Free help fishing for Half-pounders on the American R.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Starting in mid-September I will be going down to Watt Avenue after work during the week to meet some of you who would like to get a quick drill on the simple method of fly fishing for the smaller fall-run Steelhead called "Half-pounders".

You will need waders, 5 to 7 weight fly rod with a floating line, 9'3x leader and some #12 wet flies or nymphs of your choice.

You need a CA fishing license and a steelhead punch card.

Be sure to pinch the barbs on your flies.

Have a hat and Polarized glasses too.

I will post the evenings that I can be there......

[neil]

Thanks Bill, I'll take you up on that...

[Jaybinder]

I would love to get in on this. If anyone would like to carpool from the Bay Area that would be great.

Jason

[tdrfishoot]

Thanks Bill, I'll be there!

[Frank Roepke]

Sweet! Looking froward to it! Thanks Bill

Frank

[Charlie Gonzales]

I can come down on thursdays after work and help if needed.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

That's great Charlie......

I will be home from Colorado around September 14th so we will try to get lots of people started off on the right foot.

Half-pounder fishing is something that we look forward to every fall......

I think they will be in most of the large valley rivers like the Sacramento, Feather, Yuba and American.

You can just go out early and late in the day in the riffles and just fish for them with trout tactics too.

[Mrs.Finsallaround]

Wow - maybe the GBF ladies will join you too 8)

[Jeff C.]

Bill, I just emailed you the recipe for my Swinging Ching. It's Andy's go to fly for halfpounders (just tied some up for him). I got a wild 16" halfpounder on one this past Saturday on the A. Jeff

[Charlie Gonzales]

Jeff, I will trade pizza for flies.

My go to flies have always been olive, tan or peacock soft hackles in 10 or 12.
Last year I started tieing on Targus 7979 because its heavy wire and helps get them down, and its a curved shank hook which I just like how my bugs look on them.

The invention of Polyleaders was one of the coolest things to happen over the past few years. Casting them is pretty simple and they are very effective.

4 or 5 weight rod with a full floater, 3 or 4x tippet and a few flies is all you need for half pounders on the American.

[Jgoding]

Jeff, any caddis activity? Seen a few half pounders on our striper floats and had a few chase flies actually.

I'll have to tie up some of my go to emerger's for swinging flies up top for the shop. Never fish Watt but if you guys are down there maybe I'll stop by and say hi.

I've switched to my 8 wt for half pounders cuz I hook fish like this all the time and my 6wt just felt too wimpy.

First fall fish last year, caught in the morning. Opened up my tmc 2457 slightly too. Can't wait for the striper bite to die off to switch over!

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e336/jgoding/ImportedPhotos00001.jpg

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Charlie, Jeff, Jay, Andy, Guppy, and other Half-pounder addicts,

When I get back we will have to try to get as many people swinging flies for Half-pounder Steelhead this fall.

**This will get more fly fishers to move away from a steady diet of indicator nymphing for Steelhead.

__________________________________________________ ___________________

10' Poly/Versi leaders are getting more popular all the time. It is a fast, easy and cheap way to get your swinging flies deeper after the sun is up.

You can add them to almost any floating line to get a sink-tip thing going....

Charlie feels that the 10' "Fast" sinking is perfect for Half-pounders in the fall or spring.

.

[Jgoding]

Saw a few people last weekend starting to fish for em. 3 people were at River Bend above the rapids chuckin and duckin for salmon I presume and 3 guys were above Harrington bouncing bait or something for half pounders in the morning.

Guess I better get to tying.

[Jeff C.]

I saw a few caddis flying around mid-day this past weekend. I suspect that there's a good hatch in the evenings. There were a lot of caddis in the evening on the upper river when I was fishing for shad earliier this month and there where quite a few risers.

