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3. Sunrise Over The Williamson

A transplanted Michagander (11 years ago), The Williamson River has become my new "home stream". Approximately 75 miles in total length it begins southeast of the Klamath Marsh in Klamath County, Oregon. Shaped as an inverted "U", it travels northwest through the marsh where it turns southward and empties into Upper Klamath Lake a couple of miles northwest of Modoc Point. Long considered a "blue ribbon" Rainbow fishery, the Williamson is becomming more and more known for it's "trophy" Browns; the average Brown is in the 5lb range (this past season my average was 5.75).

The primary tributary to the Williamson is the Sprague River which enters the Williamson at Chiloquin, 'bout 28 miles north of Klamath Falls. A secondary tributary, Spring Creek, empties into the Williamson at Collier State Park. Below Spring Creek, the average water temperature is 42ºF and the water is gin clear.

Because of the amount of private lands that the Williamson flows through, access is somewhat limited. The vast majority of the guides put in at Chiloquin Park which has a boat launch. Fishing from a floating device is prohibited above Chiloquin Bridge. From Kirk Bridge upstream to the headwaters the season runs from the last Saturday in April until the 31st of October where the creel limit is 2 trout daily, no limit on size or number of Brook Trout. Below Kirk Bridge the season runs from the last Saturday in May to the 31st of October, where 1 trout can be taken daily until the 31st of July, after that it's catch and release only.

Of the 18 significant hatches that occur through the season, the "super hatches" would be the Salmon Fly, Pteronarcys californica, which occurs around the last week in May to the first week in July. The Western Green Drake, Ephemrerella grandis, runs from the end of April to the middle of August. There is a Hexigenia limbata hatch, locally known as the "Big Yellow May Fly", that runs from the middle of June through the middle of July. The first "super hatch" of the season is the Western Gray Drake, Siphloncurus occidentalis, beginning around the first week in April to the first week in May. Naturally, there are numerous caddis fly hatches through out the season, the most significant being the "October Caddis" (Fall or Orange Caddis), Dicosmoecus spp.. Beginning in the 3rd week of September, it runs through to November.

The above pictures are of "my stretch", this season I only saw about a half dozen anglers. A challenging stretch to be sure; slow flow, gin clear waters. But patience and stealth pay off (Bald Eagles, Ospreys, mink, and myself, hehehehe, are the predominant predators); the smallest Brown I netted from this stretch went exactly 5 pounds, the largest went 7.25lbs. The smallest 'Bow was just over 2 pounds and the largest went 4.5lbs.

ODFW regularly stocks Rainbows at Spring Creek through out the season but, I believe that they imediatly head downstream into the warmer waters of Upper Klamath Lake. The State does clip the adipose fin on hatchery raised fish, this season I didn't catch a single trout that had this fin clipped. The Rainbows do enter the stream from the lake towards the middle of August and begin their spawning runs in earnest around the first or second week of September.

The first pic is facing south, the second one is of "my hole", and the third is facing north. The river is around 120' wide at this point, tactics include long casts (no shorter than 40') and long leaders. As a rule, I don't go below a 4X tippet and for the most part use a 3X. 5 weight lines are preferred, I go with WF-4-F, WF-4-F/S, and WF-5-DT. These waters are cold and playing a fish too long will kill it from the lactic acid build up. The sooner the trout is brought to net, the more likely it will survive...Enjoy.

Dano

Camera: Pentax IQZoom EZY-R, 38mm-70mm zoom lens, KodaColor 200asa film

Very nice, thanks for sharing.

Dano,
Thanks for the photos and the stream history.
Question....
How do you convert pictures on film to your computer ??? Do you use a 'scanner' ?
@ Kodacolor film
John

Thanks, Lam, and you're most welcome.

John, yes I scan them in using an HP flat bed scanner (ScanJet 3200C) and MGI's "Photo Suite" software. I change the dpi to 75 and compress by 20%. I refuse to get a digital; my "main" camera is a Pentax K1000; less things to go wrong plus I feel I have more control. Only downside is that it's too bulky to carry on the stream, that might change if I go with the Fishpond "Double Haul", though....

Dano

Dano,
Your Pentax 1000 is similar to my older Minolta XD-11. It is also too bulky to use on stream. I recently bought a Canon A710IS so I can carry it on stream. I like to take 'shots' in mid-stream, it gives you a great perspective of the stream you can't get from shore.
I also like the 'film-free' aspect and you can analyze your shots right after you take them. If you don't like the shots, you just erase them. You should look into buying one of these 'point-shot' cameras. Here is a link to some Canon cameras, or others you may want to choose.
http://www.dealtime.com/xPP-Digital_Cameras--7_mega_pixel_digital_cameras-canon
Best wishes...
John

John,
Thanks for mentioning the Canon A710IS. I've been considering the purchase of the same camera. My research indicates a very high ranking among owners. Now I feel much more comfortable in my decision.

The camera is smaller than I thought. It takes great pictures in the 'auto' mode. It also has manual and macro mode with 6X optical.
Make sure you buy a camera bag for the camera. I carry the bag+camera inside my waders when I take on-stream shots. The only minus for these cameras is the 'hand strap', therefore I recommend you carry the camera in a camera bag.
This is the A720IS....... newer version
link here

This is the bag I bought....
link here

Best wishes..
John

|"You should look into buying one of these 'point-shot' cameras."


How are the point-shoot cameras for close ups of insects, etc.?



I had a primative one from way back and I couldn't hold a fish in my hand at arms length and get a focused shot. I had toput the fish on the gournd and stand over it for there to be enough space to get a clear shot.

