Hi All,

Just joined the forum after many months of snooping around and reading your posts.    Thought it's about time I added, or maybe subtracted, some value :)

Got started fly fishing nearly 45 years ago as a young boy in MI.  It's one of the things my Dad and I enjoyed doing together.  He's gone now, but his passion for fishing lives on in me.

Been in CA for nearly 25 years now and love the state, might be a few too many people....   Beautiful coast and mountains.  It just has it all, plus great fly fishing.   Been all over the state, like many of you, fishing all the big spots, but never really liked fishing Putah much.   Fished the creek back 20 some years ago and remember seeing more used condoms and whisky bottles than fish.   Trash everywhere, lots of silt in river and so on.  It was a real disappointment.

So to all of you instrumental in the change of regulations, cleanup and care of the fishery - thanks.   It's a totally different fishery now, a place to be proud of and enjoy.   I've fished the creek several times over the past two seasons and although can't say I've knocked it out of the park, I did score a few and saw many fish - very large fish - and at this point the failures are on my part not the creeks.

After my previous visit, last week, I started thinking more about how fishing the creek may be different than a lot of tail waters.   I worry that I may have worked too hard on getting my flies on the bottom, when in reality the fish could be feeding more mid current in the weed beds.   I'm wondering if a soft hackle approach is more appropriate in this water.   I read somewhere that the fish move up from the bottom as the midge hatch progresses.  That early morning they'll be down deep, but then move higher in the water column as the bugs start to hatch and rise to the surface.  Makes sense, but wonder what other more experienced Putah fishermen think.  I plan on attacking the creek, on my next visit, with this approach and hope it works - as I really don't care much for high stick nymphing (nor does my torn rotator cuff shoulder).

Again, just wanted to say Hi!

Troutie (Paul)

p.s. I'm building a wooden drift boat and thought I'd attach a picture.   That's a whole different forum thread.