Went out to Putah today for my first go at fly fishing. Was having a good time, and it got better when i landed my first ever bo on a fly rod. Was a 16'' and should have photos up soon... The day went slow other than that, but I'm hooked
Congrats! I agree, that's a heckuva start, are you sure you weren't taking some kind of fly fishing performance enhancing steroids or something? That's nearly beyond normal human capability. Seriously, you must have done your homework well to pull that one off, that's a beautiful fish on any day.
no there isnt any hole there, and no fish either, just keep moving down stream when you see that spot. hahaha, but we all know that area right there is a good spot to fish all yr round. thats the spot where i have landed and hooked some very very large putah pigs.
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Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.
I like it too....i'm coming back out to CA to work for about 6-8 weeks. Looks like you guys have been doing well. I only got to fish out there for the past two years, which you guys all know had PLENTY of rain. on my very last trip to Putah, I caught a huge bow up near the dam but I left my camera in the truck. Glad to see you were able to get a picture of that first fish. My first fish on a fly also came from Putah. What a great place to create such everlasting memories. I can't wait to get there. For a real thrill, chase those salmon with your fly rod. Captain, I brought back some killer patterns from Alaska that you'd guys would love. We've got to "hook-up" while I'm out there.
Thats a good fishing technique. One person fishes above the spawners and another fishes below the spawners, and you can catch the "non spawners". Meanwhile the spawning fish are just happily spawning. I will try that next year. I think you just shot yourself in the foot!!!
It is called spawner fever. I will let you go since you are both rookies to Putah, but it is not ethical and you should not post and boast on a public forum.
Brian wrote
checked some of the spawning fish, and i saw i big big fish, if i wasnt mistaken it looked like the same fish that i hooked early just above the redds in that pool that i was fish. and now it was near the redds. this fish was almost identical, same hooked jaw, same coloration, and from the looks of at the same size, but without being 6ft away from it i couldnt be 100% sure, but i am about 75% sure that it was.
The point of my post is that you should not post about catching fish just below spawners.
1. Many young flyfishers like you guys will do the same thing.
2. Those fish do not count in my mind.
3. There are several redds in that area that you could step on.
4. There is no pool there the fish are just resting from spawning.
jb i dunno if this was about me, but if it was you should know i caught that fish nearly 50 yards upstream from where that photo was taken, that fish worked me like no other and i had to walk down stream considerably to eventually land him, hopefully that put me off the redds area
Your first fish on a fly was pretty impressive. Don't worry about not knowing the proper etiquette on the stream. You will learn what is/isn't ethical over your lifetime of fishing. Just keep in mind that the spawning beds hold the future of the stream's trout populations. And I don't think anyone believes you fished the redds.Might be someone else...JW
Sorry man I forgot to say that the above wasn't directed at you. The spawn was done probably around the end of february. You are off to a great start. Keep on fishing!!
Stefan, The fish were most likely off of the spawning beds when you were fishing so no worries. But just so you know, the fish spawn in the tailout upstream of where the picture was taken.
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
THE FISH I HOOKED IN THAT ONE POST WAS IN A POOL THAT I FISH WHICH IS 60-70 YRDS UPSTREAM FROM THOSE SPAWNERS. THOSE THAT FISH PUTAH KNOW ABOUT THIS POOL, AND THERE IS A DOCK THERE AS WELL. WHICH IS BETWEEN THE SPAWNING LOCATION AND THE POOL I FISHED THAT DAY.
FIGURED I WOULD HELP YOU OUT WITH THE LOCATION OF THAT POOL.
__________________
Fishing isnt about catching fish, its not about who caught the most, or who caught the biggest, its about the experience that you have on the water, and the life long bonds you make with others on the journey to becoming a better person inside.