Fall Half-pounder run info on Lower American River......... getting near.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

In the past years it seems like late August is when we get our Fall Half-pounder Steelhead run into the Lower American River.

We look for these (15-20") fish to be 'showing' or feeding on the surface early and late in the day.

We look for them in the riffles from Watt Avenue to Paradise Beach/River Park area early on.



How it would start is someone would come into the shop and say that someone by the Campus Commons golf coarse / Log Hole was catching "big trout" wading with a spinning rod.

Then we would call some friends and let them know.

Sept/Oct seems like a good time.

I would go out mid-August on real early morning anywhere from above Watt Ave down to the Last Chance Riffle at the bottom of Paradise Beach.

When ever there are any number of Half-pounders in a run, in the AM and PM they will be rising or rolling or showing.

Remember to fish barbless and don't eat them.

Bill Kiene

[Mr T]

Cant wait!

[Brian Clemens]

Dont wait till August, we have been having some great days on the Ar these last few weeks chasing the summer run. Lots of half pounders and we have hooked fish in the low 20s to upper 20s as well. Unfortunately they dont come in to easily.

My favorite time of year to fish/guide for steelhead is July August and Sept before the typical "brain in the box" anglers come out and chase them in Oct Nov Dec, lots of pressure then. Think outside of the box and enjoy some really good steelhead fishing. Be the first to swing um up as they first arrive in the system.

No better time than now to try out something new.

As I like to say
Be the report dont believe the report

[Half Pounder]

+ 1 for listening to Brian about thinking outside the box. Fished outside the box with him more than a few times for some of the best, and most memorable, days ever on the water.

[Brian Clemens]

Thanks for the kind words Half pounder. I'm a steelhead fanatic and if they are in the system, I'll be chasing them. We have one sweet river right in our back yard and it gets a nice number of summer run fish ranging 16" on up to 8-10lbs, most fish are 16 to 22". The Ar has steelhead in it year round, but again my favorite is the "outside of the box" time, July August Sept. Gonna slightly miss it as I am moving 45 mins north to be closer to the Feather, Yuba, Lower Sac and Trinity, but I'll still be guiding and fishing it here and there.

See y'all out there

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Where are you moving to?

Sounds smart to me.

[Brian Clemens]

Bill

Moving to Edgewater estates, Montrose at Edgewater right off hwy70 and Erle rd, 7 mins from the Marysville ramp. Funny thing is when I was stationed at Beale we rented a house there, but back then, yr 2000, there was only about 2 dozen houses and tons of land to get stupid on in our trucks and atvs. Now there is well over 1500 homes. Man how time flies.

[Rossflyguy]

Is there a take out below Watt ave?

[nightgoat]

Howe Ave would be the next take out

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

There is a so so take out just below Watt Bridge on the left/south side but it would not be good on a weekend for boat trailers.

How Ave has a real boat launch above the bridge on the left / south side and parking for vehicles with boat trailers

[Troutsource]

Landed two 15-inchers mid-river this morning high-sticking a long riffle with a beadhead Prince nymph.

[Troutsource]

They were both hatchery fish so to make the wife happy I brought them home for dinner (also to prove that I was fishing, not gambling or womanizing, and that I actually know how to fish). I opened both stomach contents -- identical: about a hundred adult midges or mosquitoes in each stomach. Hard to tell exactly which. I didn't see a proboscis, and the water's not exactly sluggish so probably midges. Only one was in a pupal stage. It wasn't what I expected.

[fivefingers]

So I went out this morning specifically to target the half-pounders. I went to the bottom of Paradise Beach and found some fish rolling at the surface - I pitched dries and landed about 6" hatchery fish. These can't be the half-pounders - they were barely half-ouncers!

I'm not trying to say, "Hey! Where EXACTLY are the fish at!", but I was fishing riffles in that area and it seemed pretty devoid of fish. In fact, everywhere that seemed real fishy didn't even produce a take. I only got action where the little tykes were at.

