If you do not know what a fish looks like when it is spawning look at this video, It's not the greatest but this is a putah creek rainbow spawning. I can't take credit for the video. It's by Dave E.[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=aM0LNkQKCQs]
If ya guys watch close there are actually 2 fish there. Packrat I have caught fish at putah all the way into april that were just totally beat up, Scars all over there faces, really skinny, a meer shadow of what they normally are. Once you see these awesome fish so beat up and exhausted you have a new respect for them and you realize why you must leave em alone ! MattR I hooked a fish last year that was huge It was spawned out, I wasn't fishing anywere near a redd, I think he was done doing his thang and was starting to feed again, I lost him but got a good look at it, It had the big white blotches, is that a growth, I though it was big scars or places were they have torn away some skin.
Very cool video, looks like they are in the middle of the "big-dig". I saw some digging this morning. They are just testing the beds right now for a good place to lay up. It's fun to watch them for a while.
I think one of the coolest parts of the spawn is watching the "rooster tails" that cut across the top of the water as the fish are scrapping with each other. When I was last out I saw a half dozen or so rooster tails all at one time as a bunch of bruisers chased each other around.
Fantastic Captn! Thanks for sharing that ... Does "Dave" post to this board? Thank him too!
Amazing and cool!
Ed
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