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Thread: Tidewater Steelhead

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2010
    Location
    Walnut Creek, CA
    Posts
    37

    Default

    Dennis, has your new book been published and is it available now?

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    California
    Posts
    57

    Default New winter steelhead book available

    Quote Originally Posted by Al Baltz View Post
    Dennis, has your new book been published and is it available now?
    Yes, our second book California Winter Steelhead, Life History and Fly Fishing, was announced when we went to print in October. Unfortunately, printing was delayed and we did not receive copies in hand until mid-January. Orders have been very good and already over 1/3 of the 500 copies printed have been mailed out. Like our previous book, The Half-Pounder, A Steelhead Trout, the new book is a hardback limited edition, slightly longer at almost 300 full color pages on 100 pound paper, foil stamped cover, lots of California steelhead fly fishing history, and each copy signed and numbered. Due to high cost of printing and distribution, the book is only available on our website www.dennisplee.com.

    Dennis

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    California
    Posts
    57

    Default California Winter Steelhead book page example

    Here is a page spread example of some Shrimp, Comet and Grub patterns in the Chapter 13 on Winter Steelhead Flies from California Winter Steelhead, Life History and Fly Fishing. Each page in this chapter has six photographs and recipes of historical and current California winter steelhead flies.

    Dennis
    www.dennisplee.com
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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  4. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Fremont when not out there
    Posts
    189

    Default

    Spent enough time on the Anchor River near Homer to observe the incoming fish. My wife had relatives living in Homer, but the fishing never allowed for visits. These would be silvers and/or steelhead. Tidal changes were remarkable with 24-foot differences along the cook Inlet. The water line would move more than 150 yards between the high and low tide. At times, we would try to fish the salt in two to three foot depths downhill of the river mouth where one could see the fish just milling around waiting for the tide to change and provide access to their natal water. The river flows over the expanse of the beach was barely a trickle during low tide. We were not that successful casting to staging fish. But what stands out in my mind was watching these fish move up the drainage on the incoming flood tides. The lower reach would fill in on the tide and you could see the fish make their way against the current in skinny water. I always enjoyed observing the riffles in the shallow areas of the river as the tide filled in the lower portion of the river. When the incoming fish made their way up within the tidal area, one could spot the wakes created by the fish as they moved upstream. We called them the moving riffles as the discernible V shapes in the water pushed inland.

    Both the silvers and steelhead were in the 10-12 lb class averaging 30-32”, so their mass would visibly offset the water column singularly or in pods of fish until they found deeper holding water. The local fishermen posted themselves on the deeper slotted water in the river where the fish coursed their way upriver. A 10’ section of lead core was their mainstay with a short leader to fish the trough. It was the primary bottleneck for the fish until that part of the river filled from bank to bank. To our amazement, the local fishermen would hit this spot like clockwork daily and leave with their limit. Some days we would fill their void out of curiosity as to their success. The trough of that main channel was probably no more than knee-deep, just enough for the fish to make their way to deeper holes and even shallower flats. As the tide hit its high mark the lower end of the river was no longer influenced by the current but rather the cook inlet. This soon became a daily ritual for us to sit on the bank watching and waiting for fresh fish to enter this tiny coastal river as the tidal conditions allowed. This wasn’t always the scenario when we hit the river. With no fish entering the lower river system, the river was more of a casting exercise. If the locals were fishing the river or if we found blood on the gravel bars from harvested fish, we had a higher incidence of catch rates for our time spent on the river.

    Patterns of choice ran between polar shrimp and bunnies patterns in orange or chartreuse on the swing.

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Jan 2005
    Location
    Sebastian, FL, USA, Earth
    Posts
    23,837

    Default

    We took groups to the Tsiu river south of Cordova, Alaska for Silver salmon in the Fall for many years.

    It is a little river that is only 2 to 4 feet deep near the mouth and mostly sand bottom.

    We would go to the mouth and watch thousands of new fishing enter the river on the incoming tide.

    We used 9' #8 and 9 weight fly rods, reels with a good disc drag and mostly floating lines.

    It was a little like Bonefishing because the water was shallow and clear.

    When the water was smooth we use hot pink or chartreuse hair bugs on top.



    We used Alaskan Wilderness Outfitters

    https://www.alaskawilderness.com/TsiuRiver.htm
    Bill Kiene (Boca Grande)

    567 Barber Street
    Sebastian, Florida 32958

    Fly Fishing Travel Consultant
    Certified FFF Casting Instructor

    Email: billkiene63@gmail.com
    Cell: 530/753-5267
    Web: www.billkiene.com

    Contact me for any reason........
    ______________________________________

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Fremont when not out there
    Posts
    189

    Default

    A group of us did a fly into the Tsiu river for the day one year from Cordova. The Tsiu has to be one of my all-time favorite coastal river destinations for the sheer experience alone. One could easily hit the opposite edge of the winding channeled river in order to get a full swing. The river is completely exposed that close to the salt.

    We had floated a trip to Icy Bay further south for its sheer remoteness. The fellow organizing the trip wanted to utilize the Marine Highway shipping route to access the area after fishing the Dalton area for grayling first. The marine travel time alone did not work out for us as a few of us still had jobs and family. Before it came to fruition, the only lodge at Icy Bay went under. The draw was fishing for silvers in the estuary and tidal area with spankers, a large long crystal chenille pattern in chartreuse and orange - a floating pattern that silvers would easily take. A buddy had fished previously fished Icy Bay in the past and was trying to garner interest in order to return.

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