American river steelhead

[Jasonh]

Just wanted to ask a few of you if the steelhead/half pounder fishing on the american has been slow for you this year. I have not heard too many reports or seen many pictures of fish caught and this past winter was one of my worst years as far as catching/hooking fish to date. Hopefully the flows will stabalize and the fishing this spring and summer will oick back up.

Jason

[MSP]

Yes!

[Adam Grace]

Jason, it's hard to catch fish in the flooded parking lots at 15,000 cfs :lol:

Too much water!

[Jasonh]

I meant over this last steelhead season, not in the last week Adam. I am just trying to figure out if the run was late or early or if it was just a poor run this year. It justs seems a bit slow. Anyone else have an opinion.

Jason

[smokeater]

I'm fairly new to flyfishing, but the bulk of my experience has revolved around steelhead fishing on the American over the last four seasons. I learn alot from studying my craft and reading reports as well as making observations on the water. Here is my observation for this season. According to what I heard from other fisherman and what I read in reports it seems that the winter run came early. I remember hearing that in November the count in the hatchery was way up from previous seasons, but on the water things didn't seem to materialize. I'm guesing that we missed the big push of the winter run, couple that with the river being blown out during the first half of January and the alot of pressure many of us ended up with a slow month. Once most of the usual suspects lost interest and the pressure tapered off in the last half of February I started having the best days ever. For about two weeks in the end of February and the beginning of March I fished almost every day for a few hours and got into roughly three good fish per day in the 18" to 32" range. It was great and I wasn't about to tell anyone that was going to take advantage of it. With the pressure gone fish were holding in water where I could could site cast to them and they were eager to take the fly. I haven't been out there lately since the flows have been up, but wait until the flows come down and again, I'm betting that we will find plenty of half pounders still holding. But to answer your question I have the impression that the timing just wasn't in our favor for the most part.