Lake Sonoma 12-10

Judd I have been using my trailer at that ramp for the last 2 yrs and never had a problem. I'm going to give them a call, I think they just want to discourge PB s

I got a written warning on my truck a couple years ago for parking with a trailer. I think you've just been lucky so far Mike. They don't camp out there, but they do stop by occationaly.

Capt. Matt,
  Hey, I have the ask if you are going to indulge "Your Secrete Place" location to all of us so that we may try and catch what you did in the past. Maybe even a GPS number, so that we can and than get together and 

I guess so I just called them and they siad it all depends on the Ranger that day.

I got a written warning on my truck a couple years ago for parking with a trailer. I think you've just been lucky so far Mike. They don't camp out there, but they do stop by occationaly.

Well the 'secret" spot is really no secret but is is my go to spot and cant remember ever having been skunked or at least hooked up at this spot. If your familiar with the lake most people I know call it the "narrows". It is located on the main body of the lake about half way between the main boat ramp by the dam and the Yorty creek ramp. The area is loaded with trees on the west bank, About 40-60 Ft deep with a sharp drop off at 100 Ft plus (depending on lake water levels of course). I have caught fish at many different locations on the lake but the key (for me) is to fish the areas with trees and deep water nearby.

Both boat ramps mentioned offer good fishing opportunity's within about a hours paddle but I usually pick Yorty Creek due to the prevailing winds. Steelhead can be found all over the lake, but of course congregate in certain areas due to water temps and food supply (shad).

I better stop know, I think I have allready said to much!!

Good luck!

Matt

Check out the size of that steelies tail, its like its from a way bigger fish! They go nuts when they see the boat. Ive done well with them right off the ramp at Yorty.
Jonesz, how about leaving your rig in the hood before the park and catching a ride with one of us?
And what if you dont use the ramp and just cart it down? I remember a Ranger Leeah there, we didnt have a permit to leave the truck overnight and she was just a doll, gave us a warning, told us how to do it right the next time. We called her princess Leeah after that but never ran into her again. Anitas and my second camping trip together.

how about leaving your rig in the hood before the park and catching a ride with one of us?
And what if you dont use the ramp and just cart it down?

Ben it was a county stipulation in the permit process of putting a ramp on the tiny twisty road. The corps didn't have a say in it.

Mickfish......would you PLEASE report here, what you find out from the Corps about kayak-trailering at Yorty Creek?????

Wow....I would love to go in there.

Judd

  Wow that second shot of the fish in the water struck me to think " what a beautiful fish" and yes that tail looks fake!  I guess after seeing so many stockers with the ground off tails one can forget those aren't what they're supposed to look like.

Nice report and fish Capt . I was wondering if landlocked steelhead undergo de-evolution back into trout if they don't run to the sea for many generations. BSteves?

scott

Mickfish......would you PLEASE report here, what you find out from the Corps about kayak-trailering at Yorty Creek?????

They said no trailers, I'll still take mine untill I get a warning.

Regarding land locked steelhead...  steelhead and rainbow trout are the same species.  Recent studies have shown that there is more genetic variability between populations from different river systems than there is between wild trout and steelhead from the same system.  Of course hatchery fish mess this up a bit.  I don't know if this answers your question Scott.

Here's a scientific paper to consider...

Thrower et al. 2004. Genetic architecture of growth and early life history transitions in anadromous and derived freshwater populations of steelhead. Journal of Fish Biology 65: 286-307.

Abstract:

Heritabilities of growth, precocious maturation and smolting were measured in 75 families of juvenile steelhead or rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss, progeny of within and between line matings (crosses) of wild, anadromous steelhead and wild, resident (lake) rainbow trout originally derived from the same anadromous stock 70 years earlier. The tagged yearling progeny were combined by line in common freshwater rearing containers and graded into three categories: mature, smolt or rearing (undifferentiated) at age 2 years. Heritabilities of precocious male maturity, smolting and growth were moderate to high, and the genetic correlation between growth and smolting was low. Smolting and precocious male maturity were highly variable among families within lines and significantly different between lines. Each of the four lines produced significant numbers of smolts at age two. Smolting and maturation were negatively genetically correlated, which may explain the persistence of smolting in the lake population despite strong selection against lake smolts; balancing selection on male maturation age may help to maintain variation for smolting. The high heritability of smolting, coupled with the inability of smolts that leave the lake to return to it indicates that the genetic potential for smolting can lie dormant or be maintained through a dynamic interaction between smolting and early maturation for decades despite complete selection against the phenotype. The results have significant implications for the preservation of threatened anadromous stocks in fresh water and the inclusion of resident fish of formerly anadromous populations, currently trapped behind long‐standing barriers to migration, as one component of the same population.

and here's a NYTimes article

To Study Russia’s Rainbow Trout, Catch Them First
By C. J. CHIVERS
Published: October 17, 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/sports/othersports/17outdoors.html?_r=2&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1161121848-0wSIcQctEu20L0udSBIM/Q&oref=slogin

about half way down...

In Kamchatka, wild trout (or real trout) are abundant, fierce and incredibly adaptable, their genes undiluted by hatcheries.

After years of studying these fish, Russian biologists have established a surprising fact. A river’s stock of resident rainbow trout and its stock of sea-run steelheads are not just different forms of the same species. They are members of the same population.

I'm gunna try a strategy:   Instead of leaving the trailer hooked to the car, I'm gunna put the trailer in a parking slot some several slots from my car.  They'll see the trailer of course but not know which car it belongs to (unless my car's the only one in the lot with a hitch... [  : )  !!  ].      If they want to issue a ticket they'd have to "ticket the trailer"... and I dunno, what effect would a ticket-issued-to-a-trailer have?     Of course they could TOW my trailer.   That would be very sad.   

Judd

Regarding land locked steelhead...  steelhead and rainbow trout are the same species.  Recent studies have shown that there is more genetic variability between populations from different river systems than there is between wild trout and steelhead from the same system.  Of course hatchery fish mess this up a bit.  I don't know if this answers your question Scott.

Bsteves -

Thanks for the info. The whole steelhead taxonomy has always been confusing to me. It is much more clear now. The term "land locked steelhead" never made sense to me. Hope all is well in oregon.

Thanks! Scott