Fishing Report 3/9

Don't believe everything you read on the reports page.  Just saying!

Date Fished: 3/9/21013
Posted By: dogburn
Water Conditions: GIN
Location: ELK
    
Report: Water is very low and clear, but that didn't stop hundreds from coming today. Most access points from mid to upper elk were overloaded. My buddy and I decided to walk in just for laughs. We saw tons of pressure and few fish. One guy belly snagged an ugly pig and sheepishly strung it, sores and all. Need rain.
 

I was up on Saturday and found very little pressure in several good areas on mid to upper Elk holding fish.  Water was on the low side, but flow wasn't bad and had a nice green color.  Not saying some areas weren't overcrowded, I know the Legion area had a ridiculous amount of cars.  But that was probably due to the fact that the Girard park gate was closed.  Was going to hit that up after lunch, but passed it up due to the number of vehicles and found another location upstream holding fish with just 1 single car, and 1 other car pulling in as I was walking to the stream.
 
Started out in the morning on Elk in a major lot that usually has 25+ cars parked and only found about 8 vehicles.  Overall didn't do very good catching, but landed a few Steelies and had many runs and good holes to myself without a person in sight a lot of the time.  Landed one really nice male with a big hooked jaw, and just thoroughly enjoyed being out on such a nice day and getting the rod bent a few times.
 
Couldn't see many fish in deeper holes and runs cause of the green tint, but the ones I could see were all paired up and either chasing or moving up stream.   Spent most of my time fishing the water, not sight fishing.   I assume most fish were more worried about spawning than my offerings.  Might heat up in a week or two after they are spawned out and in more of a drop back mode.   Smolts are definitely stocked now.  Ran into black swarms of them in the very upper sections, but not so much further downstream.
 
Hope this helpa somebody 

Thanks a ton for the update. I'm bringing up some rookies with me in a week and want them to enjoy themselves. I never know what to believe with the reports people post. I just don't understand the reason behind a bs report.

flat lander
  I just don't understand the reason behind a bs report.

 
It's not necessarily "BS"
It's subjective
 
One angler will consider catching a couple/few  fish in a day a great day.
Others consider anything less than double digits a poor day
 
both can be right as they see it
 
 
..L.T.A.

I understand that water flow, catch rates, and crowds are subjective.  But reporting gin clear water on the Elk last Saturday is dishonest at best.  Probably wouldn't have quoted his report, if he didn't say that. 
 
Also it really wasn't all that hard to get away from the crowds Saturday.  All you had to do was check out different parking areas, stay away from the spots with the most vehicles, and then do a little walking.  In late November that's just not possible at all on a Saturday when the weather is nice. 
 
In the evening I fished a pretty well known upper stretch that usually has multiple people at every hole and run in November, but only passed about 5 fisherman from 2 - 6pm.  4 of those 5 were even paired up in separate pairs fishing the exact same spots together.  Basically half the time I could only see one or two people up/down stream, and the other half the time not a person in sight on a Saturday with beautiful weather.

thats what this forum is for.  
The reports page is for....reports!  

May a family of rabid porkupines take up residence in your inflatable boat factory.