I realize that fall started a few days ago…I don’t know
maybe a week or so ago to be more accurate….but a date on a calendar rarely
signals the beginning or end of anything in nature. Fall starts slow with a
mild shortening of the days, a realization that it is getting darker sooner, evenings
get cooler, we don’t really use our heater or our air conditioner, and I keep a
close eye on the wild card and league leaders in the MLB. Baseball playoffs,
meaningful college football games, and an idea of who is and who isn’t in the
NFL usually moves me into October…Placing a troutbeads.com order and buying
nail polish and tooth picks at Walgreens usually comes at the same time. Fall is here in nor cal by all signs, there
is even some new snow on Mt. Shasta, and fishing is days away in most spots
from getting really good, though how long it lasts is very dependent on fall
and winter rain.
I spent the last weekend on the Lower Sac floating from Red Bluff down to Los Molinos
looking for trout and steelhead. We hooked 2 nice steelhead and a fair number
of trout. Fishing was good but there was no salmon to be found up on reds and
that stretch really needs fish up on reds to go off. That said hooking into big
wild tributary steelhead is always a treat.
From what I hear the upper stretches are fishing pretty darn good as
well. Until we get some substantial rain I think the L. Sac is going to be one
of the better games in northern California.
Floated the Feather
River a few times looking for steelhead this past weekend as well…crowded
would be an understatement. I have never seen the river as crowded as I did
this weekend…boats, salmon anglers, poachers, you name it and they are all
there. We hooked a few nice fish but I will not be back until salmon season
closes Oct 15 and maybe even after as it
usually takes a few days for the people to get the hint and clear out.
I have not been over to the Lower Yuba river but I have heard fishing has been fair to good…I
have had a little hard time pulling the trigger on taking clients over to the
Yuba as the flows are so low and when the flows get as low as they are it can
be a bit of a junk show competing with wade fishermen.
Sports News
So the giants and Irish keep pulling on my heart strings and
taking years off my life but heck they keep winning! I hesitate to call them
the Giants as the starting roster is really a combination of the SF Giants,
Fresno Grizzlies, and Richmond Fly Squirrels roster from July and August…Talk
about a team thrown together and missing key parts. The Irish on the other hand
between the Standford and UNC game I have a whole new patch of grey hair. Good
lord lets not fumble and throw INT’s for a change !!!! this weeks game is huge
with Florida State at Florida State. While I don’t think Florida State belongs
even in the top 5 let alone #1 or 2 … Great time for sports man great time!
Fermented Grains
Been enjoying two Sierra Nevada brews lately…Nooner Session
IPA and Snow Whit IPA. My sister in law hooked up a few cases of these two
brews. They were originally part of the IPA sampler but I don’t think they were
to popular and there was a bunch left over….so I am helping eliminate them. In
a few weeks with some colder weather might got get myself some brown water and
get this fall thing really kicked off proper.
Rock and Roll
Been listening to the newest Dave Hause album Devour…great
rock album just plain old good. He is touring with Hot Water Music this winter
for their 20th anniversary tour. In other music news I saw a great
solo acoustic set by Chuck Ragan up in Grass Valley a few weeks ago. Chuck is
one of the main song writters and singers in Hot Water Music and has one of the
most distinct voices around. His solo stuff is great and Hot Water Music is a
CLASSIC punk/emo/post hardcore band in my life…couple that with Chuck being a straight
up nutty fly fishermen…. it was a cool show. Check Chuck’s solo stuff
out….www.chuckraganmusic.com
