With Oregon and Washington fishery agencies raising
concerns over the risks to fish from lower stream flows and increased temperatures
this year these tips from Red’s Flyshop in the Yakima Canyon near Ellenburg,
WA are well advised for any flyfisher.
The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has just
limited late day fishing on many streams including sections of the John Day
River. The exceptions are major
Central Oregon streams including the Deschutes River above Mack's Canyon, Fall River, the Metolius River, Crooked River
from the mouth upstream to Bowman Dam and Tumalo Creek.
 |
| A flyfisher on the Fall River July 19, 2009 |
Nevertheless, these tips from Red’s are good for any responsible flyfisher -- and fishing early
in the cooler part of the day leaves more time for a beer in the shade of a
campsite.
10 Tips for
Taking Good Care of the Trout
First off, these are everyone's fish. Not just Red's
or the guy or the gal that happened to catch it that day. That being
said, we have a communal responsibility to take care of every single fish and
pay it forward for each other. Our team is doing our part to leave these
fish strong, healthy, and as vibrant as possible for your next visit.
- Play the fish quickly, you should NEVER have to revive a trout.
- Use heavy tippet to help decrease the landing time.
- Long Distance Release is ok! For real. Got a fish on that you prefer to release? Give 'em a bit of slack and let them free.
- Use one fly setups. This makes fish much more efficient to release since there is no tangling in the net.
- Keep 'em wet. Don't take them out of the water any more than necessary to remove a hook.
- Get a Ketchum Release Tool
- Know when to say when. Had a great day? Ease up or take the afternoon off and relax.
- SMASH your barbs down super flat. The hook should fall right out in the net most of the time.
- Fish the mornings versus the evenings whenever possible.
- Hero shots are zero shots. Don't hoist the trout out of the water during the summer. Let them swim, maybe get some pics of it laying in the water or hooked up and fighting it. Maybe a picture of you and your pal having a beer. I don't know. Make something up and take a picture. Just don't pick up a trout, squeeze it like a hot dog, and smile.
