall in the river or maybe some flood debris so always be careful where you step. I know a few of the fly casters and theyre really trying to make an effort to be more friendly toward the angling community, whether local or from out of town. If they had some barbed wire in the river on their property, that is a hazard and Im sure theyd love to know about it. If you see some, post a pic here and rough location, Ill be glad to relay the info to them and Im sure theyll remove it post-haste. Hopefully your future experiences in the Truckee wont be anything like the ones you seemed to have in the past.

I have, and yes - - - across the river - - - and yes, by the "flycasters" - - - and no, not acncient stuff. They can remove anything below the high water mark right now. I can walk there too. I wonder if those abel nippers will go thru barbed wire.

[bigfly]

A, if you were a horse, I would take the saddle off and look for a burr under the blanket.
I've fished here several decades and have never had a problem with people, property, or fish (OK maybe fish).
All in all, it's a great place to fish.
As far as club fishing goes, it's stocked with stupid clones.
No challenge there....unless you need a gift fish.
Most locals know better than to try brag about any fish caught there anyway....strictly slump buster therapy.
And I think it's a great idea to test those clippers on fence wire.
Give us a report.
Try to have a good time. Or not....

Happy Birthday Jason, I think you should come back up, we'll see if we can't get another 1 drift fish.:thumbsup:


Jim

[amoeba]

And one more thing:

I don't have to "stay in the water"; I can stay below the high water mark; which is wherever the river ever flowed; NOT ordinary high water - so I can walk on the bank, relatively near the water - and there's not anything the flycasting club can do about it.

That's the law. Learn it. Know it. Obey it. And if you don't, keep your flycaster/yuba outdoor adventure/etc. mouth-traps shut.

And - I'm going up there right now. Out.

[bigfly]

Thanks for the warning.

Jim

[Bull_Dog]

Hasent happend for a while. Just saying

Jim and the others are correct.

Take a deep breath.

:thumbsup:

[Dan LeCount]

And one more thing:

I don't have to "stay in the water"; I can stay below the high water mark; which is wherever the river ever flowed; NOT ordinary high water - so I can walk on the bank, relatively near the water - and there's not anything the flycasting club can do about it.

That's the law. Learn it. Know it. Obey it. And if you don't, keep your flycaster/yuba outdoor adventure/etc. mouth-traps shut.

And - I'm going up there right now. Out.

Like I said earlier, high water mark is a gray area and tough to define. When I go though other peoples property via a river corridor I generally try to stay in the water or as close as I can comfortably maintain myself, as a legal precaution and also just as an act of common courtesy towards landowners. Ive always tried to look at things from other peoples perspectives besides just my own. Were all just fallible humans. on that note, its possible there was some legal ruling that I am un-aware of that made a solid definition of the term "High Water Mark" as it pertains to the Truckee. If so Ill gladly retract everything I wrote here. This is the closest Ive found to a legal definition;

(excerpt from -
THE PUBLIC'S RIGHT TO NAVIGATE WATERWAYS IN CALIFORNIA
by Ronald W. Rogers - 2003)

