Lower Yuba report 12/28

[Gregg]

Well, seems like the egg bite is a wrap. Only seeing zombie fish for the most part and no takes on eggs, so switched gears to proper flies and had a pretty solid day. 16 on, 11 landed from 14" - 18" or so. Decent hatch around 2pm that helped pick up a few fish on baetis nymphs in a 18-20, some on the swing which was fun. Most everything was on a rubberleg highsticked through the faster sections and along the banks.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/903/sZP4uQ.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/p3sZP4uQj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/907/iORnm3.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/p7iORnm3j)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/907/gAFtYz.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/p7gAFtYzj)

[KillerSloth]

Nice report and fish. Love the spots/color on that second one.

[PV_Premier]

+1, I love the diversity of patterning on Yuba bows and steelies

[Gregg]

tracked down a nice end of the year bow yesterday to wrap up the year. Definitely keyed in on tiny olive baetis patterns in a 18/20.

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/908/kl92Or.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/p8kl92Orj)

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/640x480q90/903/ty1UvA.jpg (https://imageshack.com/i/p3ty1UvAj)

[Outlaw83]

tracked down a nice end of the year bow yesterday to wrap up the year. Definitely keyed in on tiny olive baetis patterns in a 18/20.

What part of the river were you fishing? I am thinking about heading up this weekend.

[Ralph]

I fish the Yuba a lot and think I owe these fish a favor. It would be much appreciated if you would keep our fish IN the water. They are not birds. If you feel the need to Instagram or Facebook to prove you actually caught a fish, keep it at least half submerged for the shot so that it can breath. Grip and grin is so 90's. Reaching to the camera to make a dink look like a monster is so 60's.

[Wynn Knaught]

http://www.keepemwet.org/#home

[Ed Wahl]

I fish the Yuba a lot and think I owe these fish a favor. It would be much appreciated if you would keep our fish IN the water. They are not birds. If you feel the need to Instagram or Facebook to prove you actually caught a fish, keep it at least half submerged for the shot so that it can breath. Grip and grin is so 90's. Reaching to the camera to make a dink look like a monster is so 60's.

+1 Way to go Ralph.

[Tomcannon]

Won't hurt them this time of year as long as your careful.

[thekid]

watching a guy play a fish for 5 minutes is way worse. keep the photos coming! You want to do the fish a favor then don't fish it. plenty of other water that doesn't see pressure.

kid

[winxp_man]

watching a guy play a fish for 5 minutes is way worse. keep the photos coming! You want to do the fish a favor then don't fish it. plenty of other water that doesn't see pressure.

kid

+1 Its why I stopped fishing ;)

kidding hahaha!

[mattv-mcfly]

I feel as long as you keep them wet in the net while you get your camera ready it's okay. Judging by the where the net is in the pics Gregg is doin it right. These fish probably wouldn't be around if anglers weren't respectful of their sensitivity.

I was on the Yuba yesterday swinging buggers. I landed one and got a few nibbles. The river has a nice greenish/blue tint to it right now probably because of the rain/snowmelt. Either way you can't go wrong nymphing a rubberlegs with a mayfly dropper anywhere that looks fishy this time of year.

[Ralph]

Mattv
I think you are generally correct. I have absolutely no problem with taking pictures of a special fish (not every friggin one!)... but it needs to be done right.
Two criteria I look for when seeing a fish out of water is a) is it dripping? Fish will have drops on the fin tips for around 5 seconds (I've measured). If the fins are dry, that fish needs to be back in the water. Criteria b) is the eye looking downward? One of the first outward manifestations of hypoxia is when a fish stares toward the horizon and the pupil is blown as can be clearly seen in the last photo. Almost all the fishing magazines have adopted the "keep 'em wet" philosophy and use the criteria outlined above. FFF, TU, and other fishery organizations are taking that stand. The best pictures (and most likely to be used in media) are of the fish in its element. It's a learning process.

[Gregg]

...for around 5 seconds (I've measured).

I sometimes wonder what it'd be like to be this nuanced about anything in my life.

And then I realize that I'd hate myself for also having the nearly insufferable personality that almost always goes along with it.

I get it Ralph, you're a big deal. I have one of your books. It's fabulous. I respect your knowledge and will actually take some of your advice. But watching you tell people to go to hell or F off on the board reminds me why it's so hard to get new people into the sport if this is who they're supposed to look up to. Have some decorum man.

[Ralph]

Gregg-
I'm sorry you take this as a personal attack or in some "nuanced" way of telling you to go to hell. I don't know you and would likely have a great time fishing with you. What I do know is the look of that fish in your hand. I know because I've held fish with that look hundreds, if not thousands of times. 35 years ago I got the same response as yours by advocating for less hatchery trout, barbless hooks and catch and release. Angling hasn't suddenly frozen in time. "Keep 'em Wet" is a logical progression of catch and release. We kill and injure fish all the time. It's simply part of the sport. While acknowledging that, we can and should do more to reduce those injuries. Keeping fish IN the water, not over playing them, and recognizing when hypoxia is setting in should become as common practice as advocating for wild trout and steelhead, barbless hooks and catch and release are today. I am VERY sorry you happened to be the guy holding the fish . . . it could have just as easily been me a few years ago. I truly meant no personal attack. I'm sorry. ~R

[John Sv]

I try to think of what my Dad said to me when I'm handling fish (unless I'm bonkin' 'em).
Lifting them out of the water is like you running for you life and getting caught, and then when you get caught someone puts a plastic bag over your head...
That said there are several photos around my house of my wife and I holding fish out of the water for a pic so I certainly am not batting 1000 on this.