I now have a kodak that zooms, etc., a 6mp. I use it for work a lot and the pictures it takes turn out well. It also has a macro setting, automatic, etc., etc. I don't usually carry it while on stream because it is a little bulky, kind of like a 35 mm without the lens attached.

Lam,
How are the point-shoot cameras for close ups of insects, etc.?
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I'm still experimenting with that. I can take 'macro ' shots, but you will not get the detail Jason gets. You need the bigger 'DSLR' cameras. Canon has a macro lens 250D(58mm) that you can add as an accessory. I may buy that later....... not sure.
I haven't taken any fish photos, so I can't say for certain. The cameras with the 'IS' designation have an 'image shake' feature which compensates for 'camera shake' by the operator. So you s/b able to take camera shots with one hand!

John

John,

The Pentax IQZoom I used to take the above pics is a "point & shoot" camera and is about the size of an index card. It's actually a pretty good little camera. I got it for my better half about 8 or 9 years ago for a trip she took with her sister to Hawaii. For the "serious" stuff that I shoot, the K1000 really does a fantastic job and I've always had a manual camera. For macro photogs I use an Albinar (Super) 80-205 macro zoom lense. Albinars certainly aren't the "best" but the price was right and it got me started in macro photography.

Any who, I never was into "catch and kill for a Kodak moment" and the only times I would take a camera streamside was back in Michigan when my buddies and I camped out on the streams we fished...

Photography became a serious hobby for me when I was in the Army, even had my own dark room after I got out. I've heard too many "horror" stories about digital cameras to even consider the investment in getting a "good" one.

I do thank you, though, for the recommendation...

Dano

Dano,
I like to take 'shots' in mid-stream, it gives you a great perspective of the stream you can't get from shore.
..........................................
My point was I like taking pictures of the stream not the fish.
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Any who, I never was into "catch and kill for a Kodak moment"
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Me either........ I was trying to explain to Lam about the 'IS' feature that prevents blurred pictures due to camera movement.

I didn't intend to imply that I was killing fish just for a picture either. I have intentionally killed one fish in the last 10 years because my step daughter never had trout before.

John,

Oh, I agree entirely about the perspective of pictures taken in mid stream and wasn't "knocking" anyone's choice of cameras or what not...

My comment about Kodak moments wasn't directed at you; it was a general comment about that particular "practice". It's far more deadly than most realize, especially in cold waters. I shudder everytime I see a picture of a nice trout in one of the "glossy" mags being handeled with bare hands and a net with a nylon bag. "Pretty" pictures equate to dead fish in my mind....

Any who, sorry if offense was taken, non was intended.

Lam, to be clear. My use of the phrase "catch and kill for a Kodak moment" is a play on words, so to speak. The implication is that even though one may be entirely dedicated to "catch and release" fishing, taking pictures of a fish before it is actually released is still deadly...

Perhaps I've touched a nerve here and I do apologize for that and, frankly, I don't want to get into a debate on ethics here. But, I wouldn't shy away at all from a seperate discussion on streamside ethics at all...

Dano

i take plenty of pictures of my fish with bare hands no net no gloves nothing, completley out of water at times, never have i ever killed a fish, how ever i have caught the same fish more than once and found out after comparing photo's of a few stunning beast's.

i agree with stream side ethics to a point, but lets get real here, is it even ethical to fish?
if we are that concerned about the well being of the fish, then maybe we should veiw from a distance and not fish at all, i think that they dont like being hooked or played, and the lactic acid build up im sure is uncomfortable.
im sure they hate that 2 seconds they spent out of the water for the photo.
..i uderstand the point of some ethics like no fucking with them while they are spawning and not using power bait and all that, but to say its unethical to photgraph a fish makes me think maybe its unethical to disturb the fish at all.

anyone wanna throw in the towel and sell their gear cheap let me know.

Dano,

No offense taken. I just took the opportunity to go on record with my practices. I am sure that we have all killed fish accidentally even pracitcing catch and release and spending a few minutes to "revive" a played trout. I strongly believe in catch and release and although I choose not to harvest fish, I have no problem with those who take a fish now and then, especially if it isn't wasted.

...to say its unethical to photgraph a fish...

Jasen, care to point out where I said that?

Dano

Dano, you may have not stated the exact phrase that its un ethical to photograph fish,
But after speaking on the deadly practice of photographing fish you state you don't want to get into ethics,
sorry i must have confused the 2 in my young mind and thought you meant photographing had something to do with ethics, maybe you were speaking on a completely different subject about ethics and i didn't realize.
again my mistake, i hope you didn't feel that i was coming at you in any sort of way.

...Dano, you may have not stated the exact phrase that its un ethical to photograph fish,
But after speaking on the deadly practice of photographing fish you state you don't want to get into ethics,....

Which is true. A very big assumption would have been made to arrive at a conclusion that I deem it unethical to photograph fish, though, from a simple statement on not wanting to discuss ethics...

I did see your post yesterday morining but I had to be in Bend that morning and didn't have time to reply at length. I did, however, have the time to contemplate your responses during the 2 hour drive up there. I certainly didn't feel that you were "coming at" me, I chalked it up to impetuousness of youth.

To be frank (if you get mad, don't hit me, hit Frank), I was more "concerned" about your use of the "f" word than even your bold statement that you've never killed a released trout. I'm not even bothered in the slightest that you feel more compelled to comment on topics unrelated to the original topic, that's just the nature of forums....

Dano

when arguing with fool's from a distance people cant tell who is who.