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From RuralNorthwest.com Miscellaneous Fishing Articles Vol. 3-11-04
Before we get to Slim's Christmas missive and shopping list, here are two items of good news to wind up 2004. Kokanee spawning effort - Hatchery Manager, John Rankin, reports a total egg count as of Wednesday at 16.2 million Kokanee eggs in the hatchery. Let's break that count down for you, 14.7 eggs taken at the Granite Creek trap since spawning began in early November,.5 million eggs taken at the hatchery ladder (Clark Fork River), and one million early spawning eggs from the Canadian Hatchery north of Cranbrook. Betting is hot and heavy that our hatchery gang will bust the record of 22.4 Kokanee eggs taken in 1999 and released as fry in the spring of 2000. The daily egg take record was already broken this year with 1.5 million eggs taken on one day last week and another 1.4 million day shortly there after. (That is a lot of squeezing by the hatchery troops.) Habitat management went into play once again when the hatchery crew transported 3,000 mature Kokanee from the hatchery ladder site to new spawning beds in Spring Creek. Next spring, Kokanee fry from this transplant effort will move into Pend Oreille via Lightening Creek. One way or another, you folks around the great Lake Pend Oreille area are going to get your Kokanee fisheries back. Hang on a little longer. Last scheduled day for taking eggs at the Granite Creek trap is Jan. 7. We'll take a trip to the hatchery after that and get you a summary report on the 2004/2005 spawn in mid-January. Get out your 2005 calendars and put down: 10:30 a.m. at Far North Outfitters in Bonners Ferry on Saturday, Jan. 8. Ruralnorthwest.com is joining forces with Butch Short of Far North Outfitters to bring you a Ice Fishing Clinic (ice fishing is referred to as Hardwater¨ fishing by North Idaho folks.) None other than our esteemed Regional Fisheries Manager, Ned Horner is our featured speaker. Amongst Ned's accolades as a hunter and fisherman is his proven expertise in ice fishing. Just ask anyone from the Twin Lakes area if you doubt that statement. Ned will be talking about ice conditions, species found in our local waters, and basic under ice fish biology. This is going to be an informative and fun session for the novice and expert alike. We hope you will attend and bring a youngster with you. We're even asking our fly fishing guru, Slim Pickens to come up from Coeur d'Alene just in case you fly fishermen want to talk winter river fishing with Slim. Once again, that's an Ice Fishing Clinic on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 10:30 a.m. in the Far North Outfitters store. (Far North Outfitters is located across the street from Les Schwab just south of Bonners Ferry on Hwy 95) O.K. here's Slim On the Fly
So it's the New Year, easily two and a half to three months till the beginning of the thaw, but still-by the grace of the powers that be, time to catch the first trout. John Gierach It's all about dry flies and leaky waders. Patrick P. Pickens I join with Uncle Bud in expressing a festive and happy holidays to the readers of RuralNorthwest! Of course, peace and goodwill are at the top of my wish list ... next would be a pair of breathable waders. Sure hope Santa comes through. Having checked with some fly shops, local river reports are pretty barren. If you are interested in the fly fishing opportunities this winter, I would recommend my previous report, where I offer a few suggestions on fly patterns and list the selected rivers with a winter stream season. And speaking of my previous report, I get to announce my first clarification! Leave it to our Regional Fisheries Manager, Ned Horner, to find my error. (I would like to say I did it on purpose, just to see if everyone was paying attention. But it's so close to Christmas and I hate being on the naughty list.) I reported that the US Geological Survey was recording their water data as running at cubic square feet, i.e. 2800 cubic square feet. The USGS actually records the water at cubic feet per second or cfs. So you have a block of water one foot tall, one foot deep, and one foot wide, per second. What 2800 cfs means is that 2800 cubic feet of water is flowing past that place in that particular river every second. Makes sense to me. Thanks, Ned. Christmas shopping can be a perplexing time for some people when it comes to things that a fly-fisherman might want. My wife will attest to that. I even find myself lost sometimes in all the gadgets out on the market. So I wanted to dedicate a little space to those that might want to narrow the list before wading in. To begin with, if you are buying any type of gear (net, vest, rod, reel), be careful. If they specifically asked for something, great. Just remember that all fishermen cherish gear that can tell their story. What one person sees as a dirty old fly vest could be a treasure that will not be relinquished until it falls off, literally. If you already have something in mind, make sure that it is comparable to the rest of their outfit. For example, do not buy a $120 Orvis reel if the person is fishing with a $50 rod. Even though the reel is certainly nice, the person will probably want to invest in a better rod (which is sometimes a good excuse for us).
You would probably be best served by purchasing gifts that will be used. Some of my top favorites are: Tippet material Some of the most commonly used are 4X, 5X, and 6X. These sizes cover a variety of fishing situations. Monofilament or fluorocarbon tippet are both great. Mono is cheaper, and they both have good attributes. It will be used regardless, so you can't go wrong. Leader I would purchase nine-foot lengths in the above dimensions. Again, Fluorocarbon will be pricey. I would put my money on mono leader. Ginks fly floatant. *Wader repair kit. If they are breathable, go with Loon's Outdoors UV Wader Repair. *Rain jacket/parka, wool sweater, wool socks, and polypropylene long underwear. *A dozen flies of either nymphs or dry flies. Ask an employee for the best sizes and flies. Most are pretty common. (Key words are May fly and Caddis fly) *A bottle of Johnnie Walker's Scotch whiskey. *One of my favorites was a small emergency type backpack/knapsack to take on trips. It could include: handy-wipes, anti-bacterial soap, sun block, Bactine, aspirin, bandages, bug spray, toe nail clippers, can opener, pepper spray, phone card, disposable camera, and an optional can of jalapeno chili. If you end up going into a fly shop such as Joe Roope's Castaway Fly Shop expect to find people that are interested in helping you. If you are a beginner or expert, Bob Drummond and his staff at Orvis Northwest Outfitters provide some of the best customer service in town, for any type of store. I try to shop local, but one of my new favorites that I can afford to visit more often is Sportsman's Warehouse by the Spokane Valley Mall. Quality flies at a moderate price with knowledgeable help. I have been pleased with their tippet and leaders that carry the Sportsman's Warehouse name. It is usually half the price of brand names such as Cortland, too. (I wonder who makes it.) All in all, I hope you have a very merry Christmas. I would love to try and answer any questions you might have for that fly fisherman out there. Unless, of course, it has to do with how many cubic feet of water is flowing per second, on a particular river, at a given point in time. Happy Holidays, Slim Pickens © Copyright 2007 by RuralNorthwest.com |
