report 4-19

edog7 · Veteran Member

report 4-19

mx19 · Senior Member

No planters....Most people will not admitt it ,but the majority of the fish everyone boasted about catching were planters...factor in that the last couple of years the spawn has been below creek average.....It will get worst before it gets better....

ONEWEIGHT · Senior Member

I've been skunked on about my last 3 outings, so you're not alone. I catch fish everywhere else. The fish are in there, that's for sure. When we did the electrofish with DF&G in November, the 150 yard stretch that I worked on had over 240 rainbows in it!!!!! The guys are just way smart, we have to be at our best.

Hopefuly the C&R regs will help to improve the fishing experience over the next couple years.

Bob

underdogyaz · Veteran Member

putah creek is laying on her death bed and dying fast...its a waste of time going there anymore

bono · Master Fly Fishing Guide

I really believe that this down turn in the quality of fishing in the creek is part of a natural cycle.All trout waters experience this just not to the extreme that Putah has. But I think that gradually, especially since the reg changes, the creek will rebound. The lack of planting, siltation,poor management,poaching, and river otters are in my mind all part of the overall problem. Time will tell! Greg

Iasc Beag · Veteran Member

I have to agree with you about the otters, I was up there a few weeks ago for the first time. I did more walking, sitting and looking then fishing but I saw seven otters. Three just below the dam and another two pairs between the fishing access parking spots (the two pairs where having what looked like a territorial dispute and were making a fierce racket).

Take the fishing pressure from humans and then add in the excellent hunting skills of a healthy population of otters and you have a lot of fishing pressure. All those otter will have little mouths to feed so the numbers will most likely increase. However, the otters have more of a right to be there than we do so I don't believe there is much that can be done.

DrBombay · Senior Member

Guys, don't just sit back and watch putah creeks fishing go to hell. Atleast get out there and help, Theres plenty of opportunities to get out there and be apart of the solution. Get out, Help hang signs, educate others, go to cleanups, fill out the surveys.

AfricanAngler · Senior Member

DrBombay wrote:

Guys, don't just sit back and watch putah creeks fishing go to hell. Atleast get out there and help, Theres plenty of opportunities to get out there and be apart of the solution. Get out, Help hang signs, educate others, go to cleanups, fill out the surveys.

I second that !!

Doc-Mac · Newbie

The fact of the matter is that there are very few fish in Putah once the planting stopped. The planters were food for the big fish in Lake Solano as well as the pan fryers. It seems that the one area that was not addressed in the zero take limit set for this year (which I supported and still do) is that we need to augment the current population in order for this to develop into a blue stream trout river...

ONEWEIGHT · Senior Member

Factual evidence from the DF&G electrofish done on Putah in November actually contradicts this. There is a healthy and diverse population of younger rainbows in the stream In the 200 yards that we worked, there were 240 rainbows netted. Most were in the 5"-10" range.

I would doubt that this is indicative of the entire creek these days. I've been skunked in areas where I alaways caught fish in the past. However, don't let the creek fool you, there are a hell of a lot more fish in there than it seems.

Bob

Otter · Senior Member

Oneweight Bob is right the fish are in there, but with the rising flows they are harder to catch. The fish actually move around quite a bit this time of year, keep moving if you aren't catching. Right now you have to fish the creek like the Pit or the Upper Sac. High stick lots of weight up to an SSG plus a AAA. The bugs right now are big. Big soft hackle, followed by an S and M with a midge dropper. MX19 and Bono should be having a clinic soon.

SK60 · Senior Member

The November survey was 3 days, Access 5, Access 3, Bridge. The numbers netted increased as one went towards the bridge. This was a single pass procedure, so numbers netted are the minimum number one would expect. Any ##/mile calculations under these conditions are flawed and crude, but if 200 yds were surveyed, then 1760 yds/mile gives you a multiplier of 8.8 X # fish (240)= 2112 fish/mile at the top, a respectable number. The fact that most of the fish netted were small is a sign of a reproducing population that, with protection, will be our source of future trophy fish.

We (this forum) have to carry the load to maximize that protection. Get out there and talk to violators and FF alike. Report the illegal stuff when you fill out a box survey form; do it on line from home-just make the effort please. Be an active stream keeper. This is a long haul effort and has to be consistent.

I agree with Bono on the cyclic nature of fisheries in general and the effects of the specific environmental problems that the Creek and fish face. We may not be able to control or affect most of these, but we can affect the human contributions to the down turn in the fishery. Dr. Bombay said it: please do your part, contribute any way you can.

-- Edited by SK60 on Tuesday 11th of May 2010 12:40:40 PM

curmudgeon · Member

I know Greg and his website had the best of intentions when it started, however the membership has probably quadrupled or more in the last couple of years..You would have to ask Keith or Greg about the numbers. But in reality there are a whole hell of a lot more people fishing the creek and fishing it successfully as a result of this website, and all the braggin'. I don't believe that anyone is purposley exposing Putah trout weaknesses, but you would have to be fools to believe that everyone that comes to this site has Putah Creeks best interest in mind.

I love Putah because that's where I learned to flyfish with my late father back in the 70's, not because I caught the biggest or the most fish there. I'm disapointed now because it was special to me and now there are some real pricks that I run into from time to time, and that kind of ruins the experience for me.

Moral of this story. Enjoy Putah, don't brag about it to everyone you meet. and don't be a prick.
KHB

LilWhippersnapper · Senior Member

What is there to brag about at Putah?

ONEWEIGHT · Senior Member

You just can't have everything with a website. The world is not a perfect place. Putah fishes much tougher right now and that's the way it is. If you would like to get connected into the furthering the betterment of Putah as a trout fishery, this website serves as the conduit to do such. Step up to bat and donate time, as so many people who post on this site have done. This is how change is acomplished.

Putah is on the road to improvement. Putah Creek Trout and Department of Fish and Game have stepped up to bat. Individuals need to step up as well. There is much work at the grass roots level which needs to be done. This is a great opportunity to give a hand to a great group dedicated to improving the fishery.

Bob

bono · Master Fly Fishing Guide

I totally agree with Bob and this is coming from a guy who has been more than involved with the "healing of Putah". And as KHB has stated about the web site bringing a whole lot of attention to the creek , as I've stated in the past I really stuggle with this so much that I truely considered shutting it down but was told by numerous people that someone else would just start a new one in its absence so that is part of the reason I and we are using this site for the postive things we can bring to the creek. The membership from this site have been the core of our group PCT and as information develops and needs to be dispersed this site is the perfect avenue to accomplish this. So hopefully the positives this site brings will off set the negative impact it has brought in the past . By the way KHB I like your "constitution" cartoon! LOL!!