I'm guessing you guys are going further up, past Watt Ave? What sort of depth are the fish holding at?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

If you park at the south end of Ethan Way in the cultissack, walk the bike trail till you T-bone it near the river and turn Right, then walk

and look for a riffle in the river on your left.

That is what Andy and others call "Last Chance Riffle" or the first riffle from the ocean.

If you fish there early or late you might find some Half-pounders.

There should be a riffle there at 3,500 cfs but not sure about what it looks like right now.

____________________________________

My favorite place in the Fall is the 100 yards above the Watt Avenue Bridge from both sides.

[fivefingers]

If you park at the south end of Ethan Way in the cultissack, walk the bike trail till you T-bone it near the river and turn Right, then walk

and look for a riffle in the river on your left.

That is what Andy and others call "Last Chance Riffle" or the first riffle from the ocean.

If you fish there early or late you might find some Half-pounders.

There should be a riffle there at 3,500 cfs but not sure about what it looks like right now.

____________________________________

My favorite place in the Fall in the 100 yards above the Watt Avenue Bridge from both sides.

Well, huh. That's -exactly- where I was at... If we're thinking of the same place... I got there about 6am and finished up at about 10am.

I fished a 75-100 foot riffle from the point it starts at the north shore, and continued out into the middle of the river as the riffle continues outward at the river bend. Was using various bead-heads with a sz 16 mosquito dropper, sometimes free flowing, and sometimes with shot. At the shallowest it was about 8"-1 ft. As it goes out into middle-river, I guessed it to be about 4-5 feet. Not even a take.

Right above the riffle was a big shallow run where all of the hatchery smolt were surfacing.

[hwchubb]

Five,

Welcome to swinging for steelhead. I don’t claim to be an expert, but have been fishing the Lower American for 30+ years and have some idea which end of the rod to hold. I haven’t been out much the last month, but my results in the middle / upper stretches mirror yours. I’m committed to the surface / top six inches takes so I limit myself somewhat, but either there are taking fish in the run you’re in or their aren’t. If they are there in decent numbers, you’ll find some. Also, take reports with a grain of salt. Keep on keepin on!

[fivefingers]

Five,

Welcome to swinging for steelhead. I don’t claim to be an expert, but have been fishing the Lower American for 30+ years and have some idea which end of the rod to hold. I haven’t been out much the last month, but my results in the middle / upper stretches mirror yours. I’m committed to the surface / top six inches takes so I limit myself somewhat, but either there are taking fish in the run you’re in or their aren’t. If they are there in decent numbers, you’ll find some. Also, take reports with a grain of salt. Keep on keepin on!

I figured as much. I've been down to Bill's "Last Chance Riffle" about 4 times now, trying varying tactics: swinging streamers, swinging wets, nymphing setups, dries ... I've basically only seen juvenile stripers and smolts.

I'm guessing like most streams, there's resident fish that hang out in the system that meander about, and sometimes people catch those and assume they're a sea run fish. But maybe there's this half-pounder run in the system, and I'm subject to the classic steelheader's grind like everyone else, and I've just got to cast a few thousand more times!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Well, huh. That's -exactly- where I was at... If we're thinking of the same place... I got there about 6am and finished up at about 10am.

I fished a 75-100 foot riffle from the point it starts at the north shore, and continued out into the middle of the river as the riffle continues outward at the river bend. Was using various bead-heads with a sz 16 mosquito dropper, sometimes free flowing, and sometimes with shot. At the shallowest it was about 8"-1 ft. As it goes out into middle-river, I guessed it to be about 4-5 feet. Not even a take.

Right above the riffle was a big shallow run where all of the hatchery smolt were surfacing.



Very cool.....I did not even know if it was wadable/fishable from the north side this year?

Every morning and every evening the situation can change in every riffle in the river so keep going there if you can.

I would swing flies in the surface AM and PM and swing a sink-tip or indicator/nymph rig in the day time.


I would go out from about 6 to 9 am or 5-8 pm

[Smitty Fish]

14901

Swung this one up last night around 7 pm. Upper river. Took out my 11 ft 6 wt Switch out with a 420 gr Rage head and a 10 ft poly leader and a small olive Slump Buster.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Very nice........thanks for the report SF......cool photo.


