Swingin Last night

[Sheepdog8404]

Made it out for a few hours yesterday afternoon/evening with Mark Kranhold. The river greeted us with some pretty intimidating wind but we were able to punch through it and get some nice fishing in. Got to pop the cherry on my new ACR 1073 with a feisty little hatchery bow! little guy slammed the Sculpin on the 2nd cast. We ended up with quite a few short strikes and missed hits. I hooked into another fish, can't confirm if it was actually a steelhead but was definitely a rainbow. Lots of aerobatics and hard pulls before she threw the fly about a rod's length away. Mark ended up hooking a toad of a sucker and that was his only fish for the day... Looks like all that shit talking last fall is coming back to bite you, Eh Mark? lol

Overall, we had a great time and kept the skunk away! Really looking forward to spending many upcoming evenings on the water with my new rod swinging for some spring steel!

http://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/t365/Sheepdog8404/KIMG0270_zpshqzgptsa.jpg (http://s1056.photobucket.com/user/Sheepdog8404/media/KIMG0270_zpshqzgptsa.jpg.html)

http://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/t365/Sheepdog8404/KIMG0274_zpsuf5amwti.jpg (http://s1056.photobucket.com/user/Sheepdog8404/media/KIMG0274_zpsuf5amwti.jpg.html)

http://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/t365/Sheepdog8404/KIMG0266_zpsggatxbpj.jpg (http://s1056.photobucket.com/user/Sheepdog8404/media/KIMG0266_zpsggatxbpj.jpg.html)

http://i1056.photobucket.com/albums/t365/Sheepdog8404/KIMG0260_zpsctabpvzl.jpg (http://s1056.photobucket.com/user/Sheepdog8404/media/KIMG0260_zpsctabpvzl.jpg.html)

[SeanO]

Good you got into them.

Nice eel pics also!

[Mark Kranhold]

Just trying to convert you to steelhead Gary. You still are the golden bone king tho!:p

[Troutsource]

What the hell kind of eel is that? Hopefully not a lamprey. I didn't know the A had eels.

Seems like fat suckers are the fish du jour. I caught a 22" mama loaded with eggs a few weeks ago. First ever on the river. Now everyone seems to be tying into them. I assume this is a result of the drought.

[Sheepdog8404]

It is a Lamprey, troutsource. I was standing right next to it while it was busy making a redd... Wearing sandals and shorts, mind you. Looked down and thought, that's a funny acting piece of moss/slime... Then when it started moving up river towards my foot, I just about freaked the F**k out!!! Realized what it was at that point and couldn't stop looking around my feet for the rest of the evening.

[STEELIES/26c3]

Lampreys are native and good for the river and ecosystem.

Sadly, their populations are a fraction of what they were in 70's...

It's there spawning season right now.

Now, in the great lakes of the midwest... lampreys are not such a good thing... but that's a different story

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This is usually a good time for swinging flies for spring run Steelhead.

Lots of caddis should be hatching in the river now......afternoons?

Mark knows the river well........

[lee s.]

"Lampreys are native and good for the river and ecosystem."

Enlighten please....
....lee s.

[SeanO]

+1

They used to be thick in the coastal rivers of southern Oregon, but now they are kind of rare.

I think the AR still allows harvest of them?


Lampreys are native and good for the river and ecosystem.

Sadly, their populations are a fraction of what they were in 70's...

It's there spawning season right now.

Now, in the great lakes of the midwest... lampreys are not such a good thing... but that's a different story

[Mark Kranhold]

+1

They used to be thick in the coastal rivers of southern Oregon, but now they are kind of rare.

I think the AR still allows harvest of them?

I do not believe so on the American harvest!

[STEELIES/26c3]

"Lampreys are native and good for the river and ecosystem."

Enlighten please....
....lee s.

I'm feeling lazy so I'll direct you to an article...

http://crosscut.com/2012/03/the-lamprey-close-extinction-could-bring-down-nw-s/
(http://crosscut.com/2012/03/the-lamprey-close-extinction-could-bring-down-nw-s/)
and to add a tad...

The pacific lamprey, as an anadromous fish, is an indicator species meaning that it flags the health of the ecosystem on the whole and especially of other anadromous fish which share the same watersheds (sturgeon, striped bass, shad, salmon and steelhead).

Also, because of their larval stage (in the river) whereby they are filter feeders (rather than parasites as in their adult form...) they are indicators of water quality as filter-feeding animals are far more subject to river; pollution, toxicity, ph imbalances, etc... and when such conditions threaten their survival, you can be assured that many other vertbrate and invertebrate, aquatic and terrestrial critters inhabiting the river are also affected.

It can even be argued that the parasitic adults, which latch on to and suck the blood out of individual fish, are actually helping the species of said fish by predatory-induced natural selection. Since the weak, sick, mutated, or otherwise less capable members of fish populations are most often targeted and killed/eaten by predation; it ensures that the stronger, healthier, genetically superior and otherwise more capable fish survive to propagate and produce better offspring...

