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help a newbie out, anyone?

699 views 7 replies 6 participants last post by  Old Man 
#1 ·
I was on a stretch of the Snoqualmie this morning and I happened to find a fairly deep pool that would probably be called "frog water" at best.
There were trout rising almost every minute from 7am till about 10am. I tried almost every dry fly in my case, but I couldn't get a single hit. I couldn't see anything on the surface at all. I heard that this could be emerging caddis, but all of the rises were clean out of the water as if they were going for surface insects. Everything that I put on the surface produced nothing.
Any ideas on what to do next? I'm new, so maybe I'm just ignorant of how to read the conditions... help?

Thanks,
 
#2 ·
Often when fish are like this, they will be eating insects just below the surface, so fishing a dropper might be a good idea.

The other thing it could be is something like micro caddis or a really small gnat. And if they are being selective, its pretty tough if you don't have the pattern.

But its ok, those were probably steelhead or salmon smolts rising, if you were below the falls, and at 4 or 5" they aren't all that much to talk about. Not to mention that you would be harrasing another year's spawner.
 
#3 ·
I will try a dropper as you recommended. I tried a micro caddis when I was out and that didn't seem to work.
I can honestly say though, that these were not smolts. Some of them were easily 12". When these fish rose they would roll and I could see a very bright red coloring on its sides, this of course was mixed in with the smolts.

Thanks,
 
#4 ·
BooYah:
These could still be "smolts." Steelhead, according to my sources, stay in their natal stream for two years, unlike most salmonids who spent only one.
Some of these two year olds will reach 12", maybe more. Many have red bands. They are smart because they have been fished over many times. Catch and release is not always a good way to deal with them when the water is hot like this. They will stress and die.
If you do decided to target them, pour the rod to them and get them to hand as quickly as you can and then quickly release the barbless hook and don't touch them if possible. Use forceps, clamp and jiggle.
If you intend to kill them, then, of course, it doesn't matter what you do.
The more we can leave these large smolt alone, the better our fishery will be in the future.
Bob, the No Smolts For Me.:thumb
 
#6 ·
Question? Who keeps fish out of the rivers. I thought that you only kept Salmon if legal to do so. All Steelhead went back unless it is a hatchery brat and you wanted to eat one once in a while. At least that is the way I do it. But I should be so lucky to even catch the fish of 10,000 casts. I better shut up as I've caught about three or four on dries. What a blast.

Jim
 
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