North Coast fishing trip report........ Long read!

[winxp_man]

Well got to go up and fish the Eel and Van Duzen this year for 8 days. Such an awesome place to go fishing no matter the numbers you catch. Just to be out there and spend time getting to know the rivers makes it a fun trip! The first day my brother and I started fishing the South Fork Eel and not much action. So I thought to myself maybe its just me and no fishing the water right but then again it seems like this addiction of steelhead hunting has turned into the fish of a million casts. Especially if rain timing is not good and with the decline in fish.

Anyways day one started up on the South Fork we worked our way down to the confluence and along the way got to talking with lots of people in boats and others that where bank fishing. I guess the rapid increase of water from that first major rain really brought in the fish and because the water was draining at a really fast rate it makes the fish not hold much at all in the lower or middle section of rivers. So I tried all kinds of patterns and colors of flies but not one grab. Either way is was a great experience to fish the South Fork and see the river in its beauty of color.





Here are some casting pics
























Day two we then started to fish the main stem of the eel on the second day. The main stem at the time had lots of water and was off color just a tad bit. But either way fishing and going down I had a couple of grabs but no hook ups. But this gave me hope that there were some fish going around and willing to take a swung fly. So my brother and I kept going down river and finished with out a fish in hand on day two.

[winxp_man]

Day three we took off and went on a big ars exploring trip the morning part of the day. We decided to go and check out the ocean and go take a look at the mouth of the Eel where it dumps in the ocean. Then later on in the day started in the lower section of the Van Duzen. Access is really hard to find for this river (VD) but got to talk with quite a few locals that gave us quite a few tips on by foot access for this river. So fishing the lower part I was going through a nice run when I got a nice tug and hooked up with a bright chrome half pounder. It was a fish about 14 inches or so long. He was going nuts after I hooked him and after a bit of jumping and flying out of the water he managed to get off. I did enjoy it while it lasted We then fished a the rest of the day with no fish just some grabs here and there.










Later on fishing the Van Duzen.






Day four we met up with a friend (he actually came in late evening on the third day) and started early in the day way up on the Van Duzen, but this day I had trouble. I guess I ate something my stomach did not like gave me the runs over half of the day. Boy this made me feel like crap not being able to fish at all. I then decided to leave my brother and friend to the fishing. Took off and got to the nearest town to get some whiskey or brandy but with my luck the market did not have any at all. I would have had to go all the way out to Fortuna to find any. So decided to get a pack of jerky and mineral water. Well this actually helped me a bit and had no more stomach aches. I then drove back towards my brother and friends fishing spot and on the way there stopped at a camp site to check out the river. Talk about more beautiful water to fish! I then drove out and saw the friends truck driving in so I turned around and followed down to the river. As I drove around looking at the riffles and runs and tail outs I saw a couple that launched above this camp site earlier in the morning (they had a pontoon boat). Had a good chat with them and they said they hooked a nice on early in their drift they went on (My buddy and brother also confirmed the same, and had a run in with a local that was pissed that the lady caught a fish HAHAHA gave me a good laugh). So after my brother and buddy finished fishing the run at this camp site we decided to do back to the main stem of the Eel. We fished this spot where we knew some fish where swimming around in and it was a matter of getting that fly in their face and hope they grab it! So went down and my brother and friend went in ahead of me being they had their stuff setup from fishing all day. By the time I got in my brother said he saw some top water action and and so I started at the lower part of the run. Hoping I would hook into a nice winter fish I went down the run with not one hook up or grab. As my friend was closing in close to the end of the run he had a nice grab and missed the fish. So this ended our day four of the trip.

Pics of the Duzen while going into a small town to get some whiskey but none was to be found hehehe....



and at the camp site run....



Day five we decided to fish the lower part of the Van Duzen all the way down to the main stem of the Eel. I started above a bit and my buddy even further up. My brother decided to go almost all the way down almost at the confluence of the Van Duzen and Eel. I stared in the tail out and worked my way down and about the middle of the run got into another nice bright chrome 14" half pounder. And fished my way down all the way the Eel. I was fishing such nice water and it surprised me that I did not hook any adult winter steel. So going down I met up with my brother and he was telling me that he ended up on the eel and in one spot ran into a group of guys that where catching a few fish. So I ended up finishing swinging on the Van Duzen and made it to the Eel. As I down into the eel the water was pretty clear and also real deep and running at a pretty fast pace. I then put on 10' of T-14 and a big black and purple leech. I was making my way down river and getting closer to the guys that my brother saw catch a few adults and all of a sudden a sharp grab and boom down river by the time I realized what was happening it was to late the fish was gone! Damn did this wake my butt up! I then kept going down a few more casts. It was late in the afternoon already so most of the fish bite was gone. So my buddy left after fishing above me and said nothing happened for him on the Van Duzen. So the rest of the afternoon we decided to go back up the Eel and fish the opposite side of the run we had fished and had some grabs in. Well the water was real nice and from the opposite side we noticed how low the river was on this side and also all the freakin snags that we lost quite a few flys on. So we fished this area and nothing at all no action what so ever but still nice to figure out how to get to the opposite side.

