a sight to see

Xnjb707X · Senior Member

a sight to see

101fish · Senior Member

That must have been something. I have known salmon run up to the damn from time to time, and have sworn I saw a small jack in the creek once. Were they on redds when you saw them?

Xnjb707X · Senior Member

No, They were in the deep hole right as you walk down along the fence. and about 2 years ago, in the winter out at Putah i was fishing a rifle below access #2 and saw a fairly large salmon, i could tell because it rolled right in front of me as it went up stream. I new it was a salmon because of all the white patchy looking marks all over its body.

Oh, and speaking of redds, My buddy was out at the creek and saw some guy fishing they spawning beds with 10 lb test! and at that he was hooking them in the fins and tails! Damn snagger! My friend talked with this guy and the guy tried to tell him some bull sh%$ story about how he was only fishing for the males that hang behind the redd. My friend is a newbie to fishing so he didnt even know the guy was snagging tell he told me about it, So i had to tell em'. Lets just say the guy is lucky I didnt catch him because he would of herd an earfull from me. I can't stand when people do this. With all the other fish in the creek, some people have to target the fish that are spawning. I don't get it.

- Nic -

-- Edited by Xnjb707X at 16:58, 2006-11-30

shon42073 · Senior Member

I've seen salmon at the diversion damn years ago, i almost stopped to see if there were any in last weekend, damn i should have stopped. is that private property down there now? I mean most likely they are not gonna find suitable spawning habitat in there, so what do ya think about tryin to hook into one, not snagging, but you may get lucky and have one take something. after all they are just gonna die off and feed the birds and racoons. I have often thought about tryin to get something going to get a fish ladder built there, that would defenitly make putah a awesome fishery, can you imagine having a good salmon run in putah. Anyways i hope these guys keep showing up because damns are not forever !

Xnjb707X · Senior Member

If there is anything we can all do to get a fish ladder built or try to atlest, please let me know, I've already contacted the fish and game, but I have yet to get a response back. Who knows. It just may happen someday if we get enough people involved, or maybe get the media involved to put presure on the DFG to do something. I just feel bad if those salmon came all that way up the creek and get stuck at the derversion dam, and cant spawn so they just die off. Something must be done.

- Nic -

windknots · Senior Member

Stop the presses!!!

Before anyone goes out to fish for or snag these fish check out this article, apparently these fish indeed ARE successfully spawning in the creek as a result of a lawsuit that mandated restoring flows to the creek during critical periods in the salmon's anadromous cycle.

http://www.news.ucdavis.edu/search/news_detail.lasso?id=6836

Somebody has gone through a lot of trouble to give these fish a chance to restore themselves in the river, these fish need all the help they can get.

shon42073 · Senior Member

very interesting article, ok so lets not try to catch one !!!! these fish need are help.

bono · Master Fly Fishing Guide

I was involved years ago in the surveying of lower Putah creek for salmon and steelhead and ironically was the only person to catch a small 8" chinook salmon on my fly rod between Winters and Davis.That small fish was all the proof needed to overthrow the current water releases of the time which were barely sufficient to support spawning of these fish.And since then a stream keeper for lower Putah was formed,I believe it's still Rich Marovich.Also spawning habitat was developed for the salmon and steelhead near Winters last year.As far as the fish ladder is concerned,be careful what you wish for because if salmon and steelhead are allowed to migrate to the areas between diversion dam and monticello dams the fishing during the spawning months may be closed to protect these fish.This would obviously be good for the fish steelhead;salmon and trout alike but would make alot of flyfishers like ourselves have to take up table tennis.I really struggle with this scenario for obvious reasons and have thought about it quite a bit because this is something that one day may really happen.But for now I would recommend staying away from these fish trying to spawn and just enjoy watching them do their thing.

yukon mike · Senior Member

If anyone sees poaching such as snagging or netting, go up to the parking lot at whatever access
you are at and call fish & game. I saw enough last year and I am fed up with it. I think the local
warden is named Ted at the Solano Lake station. We need to keep after both poachers and
wardens. I am not going to put up with seeing one more Keystone Light guzzling slob nailing
fish like it was July. I currently take a digital camera with me and I am going to use it.
I will print out every last freaking one of them for the big shots to deal with, including
car photos with plates if possible. I hope they will find it difficult to argue with what goes on.

Death to Spincasting
Mike

Matt R · Senior Member

Dont mess with ol Yukon. Hey Mike take it to them those kind of people suck really bad.

Than go get those damn cute river otters in the slow section between 4 and 5 they're screwing up my fishing at dusk. There's atleast 6 of them and everytime they come thru the fish stop rising.

Matt

yukon mike · Senior Member

Sorry, I think the otters have native fishing rights. I've been burned by the little boogers as well.
One day I was fishing above #3 and heard this weird noise. I looked down right in front of me,
there he was muching away on something, and quite happy. Oh well, I just moved upstream.

Mike

flyfishfreak · Member

bono wrote:

I was involved years ago in the surveying of lower Putah creek for salmon and steelhead and ironically was the only person to catch a small 8" chinook salmon on my fly rod between Winters and Davis.That small fish was all the proof needed to overthrow the current water releases of the time which were barely sufficient to support spawning of these fish.And since then a stream keeper for lower Putah was formed,I believe it's still Rich Marovich.Also spawning habitat was developed for the salmon and steelhead near Winters last year.As far as the fish ladder is concerned,be careful what you wish for because if salmon and steelhead are allowed to migrate to the areas between diversion dam and monticello dams the fishing during the spawning months may be closed to protect these fish.This would obviously be good for the fish steelhead;salmon and trout alike but would make alot of flyfishers like ourselves have to take up table tennis.I really struggle with this scenario for obvious reasons and have thought about it quite a bit because this is something that one day may really happen.But for now I would recommend staying away from these fish trying to spawn and just enjoy watching them do their thing.

It is interesting you mention this possible scenario. I wonder, because Calaveras has a similiar situation with having a winter Chinook and Steelhead run and it remains open only in the Winter I believe round.

Fishmom · Member

Interesting-there was an article in the Vallejo Times-Herald this a.m. about the poor salmon return this year due to low flows. Sounds like you found more spawners than their surveyors.

Salmon article

-- Edited by Fishmom at 21:18, 2006-12-18