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The Release

It's really exciting to know that starting March 1st there will be no take of wild steelhead on the Smith and the rest of California for that matter. The Smith was the last remaining fishery that allowed for the take of wild steelhead. Hopefully we will all be seeing a lot more of this in the future...

Smith River Regulations to change March 1, 2010

I just saw this on Rich Zellman's blog and thought it would be good to post. It's about time they stop allowing people to kill wild steelhead on the Smith. A step in the right direction.

2010 Smith River regulation updates:
Below are freshwater sportfishing regulation changes for the Smith River that will become effective on March 1, 2010.

1. A North Coast Salmon Report Card will be required for the Klamath, Trinity as well as the Smith River.

2. No retention of wild trout or steelhead on the Smith River.

3. The daily bag limit will be 2 hatchery trout or hatchery steelhead with no more than 4 hatchery trout or hatchery steelhead in possession.

4. 1 Chinook salmon and no more than 5 wild Chinook salmon per year.

Good Work John Casali...Eel River Cleanup

A great article about a man named John Casali who set out to clean up the Eel River. It is cool to see someone getting attention for taking the initiative to clean up a place he loves and calls home. It's unfortunate the river is getting more attention for the trash on its banks, rather than its beauty or fishing. Great read!

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_14356983

JH

New Idylwilde Website

Idylwilde just launched their new website and it flat out rocks! Aside from being the best fly company in the industry, they also have the best and most innovative website I have seen. They added a new blog, signature tier pages, and some really cool photos. Make sure to read a few of the bios from Idylwilde's signature tiers. A few of these are pretty damn funny! Check it out and make sure to stop by your local fly shop and check out the newest Idylwilde patterns that feature premium skunk repellent!

Brief Coast Report

We were able to get one day on the river in this week. With off and on rain showers and the river forecasts predicted to drop, things were looking good. Rain and showers on monday night and tuesday certainly did not help things. While the river was a nice steelhead green, the flows were just too high. We floated a 6 mile stretch of river that only allowed us to swing 3 runs due to the flows just being too high and fast. All things considered we did manage one good grab that didn't stick in one of the three runs fished. Looks like another big storm is moving in for the next few days and the rivers are predicted to jump big. Looks like it will be at least another week till something drops in.


The other downer of the day happened after we finished our float, we decided to walk into one last run before dark. Upon returning to the rig, I noticed someone had slashed my raft in two different places. In all my years fishing the coast, I have not had many run-ins till now. I have a pretty good idea of who might have done it, as the idiot was watching and heckling us most of the day throughout the float. Rest assured that if I see him again, things will not be pretty!