Our "Get Away to ..." series this week takes us to the Arroyo Seco River, a tributary of the Salinas River in Central California.

The Arroyo Seco is as difficult a river to fly fish as you'll find in the Golden State, but the wild river and its native trout are well worth the trip.

Why is this a "difficult" fishery? First, there’s its location, carving its way through a steep, brushy gorge that’s nearly impossible to fish early in the regular trout season when the river is swollen with runoff.

This Monterey County fishery also runs by a popular campground and is located near Salinas and the heavily populated Silicon Valley, which means it receives lots of fishing pressure during the summer months – even though the lower portions of the river are technically off limits during the general trout season.

A friend of mine just took a job with a newspaper in Boulder, Colo., prompting me to check out the paper’s Web site and get a feel for the area (and more importantly its fisheries) in case I head up that way to visit in the near future.

While I was surfing the Daily Camera’s site, I came across an interesting piece by outdoors columnist Ed Engle.

Engle brings up an interesting issue that has really become a hot-button topic out West because of invasive species being transported from one water to another.

At a recent fishing expo, Engle said the most interesting thing he took away from the convention was “the movement away from felt-soled wading boots by many of the manufacturers. From what I could tell, it looks like it won’t be long before the wading shoe you and I buy will have a high-tech, sticky rubber sole.”

The hope, of course, is that invasive species like the Quagga Mussel will no longer hide out in our old felt-soled boots as we hike from fishery to fishery. Here are some additional tips to help prevent the spread of invasive species.

Once the election is over, what is Barack Obama’s No. 1 priority?

To go fly fishing of course.

OK, the presidential hopeful isn’t going to drop everything and head up to Missoula in November, but he’s talked about being an aspiring fly fisherman.

While many have associated hunting and fishing with the republican ticket (Sarah Palin shot a moose for goodness sake), Obama has a little outdoors in him as well.

I’ve mentioned Obama’s wish to fish here before, but in an interview with Field & Stream recently, he mentioned he’d seriously like to get out on the water once the election season winds down.

“... I tell you, one of the pleasures of being a presidential candidate has been traveling all across the country, and we spent quite a bit of time in Montana recently,” he told the magazine. “I am absolutely certain that one way or another, after this presidential process is over, whether — because

I lose or because I win — and I've got a little vacation time coming, I’m going to learn how to fly fish, because that land is spectacular.” Amen, Obama. Send me an e-mail, and I’ll show you where all the fall hotspots are in Montana before Jack Frost shuts things down for the winter.

The California Department of Fish and Game has set its "Free Fishing Day" for this coming Saturday, Sept. 27.

Free fishing days occur twice a year in California, offering Golden State anglers a complimentary day of fishing. Typically anglers over the age of 15 need a fishing license to fish legally in California.

All other fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect.

“This is a great opportunity not only to go fishing but to take a novice or youth fishing,” DFG fisheries branch chief Neil Manji said. “Anglers can enjoy surf fishing, dunking a worm for bass or trout fishing in the Sierras.”

Photo by Brian Milne