The Fishing Report: Equal days and nights

The Vernal Equinox, which occurred on March 20, means that there are equal parts, day and night. Then the days will slowly get longer and warmer. Are we sure that didn’t happen on February 20? It surely seems like winter ended a couple of months ago and the fish apparently have the same notion.
I steelhead fished the beautiful South Fork Eel last weekend for a mix of mostly downers and a few “freshies.” There was almost no one on the river saving and excepting the huge amounts of wildlife we got to enjoy. From river otters, to bald eagles, to lots of deer, turkeys, ducks, quail, and geese, it was just a joy to be out there in nature’s back yard. And yes, we caught a fair number of wild steelhead as well. We floated two days and between the three of us, we managed to each land a couple of fish a day on both drift gear, plugs and jigs and bobbers. I have a picture firmly etched in my brain of a beautiful 10 pound wild steelhead exploding right in front of a downed redwood tree. The bobber went down and I set the barbless hook and the fish jumped and took off. The fish then swam back under the tree and had me but made the error of swimming back out into the river. It was released unharmed and slightly smarter, I would hope.
The Russian River had several of its best fishing days of the year last week after Tuesday’s rain. Kevin Young reported catching two fish last Thursday, one of which was a superb fish at 22 pounds. The other was just a mere 13 pounds. 35 pounds of steelhead is a lot of fish. Kevin figures to have caught well over 20 fish this year on the Russian.
Steelhead fishing on the Russian River should continue to be good through the end of the month. The Warm Springs Hatchery is reporting that they are receiving an average of 50 fish a day have gone over 3,800 fish. Coyote is reporting 3,200. The Hatchery manager is hoping for the total of both facilities to exceed 10,000 fish which would be a really good year for the Russian and one that hasn’t happened for at least six years. Fishing with bait is permitted through the end of March and then returns to artificial lures only.
A lot of anglers I know are gearing up for the Ocean Salmon opener on April 6. There will be some sort of in season restrictions announced later this month, but for now it is going to open at two king salmon with a minimum of 24 inches. These great tasting spring fish will typically be found further off shore along the 50 fathom line feeding on krill. Strong north winds will do their part to mix up the water, and spring ocean conditions can be very dangerous. Booking a spot on a party boat would be advised sooner than later.
Tickets to the Golden Gate Salmon Association dinner being held on April 4 at Freidman’s Hall in Santa Rosa can be obtained by going to their website at www.goldengatesalmon-association.com or by calling me. I have a few tickets left. This great event sells out every year and is a really fun time with great food and lots of raffle items. Ticket price will include your membership to GGSA which focuses on supporting Sacramento River salmon. If you are a salmon lover, you need to support this group. Donations are still being accepted.
For more information and or reports, please contact Hunt Conrad at Prospect Mortgage, 431-9715.