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Bill Kiene semi-retired
07-29-2005, 12:19 AM
A guy came in the shop about 15 years ago. He said he went on a group camping trip to Lake Pilsbury on the Eel River with his girl friend that spring in May. It was a trip that her work place took every year. He, being a fly fisher, took his tackle with him. There is/was a store with supplies for the campers at the lake. He went in there and asked about any fly fishing in the area. They told him about the steelhead in the river below the lake. There were picture of chrome steelhead to about 8 pounds on the wall at the store. He went down there and caught 22 fish that ran 18 to 22 inches in two days fishing. He use an #14 Irresistable dry fly for them. While he was fishing there all alone two young men stopped and walk over to him and ask him how he found out about the fishing there. They were very relieved when he told them it was by accident. They told him they had been fly fishing for years and he was the first other fly angler they had seen. They lived in Ukiah. They told him may was prime time becuase it got hot in June and was pretty much over then.

That fall he went back and did as well on a caddis pupa.

That winter he returned to my shop and reported this and told me he was taking his entire two weeks vaction and was going to fish there again this next spring in May.

George Innes and I decided we would go there too and see how it was. That spring was a wet year like this one and the river was very dirty and high when we got there. We did get the lay of the land so we would be prepaired if we ever returned. The guy was in the shop that summer and reported that the water was high this spring and I told him we went over too to give it a shot.

This water is between the Scott Dam on Lake Pilsbury downstream to the Van Arsdale Dam and I don't know if it is legal to fish now?