fishTRACKER

Russian River & Steelhead Park, Sonoma County / Forestville, California

My goal for 2012 is to fly fish at least one day each month. Of course, I will fish far more that 12 times, but the goal is to at least fish one day in each of the 12 months.

So, for February’s fly fishing day I fished the Russian River for Steelhead at Steelhead Regional Park in Forestville, California. This is a wonderful river to fish with a great deal of easy access that can easily be fly fished from shore or waders. This is a great location and a world class river right in the middle of Sonoma County wine country. There are several great places along the river in the area to fish, but with limited time I chose the highly reputed Steelhead Park.
The weather was typical early spring type in CA… 60 degrees and sunny. Fly fished for about 3 hours with various pink & orange streamers, articulated steelhead flies and an occasional double bunny. I saw only one float go down river, no waders and about 5-6 guys fishing with jigs and floats. I saw 3 fugly fish slowly swimming down river, even smacked one of them on the back without disturbing his oblivious travels. All three were certainly past their due dates. I could tell I had missed the run and read reports that fishing was better either several miles up river or closer to Bodega Bay. Being there for business I didn’t have a lot of flexibility, so this was as good as it was going to get. No fish caught today, but the good news is that it is quite easy to cheer up at any one of the 500+ wineries within a 10 mile radius or the Russian River Brewery in Santa Rosa & the Lagunitas Brewery in Petaluma. Highly recommended to all.

FYI: Do you like chowder? Try Spud Point Crab Company in Bodega Bay. It is without a doubt the best I have ever had anywhere on either coast. Well worth the 30 minute drive after fishing.

EQUIPMENT REVIEW: Today, I had much better success testing out the new Sharkskin Steelhead Fly Line. Check out the review on the EARTHangler fly fishing gear & equipment page.

GPS:38.496627,-122.899354
Address: 9000 River Rd, Forestville, CA 95436, USA
Time: Sunday, January 1, 2012, 12:45-2:30pm
Weather: 58-60 F
Water: 45 F, low, clear
Access: Great
Rig: Steelhead flies
Notes: This is a GREAT place to fish, the park has ample parking, BIG boat launch, picnic tables & nice public bathrooms

Skykomish River – Sultan, Washington

Happy New Year – Time to start 2012 right by Steelhead fly fishing!!!
Fly fished the Skykomish River for Steelhead on the south side of the river & east of Mann Rd. Bridge. There is a nice trail that leads to a great sand bar area that can easily be fly fished from shore or waders. Location is pretty much directly across the river from downtown Sultan, Washington.
Today was so damn windy it wasn’t even worth it. Fly fished for about 1.5 hours with various pink & orange streamers & articulated steelhead flies. The wind was so strong that you couldn’t even cast more that 5 feet in front of you. And lag between 30-40 MPH gusts was so rare that you would only get 1 1/2 decent cast every 10-20 tries. Totally worthless, but still better that many alternatives. Caught nothing. I saw only 1 drift boat go down river, & one wader on the south side & one wader on the north side of the river. Only saw one fish & it was “a real beaut, Clark”.

Today was supposed to be a test of my new Sharkskin Steelhead Fly Line – well, we will have to wait until next time to get a real verdict. Not much use in 30-40 MPH winds.
You know what they say – “A bad day on the river is still better than a good day at work!”

GPS:47.859912,-121.812783
Time: Sunday, January 1, 2012, 12:45-2:30pm
Weather: 39 F
Water: 40 F, High, swift, & a bit so-so on the clarity scale
Access: Great
Rig: Steelhead flies
Notes: This is a great place to fish, close to Seattle and surrounds

Winter Fly Fishing on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington

Each year the week after Christmas, the family heads to the Olympic Pennisula for a little R&R and fly fishing. In general, this is Steelhead country & some of the finest fishing in the world.
Well, our annual trek on 12/26/11-12/29/11 couldn’t have been more soaked. Rain in the Ho Rain Forest is expected each time we visit. But, generally there is enough decent water in some river to find fish.
This year it was raining hard, really hard. All day. Every day.
Every day we went in search of a river that wasn’t at flood stage or filled with mud. Each day we looked for any sign that there might be fish that could see a fly that didn’t smack it in the eye. We went to the Ho River, we drove to the Clearwater River, we checked out the Bogachiel River, we drove to the Calawah, and we drove to the Sol Duc River.
After hundreds of miles of surveying we finally gave up. We left the rods in the truck and decided that we need to try somewhere new next year.

On the bright side, we did find some new spots that would be great to fly fish if the rivers were’nt flooded. See below.

Condition: FLOODED
Notes: Check water levels before driving the distance

How to Catch and Release Trout Safely

Catch and Release is important in fishing conservation. We all can do our part to maintain healthy fishing habitats and populations. Catch & Release is effective and easy fish conservation. Releasing a fish safely is a great way of helping to preserve the sport of fishing and fly fishing for others. Imagine releasing that 3lb Rainbow trout today, only to see your son or daughter catch it again later that day? How many times have you seen a trout float by upside down as your wading? Not cool. Catch-n-release sounds simple enough, but proper catching and proper releasing methods are important to the survival of the fish, particularily sensitive fish like trout. When you are on the river next time, please consider these steps to ensure a better chance of survival and future enjoyment by other anglers. Take a picture home instead of a dead fish. Put your picture up in the local bar & tell your friends how you caught AND released the fish. There is a certain matter of pride or confidence one feels when they release a fish unharmed knowing that they are just going to catch another one soon. Your friends will listen, appreciate, and respect you all the more for caring for the future of fishing.

How to handle fish and trout using catch and release:

What to do:

1. Do not allow the fish to struggle an unreasonable time in the current. Bring the fish in as soon as safely possible.
2. Use a net to bring in the fish. DO NOT yank it up on shore or drag it in the gravel or accross the top of the water. Attempt to allow it to swim to your net.
3. If possible, keep the fish & your net in or on the surface of the water. Unhook it without touching it with your hands. Use your net and pliers instead.
4. If you must handle the fish, wet your hands first
5. If possible, hold the fish upside down with wet hands and get it back into the water as quickly as possible. Holding the fish upside down essentially dumbs the fish with no harm or struggle, allowing you to remove the fly quickly without damage.
6. Use a hook release tool or pliers to release the fly or hook.
If you want a photo, this is the time
• Hold the fish out with both hands supporting it’s underbelly…NOT the gills. Grabbing it by the gills will likely kill it minutes after released
• After snapping your trophy photo, quickly return the fish to the water as noted below
7. If you’re fly fishing in a river, point the fish into the current while it breathes
8. Support it’s underbelly gently until it wiggles & swims out of your hands

That’s it…pretty easy & you likely just saved a fish for many anglers to enjoy in the future. And let’s be honest…if it ain’t a trophy…it ain’t worth keeping until it is. I can buy all the 1lb trout I can eat at the grocery store or local fish market.

Some important notes about what NOT to do:

• Do not squeeze a fish
• Do not put fingers in the gills
• Do not hold the fish out of water longer than necessary. Get the hook out, get the photo, & return it to the water.
• Do not throw a fish back into the water like a rock
• DO not put your fingers into the gills to hold it
• Do not let the fish flop around on the ground
• Do not let your dog smack it around. At that piont, you might as well just let the dog eat it

We hope these tips help all of us to continue to enjoy the sport of catch and release fishing & catch-n-release fly fishing.

- gone fly fishing,
EARTHangler