Little Red Headwater

RIVER NOTES    There are several common courtesies that will go a long way on most any river. For wading fishermen, the few accessible areas on the river can get to be elbow to elbow at times and it wont be easy to find a spot to fish without crowding somebody out. If I think I see an open spot, by all means asking my upstream and downstream neighbors if they're good with me in between them has been a good policy for me and I found that most were more than willing to share, as I learned to share my spots with others.
If you are operating a Jon boat, dock owners and wading fishermen alike will appreciate "idle speed" while you are passing by. During low water periods you will have to drag your boat across the shoals (not recommended during the spawn) and folks who stomp through a pool that someone is fishing just to drag their skiff upstream will certainly not get any dinner invitations.
During the spawning runs, take care to leave redds undisturbed when you are crossing the river. When the fish dig their nests, some of the upturned gravel is lighter in color, so most of these little potholes are a lighter shade than the surrounding gravel bottom and not too hard to see.
Please pack out what you pack in and if you like to eat some fish, a good practice is to target the smaller and plentiful "put and take" Rainbows, that are periodically released from the hatchery. If we take only what we can eat today and leave all the big fish to mate,  we partake in the continuation of a great fishery. I encourage Catch and Release and strictly observe it with all brood stock.
Never try to anchor or tie a Jon boat to overhanging tree branches during water generation periods. People have lost their lives.

 

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