11/10 report thank you northwest flyfishing magazine

edog7 · Veteran Member

11/10 report thank you northwest flyfishing magazine

drifter · Senior Member

Now, this is just a thought, not my opinion. Nor is this a response to you Edog, I understand your gripe. �Just something to think about, I'd kind of like to hear other's thoughts on this. �Maybe having more people at putah isn't such a bad idea. �Although added fishing pressure means less fishing opportunities for those who frequent the creek, and the possibility of having those "shiny wader wearing latte holding" fishers out there, possibly walking through reds (although I must say, the red flags talked about by SKs60 would greatly reduce this,....great idea), I think the real problem with putah comes from its non-designation as a wild trout river. �I think if putah gets such a designation, which would be more likely to occur with more people fishing = more people involved (anyone ever see "the hatch"?), the river will be much better protected. �I think its worth noting, that this article was posted in a "fly fishing" magazine, not something like the fish sni##+r ( i dare not speak that name). �All of us talk on this board like fly fishers are the shepards of the water, that fly fishing doesnt really harm the eco-system, if that is true, then a few more fly fisherman shouldn't hurt. �Moreover, I think many people will try putah out, get their but kicked, and then leave, never to return. �

Personally, putah is not my fav,(so i admit i might respond differently if it were) however, something like this happened to my favorite, the Yuba, some time ago. �At first I was OUTRAGED, there were fly fisherman around every bend (and yes, i understand the yuba is larger than putah, but trust me, if youve ever fished it early spring you quickly realize how small it is), however, I noticed one big difference over the years, the regulations tightened (went to barbless and artificial on the whole river, not just above diguere, and catch and release), as such, the amount of spin fishers was greatly reduced, to-date, i rarely see a spin fisherman any more. (fishing also got better) �I know a lot of people on here complain about the spin guys, (i know i do), I think the more fly fisherman, the tighter the regs, and the less amount of spin guys. �Of course this would mostly affect the summer/srping time fishing (as tight regs are already in place for the winter), but i think this could translate to more native fish throughout the year. �

Once again, not passing judgment, or trying to start a controversy, just currious to hear others thoughts. ��

shon42073 · Senior Member

I personaly have not had any problem finding solitude on putah creek and I've been fishing it about 2 days a week for the past 2 months. Of course I don't fish at the bridge much. With some waters open now year round maybe that will help releive some of the winter time pressure on putah. We shall see.

-- Edited by shon42073 at 07:06, 2008-11-11

SCM · Senior Member

I think anyone reading Northwest Flyfishing and living in the Bay Area would have already known about Putah Creek. As such, the recent magazine article might motivate a few people to get reaquainted with Putah, but such interest will be fleeting.� Putah fishes hard and, lets be honest, its not the typical stream environment the average fly angler is drawn to. I suspect for most it will be a one and done type event... especially after they are wracked with Poison Oak and snag their new pair of G4 waders on blackberry bramble!

Regardless, the fact of the matter...Putah is a publicly accessible water. That said,� for me its not about how many people use it, but how they use it.� I think that gets back to Drifter's observations about stronger regulations. Stronger regulations, better angler outreach, and more enforcement would go a long way to improving everyones angling experience regardless of the number of people on the water. Just my .02$

Lahontan · Senior Member

I like the way you all think.� My gut says that most who try Putah will move on after experiencing various degrees of frustration.

I need to pipe up about the wader/caffeine debate!� My waders are a leaky, soggy mess. They need to be replaced!�But like a 5th grader on the first day of school,�I'd hate�for my friends to see the new�ones�before being properly "seasoned".� Its going to happen sooner or later, so please keep your laughing to yourself. smile

��No, my mommy didn't buy them for me�...��and its drip coffee, black for me.�

I couldn't help myself...I sent the following email to the editorial staff at NWFFM. It made me feel better, I don't expect it to amount to anything.

Kind of�typical I suppose ... I'm getting closer to being able to�just fish once in a while and take this stuff a little more in stride ... like many of the veteran posters here:

What was Greg Vinci thinking? Steve Probasco ...

Come on you guys!� I love to fly fish!� I dont like to read about it all the time.

Ive picked up a copy or two of your magazine over the years.� Usually at airport newsstands when I need a fix while traveling for business.

You folks have taken leave of your senses publishing the article about Putah Creek, in your Nov/Dec issue.� Most of the places you write about are inaccessible, remote and have barriers to entry created by nature. Putah, is none of these things.

Your publication has an opportunity and I profess a responsibility to act as a sheperd of our sport and the resources it embraces.� Putah, its inhospitable environment, miserable conditions,� and tiny fish, certainly will get no help from the glowing review youve published.

This issue will be lining my daughters guinea pig cage very soon.

