# Skamania in the Grand...



## limpinglogan (Sep 23, 2009)

Can any one tell me about skams in the Grand? How are the numbers? What are the differences between skams and winter steel head? Are they running right now?


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

Skams are not planted in the Grand, but the river gets a FEW strays. Fishable numbers are rarely existent. Most of them are caught while someone is fishing something else. I know of a couple spots where you may have some to fish for, but they arte pretty rare. The most I've seen is about 10 at a time. I hit one occasionally fishing tribs for trout in the summer. Skams are a "summer run", but they will come when conditions are right. They can come anytime during the summer, but many wait until the fall. They spawn a bit earlier than Manistee strain. As for targeting them in the Grand, that is a tough one, though it can be done if you know where to look, and hace the time to search spots but don't expect a bunch...


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## easton_archer (Oct 10, 2009)

We were hitting quite a few at the end of june beginning of july, and big browns mixed in. Targeting them as well. Just have to gwt out and try! Now that the water is low, so are the fish numbers
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## limpinglogan (Sep 23, 2009)

I caught one today while fishing for bass! woot woot! Awsome fight!


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## limpinglogan (Sep 23, 2009)

Here is a pic. I ended up keeping it. Before any one gives me grief this is probably the first fish in 5-10 years I have kept in Michigan. I am always C&R. I had serious doubts about this thing surviving if I released it so I am cooking it tonight!


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## thousandcasts (Jan 22, 2002)

limpinglogan said:


> Here is a pic. I ended up keeping it. Before any one gives me grief this is probably the first fish in 5-10 years I have kept in Michigan. I am always C&R. I had serious doubts about this thing surviving if I released it so I am cooking it tonight!


If anyone gives you grief about keeping a skam, then they need to go back to "fishin' skool" and retake skamania 101. 

Skams are the one fish where it's basically irresponsible, for the most part, to sit there and play catch n release. They die. Stringer them, eat them, enjoy.


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## troutguy26 (Apr 28, 2011)

I wouldnt worry bout anyone giving you grief. At least the guys who know what they are talking about wont. Some other fools might tho you never know.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

I landed a skam yesterday, that was roped and put right back into the water quickly. I revived it for a bit, and it came to. It was holding upright, and swam around for awhile. I made sure it was in a decent flow. At the end of my fish, 3-4 hours, it was stiff on the bottom, dead as can be. That proves and shows that while they may swim off, they don't always stay that way after release.


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

ausable_steelhead said:


> I landed a skam yesterday, that was roped and put right back into the water quickly. I revived it for a bit, and it came to. It was holding upright, and swam around for awhile. I made sure it was in a decent flow. At the end of my fish, 3-4 hours, it was stiff on the bottom, dead as can be. That proves and shows that while they may swim off, they don't always stay that way after release.


did you put the stringer through the gills or pop a hole in the lower jaw. Any steelhead will die with the stringer through the gills.


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## ausable_steelhead (Sep 30, 2002)

> Any steelhead will die with the stringer through the gills


Only if you string the rakers/gills themselves; only running it through the plates isn't bad. Fish gills are only damaged when torn, ripped or punctured. It isn't like the fish is instantly dead if you even touch a gill. That fish never bled at all. The one I landed today though, I just ripped and roped.


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## wintrrun (Jun 11, 2008)

thousandcasts said:


> If anyone gives you grief about keeping a skam, then they need to go back to "fishin' skool" and retake skamania 101.
> 
> Skams are the one fish where it's basically irresponsible, for the most part, to sit there and play catch n release. They die. Stringer them, eat them, enjoy.


Agreed.
Anyone with a degree from the school of common sense knows that a skam fisherman this time of year is no more than a meat hunter dressed in shorts and wading sandals.
Anyone even entertaining the idea of C/R on skams in the river this time of year should have there heads examined and fishing liscence revoked.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Multispeciestamer (Jan 27, 2010)

ausable_steelhead said:


> Only if you string the rakers/gills themselves; only running it through the plates isn't bad. Fish gills are only damaged when torn, ripped or punctured. It isn't like the fish is instantly dead if you even touch a gill. That fish never bled at all. The one I landed today though, I just ripped and roped.