"Unfortunately, there is no one clear, universal standard adopted to define where the high water mark is for navigation rights and public trust easements on inland waterways. Although the Supreme Court has long regarded the "ordinary high water mark" as the exclusive factor in establishing the limits of the government's navigational servitude, it has never precisely defined the term (Gollatte v. Harrell (1989) 731 F. Supp. 453, 461), and has left it up to the lower courts to define the term "as a concept which denotes the point at which the bed of a lake or river ceased and the shore or fast lands begins, a point which may be capable of proof by a variety of methods depending upon the facts and circumstances of the particular case." (United States v. Cameron (1978 ) 466 F. Supp. 1099, 1111-1112). Guidance given by the Supreme Court states that the high watermark is defined as the place where the riverbed ends and the riverbank begins. (Howard v. Ingersoll (1851) 54 U.S. 381 [13 L.Ed. 89].) The low-water mark is the point to which a river or other body of water recedes, under ordinary conditions, at its lowest stage. High-water mark is the line which the water impresses on the soil by covering it for sufficient periods to deprive it of vegetation. The shore is the space between the margin of the water at its lowest stage and the banks at high-water mark. (Alabama v. Georgia (1859) 64 U.S. 505.) The bed of a river has been defined as "that portion of its soil which is alternatively covered and left bare, as there may be an increase or diminution in the supply of water, and which is adequate to contain it at its average and mean stage during the entire year, without reference to the extraordinary freshets of the winter or spring, or the extreme droughts of the summer or autumn." (United States v. Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad (1941) 312 U.S. 592, 596 [85 L.Ed 1064, 1070, 61 S.Ct. 772].) The bed of a river also includes "all of the area which is kept practically bare of vegetation by the wash of the waters of the river from year to year in their onward course, although parts of it left dry for months at a time; and we exclude the lateral valleys which have the characteristics of relatively fast land, and usually are covered by upland grasses and vegetation, although temporarily overflowed in exceptional instances when the river is at flood." (Oklahoma v. Texas (1923) 260 U.S. 606, 632 [67 L.Ed. 428, 43 S.Ct. 221, 225].) Lower Federal Courts have resorted to a variety of definitions, many of them enumerated in Gollatte, supra at 461, citing Cameron, supra at 1111-1112. These are: ordinary high water mark can be variously defined-e.g., as the line where the water stands sufficiently long to destroy vegetation below it (Goose Creek Hunting Club, Inc. v. United States (1975) 518 F.2d 579, 583, 207 Ct.Cl. 323; Kelley's Creek and Northwestern R.R. v. United States (1943) 100 Ct.Cl. 396, 406); or, as the line below which the soil is so usually covered by water that it is wrested from vegetation and its value for agricultural purposes destroyed (Harrison v. Fite (8th Cir. 1906) 148 F. 781, 783); or, as the line below which the waters have so visibly asserted their dominion that terrestrial plant life ceases to grow and, therefore, the value for agricultural purposes is destroyed, "a clear line, as shown by erosion, and other easily recognized characteristics such as shelving, change in the character of the soil, destruction of terrestrial vegetation, and litter" (Borough of Ford City v. United States (3rd Cir. 1965) 345 F.2d 645, 648, cert denied, 382 U.S. 902, 86 S.Ct. 236, 15 L.Ed.2d 156). What these cases show, is that there is a wide variety of acceptable methods available to the courts depending on the particular facts and circumstances of each case. Although vegetation analysis is the method most often employed, there is no logical reason why water stage and elevation data can not be used, as this data may provide the most suitable method for determining the ordinary high water mark. (Cameron, supra at 1112)."

[bigfly]

Rob, rare enough, thanks.
Dan, good job on your report.
How did we get here from the Ewalker and B-day browns?

Jim

[amoeba]

I dunno bigfly:

And, nothing to retract there Dan - someone else wrote that , it's a book, don't believe everything you read - and I'm not sure what the author is trying to say (maybe doesn't understand it himself). Again, there's a difference between "high water mark" as it is interpreted in CA case law (means just about anywhere a river ever has flowed, or tideland has every been inundated) and "ordinary high water" (which is a civil engineering term referring to a much lower, bankful flow, generally corresponding to the 1.5-2.0 year recurrence interval; AKA the "bank-forming flow"). Maybe the author talks about the CA cases elsewhere. I dunno. Anyhoo, this has gone through our courts all the way up to our State supreme court, and no sheriff is gonna mess with you, for being next to the river such as fishermen normally are (OTOH, the sheriff may mess with a landowner, who interferes with a legal right of navigation).

Bottom line: you don't need to be in the water.

On to reports - you're absolutely right on bigfly - lots of stupid stockers in the Truckee above Boca. Come and git em.

[bigfly]

A, sounds like you got into some fish.
We're glad it worked out.
Nothing wrong with an occasional stocker.
(Although many here would prefer a wild trout fishery.)
All we were driving at was, there isn't a problem with water access.
There is miles of it, we just try to get along with local folks.
No provocative behavior on/near private property. We didn't say, don't fish it.
We just stay close/in the water, for our neighbors benefit.. not because jon law may show up.
When visitors leave, we still have to live here.
The point, was not to focus on "that" particular stretch of water.(2mi.out of 30+water miles)
Even though it's pretty easy. Although not guaranteed.
Jim

[Jed Peters]

I dunno, I really like going up to the club with my host.