[winxp_man]

Day six my brother and I decided to go fish the the Eel below the Van Duzen. We got in there and fished all morning and will say that it was the morning of some great action!!!!!!!!!! I Managed to get a nice #10+ 31" hen and boy did it put up a good fight regardless of the water being slower in this area. I then got another about #8-9 hen. Finally some fish and that grab I missed for so long being the American river fish this year seems to not gab flies at all just a slow grab with no power at all. We finished the day with me catching two and my brother got three in hand!! This was what I was looking forward to and made the whole trip worth while! So after the bite slowed down we moved up river to try some other spots of to much of anything happened



Here is the smaller one....



And one of my brother.....



Main stem of the Eel in a nice run.......




Day seven the rain started ( Hell ya we are getting some water ). Well this about killed the bite! Only heard of one boat that got a fish and that was it! So we fished till about 1-2pm and then took off for more exploring. We ended up on the Van Duzen and in this one area where we thought that it was open to fisherman to have access to the river. Well we got chased down by a local in a truck and were told that this was not an access at all. He was a gentleman when he saw that we were just in a explore the area mode and did not have and bad intentions. So we then took off and went on further up river checking out spots and making notes of what kind of areas we have access to get in and fish the river from. Basically spent time creating our very own map system

The Duzen......




Day eight we went back to fishing the main part of the Eel where we got into the fish and the Water started to get murky. It was not muddy yet but it was starting to get dirty. So fishing from the same area my brother ended up getting two 6-7" smolts I guess is what most would call them. I took off fishing down river and go into some great water. Finally got a nice grab but the fish was gone faster then I would set the hook! After working my way down as far as I could go from this area I meet a lady fishing off the shore. Poor girl I think she was a beginner fisher-lady. She was snagging bottom and thinking it was fish. I did not bother to correct here when I was talking. She would maybe have thought that I was a a hole. So I chuckled to myself the left saying goodbye I went back up river where my brother was fishing. We then decided to call it a day and head back. We had enough and being the mud was going to be down in the area that evening or next morning. Anyways I cant say enough about our experience but you can't word for word everything that does on while your on a trip without seriously writing a book and this whole report almost seems like I'm writing a book for real hehehehehe................. Hope you guys enjoy and looking to hear from others if you all do on trips.....

In this pic you can see the mud line on the far side of the river.... It was the second day of rain.





Here is the South Fork as were on our way home....... Can you spot the muddy river hehehe

[Jed Peters]

Great trip report. Thanks for sharing.

Two winter fish is a season. Consider yourself done good!

[SFMike]

Awesome report and really nice pictures. Sounds like a great trip.

mike

[jayclarkflyfishing]

Nice report! I recently did a 5 day trip up that way without a hooked fish. I had grabs every day and my friends landed fish swinging and nymphing. Sometimes its not about caught fish but the overall experience. Glad you caught a few fish and saw lots of great water!

Jay

[Terry Thomas]

Aron, thanks for the post. The next time back you'll have something to draw upon.
T.

[Larry S]

Aron,
Thanks for the report. Could do without the gastro-intestional (?) details. LOL.
Glad you boys finally found success. Can you even imagine what the Eel must have been like in the
1940-50's? Did you have a "hot" fly? Color, size?
Best,
Larry S

[STEELIES/26c3]

so THAT'S where you disappeared to...

Beautiful chromers! way to stick it out~

I'm happy for you and Radu.

[Don Powell]

Very nice, indeed... you just punctuated with an exclamation point what "steelheading" is all about- working hard, trying different places but perservering and, on the morning of day 6, finding fish! I really like the images on the mainstem at Holmes Bar (beautiful place to fish even when no fish grab). There may be far fewer fish but the magnetism remains because of the breathtaking places steelhead live and the fact that they do still exist!