Ed Justus

-- Edited by Lahontan at 21:59, 2008-11-10

SK60 · Senior Member

Over the past 10 years I have seen references to or articles aboutPC in magazines like FlyFisherman and California Fly Fisher and articles in regional newspapers that have a much larger readership (I suspect)�than the Northwest magazine. Google Putah Creek Trout and you get over 19000 hits-one of which is a Fish Sniffer map. Putah is also listed on a number of regional club boards, as well as this one, so why does any one today think it is a big secret? And what of all the pics of the monster fish that so many have posted again and again on this Forum-thank goodness that seems to have slowed down recently. I am thankful that there is so much of the creek (basically all 5 miles)�fully open to public access-emphasize public. Its there to explore and, by the number of trails, has been many times over. I�had one member of this Forum showing me a number of "secret" spots that I had fished before. We all have our special spots, but we have to share them if someone else stumbles upon them and then we move on.
�
PC is "out there" for anyone to "discover"; IMO we need to accept that and, through education and personal practices, do our best to manage and protect this special resource.

AbelBoy · Senior Member

I had a round table discussion (lunch conversation) with the guys at the local fly shop about the article. We discussed about the possible spike in pressure. As mentioned in other parts of the thread, the pressure will lessen because is that a spike is just a spike. On another note, there is a positive side to the article: the benefit to the local ecomony.

With today's economy as it is, every little bit will help. The article had a sidebar that gave references to local fly shops, guide services, and instruction. If I remember correctly, the sidebar mentioned Fish First, Sweeney's, American Fly Fishing, Kiene's, and Fly Fishing Specialties. If the article helps bring people to these shops for flies, leaders, tippets, indicators, and maybe a fly rod and reel, I think the article did a great service for these businesses. If Bono and Rick Fox get new clients for guiding or instruction, the article did a great service for them.

We can't forget some of the businesses that weren't mentioned. Pardhesa's Store will sell a few more bags of chips and drinks. The Buckhorn might sell a few more steaks. The gas stations can pump a few more gallons of gas.

The guys at the shop and I talked about past articles. The same thing happened to the Lower Yuba River a few years back. Actually 2 articles were written on the Lower Yuba over the past five years. Bill, Ron, Damian, Derrek, and Hogan had more business guiding after the article. Some of the new clients became regular clients. Regular clients add to a steady cash flow for these guides. By the way, Hogan wrote one of the articles. I'm sure the Brown's Valley gas station/mini mart and Sycamore Ranch picked up a few dollars, too.

AB

-- Edited by AbelBoy at 22:46, 2008-11-10

JMO32 · Senior Member

I think you make great points Drifter.� Like mentioned before, Putah is not some secret place that we have stumbled upon while hiking in the wilderness.� It is right there along the road with fairly easy access throughout.��Hopefully, this article brings more attention from just the like minded "shepards".� If so�it can have a positive effect in changing the designation of the creek?�

Packrat · Senior Member

Remember that Monday was a Holiday for many. It was probably no more crowded than it would have been on the weekend.

flyfishingjunkie · Veteran Member

I agree with most of what have been said. It's about time Putah creek gets some respect and hopefully it will help in the effort to designate it as a wild trout fishery.

Frenchie · Veteran Member

I recently stumbled on an article about Putah Creek in a magazine from the 1970's.

It contained a lot of history, some fishing stories,�and discussed current issues impacting the creek. An example spoke of�copper pellets being dropped by planes, to kill vegetation, so a man would not have to rake vegetation from the grates of the diversion dam.��As a result the aquatic vegetation was being destroyed and the author sought help from California Trout and FFF.

Issues�like these�will be a constant threat to Putah�and will require as many anglers as possible to�take action.

I have not read the article in Northwest Flyfishing Magazine yet and can not speak for its content.�A good magazine article�would balance the fishing hype with information about the top issues facing the fishery and what steps "Joe the angler" can take to�get involved. The 1977 article was well balanced and has�inspired me to become more involved.�

On a separate note...would spilling coffee on your Orvis waders count as wear? Despite having fished them hard, my set from eBay is holding up extremely�well.�However, if I ever show up to Putah wearing one of their�tweed sweaters then someone please kick my�--> (�| ).

ONEWEIGHT · Senior Member

Frenchie . . . I hope you don't wear a tweed sweater period, let alone at Putah!!!!� I also read the article with mixed reactions.� It's nice to see Putah recognized in a national mgazine as a quality trout fishery.� I'm sure the article will serve as inspiration for many to give it an initial shot, or another shot for some.�

The reality is probably like you guys have already said . . . Putah does not offer the�"classic" River Runs Through It experience, and the crowd will be short term.� I fished Sunday, and there was a good crowd out there.� One run I like to fish had 4 guys in 60 yards.� Two guys who fish Putah somewhat regularly, and a father/ sun team who came because of reading the article.� They were both skunked at 2:30 after fishing�since the morning, and were pretty deflated with the experience.� I suspect that this will be the same experience that many realize.� Putah is a place that serves serious,� pretty diehard fly fishers.� The yuppie crowd seems to�head to some of the bigger profile places.