The Club is the genesis of west coast fly fishing, and has more fishing history than any group of individuals anywhere existing in the world. Literally.

I like having huge days there catching fish. I think it's fun, personally. Sure, it's not like fishing for 10 hours hoping to catch a couple big monsters (or even one) like elsewhere on the river, but it's a great experience no matter what.

99% of the time the people who are bitter do it out of envy of not having access. This is not a "haves and have nots" argument, just pointing out the facts as they have been proven to me.

I see this a lot with golf clubs as well, ironically.

[DFrink]

Just so we don't get inacurrate information flowing along here... The OHWM is an ambulatory liine, it moves from day to day. You can't walk where ever the river has "ever flowed". The Ordinary Low Water Mark is the boundary between the navigable body of water and the litoral upland owner, with a public trust easement between High and Low (for public use). If it's a tidal body of water than the boundary is the current Ordinary High Water Mark (not the highest water mark). I just want to make sure we have our facts straight here.

Dan


And one more thing:

I don't have to "stay in the water"; I can stay below the high water mark; which is wherever the river ever flowed; NOT ordinary high water - so I can walk on the bank, relatively near the water - and there's not anything the flycasting club can do about it.

That's the law. Learn it. Know it. Obey it. And if you don't, keep your flycaster/yuba outdoor adventure/etc. mouth-traps shut.

And - I'm going up there right now. Out.

[bigfly]

Let us not wake sleeping dogs eh?
I care not where people fish.
I could walk "that" water everyday.
Haven't in well over a decade.
Closer to two.
Just doesn't interest, or challenge.
But I'm in a vastly different place than when I started.
Everybody needs a little love.
How else can you keep up enthusiasum, till you get the hang of it.
My thing is stream health, and big wildies.
Stocking doesn't help either.
If the section of easy fish dissappeared, I wouldn't notice.
Jed.... fish on my brother.
Just don't compare natural to stocked. (Which you didn't.)
Does a burger made at home, cooked on the grill with love, tast the same as a Mac?
Not in my house.

Jim

[JasonB]

At this rate this thread may well regain it's original relevance before it dies... on my next birthday!!!

Not that ANY of this has anything to do with my original intentions for posting, but I feel compelled to comment anyways:
I'm a huge proponent of public access, and have always had a very strong distaste for the very concept of anyone or any organization trying to "own" a piece of flowing water. That will never ever sit well with me, just wrong from the core imo. That said, there are some issues with the publics right to use the river "below the average high water line".

Number one is that there is constant debate over just exactly what it means (for anyone who thinks that they know, just look at the variety of definitions offered so far in this thread alone). Landowners often have a very different definition than those looking to recreate on "their land". Then there's the issue of state vs federal definitions as they have very different versions. Then there's the courts; while for the most part courts have upheld the publics right to navigate most streams, not all court cases have been favorable to public access. For me though, the biggest issue to keep in mind when weighing out ones options and rights to any piece of water is how might I feel about public access if I was the local landowner. I don't think it's productive to start pissing off a lot of landowners along our streams; legal or not, righteous or not I think it makes sense to pick and choose our battles wisely, and with great diplomacy.

I've had some similar issues when kayaking mountain streams before, sometimes even needing to walk or drive through some private land to access the river. For the most part I've found that how smoothly and pleasurably my access to the water goes depends largely on how polite, respectful and empathetic I was when talking with the local land owners. While it should go without saying, we should probably say it anyways: treat any private land with the same level of care (or better) that you would your own land, especially not leaving trash all over (I was amazed at the amount of leaders we found and picked up on the EW).

As for "the club" and the "club waters" on the Truckee, I have to say that I just don't get it at all. Here's the way I see it: you have a world class wild trout fishery with a very healthy and self sustaining population of rainbow and brown trout (both of which grow quite large there)... and then someone feels the need to make two miles of it a "trout pond" by stocking it with planters because they are easier to catch??? I suppose I'm missing something... but I am most certain that it's NOT envy.

JB

[bigfly]

Jason, that'll teach you to make a fish report.
Looks easy till you try to do it.
Much like fishing the T.

Jim