The Quickie Upper Sacramento/McCloud Fly Fishing Update

The Upper Sacramento River’s running right around 2000 cfs, and – despite two days of warmer weather – it hasn’t increased (though it’s no longer falling at 500 cfs per day).

That offers all sorts of implications (e.g. – we’re not going to see a big runoff even this year), but to honest, 2000 cfs still renders large chunks of the river unfishable.

The McCloud’s flows are hovering around 1000 cfs at the lake, so it remains fishable in its upper regions – and it’s apparently not spilling over the dam – but Curtis Knight of CalTrout forwarded this semi-chilling message:

As previously indicated, PG&E is closely monitoring the inflow to McCloud Reservoir and is assessing the need to make additional flow releases below McCloud Dam to manage water surface elevation in the reservoir.  To date, flow releases from McCloud Dam have not increased significantly and inflow to McCloud Reservoir appears to be stabilizing.

The current instream flow release from McCloud Dam is 168 cfs, and the current flow at Ah-Di-Nah is 470 cfs.  McCloud Reservoir is at maximum storage.  Since McCloud Reservoir is at maximum storage, the need for increased flow releases from McCloud Dam is still probable, and is dependant on the rate of reservoir inflow experienced over the next several day.  Although additional precipitation is not likely, warming temperatures and saturated ground conditions may cause increased inflow to the reservoir.

OK. That’s not bad, and with no precipitation forecast until Saturday, I’d suggest the McCloud is fishable in its upper portions. And it’s quite likely the Upper McCloud is at least partly fishable, though again, one man’s “fishable” is another’s “let’s go get drunk.”

Me? I’d love to get drunk, but I’m teaching yet another series of online marketing classes, and will therefore largely turn into a pumpkin for the next three weeks.

Life, it seems, is often dark.

See you in class, Tom Chandler.