What reel is that?


With the flow up around 3,500 cfs there is no reason for the fish to stop in the lower river, (Watt and down stream).

[EricO]

14901

Swung this one up last night around 7 pm. Upper river. Took out my 11 ft 6 wt Switch out with a 420 gr Rage head and a 10 ft poly leader and a small olive Slump Buster.

Nice Smitty...and a wild one to boot!

[Smitty Fish]

Bill that is Orvis Battenkill click & pawl.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks .......I want to get one of those.....

[fivefingers]

I fished the braids at William B. Pond park today from 6am to 1030ish. Lots of rainbow smolts and hatchery salmon caught on indicator beadhead and sculpin swing. No half pounders. Biggest goof I probably made was getting out into the main body of the river at 9:30am. I had a few seemingly larger fish rise for my sculpin on the retrieve, nothing set.

Still. Good morning. Beautiful park - never been.

[fivefingers]

I fished the braids at William B. Pond park today from 6am to 1030ish. Lots of rainbow smolts and hatchery salmon caught on indicator beadhead and sculpin swing. No half pounders. Biggest goof I probably made was getting out into the main body of the river at 9:30am. I had a few seemingly larger fish rise for my sculpin on the retrieve, nothing set.

Still. Good morning. Beautiful park - never been.

Same spot today, same time. Found a steelhead!

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[Troutsource]

Nice fish.

Did you say you caught some hatchery salmon?

[fivefingers]

Nice fish.

Did you say you caught some hatchery salmon?

Yeah, but we're talking 6-7" guppies hiding in riffles.

[Troutsource]

That's awesome. I've caught some like that on the Lower Sac at the Posse Grounds, but never on the American.

[STEELIES/26c3]

Yeah, but we're talking 6-7" guppies hiding in riffles.

That IS awesome... not that you caught them so much though I don't fault you for it... but that they are in the system.

I have noticed in these last 3 high water years a serious uptick in numbers of juvenile salmon and steelhead and it has everything to do with higher, colder water.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

In British Columbia where there are thousands of ~6 inch baby salmon and steelhead on the shallow edges you have to use a big fly to keep them away.

Mostly if you stay out of the shallow riffle up there you can avoid them.

________________________________

[Smitty Fish]

Congratulations on your catch!

[Troutsource]

I caught two 15-inchers last Sunday swinging a size 6 or 8 olive wooly bugger / sculpin type pattern.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

AR flow is going down from 3,500 to 3,000 cfs 9/6/2019.

Higher flows are good for fish and good for boat anglers.

2,000 cfs is good for wading, especially if you are in your 70s and have a 28 inch inseam.

[fivefingers]

Went to Sailor Bar today. Had a nice 24"+ fish jump in front of me that taunted my morning. No takes. Swung bugs and streamers.

Steelheading.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Just keep going......

I think I will be at Watt on Wednesday evening.

[Troutsource]

Is this 9/16 release of 2100 CFS just an error? It looks like it didn't happen

14995

[fivefingers]

Went out to Bill Pond tonight. Saw another fly fisher downstream- tried to walk up to him to ask how his night was going but he kept moving downstream every time I got closer. Haha, oh well.

No takes, no fish etc. Saw a massive caddis hatch around 7pmish, and didn't see a single fish rise in the stretch of water I was in. Kind-of surreal.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I am going to be at Watt Avenue Wednesday evening, tomorrow.

[mogaru]

Dumping gravel across the hatchery turned portions of the river unfishable with murky water. Fished further down the river and caught two halfpounders. Swinging caddis pupa did the job.

[Mark Kranhold]

Dumping gravel across the hatchery turned portions of the river unfishable with murky water. Fished further down the river and caught two halfpounders. Swinging caddis pupa did the job.
Put a STOP �� to the restoration projects! You can’t mess with Mother Nature, it will always backfire!

[fivefingers]

Went out to tonight and swung some caddis imitations and streamers... Skunked. My success rate has been pretty atrocious. Haha

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Andy went out the other night and got a 14 and 16 incher.

