Please leave the spawners alone!

SK60 · Senior Member

Please leave the spawners alone!

Xnjb707X · Senior Member

I ran into a real fisherman last year using a streamer with a streamer dropper fishing a redd. He acted like he didn't know they were spawning. This happens every year. Just leave the creek alone, don't even fish it. Let the fish procreate in peace. It's not worth fishing and damaging a redd or putting hurt on a spawning fish. Go out there and enjoy the creek in other ways. Walk a dog.. Have a picnic.. Watch the beautiful trout do their thing.. but leave the rods at home! Time to educate the ill-informed. Peace.

- Nic

Sonomafisher · Newbie

I think most people on here agree that fishing the redds is unethical. But what are your thoughts about fishing during this time of year all together. We know the fish are spawning. Should we be fishing at all on Putah?

Berryessie · Senior Member

That is the great ethical question. I have gone back and forth on this in my mind a bunch of times trying to decide what is the answer. I think we can all agree that actively pursuing fish on redds is a no no. However fishing the heavier deeper water where there may be fish holding and not spawning is not the same as fishing over redds. There may not be as many fish holding in these areas because the others are in the spawning areas so you have to deal with it. Some people tell you not to fish the creek at all during the spawning months which is considered the last half of November to the first half of February (3 months). Now lets think of the flows in the summer that make most of the creek not fishable to wading, May-Sept (5 months). That would mean you can't really fish the creek for 8 months of the year leaving only fish the creek 4 months to fish divided into the fall and the spring doesn't sound very appealing to me. Make up your own mind about fishing the creek this time of year. My advice would be to learn how to fish the creek during the summer and high flow months. It can be challenging, frustrating, and rewarding.

-- Edited by Berryessie on Tuesday 13th of December 2011 08:44:03 AM

Xnjb707X · Senior Member

It's a catch 22 with fishing the creek right now. Yes, stay away from redds. Definitely don't fish the redds regardless. You can find deeper water and find fish that aren't spawning, but my whole thing with that is those fish might be resting or on their way to spawn. If caught it could interrupt their motive to spawn, or abort the spawn due to stress or death. I'm not saying that this happens to all fish but it could happen. Is fishing behind redds ok? Thats another issue that I see out at the creek, along with careless wading. But the regs say you can fish the creek at this time of year. Use you best judgement, and stay away from the redds. Try avoid wading in the creek all together if you can. I personally think the creek should just be closed during this time of year. Then we wouldn't have any of these issues out there with the spawn. Too many people break the rules, and use ignorance as their excuse. I'm sure it will upset people if they couldn't fish the creek in the winter. The spring, summer, and fall months have great fishing too. Yes the water is higher but there are some great holes to fish, and plenty of them. I'm not trying to knock anyone who fishes the creek at this time of year. I'm just saying in general it would be better in the long run if we leave the creek alone for awhile. Peace.

- Nic

Bob Loblaw · Senior Member

Is there any research available on trout or salmonoids and their reaction to being caught during the spawning season?. After all, all sea run species are specifically targetted during their spawning run and if wasn't a big problem for Steelhead one could assume the same would be true for rainbows and browns...or not.

Obviously fish should be left alone anywhere near a redd, and redds themselves should be off limits to wading (perhaps temporary signs could be placed at the biggest redds during the winter), but do we know with any degree of certainty that fishing in deeper water, away from redds, is an undue bother to the fish?

Atlantic salmon go on auto pilot as soon as they enter fresh water and stop feeding and can go many weeks in the river system before returning to the ocean and food. We know that they spawn after being caught, even in a presumably weakened state. You'd have to think that Putah's feeding fish could handle it....though I'd really like to see some analysys.

SK60 · Senior Member

Perhap the biggest problem is that PC has relatively few spawning fish providing the bulk of the progeny. Why endanger their success for a few thrills? These fish are in waters so shallow they can't hide, so they take off when you approach or hold very still on the redds-another stressor for them. Their habitat right now is the worst shape its been in my memory (15 years) and we are seeing fewer fish this year in the three prime spots we have been watching for two years.

PCT believes its time to start working on spawning habitat restoration if the gains made are to continue to grow. Closing the stream is a possibility, but would not be a popular one and is less likely to have a major impact than sufficient suitable gravel areas. There should be a good crop of new breeding stock maturing in the next few years, and they will need the space. So, unless the glory hole blows, its going to be up to us to make the beds.

Bob, there are signs warning of spawning fish in the area for the biggest sites, if they haven't been torn down. Let us know if they need replacing. And of course, talk (gently) to those you may come across fishing the redd areas. Believe it or not, there are people who fish the creek and never visit this forum, and don't know what a spawning fish looks like.

iamamultitasker · Senior Member

There's a phrase that perfectly describes people who fish the spawners at PC: Penny wise, pound foolish. I see the policy of leaving the spawners alone as the same thing as investing in the future. The creek is already good, why not give it a chance to be great?