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Just FYI if you're planning on going up North soon. Not sure how long things will take to clear, but some observations. I drove down 101 yesterday and pulled over a few times to look at the river.
Van Duzen is brown at 101. From the junction main stem Eel and S. Fork is brown. At the Miranda/ Phillipsville bridge is brown/green. Benbow / Piercy area is silty green, probably 2-3' visibility. I didn't see any boats on the water.
Thanks for that report. Always good to have first hand accounts from up there. I think all rivers except the Main Eel will be greenish this weekend.
Perfect from Piercy to Benbow! Still pushy with vis maybe 2 feet in Miranda....Quote:
Originally Posted by Trouter925
Thanks Bump. Was the East Fork dumping in mud at Benbow?Quote:
Originally Posted by BumpBailey
Not at all. I was tempted to go down there and fish it! FYI- that was my back yard on Saturday night, I stayed in one of the cabins at the KoA.Quote:
Originally Posted by Jeff F
If you can catch a big fresh winter run Steelhead on a fly it could change your outlook completely.
I had an old friend, Jack McLoughlin, US Marine in World War II, Sacramento City Fire Fighter and top fly fisher of the Great Generation,
and member of the California Fly Fishers Unlimited "back in the day".
As a teenager, before World War II, he guided folks for Smallmouth Bass right in town on the lower American river before the dams.
He said all the Valley rivers had lots of Smallmouth before all the dams.
He taught me how to tie Shad and Steelhead flies. He taught me how to wipe a loop on the end of a shooting head.
He took me fly fishing for winter-run and half-pounders on the lower American river too.
He mostly fished Fall and Winter Steelhead and went to Idaho and Montana in the summer.
He told me that if I went to the North Coast in the winter and caught a fresh 10# hen Steelhead on a fly close to the ocean I would
quit fishing for the hatchery winter-run Steelhead on the lower American river.
When I worked in the sporting goods stores with lots of gun and gunsmiths we cut down a double barrel shot gun and put a sling on it
for Jack to take to the Amazon in the 1970s.......
.
A buddy is up there for the next 4-5 weeks, usually fishes the Mad but it’s still chocolate milk for some reason. They fished Redwood Creek and the Van Duzen the last 2 days. Both in good shape but very little action. They were fishing bobbers, and are usually pretty fishy, so surprised at their results or lack thereof.
February 15th is the peak of the Winter Run..........on average.
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There was a camp host at a campground near the Mad river who was there for many decades.
A friend who used to go there said the host advised folks to be there on February 15th for the best average, yearly success.
He told my friend by that date the water was usually ruining consistently and fairly clear.
I heard this in the 1970s.............
The Mad is still off color because it is spilling 200+ cfs of muddy water from Matthews dam. The other rivers are slow fishing especially considering the conditions and time of year. SF Eel looks great but not much pressure and even fewer fish. January used to be solid steelhead fishing on the north coast but the last several years have been tough. Hopefully Feb/March will be better.
If you are fishing two-hand fly tackle for Steelhead and want to get a good chance of catching something and learn some good
techniques I would try to get out with top Spey guide Jason Hartwick.
http://www.steelheadonthespey.com/
If Jason is booked up he can probably recommend another good Spey guide.