D and NU closures

clarkman said:
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That said, they still have to expend energy they wouldn't otherwise have to expend (obviously not as much as being hooked and played, but still).
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I don't know, that feels like it's really on the margins? Assuming pointless fishing would only be allowed when water temps are safe for fish , then it's hard to imagine getting a fish to rise for a hookless fly would have any measurable impact on the fish or fishery? I think a fly tied on a short plastic tube would reduce the possibility of an 'incidental' hookup to almost zero too. That said, I'm just another guy sitting in an easy chair offering an opinion.
 
the_grube said:
That said, I'm just another guy sitting in an easy chair offering an opinion.
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Aren't we all....😆. I've gotten quite good at that!
 
Just my opinion, but the hook gap issue is a red herring. If they really want to protect the wild steelhead in the D then close the river. Right now ODFW don't have an unbiased way of determining whether you're fishing for trout or steelhead, so it just comes down to how the warden feels about you (which is BS). And the closure isn't really doing anything significant for the steelhead, since the folks fishing deep with nymphs or 'trout' streamers are going to hook way more steelhead than the guy swinging a hitched wet on a floating line in the tailout. Who do you think hooks (and breaks off) more Steelhead bycatch in the Deschutes than the Euronymphers? Anyone wanting to see how that hook gap thing works in practice, head over to the Met during whitefish season and watch all the locals fishing Intruders with #16 stingers. Yeah, they're legal (if the ever get checked). It's just sad the state of Summer Steelhead these days, as Rob pointed out this closure will only result in the Klick (and later the John Day) becoming a clusterfuk.
 
If you really want to get pissed off about how they are handling it, read Amy's post about the legal bait fishing for 3 miles below Shearers. As if steelhead don't eat big gobs of roe....

deschutesangler.com

Our steelhead fishery closed on August 15

Sherars Falls is the point where they count, or miscount, the wild steelhead. The estimates of the run size will determine if we will be able to fish for steelhead in 2027.Friday, August 14 was the last day of steelhead fishing on the Deschutes for the year - in all likelihood. We were hopeful...
deschutesangler.com deschutesangler.com
 
Here's what I'm getting out of all of this,


fishing is really fun.


People don't like having their fishing taken away.
 
JD closed now too. I guess that makes my decision to burn or keep my time off a bit easier. Ugh... And this means the Klick & GR will be even busier than they already are. I'm going to sit this year out. Looks like a fall of fishing for invasives with some trout sprinkled in.
 
skyriver said:
JD closed now too. I guess that makes my decision to burn or keep my time off a bit easier. Ugh... And this means the Klick & GR will be even busier than they already are. I'm going to sit this year out. Looks like a fall of fishing for invasives with some trout sprinkled in.
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Brutal year for sure. Hopefully the masses get the point and just avoid all C tribs, but I guess that's not how human nature works. It is for sure not how the shop guides work.

I'm a bit lucky in that I had big sailing plans for this fall(It's the 50th anniversary of the kind of boat we race and more than half of the 150 built are going to Santa Cruz for their nationals) so that will help cover a lot of my season. I'll probably lay low after that and then hit the coast early.
 
It’s not all big C tribs, summer fish on the Willamette are better than the 10 year average. I hate the 10 year as a base line as it keeps adjusting what is average down, pathetic when viewed historically.
 
skyriver said:
I'm going to sit this year out. Looks like a fall of fishing for invasives with some trout sprinkled in.
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This is the direction I've gone in the last dozen years or so. Why? because they're plentiful, can be incredibly difficult, can also be incredibly easy...AND, trouts, capr, faux muskies, & smallies are all so incredibly fun (and some incredibly difficult) in their own way. Personally, for steelhead, I really only get out for winter steelhead a handful of times every year these days...every year that becomes less and less....
 
I just like being in the places steelhead live. Actually catching fish is pretty far down the list for me. Once it cools off enough for the snakes to chill out I'll probably do a D trip with the family. Permits should be available and some great camps open.
 
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