Fish! It's that time of the year again.

[seth_js]

First trip up to the White Mountains this year. Our first trip out is generally the last weekend of March or the first weekend of April, and it's normally perfect. However, this year we had a very good winter, so there is tons of runoff. This particular creek is about twice it's normal size and moving really fast. We still managed to do ok though.

 

[KC Cruiser]

Which creek is that? Always looking for new places up there to explore and fish!

 

[adventureduo]

Awesome!!!

 

[Dave]

Not a shred of evidence of a fishing pole in any of those pictures...you all just use your hands??

 

[mountainpete]

That's great! What did you catch them with?

I was looking at the Bow River (the main river that goes through Calgary) this afternoon and it's more then clear enough on the banks to go fish. Still a while until the mountain streams are clear and open though.

Pete

 

[kcowyo]

First trip up to the White Mountains this year.... We still managed to do ok though.

I'll say.... You have the knack. Always in beautiful spots and always with nice fish.

 

[seth_js]

Which creek is that? Always looking for new places up there to explore and fish!

I could tell you, but I'd have to kill you.
But seriously, that particular creek is my absolute favorite fishing hole in the state. Not only because of the outstanding fishing, but also because you won't see another human there all weekend. I do most of my fishing on the reservations. Get yourself a map of the white mountain apache reservation and the san carlos apache reservation and just start doin'n it. That's how we found that gem. And remember, catch and release if you want the streams to continue to produce those kind of fish.

Not a shred of evidence of a fishing pole in any of those pictures...you all just use your hands??

Noodling for trout.

That's great! What did you catch them with?

Worm of course. I can pull fish out of streams here (smallmouth, trout, bluegill) all day long with a 4 ft rod, 4 lb test, and a double cup of worms.

 

[Dave]

Noodling for trout.

:xxrotflma

 

[GeoTracker90]

That's great! What did you catch them with?

I was looking at the Bow River (the main river that goes through Calgary) this afternoon and it's more then clear enough on the banks to go fish. Still a while until the mountain streams are clear and open though.

Pete

A couple years ago I was talking to a gentleman about the Bow River. His take was that it held some very good fishing and was, for the most part, relatively unknown in relation to how good the fishing could be. Hope that it hasn't gotten too crowded over the years.

Mike

 

[Mike S]

...And remember, catch and release if you want the streams to continue to produce those kind of fish.... I can pull fish out of streams here (smallmouth, trout, bluegill) all day long with a 4 ft rod, 4 lb test, and a double cup of worms.

A couple of points about catch and release...

1. If you are going to release a fish, do NOT remove them from the water, and bring them in quickly so that they do become exhausted in the struggle.

2. Bait fishing is a no-no - the fish will, all too often, ingest the bait and take the hook deep into their throats, and will die of the wound, if you don't kill them trying to remove the hook.

3. Use barbless hooks on artificial lures or flies, and release them gently without taking them out of the water.

Thanks for your sportsmanship and conservation efforts in the future.

Mike S

 

[dnellans]

A side note about catch and release that I thought some might find interesting.

I only recently learned, after years of fishing, that if you fishing catch and release and the fish has managed to swallow the hook or if you're having trouble at all retrieving the hook it is far better for the fish to just cut the line and leave the hook in the fish than to tear it up getting it out. A fish's digestive system will disolve a hook completely in less than 2 weeks giving it a much higher chance of survival. Than if you cause significant bleeding wrangling a hook out.

 

[mountainpete]

A couple years ago I was talking to a gentleman about the Bow River. His take was that it held some very good fishing and was, for the most part, relatively unknown in relation to how good the fishing could be. Hope that it hasn't gotten too crowded over the years.

Mike

Many parts of the Bow are extremely crowded. The fishing however, can be simply amazing - especially if you float the river south of the city. The river is so nutrient rich from the city treatment plants that the browns grow very large. From where I am, I can be on the river in 20 minutes and pulling in fish.

Personally, I prefer going north of the city towards Canmore. The fish aren't as large, but in my opinion they are healthier.

Pete

 

[seth_js]

A couple of points about catch and release...

1. If you are going to release a fish, do NOT remove them from the water, and bring them in quickly so that they do become exhausted in the struggle.

2. Bait fishing is a no-no - the fish will, all too often, ingest the bait and take the hook deep into their throats, and will die of the wound, if you don't kill them trying to remove the hook.

3. Use barbless hooks on artificial lures or flies, and release them gently without taking them out of the water.

Thanks for your sportsmanship and conservation efforts in the future.

Mike S

If they are a decent size, and I want a picture, I remove them from the water for all of about 5-10 seconds. I leave them in the water until I'm ready for the pic. When I put them back, they are held facing upstream for 5-10 seconds before being released.

I would say about 1 out of 10 actually ingest the hook. When that happens, depending how far in and how badly they are hooked, I make the decision of wether or not to try to get the hook out, or just cut the line and leave the hook. Leaving the hook increases the fishes chance of survival over trying to rip the hook out.

Live bait or artificial lures... same thing. If the fish is going to ingest it, he's going to ingest it. And actually a lot of the artificial lures have trebles (a lot with 2 trebles), which are a lot harder to unhook and more likely to damage the fish. I also smash all the barbs on my single hooks when using live bait.

 

[snipecatcher]

hey

I've caught a WHOLE lot of fish that have hooks down in their gullet, and are living just fine. It is ok to take them out of the water a bit for a picture, and if the hook is too deep to pop right out, just cut the line, the fish will be ok. I've seen a fish caught that was missing both eyes, and had been for a while. Strange, but it really shows how hardy they are. Down here on the coast, there are several fellow shark fishermen who participate in a national tagging program, and believe it or not, some of the sharks are recaptured, and people get to find out how much the shark has grown and traveled in the time since they were first caught. This is just on a small fishing forum, there's no telling how many of them are re-caught by people who do not belong to the forum, so I would say catch and release is for the most part effective, no matter the circumstances. Sharks are actually pretty delicate, believe it or not.

Back to the subject of your catch, nice fish! I've never had the pleasure of stream fishing for trout, but it is something I would love to do someday. If I ever get far enough north to do it, I'll be out in a stream somewhere with a fly rod!

 

[dnellans]

snipe, interesting you've seen hooks in fish. i mostly trout fish for things well under 20 inches and don't think i've ever had a keeper and found a hook in him. i only keep ones that i've foul hooked in a bad way and are likely going to die.

i wonder how much of the dissolving hook is myth or fact? my source was one of the fishing rags, not what i would consider a reputable source.