|
Ask
Dennis
(Editorials,
questions and answers)
Hello Mr. Dickson,
Having flyfished steelhead for several years now, I am looking to explore new waters this fall. Everyone is saying the Grande Ronde is where you want to be in October. Long time anglers have told me, you got to go talk to Dickson. Word has it, you have been outfitting this river for many years. Mind sharing some tips on where to go and what to use for this great river?
Tight lines,
Ralph Unrude
Hi Ralph,
You bet. I wrote a whole article on flyfishing the Grande Ronde in The Grande Ronde and Mrs. Brown. Of all the places to be in October, my heart still belongs to the GR and it’s desert steelhead.
Best of fishing,
Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com
Mr. Dickson,
Sorry for the intrusion. I am a great follower of your stories and articles.
As you are a Fisheries Biologist perhaps you can settle an argument
between me and my husband. As I understand it, Washington State laws
requires a wild steelhead to remain in the water when released. Right?
Are not the trouts physiologically the same as the steelhead? I do not
believe I have ever seen a fishing regulation requiring wild trout to
remain in the water upon release. Are the two fish really that different
once a steelhead is in freshwater? Do you consider the law poorly written,
and if so how do you think it would be better phrased?
Thank you for your time,
Ronda Gooding
Ms. Gooding,
Stories & Articles: Thank you, I wrote them for anglers like you.
Wild Steelhead C&R?
Wow, now that is that a loaded question.
Other than the fact that steelhead are anadromous (live in saltwater,
spawn in fresh), I understand the steelhead physiological make-up to
be similar to other salmonids. Why should we not hold the wild trout
to the same standard for keeping them in the water upon release? Good
question. Perhaps some of our fishing regulations are simply more politically
based than biological. Anyway, it’s the law.
Poorly written? Perhaps. Some crafts including many anchored up drift
boats become dangerously tippy if guys are trying to hang out over the
side to release a wild fish, midstream. The dude thing to do is to lift
the anchor and row across the river (dragging the fish with you) and
release it in shallow water, (if you can get to it)
How do I think the rule should have been written? “All wild fish
to be released must remain out over the water.” A fish captured
momentarily out of water is not the problem. On the other hand. Any
fish, whether it be a trout or steelhead, flopping around in the bottom
of the boat be for release, is not. Anyone who can't tell the difference,
shouldn't be fishing.
“That’s my opinion and I am sticking to it.”
Best of fishing,
Dennis
Dennis,
Thank you so much for the fine day on the Methow River. It truly is
a beautiful river. When I saw the size of your trout net that morning
my first impression was, "this has to be a joke." To catch
not one but two really large cutthroat on dry flies that day was amazing!
Not to put a damper on things, but I also couldn’t help but notice
you were not happy with the fact that while we stopped and fishing a
particular pool as an obvious guided boat of flyfishers floated right
through our pool. You even asked me to step back out of the water so
the boat would have plenty of room to float through without scaring
the fish in that sunny clear water, and then the guy not only floated
through the heart of the pool, but his clients fished their way downstream
as if we weren’t even there! On the streams I am accustomed to
fishing in Montana and Idaho that kind of behavior would be considered
really rude. Any thoughts?
Most sincerely,
Wanda Chand
Hi Wanda,
Thank you so much for joining me on the Methow. Yes, it has a really
lovely big cutthroat.
You are right. It was a guide boat but as I later found out, he was
new to the water. (I didn’t think I recognized him.) I ended up
chatting with him down at the take-out after you left. He’s cool.
Sure, it probably wasn’t the best river etiquette, but as I think
he was the only other boat we even saw on the river that day, no biggy.
Here is an article I wrote on
steelhead ettiquette. You can see how much river manners can vary
from river to river, species to species.
Kudo’s on your nice cutties. Let’s trade photos, yes?
Best of fishing,
Dennis Dickson
www.flyfishsteelhead.com
Hi Dennis,
I am Peter from New York. I called you the other day but you couldn’t
really talk because you were on a trip at the time. I am not sure you
remember me, but I also did a float trip with you for your coastal cutthroat
last fall on the Stilliguamish River. Now that was fun! I am scheduled
to be back in Seattle on business in early September and looking forward
to setting up another trip. As we talked on the phone, you mentioned
we could not only catch and release the cutthroat but also the Pink
salmon were also available this year. I don’t recall seeing those
fish last fall. Were they available and we just didn’t fish for
them? Does it take a special fishing license. Will you be providing
the fly rod for these fish, too?
See you soon,
Bill Palinsky
Hi Bill,
Very good talking to you the other day. Yes, the Pink Salmon, “Humpies”
as we call them, only return from the ocean in Washington State on the
odd year.
Yes, You will need not only your trout license but a salmon licence
and punch card, in fact, my son and I need special guide licenses to
guide for them. You can find the licensing requirements as part your
fishing itinerary I will send to you.
Fly rods: We do our fishing a little different than some. The Stilly
is not a particularly deep river where we fish the salmon, in fact,
we often fish the cutthroat and salmon in the same pools. We will be
fishing primarily 5 & 6 wt. rods with floating lines but as the
salmon and Searun cutthroat prefer different flies and presentations,
we will set up rods for each. As usual, we provide everything.
Looking forward to it,
Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com
Hi Dennis,
My question is: Do you ever do fly club presentations? I am in charge of our club presentation committee and was hoping you would consider doing a program for us. Not sure you remember but several of us Spokanites took your Humpy guide trips two years ago and look forward to a return trip later this fall for tidewater coho. We would love to get you & your son Mike on the program docket for 2010. I have heard from other clubs your presentation on Grande Ronde Steelhead is just stellar, but on the trips I have taken, I never hear you talk about them. Are you still doing seminars now and if so, is there a list topics that we can choose from?
Sincerely,
Harold Smith,
Hi Harold,
So good to hear from you! Thanks for the inquiry. Sure, Mike & I would be happy to do that. We just don’t get a chance to do the program presentation thing as much as we would like because of a busy guide schedule but quite enjoy them when we do. Topics? You bet. We have power point presentations on topics that range from Grande Ronde Wilderness to Tarpon Island. Happy to send you information on all that and we maybe can finalize something on our Stilly gig. Good for you?
Free to call or write, we’ll kick some tires.
Looking forward to it,
Dennis & Mike Dickson www.flyfishsteelhead.com
425 238 3537
Hi Dennis,
I have always enjoyed your articles on flyfishing. My husband agrees. He says they are quite addictive! I think my favorite one is the Doctor’s wife who wouldn’t fish. Don says you must have been writing about me. Ha ha! My only complaint is the topics seem to be a little disorganized. You write about one thing and the next time would write about something completely different. Did you write them that way on purpose. You should write more!
Sincerely,
Shirley in San Fran
Hi Shirely,
So glad you enjoy my mumblings. You will be happy to know you have inspired me to completely revamp my Stories & Articles section. I pretty much wrote on topics as they came to me over the years. I have since updated many of the writes. Check the new format and let me know what you think of the new articles.
Writing More? Time, it’s all about time…..
Appreciate your comments,
Dennis
www.flyfishsteelhead.com
For
information on booking a trip see "Rates and
Booking Information"
Note:
Some questions and answers have been edited - Sandy, the web guy.
|
|