The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Gbt45 wrote:
Oh I get it....inclusion THROUGH exclusion.....your right, I'm ignorant.

Glad to see you finally saw the light......and continue with your evidence of that finding.

Interesting, I haven't read this type of regulations or fished the waters. (I did stick my head in the North Umpqua once because I was pretty drunk and there was no one else around responsible enough to do it for me). Amazing they're able to define a 'fly', tricky business. I looked through the regulations for policy reasons or justification, but didn't find any unfortunately. I know you can't speak for Oregon, but why do you desire this? What do these type of regulations offer in practice? How do you feel about the old traditional upstream dryfly to spotted fish only type restrictions still in place at some parts of the world? (They were certainly created in interest of fly anglers rather than protection of the fishery as many share a must-take policy). Do you feel that other methods allow the take of too many fish or too high a mortality (even in catch-and-release waters)?

I'm open to your comments, not just peppering you with tough questions. I'd just like to hear your reasons behind the clearly passionate opinion.

For others reference, here's a sample of this type of regulation currently in place on the North Umpqua.

Artificial Fly: A fly is a hook, dressed with conventional fly tying materials. The affixed materials may be natural or synthetic. Tied in conjunction with other materials, the following items may be part of the fly: wire (lead or other metal) used for weighting the fly, dumbbell eyes or beads (metal, glass or plastic). A fly is not a hook to which sinkers, molded weights, spinners, spoons or similar attractors are attached.

Fly Angling: Angling with a fly rod, fly reel, (no spinning or fixed spool reel(s)), floating or sinking fly line, leader, any type of backing line, and an artificial fly. In waters restricted to “Fly Angling Only” no additional weights or attractors shall be attached to the hook, leader, or line, and no metal core lines may be used.

North Umpqua River from fly area boundary above Rock Creek, upstream to Soda Springs Dam (31
miles)

• Catch and release for trout.


• Open for adipose fin-clipped steelhead entire year.


• Open for adipose fin-clipped coho salmon Aug. 1-Dec. 31.

Special Gear Restrictions and Closures

• July 1-Sept. 30 all angling restricted to use of single barbless unweighted artificial fly. For the purposes of this rule, an unweighted artificial fly is defined as: “a conventional hook that is dressed with natural or artificial materials, and to which no molded weight (such as split shot, jig heads or dumbbell eyes), metal wire, metal beads, bead chain eyes, or plastic body are affixed, and to which no added weight, spinning or attractor device, or natural bait is attached.”


• Jan. 1-June 30 and Oct. 1-Dec. 31 restricted to fly angling only with single barbless hook (see fly angling definition on page 6).


• Any type rod or reel permitted, but no metal core lines and no added weights or attachments to line, leader or fly (including, but not limited to, strike indicators) except non-fly monofilament lines may have a casting bubble or similar floating device.


• No angling from a floating device.

3 pages and major views...as well as pissing matches, right from the get-go. Yee haw!

If anglers (all of them) threw half as much passion as they have on gear selection...no, let's make that 10% as much "passion"...into organizing and knocking on the real threats to America's fisheries, your waters would run clear, flows would never be at risk, and you may not even need regs in places, your fish would swim so thick.

Re-arranging deck chairs, on the Titanic.

there is a section of the Rogue that is Fly gear only also. It is a good management tool to protect wild fish in waters so clear that snagging with gear methods is a real possiblity. Some day when people lose their selfish "its all about me" attitude and have to kill everything they catch, or can't stop fishing when they hit 100 fish in a day, maybe restrictive methods won't be needed. UC and I both fish Wilderness Unlimited's Bidwell ranch, which has been managed FLY ONLY with FLY FISHING EQUIPMENT ONLY for more than 20 years, and it is THE REASON most anglers want to become members of the club. A private ranch with barbless only artificials would NOT have the same amount or quality of fish, even if all other management tools were the same.

Hello, not to be argumentive ( just trying to better understand your post) Could you explain how the "Private Ranch" would not have the same quailty or amount of fish if all other things were equal except for the use of "Barbless Artificials"? ( Lures)? Vs. Flies?
Thanks

and a private reach of river is a perfect place to have this policy....to tell someone the $50 license they purchase is not good on a stretch of public water because they don't fly fish is unacceptable to me.

bt45 wrote:
..to tell someone the $50 license they purchase is not good on a stretch of public water because they don't fly fish is unacceptable to me.

You'd also be against designating some taxpayer maintained public roads, as Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar-only thorough fares? What kind of world do you live in, bt?

ford truck only roads would be fine

bt45 wrote:
to tell someone the $50 license they purchase is not good on a stretch of public water because they don't fly fish is unacceptable to me

But they have the same right to fish that river as anyone else. They just have to use fly gear like everyone else. You may have an argument if only SOME people had to use fly gear and others didn't but fly fishing only doesn't prohibit anyone from fishing there. It's a gear restriction not a person restriction, just like artificial only is a gear restriction. Do you have the same problem with bait fishers not being able to fish with bait on artificial only waters? Or what about people that want to net fish or use pitch forks on salmon? Is it excluding them by not allowing them to use pitch forks and nets? What about not allowing someone to use a boat on certain lakes? They paid for the registration for that boat but it isn't good on that lake. Is that acceptable to you? Or what about rivers that don't allow use of motorized boats? Aren't people with motorized boats being excluded? You know, UC's original post in this thread wasn't even the slightest bit offensive. I don't see why you felt the need to take a shot at him over it. The funny thing is that UC actually fishes with other types of gear besides fly gear so he wasn't advocating flyfishing only everywhere. He just said it was a shame that we didn't have more flyfishing only waters. Jeeez... This IS a flyfishing board you know. Is it such a crime to go on a flyfishing board and say he would like to see more flyfishing only waters in California?

or try to drive a semi truck down 580 between Oakland and Castro Valley?


There are lots of exclusionary laws in our state, and I agree with UC, a few Fly Gear with flies only waters in California would NOT be such a bad thing.

I agree with you on that, But I would still like you to explain your previous post. The one I ask you about?
Thanks, The King

I am on the phone right now.