I could go on but I think that's enough~:)

[Sheepdog8404]

Thanks for sharing that link steelies. Lots of really neat information there! Although the lamprey may be healthy for the ecosystem, the presence of it really does give me the heebie-geebies. Looking down and seeing that rhi g sucking onto rocks next to my bear skinned legs did NOT suit me well and definitley kicked in my "predatory instincts" to remove that weaker species from the ecosystem. Haha

However, I decided to just move away and let that child of evil do its thing...

[Troutsource]

Whatever you do, don't Google "lamprey eel" images. You might see some politicians, such as the one below of a former Speaker Of The House.
11848

I have a "fly" in mind for these devils. It's called the dynamite-with-6-treble-hooks fly.

We saw schools of these in the Delaware River in PA while float-tubing down the river once in our bathing suits. Either that or my brother said that just to scare the $#!^ out of me.

[Idadon]

Used to be lots of them in the Moukuleme, below the Woodbridge Dam, when I was a kid back in the late 50's & early 60's. I wet waded and swam around them all summer long and never had one come after me. Only once did I see a fish with one attached and that was a salmon going up the ladder at the dam. I actually tried cutting one up for catfish bait but it didn't seem to work so good.

Ugly looking things though!

[lee s.]

Thanx steelies,
We used to have them abundantly in the Russian too. We have long ago polluted them and many other fishes out of the system. Too bad. Sounds like they would be a great "reducer" for our rubber fish from the hatcheries. We still do not seem to be able to impact them with our sticks and strings.
Just finished reading......grand article. Kinda "splains" the effectiveness of a common old woolybugger, doesn't it. Many used to use the little ones harvested from the mud for smallie bait years ago. Wonder if the absence of "easy" meals is helping to eradicate the R.R. smallies along with our pollution.
....lee s.

[JasonB]

Thanks for the link Steelies!
Learned a few new things today, always love that :D
very interesting article indeed.
JB

[Andrew Guibord]

The American lamprey are protected.

There use to be two guys who had the last harvest permit.

It was not renewed when it expired.

[SeanO]

The American lamprey are protected.

There use to be two guys who had the last harvest permit.

It was not renewed when it expired.

Interesting, Andy. You are probably referring to commercial harvest? (that is what I was thinking of earlier as well). After a quick look at the freshwater sportfishing regulations, it appears that the limit is five lamprey. https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations

5.40. LAMPREY.
(a) Open season: All year, except for closures listed under district or special regulations.
(b) Limit: 5.
(c) Methods of take: Lamprey may be taken only by hand, hook, spear, bow and arrow fishing tackle, or dip net.
(d) The season closures in Chapter 3 (District Trout and Salmon Special Regulations) do not apply to lamprey fishing with methods other than hook and line (see sections 7.00 and 7.50(a)(2)).

I have never thought about targeting Lamprey, but some Tribes we work with say it is delicious! Also, it seems to make good sturgeon bait!

Take care, and I could be wrong about the regs!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I think they use them for bait for Stripers too?

[PatrickM]

Sheepdog,
I'm really not that interested in Lamprey eels, but I'm very interested in that ACR 3 weight that you got there. Looks like a beauty. Any info you can share with us on the rod? Which series it's from, which line you chose, rod action, etc.
Best of luck with the new stick!

[Mark Kranhold]

I will chime in, it's a proto type that was never put in production. It's a Godshall build 5 piece throwing 265 grain Scandi and absolutely fires beautiful loops. I might have to take it from sheep...lol. Wish Gary put this in his rod line up! This thing is bad to the bone.

[Sheepdog8404]

Sheepdog,
I'm really not that interested in Lamprey eels, but I'm very interested in that ACR 3 weight that you got there. Looks like a beauty. Any info you can share with us on the rod? Which series it's from, which line you chose, rod action, etc.
Best of luck with the new stick!

PM,

Mark Can probably tell you more about the rod than I can. It sure is a beauty though. I can cast it pretty well but when it's in Mark's hands, that puppy just sings! I received my Hardy Perfect yesterday, so I'll be getting that thing all lined up and fishing this afternoon. It really is a wonderful stick, hands down the favorite one I have in my lineup. Just fishing this thing is a rewarding enough experience. Can't imagine what it will be like when I finally hook a real fish!

[PatrickM]

Nice. That's going to be one sweet setup when you put that Hardy on there.

[Sheepdog8404]

Nice. That's going to be one sweet setup when you put that Hardy on there.

PM,

Got the hardy lined up and was able to fish it last night for a few hours. The Princess PERFECTLY balances out the rod. I am extremely happy with this new setup! So much fun to fish!!! Need to take some glamour shots of it next time I'm out.