I don't think there are any big numbers of Half-pounders in the American.

[WilliamLeung]

Caught my first half-pounder ever last night!

15011

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Caught my first half-pounder ever last night!

15011

Wonderful news Bill.......

_______________________________________

I worked a few miles north of the lower American river for 50 years in the tackle business.

In the Fall after work a group of us fished the river after work for Half-pounders.

If you put your gear in your vehicle you can go our before and/or after work.

The last hour we would fish dries to fish eating ovipositing caddis.


I think Sept/Oct are a good bet.

[JohnR]

Floated from Sailor Bar to Sunrise this morning... one grab on the swing and that was it... there is a Chinook carcass (it had been filleted) in the water at the Sunrise ramp... probably went close to 20 pounds live. They are here.

John

[Troutsource]

Landed 4 dinks swinging a G6 caddis pupa mid-river Saturday a.m., and had a 12-incher throw the hook. Saw some nice size fish sipping trico's and midges on the way back up the river around 9:30. Salmon fishermen but no salmon seen. Did step on a deer carcass and stumble upon a turtle shell, however.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Andy and I fished above Watt Avenue on the south side with little results.

Hooked some 6 inchers......

Saw some nice Halfpounders feeding on top very late tonight.

We did not have surface stuff......



Met up with Joe Shirshac for a burger afterwords.

[fivefingers]

Andy and I fished above Watt Avenue on the south side with little results.

I went to Watt Avenue this morning. Swung streamers before daylight, then bugs, then back to streamers. About called it quits and went a little further down into the run, swung a white bugger.

15021

15022

15023

I went to Fly Fishing Specialties a little later to restock on some flies. They looked at me sideways when I mentioned all of my success has been coming from using a white bugger (Bill sounded about as perplexed when we spoke over the phone once, about it). I think it makes sense - a lot of what's in the stream are 1-3" bright white smolt. Anyway, the staff at Fly Fishing Specialties recommended some classic steelhead flies - I'll be giving those a go next trip out.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Old Truckee River guide Randy Johnson fished one day with me on the lower American river.

He did well on Half-pounders with a small light colored (Snark tail) streamer he used a lot on the Truckee river.

I think in February they use an salmon alevin pattern on the lower Feather river.

[hwchubb]

Bill,

How’s Joe doing? Glad to hear you’re spending some time with him.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

He still drives..............doing well.............still fishes out of the boat with Andy.

[Troutsource]

Fivefingers that's a sweet fish. I'm going to hit the river Saturday AM and may try a white wooly bugger if all else fails. I've been doing well swinging a size 6 or 8 olive Beldar and size 16 copper/tan G6 caddis pupa, and high stick nymphing a size 10 or so beadhead prince and the same caddis pupa. There are lots of small tan caddis in the river that have been hatching (and I've seen them in their pupal state when pulling apart their homes under the rocks). There seem to be more green caddis larva than tan ones under the rocks right now, though -- maybe they hatch later in the season. I might try fishing some dry trico's if I get skunked, as I saw some nice halfpounders porpoising for them last weekend around 9-10am. Also drifting on the surface were some midges and I even netted one midge larva. I kept two hatchery fish a month ago in the morning and they both had nothing but dry midges in their stomachs. Strange, I was expecting a bunch of caddis.

The fall stoke is in the air! First big cold front of the season coming through for the weekend. Possible snow down to 5500 feet.

[Peter S]

For a change of pace try swinging an unweighted size 8-10 muddler on a floating or intermediate line/tip.

Works well on Coleman steelhead, might work well on the American.

15024

[Paul B.]

Fished above Sunrise from daybreak. Hatchery work must still be in progress because the visibility dropped to maybe a foot by 8.
Managed one 12’er just before.
With the high temperature forecast I didn’t expect to stay long anyway.
Recommend jumping in lower down.