[Charlie Gonzales]

Heres a couple from last year.....
Bills fish ate an olive birds nest
http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr262/BigValleyGuide/000_0008.jpg
Charles fish ate a soft hackle peacock
http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr262/BigValleyGuide/CWebb4-9002.jpg
and this fish ate a red fox squirrel tail(love this fly)
http://i490.photobucket.com/albums/rr262/BigValleyGuide/echo1002-1-1.jpg

All on the swing with floating lines.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Very nice posts here.....

[bassakwards]

In the first post you indicated that a report card was needed but I received a postcard this year in July that F&G had not received my Report card and it was time to send it in. Did I not really need to send it in yet? I'd be really disappointed if I missed out on such a great opportunity.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I believe that is last years card , if you had one. (2010)

[Jgoding]

I got the same thing and I'm pretty sure I turned it in.

[SHigSpeed]

Of course you can always buy another one! You're not limited to just one a year...

_SHig

[Garrett S]

Hopefully the fishing gets better because right now I'm having a slow start. I've gone 6 times for 1 LDR.

[HOG-ON]

Hopefully the fishing gets better because right now I'm having a slow start. I've gone 6 times for 1 LDR.


Guppy, call me and I will tell you where I have been getting them every drift.
HOG-ON
707-477-5174

[Jgoding]

I dunno Guppy, it's getting close to the "time" but still a little early. With the flows this year a lot of fish probably stuck around all year though but I don't even start trying til the second week in September usually.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Maybe someone would want to walk in at the end of Ethan Way near the east side back entrance of Cal-Expo.

Park in the culdesac and walk out to the bike trail, then go down stream till you come to the first ( or last) riffle on the lower American River.

The new fish coming in every fall will usually be in the riffles from Goethe Park down stream to River Park.

If you find them now, late August / early September, they will be very fresh and in schools in the lower river.

Early and late in the day is best.....

[JAWallace]

I can't wait for Bill's instruction. Thanks!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I don't think our Half-pounder fishing is rocket science; I just know it helps to go out once with someone who does it.

When I was younger (and single) we would go almost every day, morning and evening if it was a good year.

We had a big group of locals who were out all over the river daily.

"Back in the day" (1970s) it was Al Perryman, Cal Guin, Al Fong, Bob Long, Joe Shirshac, Chuck Campana, Hal Janssen, my brother Dick, Jimmy Potter, Galen Geller, Paul Keel, Phil Romig, Mike Ziem, Georgie Martin, Evan Jenkins, Mike Murphy, Kyle Keaton, Chris Pasley, Jeff Blunden, to name just a few of the old regulars on the Lower American River.

[Mark Kranhold]

Jeff, I will trade pizza for flies.

My go to flies have always been olive, tan or peacock soft hackles in 10 or 12.
Last year I started tieing on Targus 7979 because its heavy wire and helps get them down, and its a curved shank hook which I just like how my bugs look on them.

The invention of Polyleaders was one of the coolest things to happen over the past few years. Casting them is pretty simple and they are very effective.

4 or 5 weight rod with a full floater, 3 or 4x tippet and a few flies is all you need for half pounders on the American.

Yes, the post card you received from DFG is for the previous year's steelhead report card..

[Terry Imai]

Hi Bill,

What weight rod do you recommend like something in the 5-7 weight with a floating line?? Then you have a few different types of those poly tips to adjust depending upon the fishing conditions??

Thanks...

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Hi Terry

I have been using a 9'6" #6 weight for the past decade myself but anything from a 9' or longer single hand fly rod in #5 to #7 line size will work well.

Some really good fly casters like Andy Guibord might be using a #3-4 weight rod but it is limiting to how far most can cast and how large of flies you can use too.

For Spey casting for them we like most smaller (4,5,6) Switch or smaller(4,5,6) Spey rods too.

**Lately I have been using a 12'6" #5 Spey rod though....I think I would prefer a lighter #5 Switch rod now though.

__________________________________________________ ___________________

Early and late I always use a weight forward floating line with a 9' 2x-3x leader. swinging the flies below me just under the surface.

After the sun gets up in the late morning you can take off your 9 foot leader and add a 10 foot Poly(Airflo) or Versi (Rio)leader in a medium sink-rate with a short 4 foot level 2x tippet just so your fly is a few feet deep and out of the bright sun on top.

