12 Nov 6 , 2020 VOL . 39 • ISS . 23

For many serious California Steelhead fishermen , the upper Trinity is the go to destination in the fall of each year . The Trinity is a magnet or I should say a Camelot that draws fly fishermen from year to year for it ’ s consistent Steelhead fishing . What are called summer Steelhead arrive in the summer and hold over to spawn in the early spring . Larger winter Steelhead arrive around Christmas and Salmon arrive in the fall . Flows are controlled in such a way that the river very accessible for most of the year ( flow fluctuations can be erratic at times and have an negative effect on anadromous fish ). Being that the Trinity originates in what would be considered the southern edge of the Pacific Northwest , it benefits from a watershed that is enriched by a level of precipitation not found in watersheds to the south , which means that summer flows are adequate enough to support summer runs of Salmon and Steelhead . The 25 mi upper section between Lewiston Dam down to Junction City , offers the best year round fishing on the Trinity . Below the Old Lewiston Bridge , there are several access points off of Rush Creek Rd that runs on the north side of the river . There is also access off of Cemetery Rd which intersects with Rush Creek Rd . The next productive section is accessed from the Trinity River Resort & RV Park which is a few miles downstream . Most of the boat launch areas are unimproved so a vehicle with 4 wheel drive is recommended . The launch areas are located at the Old Lewiston Bridge ( N side off of Trinity Dam Rd ), Rush Creek ( where Rush Creek Rd

turns north away from the river , Buck Tail bridge ( S side ) and Steel Bridge . The float between Old Lewiston Bridge and Buck Tail is considered a one day float . The first mile and a half between Lewiston Dam ( the first 250 ft below the dam is closed to fishing ) to the Old Lewiston Bridge is what some would call a holy water and is one of only two waters in California that is deemed fly fishing only .

It ’ s uniqueness is that it is the furthest upstream that migrating fish can go so there are times of the year that a fisherman will have a choice between local Rainbows and Browns , sea run Browns , Steelhead and Salmon . The special regulations stretch is the go to section during the summer .

and topline the worm from 200 to 250 feet behind the boat while keeping the speed from . 5 to 1 mph . If the trout are suspended I run the same rig minus the split shot 100 to 150 feet behind a downrigger weight . My stealthily trolled worm has produced a lot of trout for me over the years , but other anglers do equally as

well when they run a threaded worm behind dodgers or flashers . These guys are typically the old timers that grew up pulling worms behind blades . With blade set ups the areas for experimentation are whether you employ a whole crawler or only a portion of the crawler and how far you put the threaded bait behind the blades . Sometimes the trout

Bodega Bay , mackinaws in Lake Tahoe or stripers along the Sacramento Delta , you will want to use the Pumpout Nav mobile app to find the most convenient location to dump at the pump before heading home . Pumpout Nav — a multi-award-winning , free mobile app — helps boaters and anglers keep our waterways healthy and clean by locating the nearest sewage pumpout , dump station or floating restroom . The app now allows over 11,000 users with the app to create a personalized account to log and plan pumpout activity , create a list of favorite sewage disposal stations , choose their boating region and directly report any mechanical issues with a pumpout to a facility , helping marinas and other waterfront facilities stay on top of repairs . The app also provides instructions on how to use a pumpout station , best practices for sewage disposal and tips on boat upkeep that help to keep waterways clean and green . Other features include contact information for local mobile

pumpout companies , in case you would prefer someone else do the dirty work . Released in 2017 , the app is one component of California ’ s Clean Vessel Act Education and Outreach Program and was designed for boaters in the San Francisco Bay / Delta and Southern California regions . It has now been expanded to include waterways in Oregon , Washington , the Lake Champlain area of Vermont , Quebec and New York . Pumpout Nav was designed by the San Francisco Estuary Partnership in collaboration with Southern California partner The Bay Foundation . Funding for the app was provided by a Clean Vessel Act grant and administered by the California State Parks Division of Boating and Waterways ( DBW ) through the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund . For more information or to download the app , visit DBW ’ s Pumpout Nav App webpage : www . boatcalifornia . com / pumpout

will prefer a worm crowded tight to the rear of the blades . At other times they want a worm trailing as far as 6 feet behind the blades . A Ford Fender teamed with a night crawler was the favorite trolling combination of our grandfathers because it produced trout and it will still produce trout today . Today ’ s trout

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angler may have gone high tech , but the trout haven ’ t changed . This being the case , remember that when your high tech lures and laboratory created dough baits fail , you can look to the lowly worm to save the day . Worms …. Trout anglers should never leave home without them !

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