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i have all week to fish!!!!! so excited. i am thinking i am going to go to the southfork of the clearwater and take my 6wt fly rod. i know that this is light for those big b-runs but i happen to think i am pretty good at fighting fish. i landed a 27 lb mirror carp on my 6wt last year. so do you guys think i will be alright running 2x 10lb test rio leader? have any of you ever nailed a big steelhead on a 6 wt? i will be packing my loomis bait caster with me just in case though.
one more thing. any suggestions on where to fish on the south fork wader accessible and not private property? i have only fished it once during the tail end of the salmon run this last year and we never hooked a single fish. it was with a buddy of mine who didnt know the river either. any info will be much appreciated. thanks.
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sounds like a rodeo for sure! I'd make sure you've got a warranty on your rod, but should be an experience anyway! I think I'm heading up there on Friday, maybe I'll see ya up there...
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its a temple fork it has a lifetime warranty.
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[shocked] Sounds like too much fun, keep us posted on how it goes, cant wait to hear. Oh and pics also!!
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I had 2 hook ups just down river of Harpster yesterday on my 6/7 wt 13ft switch yesterday. Lost one ~ banked one brought my rod home to use again another day!
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The most fun I ever had Steelhead fishing was landing one with my 6 wt. People could hear me whooping and hollering for miles.[  ]10 lb. leader is fine, just don't be shy with the backing. Have fun
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I never thought of a 6 wt as being light...LOL What I landed the 36" on, plus a bunch of Carp however, my carp rod s now an 8 wt.
You can land big fish with a 1 weight. Its all in the butt. DO NOT put your left hand up on the rod to bring in the fish though. You are interrupting the flex by doing that.
I have watched more people break their rod by trying to muscle.
Like I said, I don't think six is light but you have current to deal with. My switch is a 12' 7 wt.
Plan on keeping any big fish that give you a good run as you will probably exhaust them to death. Best part is it is cool enough and that helps the C&R.
Oh an did I mention....JEALOUS!!!!! But iit is going to ice up guides bad this week. That can break rod tips. Just keep it clean...[  ][laugh][laugh][laugh]
FG
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[quote flygoddess]I never thought of a 6 wt as being light...LOL You can land big fish with a 1 weight. Its all in the butt. DO NOT put your left hand up on the rod to bring in the fish though. You are interrupting the flex by doing that.
I have watched more people break their rod by trying to muscle.
FG[/quote]
Yeah, what FG said!
I've caught 15 pound steelhead with a 6 wt, but those were in smaller waters than the Clearwater. It should be ok though. Just don't "high stick" them. I've caught other fish that are stronger and larger than most B-run steelhead with a 6-wt too. Salmon galore of all species, including kings, in Alaska, in big rivers. Don't lift high. Keep the rod pointed near the fish with only a partial bend.
In my most extreme (silly) case, I "accidentally" caught 100-pound-ish tarpon on a 6-wt, in some current. (Not recommended!!) I saw it roll, and just couldn't resist a cast. However, the rod didn't break because I didn't bend it enough to do so. I landed the fish with a 20 lb. leader. Keep the rod low, and apply pressure from the reel/line.
If the 6-wt will deliver the fly you choose in the manner you want, then by all means use it. Should be loads of fun, and likely easier to cast all day than an 8-wt. You can still reef on 'em from the right angle.
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This looks fun!
[url "http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOLKPSVS1Ug&feature=related"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOLKPSVS1Ug&feature=related[/url]
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OH MAN! What a rush.
That would be the ultimate on a dry!
I am building a special 6 wt. rod this winter with the fighting butt for this reason! It is a glass rod however, so it will be a little interesting.
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With 30% of the fish in the Southfork being WILD steelhead right now, I think it is irresponsible to fish for them with a 6 weight fly rod. You will (as Flygoddess stated) exhaust the fish to death, if you hook a good one. Yes it may swim off, but it will not live to spawn in March. Please use at least an 8 weight if you fly fish for these fish! I know we all think we are great fishermen, and we know we can "best the fish in hand to hand battle", but bringing a knife to a gunfight is not fair to our quarry.
