We are having a "good" opener on the Lower American River

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Just had a nice chat with LAR veteran Andy Guibord.

He said that this has been one of the better openers in quit a while.

He said most of the fish have been hooked from Sailor Bar down to Herrington/Gristmil.

He has been out a lot, fishing with friends, teaching and guiding for Steelhead.

I have had a bad cold for a few weeks so I have not been out but it is exciting.


**My old advice was to get divorced, quit your job and just go out every day for the next 3 months.

If you do go a lot you probably will hook something.


Put your gear in your vehicle and get out any time of day......even just for an hour, here and there.


If you need some help I would get with Andy for a few hours so he can walk you down some good runs, showing you how to fish the water.

https://andyguibord.wordpress.com/

.

[tascaso]

Bill,

Thanks for the update, whats the favored fly or flies this time of year?

Regards,

Tony

[Mark Kranhold]

Black leech or olive sculpins around the 2- 2 1/2" range

[tascaso]

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks Mark........

[Mark Kranhold]

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!

Don't be shy to try the staple colors of steel candy! I have caught them on the traditional orange comets, pink rabbit strips , purple Popsicle style flies with my favorite being a black/blue leech.

[winxp_man]

Don't be shy to try the staple colors of steel candy! I have caught them on the traditional orange comets, pink rabbit strips , purple Popsicle style flies with my favorite being a black/blue leech.

100% agree! May I add this.... Black and blue Squidro in the 2-1/2" to 3" range. Its what I got the one I landed on and the last time I was out I had a real nice grab. But like I seems to do a lot of is mend when the fish decided to take haha. I wasn't fast enough on the set to hook it for good.

[Troutsource]

100% agree! May I add this.... Black and blue Squidro in the 2-1/2" to 3" range. Its what I got the one I landed on and the last time I was out I had a real nice grab. But like I seems to do a lot of is mend when the fish decided to take haha. I wasn't fast enough on the set to hook it for good.

I'm still a steelhead rookie, having landed only a handful on the A in 8 years. I've always had trouble hooking them and the half-pounders. I read on another post a while ago that it's best NOT to set the hook -- to let them set it themselves. It was nearly impossible to fight the hooking instinct, but when I finally overcame it my hook-up ratio skyrocketed with the half-pounders -- but I haven't tested it on the big boys yet. So what's best with the big boys -- set the hook or not? Wait a second or two?

[winxp_man]

I had one three years ago nibble so soft what was insane I even hooked it! What I usually do is jig the running line with my left hand and it so happened that I was not jigging this time around and felt a super soft take! I'm actually surprised I even felt it. I then took my jiggin hand and pulled back a good pull bammm fish on! The past two years with 500 CFS going down only the fish seem to have time to pick if they want to take a fly or not. In my opinion during higher water year food is spread out more also faster water in most rifles. So now with low water they have lots of time to think it would seem and so their takes have been real soft most of the time. I had a few two years ago that slammed the fly but for most it was a soft take or a feeling like your snagging rocks. Nothing real aggressive. So I have a mix between setting a hook and not setting being they hook themselves.

[EricO]

When I'm swinging flies on the American, I never set the hook. The steelhead
I have caught have always hooked themselves. Even when I think about
slack water and stripping the fly, the fish always nail the fly and yank the
line out of my hand, and then it's fish on. No hook set needed, at least
for me.

One type of hook set I never use, but probably should, is a strip set.
Like for saltwater or stillwater. But I'm so used to lifting the rod tip
when nymphing or fishing dries, that i've never...pulled it off....

Looks like Aron used a strip set to catch that fish. Guess I need to
try it more often.

EO