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Thread: Steelhead season

  1. #11
    Join Date
    Oct 2013
    Location
    alameda
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    448

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    Yep tough year for me too... only 7 days (due to stay at home restrictions), lots of casts, 3 hookups none to hand. Note, I only swing streamers now, no eggs and no nymphs. Might have done better if I gave in to the other techniques but I don't want to.

  2. #12
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Morgan Hill, CA
    Posts
    275

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    I was 3/3 on trip planning this winter so I am happy about that. We fished the Trinity the first of December around JC and two Eel trips in Jan and the last of Feb. We did "great" on the Trinity. We fished hard for 4 days. Two guided and two out of my boat. We caught fish each day with multiple hooks up each day. Our "bad" day had us each with one fish. Our best was 5 to the boat on our last day with our favorite steelhead guide. We logged 7 days on the SF Eel with some hours spent on the main stem. Each trip to the coast had the river in "prime" flows. We predominately swing but, for the first time on the Eel, we brought the drift boat and drifted some beads when "shuttling" between conducive gravel bars. In the 7 days we each got one hook up but, both were LDR'd. While happy about getting the trips in, it was discouraging, in that all of the coastal reports from fellow fisherpeople and guide friends were dismal at best. Seemed a successful day was "we got a hook up". If you look at the reports on the number of steelhead that returned to the hatchery in Lewiston that return is pretty dismal too. So mixed feelings about this winter. I pray that we are at the bottom of a downward trend and we change course soon. Though I fear we aren't.
    Last edited by BumpBailey; 03-22-2021 at 02:07 PM.

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    East Bay
    Posts
    681

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jcolin View Post
    Trouter925, I would highly recommend the lower yuba for trout spey, at least before the egg bite, it has fished very well for me swinging soft hackles on a 12’ 5 weight. Also got into a nice steelhead in november that swam up from the feather. I really enjoy spending a few weeks up on the klamath in oct-nov, nice to swing flies and actually hook good numbers of wild steelhead even if they are smaller. It has been a tough year for a lot of people sounds like. Has been very strange to see a drastic decrease in the number of fishermen out here in guerneville the past month, many folks have given up. We did have some fish push up last weekend, was fortunate to be in the right olace at the right time and got a nice wild hen when they were coming up. Very much helps living on the river and being able to put an hour or two in before or after work.
    Not a lot of guys on the Russian because of low water conditions. I believe the Russian was closed to low flow for awhile in early winter correct? I didn’t see the hacienda gauge reach 1000 cfs this year? Unless I missed a day or two?

  4. #14
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Guerneville
    Posts
    290

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rossflyguy View Post
    Not a lot of guys on the Russian because of low water conditions. I believe the Russian was closed to low flow for awhile in early winter correct? I didn’t see the hacienda gauge reach 1000 cfs this year? Unless I missed a day or two?
    True it was closed for a while because of low flow regulations. After it opened still way less anglers than normal however, had johnsons and monte rio riffle all to myself a number of evenings. It got up to 1200 Or maybe 1600 only once i think, which is pretty nuts even when compared to drought years!

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    East Bay
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    681

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jcolin View Post
    True it was closed for a while because of low flow regulations. After it opened still way less anglers than normal however, had johnsons and monte rio riffle all to myself a number of evenings. It got up to 1200 Or maybe 1600 only once i think, which is pretty nuts even when compared to drought years!
    I was meaning to hit the Russian a few times but I thought flows below 800 would’ve been a little skinny to float down to Monte Rio. I’m sure the fish were still rolling in regardless the flow levels.

  6. #16
    Join Date
    Aug 2019
    Location
    Guerneville
    Posts
    290

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rossflyguy View Post
    I was meaning to hit the Russian a few times but I thought flows below 800 would’ve been a little skinny to float down to Monte Rio. I’m sure the fish were still rolling in regardless the flow levels.
    Ive floated gville to monte rio as low as 300 in my pontoon without any problem, but i could see the summer bridge crossing below vacation beach being a problem in a drift boat under 6-700

  7. #17
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    East Bay
    Posts
    681

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jcolin View Post
    Ive floated gville to monte rio as low as 300 in my pontoon without any problem, but i could see the summer bridge crossing below vacation beach being a problem in a drift boat under 6-700
    Exactly! Otherwise it’s an easy float.

  8. #18
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Location
    Petaluma
    Posts
    157

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    You probably didn't miss much as only about 1000 SH have been trapped this season at the Warm Springs and Coyote hatcheries combined. Quite a bit fewer than the 3-6k average that the Don Clausen facility touts. Maybe that's why they don't post annual trap data on the website.

  9. #19
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    East Bay
    Posts
    681

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    That’s pretty sad

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Jul 2006
    Location
    Petaluma Ca
    Posts
    686

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    You can't get'em back if you don't release'em.
    So much for your govt and their contracted mitigation programs where they have ruined our rivers with their damns and pollution.
    ....lee s.

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