Trinity River Steelhead

[kmastro]

Headed to the Trinity River Tuesday 10/22 and plan to fish the Douglas City to Lewiston area and looking for any report on how the fishing has been.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

In October most would be fishing from the South Fork down stream to Willow Creek and below.

I would call the Trinity Fly Shop in Lewiston for a report.

https://trinityflyshop.com/index.html

[hwchubb]

The Trinity has been pretty slow this season. I was up there the last week of September for 4 days with no adults swung or skated ( had a good day on the Klamath) and only raised a couple from Willow Creek to Douglas City. A buddy, who really knows the river, nymphed it for 5 days and got one fish a day down in the Del Loma area last week. There are fish there, but you will work for them. Hope for some rain.

[yankeefanbob]

Bill, here's something that really pissed me off the other day....my neighbor showed me pictures of some nice steelhead that he caught on the Trinity which he spent 5 days on with his buddy. The only thing I didn't like about it was that he said they used earth worms, UUUGGGHHHH!! I looked on the Ca regs. and couldn't find anything if bait was legal(probably not?), I don't want to sound like a flyfisher snob but, live worms? I just wonder if he was confronted by anybody on the river!!

[Jcolin]

Hey bob, as far as i know bait, with barbless hooks, is allowed on all steelhead rivers except the mattole. Like you and probably most people on here i think that must be changed. If the runs are hatchery fish only, then who cares, but it should be outlawed in any waters that have wild steelhead, no matter how small the overall percentage of the run. I swing flies on a lot of coastal rivers that have small runs of wild SH in the winter, like 700-1200 fish a year on a good year, and think its an absolute joke that people can legally use roe and other bait to C&R wild fish on these rivers. Im all for bonking hatchery fish, and have no qualms with bait for hatchery SH or stocker trout, but most rivers that have hatchery fish also have wild fish;even the mad gets wild fish. Would like to see some petitioning to have this changed in the next few years.

[yankeefanbob]

Hey bob, as far as i know bait, with barbless hooks, is allowed on all steelhead rivers except the mattole. Like you and probably most people on here i think that must be changed. If the runs are hatchery fish only, then who cares, but it should be outlawed in any waters that have wild steelhead, no matter how small the overall percentage of the run. I swing flies on a lot of coastal rivers that have small runs of wild SH in the winter, like 700-1200 fish a year on a good year, and think its an absolute joke that people can legally use roe and other bait to C&R wild fish on these rivers. Im all for bonking hatchery fish, and have no qualms with bait for hatchery SH or stocker trout, but most rivers that have hatchery fish also have wild fish;even the mad gets wild fish. Would like to see some petitioning to have this changed in the next few years.

I agree, with you pal!!

[Larry S]

Yankeefanbob,
Back in the 1960's, crawler harnesses were quite popular on the Trinity during the winters.
Agree with you and others that regulations should prohibit that nowadays due to the
scarcity of our wild fish.
Best,
Larry S
Sun Diego

[avidangler]

Bait is pefectly legal on the Trinity.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I would vote for no hatcheries for salmon or steelhead on a few good rivers with 100% catch-n-release, single barbless hook, artificial only.

Maybe the Smith river and maybe the Eel river and few other short ones?

[avidangler]

Might try down from Junction City to Pigeon point. Been a slow.....late start. Hope for rain is correct.