Spawning Fish Unethical

[Gregg]

I think there just isn't enough easily accessible and understandable information out there, and most fishermen are sort of on their own to figure out what to do and hopefully not to do. My first understanding of what a redd even was was about a decade back when I started fly fishing and hired a guide (through Kiene's) who rigged up pegged beads and showed me how to drift off the back of a redd on the Yuba to catch the rainbows hanging behind the salmon, so even in our super small and educated group there's still plenty of educators and guides showing people first hand how to exploit spawning fish. Fast forward a decade to last month and I was wedged between two guide boats who anchored over redds and were running bobbers through them for the better part of an hour. I'd imagine that a lot of flyfishers get their knowledge and rigging techniques from guides, and like I did, figure it's ok to keep doing. Not at all trying to bash guides here, I get that $ needs to be made, and hookups = $$$, but it's really the only educational introduction between the retail store and the person on the water, otherwise people are left to unknowingly walk across redds and accidentally swing through them to foul hook fish.

I'd love to see a shop like Kiene's offer a weekly or bi-weekly meetup focused on angler education and techniques where people can come learn and take away knowledge to be better fishermen and better stewards of the environment. I think it'd go a long way to teaching new and established participants new techniques, and also gets people in the shop to see new products and interact with staff and guides.

On a guide note, not everyone can shell out $500+ for a day on the water, but I've always been interested in group river tours. Maybe something like $175/person and a group of 10 or so where you learn about a fishery, hatches, spawning cycle and access points (I think Lincoln G does something like this already?), and it would be a good way to drive home conservation points as well as connect with the guide for possible future trips.

When it comes to the general public tho, unless you shut down rivers during spawning season there's no chance you're going to get the average joe with 3 treble hooks and a bunch of weights to stop raking spawning salmon across their backs. It happens all the time on the American, and DFG can barely keep up with enforcement if at all. Most everyone is afraid of calling people out we see doing it because people are terrified of confrontation these days, so I guess just report it when you see it is the best move and hope a ranger comes. Otherwise, in the circle we can have influence in (the Northern California fly fishing community), it'll take fly shops getting more involved socially with the customer base and spreading knowledge for a change to be made.

[JasonB]

So the whole stretch of any Anadromous species river would have to be closed to fishing. If not how would you outline what is a Redd and what isn't?

And there's where a little education goes a long ways, blended with a healthy dose of basic ethical intent and I think we'd be well on our way. To me, that's key to keeping more streams open, in some form or another. It is sad to see the careless disregard that so many have for fish, nature, other people... etc, etc, etc
JB

[Lincoln Gray]

Gregg -
Just to let you know, it is not me, but my brother Lance Gray that conducts the tours. The tours are a great resource and are conducted by instructors that have many years of fishing knowledge and ethics.
Thank you however for the shout out.

[STEELIES/26c3]

I fished the river today for steelies.

I came upon an area with two very active redds.

There were at least 4 and perhaps 5 fish on or around the redd.

One fish flashed and was as bright as a dime.

15 years ago, I would have rolled my spoon through it.

Today, I just watched from a steep gravel bank and thought to myself... these poor fish have such stacked odds against them (low water, warm water, silted gravel, not enough gravel, predators, poachers, liners, careless waders, and on and on...).

The chance of me hooking the one bright fish just wasn't worth the odds of foul hooking the others or even interfering with their potential to spawn naturally.

I know that the in-river production of kings is next to nothing and that without the hatchery we likely would have no run to speak of BUT with such shit-odds for the salmon (or steelies for that matter) it just made sense to leave 'em alone.

Hopefully some snagger won't pull them of their redds before Christmas... and for that it is good that at least the most productive gravel in the AR (from Ancil to Hazel) is closed until 1-1.

The warmer ocean temps and lower/warmer water on the AR this fall did help to stretch the run out longer and later than normal.

Many salmon went upriver quickly and 'under the radar' (especially in the last few weeks of November) and they still continue to come in with much cooler water temps and at least, semi-respectable amounts of rain and cloudy days...

That will help the in-river production of salmon. Now we just need a really wet January and February to give the fry and fingerlings a shot at reaching 'smolthood'.

If you do decide to tromp on the redds... you better look over your shoulder 'cuz Captain Bill Lowe will see you from his mighty ghost-ship and he will haunt you and make you lose your Skagit head the first time and your spey rod the next time he sees you~