Good luck, and post pics!
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Save the 6wt for the Grand Ronde!
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Chrome Junky, I wasnt trying to be a jerk, but after spending 30+ years trying to restore our steelhead runs, hearing people talk about extended battles with big fish, and then release them makes me ill. I know you are a responsible guy, and ask that you consider the wild component of these runs before you make your rod choice. Better to yard in an 11 pound fish on a 9 weight than to kill a big wild hen before she can get the job done.
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i was not aware that the majority of the fish in the southfork are wild. yes you are right it would be unfair too the fish to fight them to death. i will probably use my loomis and just bottom bounce for them. i need to get an 8wt i have a reel just no rod yet and its not gonna happen for awhile with christmas just around the corner.
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CJ, not the majority, but the last few weeks the average count is about 30%. We do not have any rivers in Idaho that are 100% hatchery, except the Boise and the Payette.
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The Middle Fork of the Clearwater above Clear Creek, the Lochsa and the Selway are 100% wild and the states broodstock for "B" runs and not open to fishing ever!
The SouthFork had Zero fish in it 30 years ago and has always been looked at as suspisious of what hatchery fish the tribe clips and doesn't clip. (the indians can keep everything) The Story is that the tribe wanted a buck a fin to clip them and didn't get paid by the feds and some get clipped, most don't
The guys I fish with rarely get 4 out of 10 that are clipped! The unclipped fish in the South Fork don't fight like Wild fish in other rivers!
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Osprey, the last genetic sampling of unclipped fish we did in the Southfork showed 30% Lochsa genetics and 45% Selway genetics. The story you tell is commonly told in the bars of Kooskia, Grangeville, and Orofino, but not heavily based on reality. The science says otherwise. By the way, the reason the wild fish (salmon and steelhead) were wiped out in the SF is soley due to bad logging road construction.
Before you bash the tribes, you ought to think for a minute that you would not be fishign for ANY anadromous fish in Idaho if it were not the the Nez Perce. Their lawsuits are what forced the mitigation efforts that provided the hatcheries that provide you fish. I have worked with these guys, and they only want the 50% they are entitled to.
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Im all for a debate ladies and gents. so if this pops off i just want to remind you guys to keep it civil. i know nobody has said anything bad yet but i can see this conversation going south quick so be smart and think about what is going to be typed.
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I'm happy to hear, that most of what I've been told about these fish is partly un-true. I always had a hard time believing that No unclipped fish in the SF were wild. It just didn't work with the fact that wild and un wild fish pair up and the hatchery fish ends up spawning rather than dieing at the doors of a hatchery.
I don't hang out in the "Bars". Most of what I said, I heard was from a F&G officer about 8 years ago near Golden, a couple of weeks before he was retirering? He sat and watched me catch 5 un-clipped steelhead in a row and told me I aught to take one home anyway, he said he'd clip the next one for me, because they were all, most likely hatchery fish anyway! I didn't take him up on it, cause I wasn't planning on keeping any that day.
I also didn't mean it to look like a bash on the tribes, I think they've handled it well, lots of fish in the system and with out the extra funding from the feds, there is still plenty of fish available for the non-tribal fisherman.
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Osprey, I wasn't accusing you of being a bar-fly, just that the story you told is one I have heard propogated by the locals up there, especially when there seems to be a lot of unclipped fish in the river. I would be interested in knowing which F&G officer told you that, and especially so since he encouraged you to break the law while still in uniform. I have some experience with the F&G in that area.
I didn't mean to accuse you of tribe bashing either. I don't recall you ever doing that in the past, and am sorry for making it sound like I was accusing you of something. That wasn't really my intent, but after re-reading my post it sure came off that way.
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