Again in the evening after the sun is off the water you can go back to the floating line.

__________________________________________________ _________________

For flies for many years I have advised most to use any wet fly or nymph in size 10 to 14.

Some use small winged Steelhead flies in size 6 to 12.

The caddis is the insect that is so available and at time the Half-pounders really get keyed in on them and other flies don't work well.

In the evening many swing an olive #12/14 caddis emerger right under the surface.

Right at dark you might see adult caddis laying eggs on the surface and at this time the #14 caddis dries work well, just like trout fishing.

You can use a non-bead head 12/14 nymph early and late and then go to a larger 12/10 bead head nymph with a longer leader ( just add tippet) on a floating line to get deeper.

__________________________________________________ _________________

At this time of year we have Steelhead that are from 6 to 12 inches which are pre-migrants in the river. Then we have what we call Half-pounders which are ~14 to 18 inches and larger. Then we actually have some great fish now that are 4 to 6 plus pounds that can really change your life for you.

In the past 40 years of doing this fishing I have only hooked a few fish over 4 pounds. I can remember two that we guessed at around 5 pounds and one that was around 7 pounds. It as unreal.......

My friends that are really top fly fishers for Steelhead and have guided for them (Al Perryman & Jason Hartwick) tell me that if I had been using a larger fly like a #4-6 winged Steelhead pattern, probably dark or natural colored, I would have taken more larger Steelhead.

I fish a floating line most of the time in the fall so I often wonder if I had fished a sink-tip more of the time and a little larger fly I might have caught bigger fish but also fewer.

__________________________________________________ ________________


The anglers who go the most now in September/October like every morning and evening they can will catch plenty of Half-pounders most years.

.

[RandyS]

Very cool, let us know when this happens. I'm about 4 hours South of the river, but, with a new grandaughter in Roseville it looks like I'll be up that way at least once a month. Know nothing about the area and looking to meet and learn.:)

Thanks,

Randy

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Starting mid-September we will try to have our free seminars for fly fishing for Half-pounders on some weeknights and some mornings on the weekends.

We will get some dates, times and locations up here soon.

This will be on going for the next few months.

__________________________________________________ ____________________________________________


**We are trying to promote fly casting and classic methods of swinging flies for Steelhead. Hoping to ween people off a steady diet of indicator nymphing for Steelhead (and trout).

We enjoy fly casting and we enjoy fishing for the grab.......

I will have to warn you though....after you get into this type of fishing you might get more interested in getting a nice light two-handed Spey or Switch rod.

.

[speyfool]

I got the same thing and I'm pretty sure I turned it in.

Interesting. I got one of those post cards too. And I'm 99% sure I did the online thing. I emailed them to say as much but never got a reply.

I've since moved to the Portland area and my card was lost in the move. Not much I can do about it now.

[Jeff C.]

Got another HPer on Sunday. This one was 19 in., chunky and dime bright. EO got a couple yesterday a little further down river.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Jeff C,

Some years we have some fish come in, some years we have lots of them and some years we have very few.

It will take about a month to determine how this year will be.

[pjfisher]

Hi, Bill: will you be at Watt Ave on Thursday, Sept 15th. If so, I would like to join you.
Thanks!
Paul

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I get home from CO on Wed so I think it will be a few days till I get caught up at the shop and settled in.

Will post some dates and times and locations when I get going.....

[aaron]

Fished for a few hours tonight for nada, sure was nice out though with the cloud cover and all. Saw plenty of bugs and a few rises.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Saturday morning @ 8:00 am we will be at Watt Avenueon the Lower American River just below the bridge on the south side of the river.

Anyone who wants to show up to either learn a little about swinging flies for half-pounders or to help us teach people.

Bring almost any fly rod with a floating line, leader and some #10-14 wet flies or nymphs.

Probably should have waders.

You need a valid fishing license and a steelhead punch card.

I think you also need to fish barbless on the river too.