All people fishing Sunday�were�VERY polite to say the least.� Others were allowed to slide into spots on runs, no problemo.� No one was barging into areas that other fly fishers were working. It was great to see.

In the end, I'm sure we'll be in about the same postion we usually are as far as traffic on the river.

BTW . . . Shaun, I'm only open the Sunday of Thanksgiving if you still want to hit the creek and Buckhorn.� Rumor has it they may have a Peruvian waitress.

Lahontan · Senior Member

Frenchie ... Joe the fly fisher ... ROFL!!!!

good drop in!�� 1weight ::::::>>> Peruvian ??

I know there are a lot of sales guys reading this site ...
Working 10+ hour days lately, and still coming up short ... me too.
... but kudo's if your still getting it done!
I can't thank you sarcastic, funny SonOfAGuns enough for sharing your thoughts here.� Good stuff all.�� thanks, Ed.

shon42073 · Senior Member

I think I can make that day Bob, Please no rotten banannas. Maybe we can get the other guys together to.....Another place I've seen putah creek mentioned is in a few northern california fishing books last time i skimmed through a few at barnes and noble looking for a Geriach book. One of them stated that scuds were an excellent putah creek pattern

, Scuds ? I've never used no stinkin scuds, Am I missing something.

windknots · Senior Member

You hit the nail on the head, "A River Runs Through It" where "It" is "A Knot of Poison Oak". I agree, I don't think a single article in an obscure magazine will have a long term detrimental effect, maybe some near term pressure from more fly fishermen who are hopefully better behaved than the average angler and more likely to be catch & release. To really fish that place is harder work than most are willing to endure. Hopefully the outcome is more advocates for a creek that can use some support.

Riffledragon · Newbie

Before I began my article on Putah Creek for NW Fly Fishing Magazine, I pondered whether it would cause the creek to become overun with fishermen to the point that one would have to bring their own rock to stand on.� Then I realized that it's already like that, at least on weekends.� Putah is a lot like Hot Creek in that it is a small water that gets pounded daily yet still manages to provide a positive fishing experience for those who take the time to learn her.� Actually I don't think there is any more room to accomodate more fly fishermen so if more show up do to having read the article, they probably will be dissapointed in finding that places to fish are limited, particularly if its on a Friday afternoon or a Saturday or Sunday.� The sum of it all is that Putah is going to be crowded no matter what. �

Writers and magazine editors are very sensitive to the ramafications of writing about a small ecosensitive water that would be negatively impacted by additional fishing pressure resulting from an article.� California Fly Fisher is a good example of a magazine that almost never runs an article about a particular water (unless it's a river or tailwater) but instead will cover a general geographical area that may include that water.� Most magazines have similar policies, and because of that seem to run stories about the same old fly fishing destinations over and over again.� That makes it difficulat for us writers who either have to come up with a new angle on an old water, or try to find a non ecosensitive water that hasn't been written about before.�

I probably will write future articles on Putah in the future and I hope to cover some of the history and issues that have existed over the years.� If any of you out there have any info. that you think would be pertinant, please don't hesitate to email me.�

Greg Vinci

Otter · Senior Member

Fly fishing is fun.�

-- Edited by Otter at 18:16, 2008-11-16

flyfishingjunkie · Veteran Member

Otter wrote:
As a writer you should also use spell check since you have several words in your post that are not in the dictionary!!

-- Edited by Otter at 21:50, 2008-11-13

Oter let me start off with spelling your name wrong . . . sorry dude couldn't resist biggrin

Anyway I think you shouldn't be so hard on Greg. I have been fishing Putah for over 15 years now and have seen days were I was the only one fishing and days were people were rotating through holes, so I don't really think this article is to blame. In fact I would argue that a lot of the "brag posts" on this forum over the years have driven more people to the creek then any one article. Think about it, every time you post that "15 fish day" post, you have hundreds reading it.

As someone who also creates content for the fly fishing industry, I often contemplate about the pros and cons of what we do, but in the long run the promotion and education of our sport out ways most negative aspects in my mind. There are of course rivers and creeks that are taboo, but Putah for sure isn't one of them.

