Browns in Lake Solano...

jvento · Senior Member

Browns in Lake Solano...

brian clemens · Senior Member

it started going down hill when they stopped planting it. i know of a few that have been caught in the past, by packrat, they love the holes that u can barely fish in. if u hit the creek just right, time of yr, u will see a few redds skattered throughout the creek, mid to late oct, those are brownie redds, i did see a few last yr, and one redd that was being used my browns. what a site, just sat and watched for a good 30 mins

Xnjb707X · Senior Member

There are still a few in there, but not like it used to be. Had a few spots back in the day where browns would be sippin' on tricos mid day in the fall. Those were some good times, l landed a few trophie size ones too...

- Nic

Nohackle · Senior Member

A couple of years ago I landed a 23" brown that weighed about 5 lbs. The bad news is that it was foul-hooked. My indicator did go down so at least it was a semi-legitimate fish. Previous to that brown it had probably been over 10 years since I had landed a brown. My previous P.R. brown was 18 1/2 inches that I caught at access 5. I also caught a 14 incher and a couple of small brown "dinks", but that's about it. Historically, though, many of the biggest fish in the creek have been browns. There aren't many of them, but some of them are really big.

Packrat · Senior Member

Look here:

http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=65954&p=3&topicID=14564560

jvento · Senior Member

Very nice man. I really like how a few posts below yours Brian was sucking up to you because he "had never even seen a Brown," and now his avatar shows a fatty Brown.

-Jon

Packrat · Senior Member

jvento wrote:

Very nice man. I really like how a few posts below yours Brian was sucking up to you because he "had never even seen a Brown," and now his avatar shows a fatty Brown.

-Jon

Yeah, I think that was pretty much the time when Brian was just starting out fly fishing.

AfricanAngler · Senior Member

Packrat wrote:

Look here:

http://www.activeboard.com/forum.spark?aBID=65954&p=3&topicID=14564560

That is funny ...... Brian's last avatar was also a BIG Brownie.... biggrin

bono · Master Fly Fishing Guide

I agree with Brian that when the planting stopped the catch ratio plummeted.I used to see untill about 3 years ago many spawning areas that were used yearly by Putahs browns but I also noticed alot of harassment by the local river otters while the fish were exposed in typically shallow water over the last 4-or 5 years. I've heard stories and have personally seen the otters pluck trophy browns right off the redds. Another thing that I have noticed is an awareness of the general fishing population to the fact that these fish exist and even where they are located,unfortunately I would have to admit that alot of that awareness probably came from this web site.Last year I saw the least amount of brown spawning activity than I ever have over the last 25 years and so far this year I havent seen any. So if anyone happens to stumble upon a redd, its no different than the rainbow spawning areas,just leave it alone let them do their thing. Bono

SK60 · Senior Member

Here's a link from 2003 from the fish sniffer site. This is about the time planting stopped. They used to plant fingerlings back in the day. My friend caught a 6" fish last summer at 5 so some new fish are being produced. No Browns were captured during last weeks survey.

http://www.fishsniffer.com/dbacher/103103solano.html

brian clemens · Senior Member

nothing like a big o brownie. and yes that is when i just started fly fishing.

vince · Senior Member

Oh don't tell me that Brian, now you're making me jealous! I started fly fishing in 1999, but haven't caught nearly as many huge Browns as you.

Vince

brian clemens · Senior Member

ya started fly fishing Aug 2007

DrBombay · Senior Member

-- Edited by DrBombay on Sunday 8th of November 2009 03:43:39 PM

jvento · Senior Member

What you forget Vince is that Brian goes fishing more than most people. The more time out on the water and being in the right places at the right time leads to great success... and big browns :)

I know that when I went with him I caught some nice fish. Maybe his tan attracts the big boys ;)

-Jon

vince · Senior Member

Oh I don't forget that he spends more time on the water - I see the pictures!

So today I headed out with Richard and Sarah, and as I was tossing out my high-sticking rig, I was - no joke - thinking about this thread. I've always caught a good amount of fish, but not the giants Brian brings in. Or, as Drifter can tell you, I'll bring a giant in, and then drop the net and it will swim away

.

Well today I caught (well sort of...) what may be the largest trout I've hooked in California. It was at Putah, in about a 15 x 15 foot pocket. I was high-sticking a size 20 nymph on 5x (big mistake), when bam, I saw a flash of yellow and felt the rod shake. There was about an 11 inch fish that I had hooked twice in this spot in the past, but it always broke off because it's hard to play fish in such a tiny pocket. I thought it was this same fish again, pulled up, and the fish came up to the surface. It was a glimmer of brownish yellow, and instantly it went back down pulling my rod. I would tell you all what I screamed at that point, but I think Bono's forum would censor it.

So I was into this big fish, which didn't make giant runs because it was such a tight pocket. It felt like a giant sucker fish you'd catch on the Feather, or a salmon - really heavy and it would dive down into the bottom. I fought, and fought (past the point of comfort), so finally I really turned on the power. I was pulling it, turning its head back and forth, and it finally came up, then jumped to another pocket, and dug its face into a rock about 1ft deep. I tried to net it - no luck, it wouldn't fit, then if jumped pockets again into some bigger water, fought it there for another 4-5 minutes (I was really horsing it at this point), and it still wouldn't come in. I had another chance to head it across the water into my net, but the freakin' thing kept diving down. Anyways, right as I was about to horse it into the net again, the 5x tippet snapped. I yelled another expletive that Richard, Sarah, and another fly fisher way downstream could hear.

