Well this sucks

[the_grube]

They shut the North Umpqua down last summer on July 1st until today; Dec 1. I took today and Monday off in order to fish it 4 days in a row. The river has been at summer levels since it's been closed. I figured there's gonna be some summers hanging around in the upper river, and maybe the odd early bird winter fish in the lower sections.

2 weeks ago as I'm getting totally psyched to fish my river I tell my wife: "it'll probably blow out that weekend, ha, ha, ha"..... Fished a slowly rising river today with a few trout and a few tugs that 'coulda' been sumpin'. Hydrological predictions at Steamboat and Winchester show the river rising SEVEN FEET in the next 36 hours.... Only about 1in of rain so there must be a big 'ole snow melt coming

 

[Salmo_g]

I feel your pain. Life is uncertain. Fishing is even more so.

 

[SculpinSwinger]

Missed you yesterday. Nearly 3” rain forecast for tomorrow…

 

[Buzzy]

They shut the North Umpqua down last summer on July 1st until today; Dec 1. I took today and Monday off in order to fish it 4 days in a row. The river has been at summer levels since it's been closed. I figured there's gonna be some summers hanging around in the upper river, and maybe the odd early bird winter fish in the lower sections.

2 weeks ago as I'm getting totally psyched to fish my river I tell my wife: "it'll probably blow out that weekend, ha, ha, ha"..... Fished a slowly rising river today with a few trout and a few tugs that 'coulda' been sumpin'. Hydrological predictions at Steamboat and Winchester show the river rising SEVEN FEET in the next 36 hours.... Only about 1in of rain so there must be a big 'ole snow melt coming

My wife and I drove down I-5 past several of Oregon's storied steelhead rivers, they all looked really good to me! I hope you didn't jinx yourself. Took a break at a rest area in Northern California, right on the Klamath River, the river looked great. A run right by the rest area looked really sweet.

Good Luck @the_grube

 

[Merle]

Took a break at a rest area in Northern California, right on the Klamath River, the river looked great. A run right by the rest area looked really sweet.

That sounds like the same exact spot I stopped at 35 years ago on my way south to college in August 1988. I specifically remember looking the river right next to the rest stop parking and being so disappointed that I had to keep driving to school. I just wanted to fish.

At the time I don’t think I even knew what river it was, I looked it up later and learned it was the Klamath.

 

[Buzzy]

That sounds like the same exact spot I stopped at 35 years ago on my way south to college in August 1988. I specifically remember looking the river right next to the rest stop parking and being so disappointed that I had to keep driving to school. I just wanted to fish.

At the time I don’t think I even knew what river it was, I looked it up later and learned it was the Klamath.

Andy -
Coming from a guy like me that worked in two hydro electric dams for 28 years this may sound hypocritical but it's exciting to think about the potential for salmon to once again swim way up that river and maybe some steelhead too. I loved fishing the Klamath River when I was at OIT.

 

[Paige]

First Klamath River dam removal effort complete, leaving three for next year

HORNBROOK, Cal. -- The project team for removal of Klamath River's four dams says work on the deconstruction of Copco No. 2 Dam is done today.

www.kdrv.com

 

[the_grube]

My wife and I drove down I-5 past several of Oregon's storied steelhead rivers, they all looked really good to me! I hope you didn't jinx yourself. Took a break at a rest area in Northern California, right on the Klamath River, the river looked great. A run right by the rest area looked really sweet.

Good Luck @the_grube

I live about 10mi upstream from where I-5 crosses the N. Umpqua. If you get the chance get off I-5 at Del Rio rd. head a little south on 99 and pull off at the dam and check out the fish ladder

 

[the_grube]

Missed you yesterday. Nearly 3” rain forecast for tomorrow…View attachment 93183

Such a beautiful river; no bad days fishing it ever. I fished all day Friday and Sat morning; couple trout and one lazy steelhead grab.. 2 hard tugs then vamooooseee; no amount of comeback fly tactics were able to entice the fish back for another look.

 

[Rob Allen]

Missed you yesterday. Nearly 3” rain forecast for tomorrow…View attachment 93183

I know that spot, fish it often. It never produces for me. I bet ive fished it a hundred times. Obviously I fish it wrong.

 

[SculpinSwinger]

I know that spot, fish it often. It never produces for me. I bet ive fished it a hundred times. Obviously I fish it wrong.

I can’t say I’ve fished it as much as you, but my results have been the same. One of these days…

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

It seems so appropriate that in the last season of the PAC 12 that a PAC 12 has a chance to win it all.
Go Dawgs!

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

With all the BS in NCAA football now, it makes watching the NFL much more appealing.

 

[Buzzy]

With all the BS in NCAA football now, it makes watching the NFL much more appealing.

How are you doing swinging flies through the North Umpqua? ;-)

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

How are you doing swinging flies through the North Umpqua? ;-)

It looks like I posted my rants in the wrong spot. But, it poses the greater question: "Which is more effed up, current steelhead management, or the BCS?"

 

[Yard Sale]

Seems like Ma nature and ODFW are both saying eave this run alone. Just because it opens doesn't mean you should fish it....

 

[the_grube]

Seems like Ma nature and ODFW are both saying eave this run alone. Just because it opens doesn't mean you should fish it....

I won't speak for Mother Nature (apparently you're sort of comfortable doing so). But I know with certainty that ODFW isn't telling anyone to layoff... read the regulations for more details.

 

[Yard Sale]

I won't speak for Mother Nature (apparently you're sort of comfortable doing so). But I know with certainty that ODFW isn't telling anyone to layoff... read the regulations for more details.

Right. Because the small run that comes up before December that isn't sustainable to fish suddenly becomes sustainable on December 1st.

 

[Rob Allen]

Sustainable or not closing rivers due to poor run size has not saved a single steelhead run anywhere, ever.
Let people fish empty rivers if they want to.
Closing rivers is of absolutely no conservation value at all and fishing rivers with poor returns is in no way unethical.