I fished on Wednesday in the bridge area and had a wonderful time. It was heavy overcast and lots of bugs were out, and the fish were eating. I used a caddis pattern as an indicator with a small nymph (brassie, midge, bwo, etc.) about 18" under it with a tiny split, and fished faster water. Took several fish in the 12-16" range, as well as two 20+" fish, and had two take off on me like submarines.
The only thing that spoiled my outing was watching people fish to the obvious spawners in 12" or less of water, practically standing on top of them. I told one guy that those were spawning fish, and that most people don't think it sporting, or wise from a sustainable perspective, to target them. He didn't say much, but moved on soon, without argument. As I was driving out, I saw another guy fishing, or snagging, standing in the redds. Not pretty. I know some people just don't know any better, because I was there once, and I know that just by fishing in Putah right now, you have a good chance of hooking a spawner. But who needs a fish that bad? Spread the word, people.
Yikes, I wish I had a day of fishing like that, have to live vicariously for now I guess.
Greg had posted that link about the Putah Creek Council, I wonder if it would make sense to work with them to get some approval, then raise a few dollars for materials, get some volunteers, dig a couple of holes and get some signs installed at each of the access areas regarding wading/fishing ethics during spawning season. I like to believe that most people are reasonable and willing to comply with some simple guidelines if only they knew. Putah is a pretty unique area in terms of it's location and the quality of fishery that it offers. Any other thoughts on this? Is it a big enough problem to make it worth the effort?
i've been fishing putah almost every weekend lately and can honestly say i have never come across anyone trying to catch spawning fish, but signs would be a good idea in my opinion. I find it odd how the fish show almost no fear of me when they are spawning ,last weekend i was standing there watching em for about an hour ,at times i was no more then 10 to 15 feet away in plane sight and the fish didnt seem to care one bit, i bet those big blue birds kill more spawning fish then people do. One other thing was i read that spawning trout like salmon have very little interest in feeding at this time, so i was thinkin that when they are done theres gonna be some really hungry fish out there. Man theres some serious bruisers in that creek, never realized how many big fish there are, i saw a few that had to go 25 inches.
On Wednesday there weren't many people around, so I guess people felt free to follow their instincts. And speaking of predators like the blue herons, there was a big otter swimming around the spawners, and I imagine taking his or her pick. It's true that there are animals eating those fish, but that doesn't make it any easier to stomach people targeting them. I think a sign would be a very good idea. Like you, I enjoy watching fish as well as catching them.
