A look at the other side..............

[Kerry Stratton]

I posted this up on another site I visit and thought perhaps some here might enjoy these. Pictures were taken yesterday on a river a few miles from my house.

Hope you enjoy the company of others...............



Some nice fish were caught..............



Even in the midst of all the chaos some found some calm...........


Where I fished..................

A bit more peaceful.

[pspaint]

Damn, that looks as bad as our streams. I think you made the right choice fishing were you did. lol.

[Mike Thomas]

That is awfull, do they even call that fishing? BTW whats with the stockade on the far bank?
All the best.
Mike

[Uncle Jesse]

Boy that makes me appreciate the waters I have access to in a metro area of around 5 million where I rarely encounter more than half a dozen fisherman or recreational canoist or yakkers.

Mike, not my photo but that looks like a river bend, the stockade is probably to prevent erosion on the outside of the bend. That's probably one reason so many fishermen are there at the deep hole in the bend.

[Kerry Stratton]

The photos were taken at the mouth of the Samish River, Skagit County, Washington. The nearest town would be Mt. Vernon, about 15 miles away and a population of around 27000. I would venture to say a good number of those people fishing are not from Skagit County. Seen several cars parked on the road with Canadian license plates. Likely many from The Seattle area also.

The pilings are as UJ said; to prevent the dike from erosion during high water events.

The photo of where I was fishing was taken at the forks of the Skagit River.

[Byron Zuehlsdorff]

I do appreciate my waters more and more. I may see another fisherman maybe once or twice in four or more trips, even when I go to Flaming Gorge and shore fish.
Of course having days off in the middle of the week helps greatly. I do like where you fish, my style of stream!!

[Eight Thumbs]

Hi Kerry,

Thank you for the fascinating pictures. They are a bit like a bad traffic accident. You don't really want to look but you can't look away. I guess a crowd is the price you pay for a chance at a big fish. I saw a similar scene in Maryland on the opening day of deer season many years ago. Hunters from Baltimore and DC had driven to the mountains, pulled over on a major highway and were standing shoulder to shoulder with high powered rifles peering over the guard rail of the road down into the woods below. There were others hunters actually walking around in those woods "stalking" deer that had left hours ago. Thanks for sharing. 8T

[ohiotuber]

WOW! I have left spots FAR less crowded. I can't see that as relaxation or even describe it as fishing. The last pics are far more to my liking.
Mike

[Kerry Stratton]

About 20 years ago I used to live about a half a mile up the road from the spot shown in the pictures. I have actually fished with the crowds even though back then it wasn't quite as bad. You know it can be fun. Most of those guys down there are very friendly. They will take time to show a newcomer how to fish in those conditions, give you gear if you need it and offer advice/tips feerly. Generally a fun group with a lot of good hearted banter being tossed about. When they saw me with my camera many thought I was from a newspaper or something and asked for copies of the pictures. Some asked who I worked for, I jokingly yelled back, "RiverRight Photography but in this case I think I might called it RiverWrong." That was met with a roar of laughter from many of the fihsermen. Not my thing anymore but it is fun to go down to the Samish River when the chinook are running and watch the show.

[JeffHamm]

Hi,

Scenes like this are nothing new. Around some of the river mouths at the lakes in New Zealand (particularly famous on Lake Taupo) are the "picket fences" of fly anglers. Basically, people line up, more or less shoulder to shoulder, and fish the rip. It's very different to river fishing, and not for everyone, but again the fellows are usually very friendly and will help someone new to the technique. There's often lots of banter and chatter when the fishing is slow, but once it picks up, a lot of fellowes get into some good sized fish.

- Jeff
P.S. Got called away before finishing this. What I meant by "nothing new" was that the picket fences in NZ have been talked about since the 30s and 40s. I've been reading a few books by fellows who fished back in the 30s and 40s, and this is just how it's been "forever" in some places, so to speak. Personally, I'm more inclinde to find a less crowded location, but I've fished river mouths before and it can be fun in a different way.