Bogie/Clawah crowded on opening day

Ive been gone for a while so havent been on the board for a couple of weeks. I Managed to hit the Bogie and Clawawah on opening day for some summer steel action and boy was it crowded. I have never seen so many people on opening day. We were the first ones there and had no Idea it would turn into what it did. 20 boats went down the Bogie by 7:30. We fished the confluence down the tall timbers hole but didnt have a chance as the plug pullers pushed all the fish out of our reach as day light came. Did see the boats take three on plugs in a matter of minutes down below us. We then walked up the Clawah only to find someone was already on every drift. By that time we said screw it and went home.

I got back from Arizona on Saturday and thought Id go down to the Clawah and throw a line for a couple of hours in the evening. To my suprise there was knowone there. Fished a mile and a half of river and saw four fish but no bites.

My brother has fished it a few times and managed to loose one but hasnt seen much around. Dosent look like the run is off to a good start. Ive asked around and heard some mixed stuff fair one day and bad the next. Looks like I might be spending more time in the salt this summer.

I wonder if the traffic on the river had any corelation to the article by Bill Herzog in Salmon Trout Steelheader this month. He wrote it up like it was a paradise without many anglers and a great number of hard fighting hatchery fish. Hmmmmmmmm

Me and a couple other guys floated the Bogy last Thursday. At the three forks hole we got out and walked up the Calawah for a short distance and we spooked one fish while trying to cast to it. On the Bogy we tried a little of everything, but we still didn't get anything. I ended up accidentally snagging a sculpin off the bottom while drifting eggs. My buddy got one confirmed bite (we saw the fish strike) off a #3 silver blue fox spinner. We tried pulling plugs through a couple holes also, but we didn't land any steelhead. Saw a big bald eagle and that was about it. At least it didn't rain.....

~ Dr Pepper

I read the article today and it was top notch. Only problem is you wish it wasnt about the river five minutes from your house. The Bogie and Clawah can be great summerrun rivers but cant handle much presure. They only plant 30,000 smolts a year and they only get around 300 adults a year back to the north pond trap on the Clawah. The fish spook very easily and once they have been in the river a few days can be very finicky and lockjawed.

Fished it agian today. Fished from the Tall Timbers Hole to about a mile above the North Pond on the Clawah ( Thats about 2.5 miles of river). Found one school of about 7 fish no others to be found I fished it in mid afternoon and it was sunny so you can see everything in the water and those 7 fish were it. Managed to get on taker and couldnt drive the hook home. Thats three days in a row and Ive seen a total of 12 fish with one bite.

NOT GOOD!