Redside Retrospective (pics)

Riverkeeper · 07-07-2003, 09:56 PM

Here are some shots of trout we caught on the Deschutes in the last few weeks. Early summer Deschutes is my favorite fishing of the year. It's amazing how much smaller these fish look in the pictures than they actually were.

I would like to see more pictures of fly caught fish posted here, especially trout. If you don't have any pictures, get out there and get to work!

Darian

PS. I'm the funny lookin' dude in the SAGE hat.

[ 07-07-2003, 10:59 PM: Message edited by: Riverkeeper ]

Bake · 07-08-2003, 01:56 AM

Here's one from two weeks ago. I'm the fat guy in the straw hat!

gstrand · 07-08-2003, 08:28 AM

Okay, here are some Rogue Holy Water rainbows from a few times ago, just before the salmonfly hatch took off...

-G

greenbuttskunk · 07-08-2003, 01:23 PM

A nice dark post spawn buck take near oak springs.
I was sight fishing and saw him in the pool. One cast with a san Juan worm and he was mine! one of my more memorable Deschutes trout to date.

Tanner · 07-10-2003, 07:39 AM

Riverkeeper,
Man, you are funny lookin.. :grin:

Riverkeeper · 07-10-2003, 10:35 AM

Tanner,

It gets worse...I play a strat. :shocked: :shocked: :shocked:

Tanner · 07-10-2003, 11:10 PM

That's OK, I play both.

PittsburghD · 07-12-2003, 09:41 PM

Nice. I always have a good excuse why I can't get a trout photo when I'm on the Big D.

Water's too deep. Fish too big. No time for pics--the bite's on. Friend's all have fish on too. Take your own dang picture. Etc...

Got a steelie pic though. Guys had to see that one!

-----D

PittsburghD · 07-12-2003, 09:45 PM

Hey gstrand, that first one is a steelhead fry. Oops.
:blush:

The big faded spots are a teller.

---D

nookerdude · 07-14-2003, 12:48 PM

Floated Warm Springs to Trout Creek early May - caught several like this one...

Riverkeeper · 07-14-2003, 01:26 PM

Nice fish RSL.

You know, most rod manufacturers and flyshop guys I have spoken to don't recommend chewing on your cork.

gstrand · 07-15-2003, 07:07 AM

Pitts -

Those are all Rogue Holy Water fish - technically and ODFWlegally speaking there are no steelhead in the Rogue River above the diversion dam at Cole Rivers Hatchery (largest hatchery in OR...)

Since the HW is planted from the hatchery I have no doubt that there may be genetic anomalies there, but that fish was also about 14" long. The parr marks would be much more faded if it were a steelhead, and it would be much further downriver, in a place where steelhead actually exist in the river...

That does bring up a good point, however, and made me think of this: Here in the Rogue Valley ODFW often dumps retread steelhead and hatchery lefovers in to the local lakes (especially Emigrant) where they instntly become rainbow trout in the eyes of the law... go figure.

Anyhow, if it were a "fry," technically speaking, it would be about 2-4 cm long. After that it would become a parr until it was about 10 cm, then a smolt until it hit the saltwater... "smolting" refers to a biological change that takes place in the fish, making it head towards the salt when it's about 6" or so long... it was too big to be a smolt, even if there were any in that section of the river.

Anyway, it was a uniquely colored rainbow in my book.

-Gus

PittsburghD · 07-15-2003, 10:20 PM

You are so right g! I didn't think about its size. It would appear like a steelhead if it were under four inches.

I haven't flung bugs on the HW so I'm not familiar with the looks of those fish. It just looks like ones I'm supposed to avoid on other coastal rivers.

You never really know much more than they are truly beautiful to see and appreciate.

---D :blush:

gstrand · 07-16-2003, 08:17 AM

No prob!

I thought it unusual when I caught it that day... sure was a pretty one, though. :smile: