White River MI. Black Stonefly in a pool behind some spawning gravel. My one harvest of the year to gather roe for trotting steelhead.

Hi

Lovely fish - I feel sorry for her, defending her spawn against your black stonefly... Did you strip the eggs and return her to the river? Where is MI - Missouri?

Trish

You're 'targeting' spawning fish???????

It is illegal to use salmon spawn for bait in the UK.

So you target a ripe salmon, of a species that always dies after spawning, so returning her is irrelevant just so that you can use her eggs to 'trot' (this is a fly fishing forum) for steelhead.

I hope you are proud of yourself. Learn to fly fish for the steelhead instead.


PiB

First off, No I wasn't targeting activly spawning fish. Yes, I did keep her, as Michigan law dictates, it is illegal to strip fish of their eggs and release them. 3rdly, I do fish flies for steelhead 99% of the time, and release 100% of them regardless of how their caught.

Keep in mind peoples opinions vary from region to region about certain techniques and practices. Sorry if you don't agree.

Yes, I am proud of myself.

Good answer Jim. All-be-it I'm not sure about your last statement. In Oregon, that would get you in 'deep do-do' with fellow fishermen/State Police/Game Wardens. (Note the 'milt/eggs' coming out of the fish you're holding.)


Fred

Er, he is in Michigan and not the UK PIB.

Targetting spawning fish does suck the big one though.

Then again, is it any worse than grayling fisherman, fishing over salmon redds in the winter?

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Hey to each his own. I sleep fine at night. There were three guys down from me raking gravel with lead hotdogs, they had a pile of salmon on the bank. I wouldn't resort to those tactics, nor do I "site fish" for them. That fish was caught bouncing the river bed in 4ft of water, well away from any actively spawning fish.

Yes Fred, I see the roe dropping out. The only reason I fish for them is to harvest one a year for roe, and whats left gets smoked. Which BTW, turned out very nicely, and went down well with a glass of Balvenie and a few chunks of Brie.

I didn't post any pics of steelhead I have caught on the roe. I understand the intent of this site. If you have ever fished steelhead in Michigan in 32F waters with 20mph winds and 20F air temps, you would know how futile it is to get one to chase a fly (let alone handle 75ft of flyline in those conditions), if not your welcome to come join me. Hence, why I chose (as many anglers in the region do) to use roe.

Salmon in the Great Lakes are somewhat of a state sponsored invasive species. Originally planted to clean up an Alewive problem in the 1960's. Now they are planted to keep the Alewives in check and mostly for the charter fishing industry on the big lakes. The river fishery is simply a by product. They even go to the extent of planting a sub species that stays in the lake longer to extend the big lake fishing, "Triploid" I believe is the term. By the time they get in the rivers they are barely edible unless smoked.

Furthermore, if the admin team of this site feels this pic is out of line, by all means delete it.

Hi James
Whilst I understand some of the reservations expressed by one or two on this thread. I can also see from your considered response that you are a thoughtful and intelligent angler, and some of what shocks people here is just a cultural thing - two people divided by a common language etc.

There'll be a lot of us on here who can relate to the above though. Balvenie - good choice. Hope it was the Doublewood

__________________
"A homeward tramp thro' mist wrapped night,
With heart and creel in common light,
Complete content, the day has brought it,
They fished for pleasure - and they caught it"

P F Morgan
taken from the catch record book at Llanthony Hotel, Honddu Valley, Aug 1942

www.monnowlogue.com
www.monnow.org.uk

Of course it was.

Thank you.