Fly Fishing Etiquette?

sehoner · Veteran Member

Fly Fishing Etiquette?

keith bigelow · Webmaster

Great idea !��

sehoner · Veteran Member

45 views and only one reply?

I will start the list then.

�Why should we release wild or native born fish?
Fish that are wild or native born are a sign that the watershed is trying to�become self sufficeint. Wild born fish most likely will not be a pure hatchery strain and will have some of their native gene traits mingled.�These fish�have�been in the watershed their whole life and therefore stand a much better chance of surving and reproducing.

�Is it wrong to keep a trophy wild fish?
Wrong is a matter of perspective. If you want to ensure�not only the survival of the watershed, but also�enable it to thrive, then yes keeping a big wild fish is wrong. Large fish have survived long enough to get big by adapting to the circumstances and thereby will pass on their good�"big fish"�genes to�their off-spring.

�What is a redd?
A "redd" is a section of water that a fish has made a nest in. They are usually formed�towards the end of pools or runs in the "tail-out" section. They can be identified by an abundance of small gravel in an area that is surrounded by larger stones. This is where they will spawn or lay eggs.

�Why is it wrong to fish the redds?
The fish expend a lot of energy swimming upstream and constructing the redds so they are semi exhausted by the time they actually find a mate. When you fish a redd you are placing more stress on fish that are already close to or at their limit. Hooking and fighting spawners can cause them not to spawn because they are spooked, stressed or to tired. The fight creates a buildup of lactic acid which can cause�some specie of fish to "absorb" their eggs or spit them out prematurely resulting in an unspawned fish and a loss to the population. The added stress can also kill them.

�

Why do�you cross down stream of someone fishing?
Because the sound, vibrations and silt will travel with the flow of water and not disturb the section they are fishing.

More to come...

WT · Senior Member

sehoner there is a sticky now up

SK60 · Senior Member

I would add that there other areas in Putah that rainbows will at least attempt to use because of lack of prime space. These may be deeper areas than tailouts and the fish or redds may not be obvious or even visible, so the best policy to follow is wade everywhere as little as possible and treat any gravel/sand area as a possible spawning site and avoid as much as possible.

SCWA is conducting a trout spawning survey/study in the IDR until next spring. You may see redd markers in the stream bed that they are placing to study individual redds. These are a flagged rod with a weighted bottom. Obviously, stay clear/leave undisturbed. Advise others that may not know what they are and to stay away.

Before the written venom starts flying, let's also remember that its not illegal to fish� over or around spawning fish; it is illegal to target them in any way for attempted snagging, including "lining". Members of Putah Creek Trout and�many members of this�Forum are�philosophically�against fishing above, around, and immediately below visible actively spawning fish or those preparing to spawn.

You�should report illegal activity of all sorts during the special regs season. If you can safely do it, take pictures, record license plate numbers (if you are sure they belong to the violators), note date, time, creek location, then take the time to submit to DFG thru Cal Tip or use the link on this Forum to report what you've seen. This will help DFG evaluate the level of reg violations that may be occuring and make checking the Creek a higher priority in the future. It is a painless way to make a positive contribution to the enhancement and protection of our scaly friends.