[Troutsource]

Looks like flows will temporarily drop Wed & Thu before going back up Friday morning:

https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp/QueryRES?s=NAT&d=2019-09-27

DATE / TIME REL SCH
09/23/2019 10:00 2100 cfs
09/25/2019 01:00 2000 cfs
09/25/2019 02:00 1900 cfs
09/25/2019 03:00 1800 cfs
09/25/2019 04:00 1700 cfs
09/27/2019 08:00 2100 cfs

Max daily temps have dropped a degree but will probably bounce back up tomorrow with the 100 degree heat:
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis/uv?site_no=11446500

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This morning the river went from 2700 up to over 8,000 cfs?


I didn't get an email warning?

[Troutsource]

May the wrath of Bill be upon them

[Renty]

This morning the river went from 2700 up to over 8,000 cfs?


I didn't get an email warning?

What the heck is up with that? Flush some of the gravel down?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

That is what Andy Guibord thought........


Funny, I usually get an email when ever the river goes up or down?

[hwchubb]

For a change of pace try swinging an unweighted size 8-10 muddler on a floating or intermediate line/tip.

Works well on Coleman steelhead, might work well on the American.

15024

Peter, I would love to see someone be successful on that. I’ve been faithfully skating size 8-10 muddlers from Aug- Dec (until the water temps drop below 50) for the last 5 years on the American, and have raised 2 fish. Unless there is a hatch, the American River fish just don’t seem to look up the way Trinity / NU / Rogue / Deschutes etc fish do. I’ve been more successful on all those rivers (ie more than one fish raised every 2.5 years) with far less time committed. Maybe because it is so heavily hatchery fish? Dunno. I just know I’m really starting to question why I keep at it (yet I do).

At the same time, a soft hackle in or just below the film produces decently for me, even on winter fish, in the American. Go figure. Freaking steelhead.

[Peter S]

Peter, I would love to see someone be successful on that. I’ve been faithfully skating size 8-10 muddlers from Aug- Dec (until the water temps drop below 50) for the last 5 years on the American, and have raised 2 fish. Unless there is a hatch, the American River fish just don’t seem to look up the way Trinity / NU / Rogue / Deschutes etc fish do. I’ve been more successful on all those rivers (ie more than one fish raised every 2.5 years) with far less time committed. Maybe because it is so heavily hatchery fish? Dunno. I just know I’m really starting to question why I keep at it (yet I do).

At the same time, a soft hackle in or just below the film produces decently for me, even on winter fish, in the American. Go figure. Freaking steelhead.

Not every steelhead will take the muddler but it is my fly of choice when conditions allow for it. Most all of the fish I'm after locally are hatchery fish and I've had pretty decent luck with it in past seasons. Keep trying, your day will come! My guess is that you've been at this long enough to choose the way you fish because you enjoy it. It is the challenge that keeps us going!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Andy Guibord was talking about fishing a muddler on the lower American.

Will have to try it a try.......

[Troutsource]

Whoever decided to jack up the flows needs the gravel in their head washed down.

[Renty]

Went out this morning and the river is around 2,000. Actually came down since yesterday. Looks like the flow data is not accurate now. Projected release data for Nimbus is accurate

“Computed flows may vary from actual release due to work in the channel downstream of this site. Channel work is scheduled for the week of Sept. 30. Following completion of work USGS staff will conduct discharge measurements and adjust shifts as needed. For additional information please contact the USGS Sacramento Field Office at 916-381-0207.”

[Smitty Fish]

If we get some high water this year all that gravel will get washed out. Then they will add more gravel next year,and the year after that, etc, etc .....

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

One of the worst effects of damming a river is the stopping of all natural gravel flow that creates perfect spawning conditions.

[Troutsource]

Thank God the flows aren't jacked.

There's an explanation on the flows site: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis/uv?site_no=11446500

"Computed flows may vary from actual release due to work in the channel downstream of this site. Channel work was started on Sept. 24, 2019. Following completion of work USGS staff will conduct discharge measurements and adjust shifts as needed. For additional information please contact the USGS Sacramento Field Office at 916-381-0207."

Regarding the gravel, wouldn't it be necessary to add some at the top of the river replace what would have naturally washed down from upstream before the dams?