One thing is the "Redds 101" class that MX19 puts on at putah. it didnt happen last yr, but i sure hope it happens this yr. And to MX19 I would love to help you host the class. I do know if this class happens I would be able to promote, I would let the guys know at Kienes and American Fly, and the shop I work at up in Placerville to make a sign up sheet. The more people we can educate the better. I can also keep an eye on how many there will be so that way MX19 and whom ever helps him is not overwhelmed with to many people. I look at it like this one person that is educated on redds whether on putah, yuba, american or anyother river, that one person will tell 2, those 2 will tell 4, those 4 tell 8, and so on.

So "REDDS 101 CLASS" to start.

No I work at Mosquito Creek Outfitters. Down the street at the corner of broadway and main.

I agree with what was said that no matter how we cut it there are people that will fish the creek, summer or winter, that cause more harm than need be. Education is the key, and I think things like a redds class is a great idea.

In my personal experience just striking up a friendly conversation with people and chat about the new regs etc. has always led to being able to get our point across. This summer I spoke to nearly a dozen different fisherman on the the creek that didn't know about the new regs. Some were and some weren't in contravention of them but always managed to leave on a positve note.

Have chated to a few guys this winter re:spawning and fishing around redds ( don't know that much myself!!) and excepting one instance it too has been very positive. In that case my approach was just to leave it alone were I saw the discussion was not leading to anything rather than enter into a heated discussion as I felt it would only serve to errode the progress and positive sentiment towards PCT.

Anyway happy Holidays to all,

Cheers

Alastair


-- Edited by AfricanAngler on Tuesday 21st of December 2010 04:16:29 PM

I was not able to do a redds 101 class last year.One of the main reasons was the lack of spawning fish....Im hoping this year will be better...Keep your fingers crossed...

The fish in Putah do not enter the system from Lake Solano during the spawn, they are throughout the system all year, just harder to locate during the summer high flow months. There are alot of slower deeper stretches of the creek these big bruisers like to hang when there not in the pre or post spawn mode. As far as the fish density is concerned I was not impressed by the results of the electro-shocking survey we did but also realize that type of survey is very inefficient. One thing I do know is the numbers are way down compared to what they used to be years ago. I say this because during the months of Sept through Dec I used to see pods of very large fish I assume were in the pre-spawn mode (sometimes these pods would have 30 to 60 fish) now those same areas have only a couple fish and some places have zero. That for me is a real good indicator of where this creek really stands.

Just took my dog for a walk out at Putah to go check out redd activity, and this year looks about the same as last year. Not huge numbers in redds, only a few. Greg is right there used to be lots of fish stacked, especially right at the bridge. Not to mention some of the fish were stretching 30+ inches, but now not so much. I used to just go grab some brew and post up at some of the main redds and watch these fish for hours. Now I saw a few redds in all the regular spots but some redds were empty with no fish at all.. Hopefully the creek will bounce back. @ hobbs Lake Solano does not fall into the reg change.


- Nic

-- Edited by Xnjb707X on Wednesday 22nd of December 2010 10:39:52 AM

Lake Solano is not stocked due to the Center for Biological Diversity Lawsuit.  it is open to general trout regulations.  It is open only for the season with a 5 bag limit.  All forms of legal bait may be used.

Bob

Damn otters....lol. Thanks for the info, Ive seen quite a bit of spawning activity as well throughout. Im finding that its pretty easy to avoid the spawners and redds if you are careful...maybe thats just me. The vast majority of fish I have caught have been under 14 inches...they sure are fun, beautiful fish.

i wouldnt pretend to be the most experienced fly fisherman. certainly spotting redds is new for me. being a nympher am i wrong in thinking that the spawning isnt happening in the faster moving runs im drifting. my crew loves putah and wants to see it continue to improve as a local fishery but we gotta fish when we can get it. 

If there is good gravel then there is a chance fish could be spawning there. Ive hit the creek 7-8 times over the past six weeks and have found it pretty easy to avoid spawners by following the above concepts. Catching the smaller fish is really fun and its awesome watching the big spawners do their thing. Plus, by being out on the water I have had some productive conversations with other fishermen and I can keep an eye out for illegal activity.

dorf40 wrote:

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Not so fast hobbs.  I am new to forums and have been fishing the creek for the past couple of years.  Being new on the fly, I certainly concentrated on redds due to lack of knowledge and just an awe by the size of the fish in the creek.  I have been out several times this year and am now concentrating on catching the smaller fish.  It is very difficult to not site cast to the bigguns', but I have been converted.  Thanks to all for the education.

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Sweet. Welcome to the forum dorf40!

 

Just not so fast on finishing on the redds thread.  I am learning the do's and don'ts for the creek and  fly fishing in general and appreciate any information I can get.