The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Did you know that there is only ONE fly fishing only water in all of California and that even on that water you are not restricted to fly fishing equipment only????

Where is that?

Directly from the DFG Regs: (78) Hot Creek (Mono Co.). Hot Creek from the
State hatchery property line to the confluence
with the Owens River.
All year. Only artificial flies with barbless hooks
may be used.

What about:
Slinkard Creed (p. 49)
Truckee River from the Glenshire Bridge downstream to the mouth of Prosser Creek (p. 53)
North Fork Tule River? (p. 53)

Yep, yer right Buzz....but you still don't have to use fly fishing gear.

Even more a shame...there were three game wardens at the ISE standing there when I asked one of them about fly only water and they ALL agreed that there was only one in Mono County....hmmmmmmmmmmmm

Were they also wrong that you can use a bubble and spinning gear, etc, as long as you use a fly???? Would make getting a fly down to some of those big browns on the Truckee a snap!!! If one were so inclined....

"only one in Mono County" should read "only the one in Mono County".

that at the time these regs were written, most people took it for granted that this meant "fly fishing". I know the North Fork Tule has had these restrictions since at least the mid-70s (I grew up in Porterville and the Tule is my (original) home water.

But you are right, Charlie, nothing I see in the regs prevents someone from using spin gear with a fly. Of course, if you ever seen the N Fork Tule, you know that the water is so small that the bubble-fly method really would't work there.


Buzz

I thought that restrictive regs were to protect a fishery not grant exclusive use...

Rubber worm, popper, spinner, spoon, jig, etc., can't they all be single barbless artificial? Could throw any of em with a fly rod too. Drop shotting, pencil lead, floss rigs... Choose your poison.

I think the real shame is that there are some fly fisherman that feel they are so special they should have the river all to themselves....

bt45 wrote:
I think the real shame is that there are some fly fisherman that feel they are so special they should have the river all to themselves....

Nope, I guess you never will understand either.

I thought that restrictive regs were to protect a fishery not grant exclusive use...

Flyfishing only wouldn't be granting exclusive use to anyone. Anyone that can buy spinning gear can also buy fly gear. Nobody is excluded from buying fly gear are they? It's no different then having no boating laws on lakes or no motorized boats on rivers....

Rubber worm, popper, spinner, spoon, jig, etc., can't they all be single barbless artificial?

Unfortunately that law was changed from single barbless to just barbless a few years ago.