River Snorkeling with Cutthroat

SpawnFlyFish

SpawnFlyFish

Steelhead
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I know this wasn't the video people were asking to see but I snorkeled a local river this week before the rains came and it was truly remarkable. Saw countless steelhead and cutthroat. Spent way too much time in this pool with these fish but I couldn't get myself to leave until the go pro died. Of course once it died I proceeded to see even cooler pools of cutthroat and steelhead with no camera.

Anyone else out there been snorkeling there local rivers?

 
I had a time I was snorkeling a lot. I still have my stuff but it's been years since I've gone. I really should do it again. It's such a cool way to experience the rivers.
 
I haven’t done it this time of year, but I can attest to how amazing and eye opening it can be. Also, cold. Great footage!
 
Evan B said:
I had a time I was snorkeling a lot. I still have my stuff but it's been years since I've gone. I really should do it again. It's such a cool way to experience the rivers.
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It was unreal this was on Tuesday, flows were really low so low that a couple times I had to get out and walk. Outside of getting chased by a dog that ended up being friendly it was incredible!
 
Have not done any in more than 25 years but it was always great to get close and in person with a school of our salmonids.

Hands down the most stunning schools I ever had the pleasure of watching were large schools of bull in trout in the early fall. Seeing schools of maybe 50 fish in full spawning colors with the larger fish being the size of Chinook were definitely WOW moments!

Curt
 
Smalma said:
Have not done any in more than 25 years but it was always great to get close and in person with a school of our salmonids.

Hands down the most stunning schools I ever had the pleasure of watching were large schools of bull in trout in the early fall. Seeing schools of maybe 50 fish in full spawning colors with the larger fish being the size of Chinook were definitely WOW moments!

Curt
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And sometimes the biggest bull trout are at the very back of the school, in the tail out, in water so skinny you’re about to actually stand up, or maybe you do stand up, and all of a sudden…
 
Smalma said:
Have not done any in more than 25 years but it was always great to get close and in person with a school of our salmonids.

Hands down the most stunning schools I ever had the pleasure of watching were large schools of bull in trout in the early fall. Seeing schools of maybe 50 fish in full spawning colors with the larger fish being the size of Chinook were definitely WOW moments!

Curt
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that is so cool! I need to do more of it in the fall when the salmon are in! there are many instances when the water is low and clear and would make for an amazing day snorkeling. Only problem is the rivers are open to fishing those days too! hahaha
 
SpawnFlyFish said:
that is so cool! I need to do more of it in the fall when the salmon are in! there are many instances when the water is low and clear and would make for an amazing day snorkeling. Only problem is the rivers are open to fishing those days too! hahaha
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That's the problem for me... in WA, I'd mostly go when things were closed, which was often. In OR, things don't really close... so if I have the time, I'm fishing.
 
I used to assist Alaska Dept of Fish & Game with steelhead snorkel surveys. I saw some pretty cool sights and some odd ones (chum in April!) but we never took a go pro. It was interesting to see the amount of life, i.e., vegetation, insects, fish species, etc. in systems which drained from a lake versus those without lakes.
 
Pescaphile said:
I used to assist Alaska Dept of Fish & Game with steelhead snorkel surveys. I saw some pretty cool sights and some odd ones (chum in April!) but we never took a go pro. It was interesting to see the amount of life, i.e., vegetation, insects, fish species, etc. in systems which drained from a lake versus those without lakes.
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Right there is so many cool things in the river. I saw a ton of steelhead, got a couple on camera but the footage wasn't anything like this footage so I left it out!
 
Pescaphile said:
I used to assist Alaska Dept of Fish & Game with steelhead snorkel surveys. I saw some pretty cool sights and some odd ones (chum in April!) but we never took a go pro. It was interesting to see the amount of life, i.e., vegetation, insects, fish species, etc. in systems which drained from a lake versus those without lakes.
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You think because of the "sockeye subsidy" in river systems with lakes boosting overall productivity?
 
Matt B said:
You think because of the "sockeye subsidy" in river systems with lakes boosting overall productivity?
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Well the lake system stream did also have sockeye runs, so that would add biomass but these streams didn't have huge runs of sockeye like, say Bristol Bay streams.

I think it was more due the more stable hydrologic regime the lakes provided. The lakes act as a buffer and stabilize stream flows, those streams didn't get as low and cold in the winter and or as low and warm in a late summer drought. Flood flows are attenuated also.
 
Great stuff.
As a kid, we used to snorkel the Smith River in Northern California while camping at Jed Smith SP.
On several occasions, we encountered sturgeon in the deep pools within the park. That was a pretty cool experience seeing them along the bottom.
Not sure if they were white or green sturgeon though.
SF
 
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SpawnFlyFish said:
I know this wasn't the video people were asking to see but I snorkeled a local river this week before the rains came and it was truly remarkable. Saw countless steelhead and cutthroat. Spent way too much time in this pool with these fish but I couldn't get myself to leave until the go pro died. Of course once it died I proceeded to see even cooler pools of cutthroat and steelhead with no camera.

Anyone else out there been snorkeling there local rivers?

Click to expand...

That school seems to be hanging over the lighter colored bottom rather than the adjacent cobble. Is that bottom bedrock or sand?
The fish look in pretty good shape. Do you think that they are pre or post spawn?
 
I do this in late fall right after the typical closure on my local rivers and free float down to collect bobbers and jigs. I have a bucket slowly accumulating Beau Macs :D its good fun, should bring a camera next year. I run into quite a few poachers doing it though...
 
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