The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

I have not posted here in quite sometime. Probably not since 2006. I began reading the board while living in Arcata during Grad School at HSU during the Summer of 2000. I fished 3 Falls in a row: 2000-2002. If you will recall, 2001 was best steelhead return since 1979. Eureka Fly Shop had 150+ fish days with 3 rods on the Lower Klamath, and I was having 20+ fish days regularly above Weitchpec up to Green Rifle and Ice Cream Rifle with fish up to 30". Then 2002 probably saw a smaller return, but the fish were even bigger. I used to fish Big and Stone Lagoon at least 5 days per month catching wild steelhead up to 28 inches on a 5 weight. I had 50 fish days consisting of wild steelhead and sea run brown trout. Rediculous. Truly, hooking 24+" wild fish while stripping mohair leeches on a 5 weight with the Pacific crashing less that 20 yards behind me, having the entire lagoon to myself, are memories I will cherish forever.

I have not lived in Humboldt county in quite sometime and don't get to fish much anymore. But a couple things have crossed my mind regarding this board: a) the members are fishing less and b) members are fishing less because the fishing has not been as good.

I am sure many of you will correct me. Maybe there are many reports on other baords. I don't know and don't have time or interest to check. But rarely is a picture of a wild steelhead ever posted to this board. There were pics all the time during the early 2000 deacade. I even fished Big Lagoon late in the Summer of 2009, and the trail I took to my most productive area of the lagoon was all grown up, which means no one is even attempting to access this area by foot.

My belief is that if the fishing were better, we'd be seeing the Kodak.