And if you want to see some cool Putah pictures see if you can find them:
http://marcelphoto.ifp3.com/

Cheers

�

-- Edited by flyfishingjunkie at 22:55, 2008-11-13

-- Edited by flyfishingjunkie at 00:24, 2008-11-14

shon42073 · Senior Member

I have a feeling starting this weekend more and more people are going to start showing on the creek since it goes to the winter regs. tomorrow. Crowds have been very lite in the spots I've been fishing but thats not gonna last much longer. True there are no "secret" spots on the creek but there are quit a few spots that do not get all that much pressure. You just have to explore and work a little harder then just parking at the bridge and walking down to the water, Of course your gonna have a mess of people at spots like that. Its always been like that. I do think the article is rather lame and really isn't good outdoor journalism. If it ever gets like nimbus or sailor bar on the AR i'll just give it up.

Flounder · Veteran Member

It does seem more crowded. I've been hitting the Creek every week or two over the past 6 months or so. Today was more crowded than I have ever seen the Creek. At 7:00 am, there were 3 cars #5 (including me). I left and went to another location. I had the run to myself until about 10:00, then people started to stack up on me. At one poin, one guy cut in front of my run by no more than 40 ft (and not even so much as a nod). . . time to call it quits at that point. . .

shon42073 · Senior Member

3 cars at #5

thats a light crowd, Many times I see about a dozen. Thats why I stay away from #5 and the run below the bridge.

LilWhippersnapper · Senior Member

shon42073 wrote:

3 cars at #5 thats a light crowd, Many times I see about a dozen. Thats why I stay away from #5 and the run below the bridge.

�That's what I was thinking. I always see at least 3 cars at #5.

the big j · Veteran Member

Hey Edog,

��Sorry that the Putah isn't your private santuary anymore. But as a newly addicted line thrower, I've been inspired to participate in the health of Putah which was just an off-ramp to me for years. As well as contributing to conservation groups I knew only before from bumper stickers.�

��Yes, its attraction is the closeness, but for me that makes it more a "mine" thing now too. In that I want to see it well managed so that You and I can enjoy it.�

��Too be honest, since starting, I also grip about the crowds, !!!!!!!!!!!!

But contrary to posted oppinion, I fish Putah for its difficultness, learn from the hardest!!!!!!�

mx19 · Senior Member

Nome of us are the self appointed kings of putah creek.Some of you think you are, but your not. We were all new to the creek at one time or another.If Keith were to put topics like this under the heading CRY BABIES I dont think many of you would want to add your 2 cents...Putah creek is my local water and welcome all to enjoy it.When I go out of town to fish other waters I dont expect the locals to throw rocks at me...
�� Ive driven up to putah when its been crowded and left the rod in the car ,geared up and headed down to the water.I spent the day helping strangers land a fish , get a good drift, learn to read the water , give them a small trash bag and ask if they could pick�up some trash�on there way out...
�� It's not always about me ,my self and I....I here a lot of people talk about making putah a better place.Im on the water at putah all year long and more days than 98% of you guys and I almost never see any action towards making putah a better place.talk is cheap and complaining is cheaper...Its so much easier to complain and point fingers than it is to put the time ,work and effort�into making a difference.Those that do and have� know who they are....

�� I guess what I really want to say is ."come on guys ,were better than this"
�� PS
�� The next person who has something negitive to say Iam going to throw rocks at you next time I see you at the creek... smile smile smile
��

WT · Senior Member

mx19 wrote:

�� PS
�� The next person who has something negitive to say Iam going to throw rocks at you next time I see you at the creek...
��

Well Put. smile

-- Edited by WT at 19:49, 2008-11-14

flyfishingjunkie · Veteran Member

WT wrote:

�
mx19 wrote:

PS
The next person who has something negitive to say Iam going to throw rocks at you next time I see you at the creek...

Well Put.

-- Edited by WT at 19:49, 2008-11-14
�

�I second evileye

brian clemens · Senior Member

THROWING ROCKS, did i miss something here.

Flounder · Veteran Member

at 7:00 am????????

Black Cloud · Senior Member

NEWS FLASH- Mx is right. The Bay area is home to 6 million people, Putah creek is no longer a secret. If I may quote a local politican, paraphrase and use artistic license. "The hordes are coming with their lattes and new waders,WEATHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT" and then his hair caught on fire!!!

SK60 · Senior Member

MX-I like most of your post, with the possible exception of throwing rocks-most of the ones I've seen are way too big-you could throw your back out smile

. These recent posts have the same content as several from last year: flows too low, too much crowding, rude behavior, etc., etc. The only real difference is its a new group complaining; next year it will be a yet another new crop that has to express its discontent. The rest of us have to jump in to commiserate with or straighten the newbies out. It seems to be the Putah Creek rite of passage: "discover" the creek, covet it, lay claim�to ownership, then resent it when the reality of the experience doesn't match the dream. Most get over it and move on to become counsel for the next "generation" of newbies, and so, on and on it goes, to be repeated over and over again. Think about what MX19 said and maybe the cycle can be short circuited.