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Checked Your Stock Ticker & Oil Index Lately? Still Wonder Why You Fly Fish?

By Tom Chandler 5/7/2010

On Thursday - in only 90 minutes - the stock market dropped nearly 1000 points because somebody can't type, and oil continues to flow toward the some of the world's richest fishing grounds like something out of a B-grade 50s Sci-fi flick.

My week has been consumed by work, teaching, and a really ungratifying series of computer hassles.

And people wonder why we fly fish?

The Weather
Up here at Trout Underground/Man Cave World Headquarters, the forecast high temp is only 65 degrees - and it's falling over the weekend.

With only a couple days above 70 degrees so far this spring - and most of our above-average snowpack still squatting on the surrounding mountains - you don't have to be a Wall Street trading program to know what lies ahead for the Upper Sacramento.

A long, long runoff event.

Normally, It's a Race
Usually, the season opener (in late April) becomes a race between warm weather and the calendar.

If the calendar wins, the warm water doesn't show up until after opening weekend. (The happy fishermen frolic and rejoice in their good fortune.)

If the weather wins, we typically get highs in the 70s and 80s, jump-starting the snowmelt and high water a week or two before the opener.

(And the happy fishermen don't rejoice until the runoff ends.)

Not This Year
This year, we still haven't seen warm weather (and won't for the immediate future), yet the river's been quite high.

With many, many feet of snow in the hills, most of the alpine lakes might as well be 5,000 below the ocean's surface.

And many of the small streams? Unreachable - some for another month.

Yet I know of one stream that may just be fishable. Plans are being made. Equipment being readied. And negotiations begun over timing.

And while the Upper Sacramento may not be in prime shape, reports suggest the McCloud, Pit and other rivers are going big guns.

So there's still plenty of room for rejoicing.

See you on the river (finally), Tom Chandler.

AuthorPicture

Tom Chandler

As the author of the decade leading fly fishing blog Trout Underground, Tom believes that fishing is not about measuring the experience but instead of about having fun. As a staunch environmentalist, he brings to the Yobi Community thought leadership on environmental and access issues facing us today.

Due to weather and conditions up your way, decided to check out Hat Creek, spent the week living out of pocket in "beautiful downtown Burney".... The weather was "like you read about" and the fishing was good. PS2, 2nd riffly was at times shoulder to shoulder but beautiful Bows were had, high stick and even Caddis action. All week, M-Sat. was blue sky and 68/70, this morning (Sunday), my last day, ... more the sky turned gray , wind with a brisk bite. Great week in the river
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I checked last year's posts. A week later than now, I said the Upper Sac and McCloud were already on their way down from the spring runoff; this year, they haven't even really begun. I'm leaving in a few minutes to try a small stream which Bertrand and I fished this time last year. I'll bet - this year - it's blown out, or close to it. But, we gotta try. Astonishingly, we probably won't see temperatures ... more above 65 degrees until (perhaps) the middle of the week, with a mid-40s day sandwiched in between. It's a strange one.
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We were in the middle of a nice spring with evening hatches .....18" of rain here in Bellvue 13" in Nashville could have been worse but it will be 6 weeks for the caney to go down enough to even try...(at least is wasn't snow!!!!!).....the mountain in east Tn will be fine in a few days ...part of why fall tends to be my favorite fishing (the joy of spring after winter is great ) but fall is pretty ... more darn predictable around here anyway.....
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Well, we finally got some of your snow here (N. Wisconsin) yesterday. The 2.4 inches was the first measurable snow since Feb. 24th and the most single day snow since Xmas Eve. Everything was running about 3 weeks early up here, including hatches. Hendricksons should just be getting started but instead are about done. Quill Gordons are long gone. We were almost expecting to see the Sulfurs start popping ... more off but I imagine the slug of snow melt water in the streams will put the cabosh on that. Which is fine with me, I have to work this weekend.
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