So then, I look over... and there he is! He's across the pool. I thought maybe he was still hooked and the tippet was wrapped around a rock (and heck, I wanted a photo of him), so I waded over, tried to reach him, and it was about a foot two deep. Well, hell. I tried again, and my fingers brushed his caudal fin. Well, "hell" I said, so I dove my shoulder and head into the water, grabbed his tail and he swam off.

Sorry for the long story. So, I had him in the net, and I touched him? Can I count this monster as caught? I sure as hell don't have much proof, except the screaming Richard and Sarah heard, and they saw me after the fact - I was soaked head to toe, shaking from adrenaline, and so content I dropped my fly rod in the water.

I'm not great at estimating size, but I'd say a conservative estimate would be about 21-22 inches. It was one fat fish though.

Vince

ONEWEIGHT · Senior Member

Vince,

We have to rely on your ethics here. Whatever you can sleep with at night!!!! No matter what you want to call it, it was a personally rewarding experience for you. That is what this passion/ sport/ addiction should really be about . . . that is enjoyment.

vince · Senior Member

Well, I won't be able to sleep with it, and not for ethical reasons... I'll be dreaming: "should I have used 4x instead of 5x?", "maybe I shouldn't have horsed it in so much", "I wonder if was a female"?

It was a blast. Fly fishing's never really been about the size of the fish for me, but I definitely see the allure of trophy chasing.

Vince

brian clemens · Senior Member

as far as 5x goes, i have landed some huge fish on 5x tippet both on my 3wt and my 5wt rods. a moster 27 1/2 putah creek rainbow on 5x on the 5wt and a 25" lil truckee brown on the 3wt. many many fish landed on 5x, and many lost as well. it could have been a bad not, a rock could have nicked it. could have been anything. if u fought it for as long as u did and it didnt break right of the bat i would say that the line just got nicked. nothing u can do there.

awesome story though. looks like ill be going out brownie hunting this coming week.

vince · Senior Member

I should clarify - it wasn't a brownie for sure, it just had that deep olive yellow spawn color.

Thanks Brian - I think hearing that means I can sleep. But, maybe I'll switch to fluro just to be safe

rgloft · Senior Member

yup me and sarah did hear some yelling from up valley and looked at eachother wondering what was going on upstream when vince came back down we could see a new man coming back down stream with a new spring in his step and I thought I saw him walk on water for a second good job vince lets do it again wednesday

prettyfly · Veteran Member

Yep! It's the truth, everyone! ("Mrs. Loft, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth so help you God?" "I do.") hahahaha.......I couldn't resist, guys..

It was nice that one of the three of us caught something out there today-- it's almost as exciting as hooking one myself! My favorite part was when Richard and I heard Vince shouting, and even though we didn't know what was happening at the time, we looked at each other and nodded and Richard said, "That's the sound of a man who has just lost a big fish!!" just as I was thinking to myself, "I know what THAT sound means!" ----it was only 15 minutes later when Vince came down to find us that we were --unfortunately--right.

My second favorite part was hearing Vince explain to us what had happened and I had to laugh when he said "The fish was getting away so I just DOVE IN and GRABBED him!!"

Bear Grylls, Vince. You're the real thing! biggrin

SK60 · Senior Member

Vince-I know for a fact that some of the experienced fishers on this board will count a long distance release as a fish "caught". In this case its like counting coup, you touched her (probably a female from the description-the big ones are starting to move around preparing for the "act"), so I would chalk her up. If in prespawn, the less handling the better-two of the big survey fish started dropping eggs with the handling for taking weights and size. The fact that she hung around and let you touch her is a sign you tired her out, so be sure the next one you catch can swim off if its a long battle.

-- Edited by SK60 on Monday 9th of November 2009 02:46:23 PM

DrBombay · Senior Member

Theres no big fish left on the creek

. There gone. Don't even bother people ! Put in 15 hours of fishing this weekend on the creek. The weed growth is concerning to me.

Packrat · Senior Member

If you're fishing for big browns, and you're doing it when they are spawning, and you're using beads, it's not that difficult to catch them.....right Brian? wink

Otter · Senior Member

Hmm. Well waiting for the page long reply. biggrin

-- Edited by Otter on Wednesday 11th of November 2009 10:13:44 PM

DrBombay · Senior Member

Vince, If you use a medium, slow or "full flex" rod you'll protect the lighter tippets more succesfully.

brian clemens · Senior Member

well depends on if you are lining fish on the redds or fishing behind them. i always fish behind them. its just like fishing the yuba with beads or glo bugs when the trout are spawning or the american when the salmon are spawning or steelhead.

easy way to put it, i have no problem peggin a bead or using a glo bug and fishing it on my set up as my top fly (ya i know beads r not flys). it immitates what the fish are eating, any smart guy fishing the spawn will either peg a bead the same size and color or use a glo bug. easier to get the right color with a bead though.

so YES I USE BEADS WHEN FISH ARE SPAWNING.

Hey Packrat last time i checked, when u fished the LT last yr, u told me they was takin eggs like crazy and that i should use beads. so i went to kienes and got some. lol. its all your fault. haha

Packrat · Senior Member

brian clemens wrote:

Hey Packrat last time i checked, when u fished the LT last yr, u told me they was takin eggs like crazy and that i should use beads. so i went to kienes and got some. lol. its all your fault. haha

Not me bro, I don't even have any eggs or glo bugs in my box! JT's drowned midge was the hot fly for me last year...

I'm just giving you a hard time anyway.

brian clemens · Senior Member

ya i know u are, and yes the jt drowned midge was on there as well. oh ya mighty mites too.