I fished the Upper Salmon 4/8 through 4/12 with my grandpa. I'm not sure his final number, but mine was thirteen steelhead, 9 of which were over 30 inches! All on my flyrods. The biggest hen was 37 plus inches. All big hatchery hens went into the cage for the fish and game. It was an awesome week on the river, everyone was donating their big fish to the F&G. It will help things out enormousely three years from now. There is one pic of a Bull Trout I caught that was over 5 pounds. I hooked several fish swinging a big fly, and several more drifting small egg and leech patterns. Those hogs put a BEND in a flyrod!
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Awesome fish! I was beginning to wonder about your photographers capabilities with those first 2 pics though [
]. What section of river were you fishing on? I know it wasn't too close to me, at least during the weekend. It was slow around Ellis.
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nice fish steelienut. when we gonna wet a line togather again. i really want to go with you and try to nail a steelhead on my fly rod. and mabey toss a few back.
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Wow, great fishing! what is considered the upper Salmon? I'm looking for a spot this coming weekend, hoping you can get me close, any suggestions? I'm setting up the fly rod, what size leader are you using for these hogs?[
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some monster fish i hope i get into some that big i amheading up tomorrow morning. If you dont mind sharing what area you were in?
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I was fishing somewhere between Challis and Stanley.[
] Sorry about those first picks, the lens had a thumb print on it![mad] Chrome Junky, if you want to head up there I would do it soon. All the hens were loose, they were squirtin eggs already. Let me know when you can get away, I could probably do a weekend again. I use a 12 pound butt section, and 2X Rio tippet. I only had one break off and that was swingin a fly and was took on the hang, I would have needed 15# line to survive that take!
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you said everyone was donating the hens to the cage. Releasing them? Or giving them to the f&g explain a bit about that?
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They put cages in different spots on the river, and if you catch a hatch fish over 30" you can put it in the cage for them to strip and make thousands more B-Run babies! I would like to see more people do it, sometimes they don't get enough "voluntary" fish in their traps. The fish aren't good eating this time of year anyway, their meat is to soft. And if you have to get it mounted, get a replica. I think it is a great program, if it works out we will have a lot more big fish coming up the river.
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im not exactly sure if im gonna make it up again this season if i get some time off next week mabey. but i think im gonna save all my vacation time from my wife[
] for the salmon run in riggins this year.
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Good idea, it's a trip worth trying. Keep me posted for salmon river anyway.
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Sweet idea with the cages. I've never seen them but I've never fished further up than Ellis either. I'll have to take a look at that in the future when I'm in the area.
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Wow! LOL...I was fishing somewhere in Idaho too last week[laugh] Thanks for the tipet info, I gotta get one on a fly this week. All I have are brown and black wooly boogers and a couple black hair streemers that I thought would work on steelies. I need to pick up some flies what do you suggest, egg paterns, leaches, stone nyphs???
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so do you have to count the fish as one that you have kept or is it just like releasing it? I am with you it sounds like a great idea. I think all of us would like to see more B run fish up that way.
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Egg patterns all the way (if your nymphing). The black leech patterns work well to. Jigs, no you don't have to notch your tags, they are considered released.
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Thanks SteelieNut, I'll give it a go...hey do you add any splitshot to your leader?
where were you on the Salmon again?[blush]
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ok i sure hope i get a couple nice onces and atleaste get the oportunity to put a couple in the cage.
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Sweet report!! Those are some awesome Salmon River fish! Nice bull too, I love to catch those.
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Great report and pics.
Thanks
Windriver
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Nice fish steal nut good to see gramps caught some too. Let redbeard in on the loop so we can do just as good if not better then you on thursday[
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oh ya anybody catchin them on there bait casters
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