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By Sean Fenner, February 16, 2010

Saturday started out as a beautiful day. I woke up early in the morning to head up to the San Gabriel River, the birds were singing and the coffee was calling my name.

The Reservoir was filling up the OHV area and will be fishable soon, and the water levels were running fast and high. I hit the corner to the entrance of West Fork and utter shock came over me, I knew since we had all of the recent rain the fork would be a little blow out but this was insane.

The water was running Dark Brown with sediment and all of the stream lining shrubbery was wiped out. I made my way back to were Bear creek dumps in and the difference in water color was shocking, it was like photos from National Geographic of the Amazon River trying to force it’s way into the ocean. I am extremely worried about how many fish will survive, and how many if any fish spawning will produce this year.

I had to get my mind of this, so I strolled over to the East Fork to fish one of my favorite holes and breathed a sign of relief when I seen the water running high and clear. What a load off my mind, a large amount of sediment run off on both major forks would be devastating to the Wild Rainbow Population.

East Fork yielded a few tiny fish and a couple of half hearted looks from some larger ones. Water Flows were high and the fish tend not to bite as well when you can’t get your fly to stay in the strike zone very long.

“I want to urge anyone that goes fishing on the San Gabriel River to practice catch and Release Only. The river is already not being stocked, so the fish you are catching are all wild and a decrease in the number of fish this year seem to be inevitable. So please do not take any of the fish on any of the forks, or in a few years there might not be any fish left!”

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By Sean Fenner, February 15, 2010

The California Department of Fish and Game has posted the list of the fishing spots that they will be stocking this week for Region 5-South Coast Region. Remember to practice catch and release as much as possible, pick up trash when you see it, and respect this resource so that everyone can enjoy it!!!

(Rainbow Trout)

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By Sean Fenner, February 13, 2010

A few of the Sunfish that I have been catching recently Bass, Bluegill, Green Sunfish, etc have had strange “Red Bumps” on them. It was starting to concern me, because these bumps were found on different species at a few different locations and I hadn’t seen it or noticed it on any of the fish that I had caught before. So, I called up Dan and asked him if he knew what it was. He quickly answered that it is the beginning of a bacterial infection that is found a lot in fish that are stressed for whatever reason, and that he had seen it in many fish. I read up on it and it looks like this is very common in Sunfish for many different reasons. The infection will start to cause ulcers in the fish and ultimately kill it if it does not go away. I was also told that this is quite common before fish start to spawn due to the pressure and competition from other fish. I also read that as the water temperature rises in spring, the bacterium’s life cycle is spead up quickly killing it and returning the fish’s health back to normal . Here is an example!

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By Sean Fenner, February 12, 2010

A Strike Indicator Fly is a great alternative to the traditional strike indicator. In my Opinion it fishes the dropper much more naturally and it seems to help get more hits. I have even caught a few Trout, Bass, and Panfish on this fly. Generally I would just use a Hopper for the dry, but this fly is a lot easier to see in low light conditions and fast water. It’s a better solution than straining your eyes trying to keep track of your fly. So get rid of your Indicator Yarn or those Twist Ons and pick a couple of these bad boys up and increase the number of fish you catch. Get them over at The Trout Spot and get quality flies at an unbeatable price!

“Richard over at The Trout Spot has been generous enough to give our readers a 10% discount on any purchases made on his site. Just reference the promotion code UFV at checkout”

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By Dan Zambrano, February 10, 2010

As if it needed confirming, I just confirmed a quirk in my personality that didn’t need confirming – I hate sitting still.

This revelation came about because I injured my back pretty seriously the other day and the chiropractor who worked miracles on it in the past insisted that I give it three days of near total rest interspersed with grueling stretch routines in order to get things back in alignment. So, all day Friday, I lay there with the heating pad on high, grimacing and staring at the ceiling until a little timer would go off indicating that it was time for me to roll carefully off the bed and force myself into these awkward positions that eventually got everything back into the proper alignment and proved to the neighbors that I have an almost unlimited repertoire of “colorful metaphors” at my disposal.

Now lying in bed all day might be a dream come true to some, but it is torture to me. It is even more torturous if the sun is out. Despite the current popularity of vampires and werewolves and other so-called night people, daytime always has and always will be the right time for me. 

Nevertheless, I followed the docs orders and heeded my wife’s threats and stayed put.

However, by day two, I figured out a way to position my computer so that I could check e-mail, work on some articles and even surf the net while maintaining the ever important flat back position.

It was one of my little “surfin’ safaris” that led me to discover a highly entertaining series of fishing videos on YouTube. I had typed in some different phrases centering on the word “fishing” and eventually stumbled upon Matt Hayes, Mick Brown and the Great Rod Race.

The clips appeared to be segments from a British series in which these two affable English blokes raced along the length and breadth of the UK, in a van reminiscent of the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo, in an effort to catch (and release) some thirty-five different species of fish in under thirty days. The target species ranged from the diminutive Stickleback to massive Salmon to Eels to Carp. They employed cane poles, baitcasting rigs, spinning rods, sling shots, pounds of dog food, tons of tackle, some funky things called bivies and, of course, fly rods.

Along the way, we were introduced to the oddly charming, somewhat eccentric but thoroughly British way of angling.

All in all, I could think of a thousand different, less educational ways I could have squandered my down time. So, aside from distracting me from the annoying throb in the small of my back, these sort videos taught me a ton of technique and tricks to use on those difficult days and… helped my stay still.

Perhaps the biggest lesson though was the fact that the Brits are total “gearheads” when it comes to angling. I thought I had too much stuff! My equipment inventory looks like the bargain bin at a second-hand store compared to the plethora of gear employed by our angling brethren across the pond. Wow!

It’s been twenty years since I last went to England. At that time I was more interested in wandering the halls of the Natural History Museum, climbing the steps of St Pauls Cathedral and sampling Guinness from the tap than perusing the aisles of the local Bait and Tackle but priorities change and it now appears that some lengthy conversations with the Secretary of the District Angling Society while leaning on the counter of a village Tackle Shoppe might be a great way to really connect with the heart and soul of the Island.

The Great Rod Race

Next time you are down for the count…or just snowed in and wishin’ you were fishin’, check out Matt & Mick and then be sure to bookmark a segment so that when the Visa statement arrives and the Sweetie complains about the amount of hard-earned spent on “silly fishin’ stuff” you’ll have something to use in your defense.

 I love this addiction called urban fly fishin’.

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By Sean Fenner, February 8, 2010

The California Department of Fish and Game has posted the list of the fishing spots that they will be stocking this week for Region 5-South Coast Region. Remember to practice catch and release as much as possible, pick up trash when you see it, and respect this resource so that everyone can enjoy it!!!

(Rainbow Trout)