 I dont go through the plates. I pop a whole in the lower jaw so that the water can pass freely through the gills and gill plate. Started doing it with walleye first because if I got just one and didnt feel like cleaning just one. the fish would still be in prime condition to release. Any intrusion into any place of the gills like that is not a good thing for the fish. Esp. trout.


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## Trout King (May 1, 2002)

Multispeciestamer said:


> I dont go through the plates. I pop a whole in the lower jaw so that the water can pass freely through the gills and gill plate. Started doing it with walleye first because if I got just one and didnt feel like cleaning just one. the fish would still be in prime condition to release. Any intrusion into any place of the gills like that is not a good thing for the fish. Esp. trout.


Why even put a fish on a stringer if it is going to be released? It isn't healthy for a fish to be drug around on a stringer all day, no matter where or how you string it up. 

BTW hit another skam on the trout gear at a trib the other day. Bellied up at the end o the fight. Strung her and cut her gills...she was dead.


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## TDI (Dec 29, 2008)

Awesome Bass!!! :evilsmile


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## riverbob (Jan 11, 2011)

Multispeciestamer said:


> I dont go through the plates. I pop a whole in the lower jaw so that the water can pass freely through the gills and gill plate. Started doing it with walleye first because if I got just one and didnt feel like cleaning just one. the fish would still be in prime condition to release. Any intrusion into any place of the gills like that is not a good thing for the fish. Esp. trout.


 I've had many, many one fish catch day's on eyes and releaced then from my stringer(on my home water) and have cault them later. when that one extra fish helped make a fresh meal.


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## limpinglogan (Sep 23, 2009)

I guess I shouldn't feel bad about keeping a skam.

From reading you guys argue about C&R spring steel head I thought it was tabu to keep any steel head...on the other hand I was reading about skams low survival rates after being released so....

I guess I know now. I prefer C&R but if they are going to die any way I might as well eat'em.


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## sixgun4866 (Jun 7, 2011)

It's called catch and release into the hot grease!:lol:


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## 131north (Mar 2, 2010)

limpinglogan said:


> I guess I shouldn't feel bad about keeping a skam.
> 
> From reading you guys argue about C&R spring steel head I thought it was tabu to keep any steel head...on the other hand I was reading about skams low survival rates after being released so....
> 
> I guess I know now. I prefer C&R but if they are going to die any way I might as well eat'em.



IMO if you're abiding by the rules & regs set forth than you should never feel bad about keeping your catch, no matter what species. Leave it to the DNRE to manage the fishery. This is why we don't have people helping out the police making citizen's arrests  some things are better left to professionals.


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## Robert Holmes (Oct 13, 2008)

131north said:


> IMO if you're abiding by the rules & regs set forth than you should never feel bad about keeping your catch, no matter what species. Leave it to the DNRE to manage the fishery. This is why we don't have people helping out the police making citizen's arrests  some things are better left to professionals.


Leaving the fish management to the DNR is like letting a baby play with dynamite. Look at the Salmon in Lake Huron. The reason that there is no salmon in Lake Huron is because the DNR thought that they could manage them. You hear different stories from different DNR people on what happened to the salmon but none will tell you the truth. The DNR let a commercial fishing company cut off all of the good spawning rivers and harvest all of the spawners. Their hatchery fish were not surviving so the population plummeted. That is what I call good fish management.


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## quest32a (Sep 25, 2001)

Robert Holmes said:


> Leaving the fish management to the DNR is like letting a baby play with dynamite. Look at the Salmon in Lake Huron. The reason that there is no salmon in Lake Huron is because the DNR thought that they could manage them. You hear different stories from different DNR people on what happened to the salmon but none will tell you the truth. The DNR let a commercial fishing company cut off all of the good spawning rivers and harvest all of the spawners. Their hatchery fish were not surviving so the population plummeted. That is what I call good fish management.


Not true. Nearly everything you said is total misinformation. Where do you think our fish originally came? Hatchery fish, and all of our hatchery fish have wild parents. There are no 3rd and 4th generation mutts. They are all 1st generation progeny. Lack of food and a general change in biomass is what killed Lake Huron. Not commercial fisherman at the mouths of rivers.


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