Well things are looking up! It is the First Day of spring
and the weather even during a few rain showers truly feels like spring. With
conditions changing each day I would encourage everyone to check on reports
daily as the began to make plans for trips but here is a bit of a forecast as I
see it…
Lower Sacramento
Trout Fishing – Flows coming out of Keswick are 8410cfs and steady.
This is a GREAT flow and more then fishable. If anything a bit on the lower
side. That said the clarity is the issue. Lake Shasta is muddy and therefore
the river is muddy coming out of the dam. I know there are people getting out
and catching a few fish but nothing that I have heard resembling good or even
fair. I have heard ambitious thoughts that the river may become fishable by the
end of march and more conservative ideas of the end of April…either way it is a
ways off. There is clearer water coming into the lake via the branches but it
is going to take a while for the sediment to settle and/or the clean water to
push out the dirty. Either way I think the fishing will slowly improve as the
clarity slowly improves. I also think some of the middle floats will be the
first to fish as clean water coming in from tributaries will “dilute” the flow
and have a positive affect on the clarity.
Lower Sacramento
River Striper/Shad/Bass/Carp Fishing…
River Conditions: River is
muddy period though flows atOrd Ferry are
18,329cfs and steady. As the tributaries clean up so should the clarity. That
said there is cleaner water back in various sloughs and back waters, just have
to search it out. The river itself supprisingly hasn’t changed very much. It
just got cleaned out BIG TIME, snags and weed beds that had clogged up sloughs
and coves for years are GONE. There will be access to flats, coves, and back
waters like we haven’t seen in YEARS!
Stripers – Clarity is just bit off
for confidence fishing for stripers, though I am sure there will be a steady
clearing over the next month or so. I have confidence fishing for stripers on
the river is pretty dirty water so in the next few weeks I am sure we should
start being able to catch some resident and migratory stripers. There are a few
reports of migratory fish down by Colusa and Boyds Pump but most guys that
would be bait fishing for stripers are fishing for sturgeon so reports are hard
to come by.
Shad – I wouldn’t count on a good
shad year. I don’t have a lot of confidence catching shad in off color water
and high water years are traditionally not great shad years. That said May is
the month and there is plenty of time between now and then for things to shape
up.
Bass/Carp – The back water bass
fishing should start sooner then anything as I found clean water in the back
sloughs and flats. Flats that have been weeded up for years are now open and I
noticed this last week while out one my FAVORITE FLATs is open and clear for the
first time in nearly ten years! There should be some great flats fishing this
summer for carp and stripers like we haven’t seen in years. May have to kill
the spider colony that has taken up residence on my poling platform in the back
of my storage shed.
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| Have to get back there but there is cleaner water |
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| Haven't fished this piece of water in 10 years... |
Lower Yuba River
– Flows are down to around 4000cfs,
Clarity is decent, and the boat ramp at Sycamore is open! So, that means
the river is “fishable” I personally am not a fan of floating the river until
it gets around 3000-3500cfs but with the changes who knows how 4k fishes. I
plan on getting out on the Yuba here in the next week to check it out and see
what things are looking like. With these flows to get a full day it would be a double
float as the “Club Water” at Daguerre as many know has closed. That said I did
secure a private put in up river from the bridge a bit so I gained a bit of
water there. The Yuba should be an option here as long as flows stay stable and
clarity remains good. I am sure with the run off flows will fluctuate but right
now and option is an option.
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| Still Water Bass |
Still Water Bass
– I have been spending most of my personal fishing time exploring various lakes
for Spotted and Largemouth bass. Fishing has been good at times and tough at
others. Learning and exploring lakes I have not been on in years has proved a
bit of a re-learning curve as I am competing for fish with seasoned
conventional bass anglers. That said it is fun and has proved pretty rewarding
as there is some really unique and cool fisheries around that don’t fished with
flies very much or at all.
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| Nice Spotted Bass thanks to the Mojo Impregnated HGB FLY FISHING HAT |
OPEN DATES:
March 25
April 1
June 3, 13, 14, 27, 28, 30,
July 6, 8, 11, 13-15, 17-19, 22, 24, 27-29,
Aug 2, 19, 26
Sept 2, 4, 16, 23
Music Report
– A few new albums I have been listening to…Dave Hause “Bury me in Philly”
so far so good on this one. I can’t say I hear any classics like his previous
two albums but those two hit me at pretty transitional periods in my life and
the theme lined up pretty in line with what I was going through at the time.
Bury Me is rocking and straight forward up beat rock record in the line of
Bruce Springsteen, Gas Light Anthem, and Lucero……Arliss Nancy “Wild American
Runners” I came by this band in an odd way but I can’t believe I have
missed out on them. From Colorado they are straight punk, Americana, rock. Very
similar to Lucero in that degree even with the raspy, whiskey soaked, cigarette
smoking voice/vocals. There is some great and really sublte yet creative song writing
as well. They have a few albums out and ounce I digest this one I will get get
the others.
Sports Report
– Lots to talk about…March Madnees is in full affect and My dad and I went to
the first and second round games at the new Arena in Sacramento. First Round
games were fun but not close, pretty clear by half time who was going to win.
That said the second round games were great, and it was really cool to see the
new arena and get out with my dad and boys. Notre Dame flamed out in the second
round against West Virginia and their relentless press defense so I don’t
really have a horse in the race anymore…I saw UCLA play twice in person and
they are a freak of a team with Welsh at 7’ Leaf at 6’10” and the phenom Ball.
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| Pumped! for some B-Ball and St. Patty's Day |
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| Who doesn't dress up as a leprechaun on St. Patty's day? |
Baseball season is fast approaching. I have really been
enjoying the WBC and it has taken away from my following of the Giants in the
Cactus league. I really enjoy watching the European and Asian/Pacific teams
play as they play a very different style of baseball compared with the American
and Latin teams.
Hogan Vs. The
Goliath – On the Umpqua front, and my quest to get them to stop tying
my flies not much has changed (see previous post for info on this). They pulled
down a few of my patterns from their website but not my most popular. I have never
heard from them either, even after mass support and pressure via social media
as well as letters written to them on my behalf. In the end I want to thank
everyone for their support as it was pretty overwhelming the amount of people
that shared and supported my “cause”. That said I doubt they will ever stop
tying my flies, as long as dealers across the country continue to buy them they
will tie and sell them. I will continue to do what I can to put pressure on
them, make customers, dealers, and the public aware of what they are doing and
remain on the high ground to the best of my ability. If you reader are so
inclined please share my tale and explain to anglers, dealers, and the public what is
happening. I imagine I could get a lawyer, get dirty on line, and more militant, but at what cost of energy, time, and money. I in no way will back down
but in the end I want people in our industry to do the right thing because it
is the right thing to do. I don't think that is to much to ask or to much to hope for in our small industry.
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