[Gregg]

Thanks Ralph, much appreciated. The keep 'em wet strategy is indisputable, but even with my borderline voracious appetite for info on fly fishing, the signals you mentioned (hypoxia and eye direction, etc) aren't easy to find for us common folk. It's been something I've been graduating toward gradually, I pretty much full time use a pre set-up GoPro on video so I can lift a fish for a few seconds, grab a video, and separate a frame later to share if I like it, with a decently detailed report, as opposed to fumbling with a still camera and burning time with a fish in hand or net. Regardless, I'll keep moving that direction as I learn more (and maybe catch a couple real fish some day...). It'd probably help also to lob these same concerns at people working the water commercially, as they have a much larger impact on how people like me handle fish. I'm still trying to find a guide / outfitter / instructor page which doesn't use the grip & grin as their primary means of marketing, even the most ardent Keep 'em Wet proponents still have pics on their pages with fish with gills out of the water. Maybe we can all make the transition.

[k.hanley]

I first want to say that I'm certainly a fisher who has been on a journey for more decades than I care to admit. There's no doubt there are "pics I've taken and shared that I wouldn't create today." It is indeed a process. I'm still learning.

Ralph and Gregg I wanted to acknowledge where you have both brought this discussion this morning. Fish count. People count. Relationships count. I appreciate this journey.

Much respect.
Cheers, Ken

[Tomcannon]

A study on the Yellowstone River in Yellowstone on cutthroat caught and released by park visitors found that each trout was caught and released an average of ten times a summer. Mortality rate for the fishery was 0.3 %. Yuba rainbows are tougher and fishermen far more careful. There are far greater threats to our Yuba fishery.

[Ralph]

Tom-
That .3% mortality rate was from the Schill study done in 1981 that no one has come close to reproducing. Most (fly fishing) catch and release studies indicate a range of 3%-12% mortality. I'm a very careful and conscientious person when it comes to playing and releasing fish, but to think I inadvertently kill only a single fish for every 333 (.3%) brought to hand is simply a pipe dream. My guess is that my personal kill rate is closer to 5 in 100. "Keep 'em Wet" is not a Yuba-centric practice. It simply makes sense to reduce our impact on the river when it can be done so easily and without any effort. And to contradict everything I just said, I think we will both agree that the sum effect on a fishery from catch and release angling mortality is low. The more fish we kill, the fewer fish that are going to succumb to something else.

[Wynn Knaught]

http://www.wildtroutstreams.com/CatchRelease/catch_and_release_review_and_guidelines.pdf

The impact of mortality caused by catch-and-release practices is often underestimated by
both anglers and fishery managers. From a review of 118 catch-and-release studies (Appendix
1), which, in total, involved over 120,000 fish, the average mortality associated with catch-andrelease
angling was 16.2%. Thus, while many anglers may assume that by practising catch-andrelease
they are having no impact on the fish population, a significant number of released fish
may die. Additionally, many anglers will continue to fish after they have caught their limit under
the premise that they will release all further fish caught, however they often do not take into
consideration the number of fish which will inadvertently be killed as a result of this practice.

[steveg137]

Good thread.
I've enjoyed greggs photos and respect/like Ralph no end.
I have to say I've been guilty of some in proper photos even though I hate idea of hurting fish. So I've reminded myself to keep em wet.

Cheers

[Ed Wahl]

Wow, look where this thread went. You guys have created a great instructional update on catch and release practices. I for one will be altering my fish handling practices. Thanks guys.

[Mark Kranhold]

Is this the steelhead forum? :confused:

[Tomcannon]

The study found 3% mortality from fishery that summer. Because each fish was caught ten times, the population effect for each capture was 0.3%. Somewhat iffy. In most of the trout studies with fly fishing catch and release in cool waters the effects are 1-3%. Because I doubt we catch all the fish even once per year in Yuba, the effect on population would be less than the rate for each fish on average from capture. Most mortality is caused by the hook in these low mortalty studies. Some from lack of resussitation after a long battle. Yuba does not have water temperature problem that plagues some waters. In the "old" days I used bait on occasion and released my fish, but I noticed some mortality from deep hooking, something I have also noticed with globugs.

[winxp_man]

Is this the steelhead forum? :confused:

Hahahahaha it's what I was thinking and didn't even get into the convo. I would suggest taking this in a PM or start a thread about this issue. This was a report from a Yuba trip..... ;)

[Randy Lee]

Mark and Aron dead on!
We should all try hookless flies, After all its all about the grab right!
Randy

[John Sv]

If this was the steelhead forum it would've included critiques of the saturation levels of the photos :)


Is this the steelhead forum? :confused:

[JayDubP]

If this was the steelhead forum it would've included critiques of the saturation levels of the photos :)

Spot On! My chuckle of the day!