We can safely say California’s drought is over.

(Hell, just by glancing out my office window, we can safely say the downstairs door won’t be accessible for another week).

We can also safely say the fly fishing season — at least on our non-tailwaters – will be starting later than usual.

The lord giveth, and he taketh away.

Winter started with a lot of rain and snow, but that tapered off for upwards of six weeks, at the end of which our snowpack actually dipped below 100% of normal.

Those lackluster numbers (the cause of much apprehension among the state’s water users) are now history, and I’m seeing reports of a snowpack in the “160% of normal” range around the state.

Tahoe ski resorts are reporting record winters (“biggest in 25 years”), and gleefully extending their seasons — perhaps as late as the Fourth of July.

Their Gain; Our Loss?

All that water is good for most of the state — and high-water events are needed to rejuvenate bug and fish habitat — though most fly fishermen share humanity’s overall self-centeredness, so we’re not fans of the massive, long-lasting runoff that often accompanies record snowpack.

In a typical year, fly fishing the season opener in Northern California often meant watching the flows cruelly ramping up the week prior to the opener (end of April). I always suspected the late April opening date was evidence of a cruel sense of humor at Fish & Game, though the availability of year-round waters suggests at least a hint of humanity.

Typically we’re fishing the Upper Sac at something approaching worthwhile flows somewhere in late May to early June.

High snowpack changes all that, and in fact, one year (prior to my moving here), flows remained unpleasantly high through the Fourth of July (I believed the “optimistic” reports of a fly shop, and largely wasted the weekend).

We could easily see that again.

It gets worse – at least if you’re a small stream junkie.

Sorta.

Small streams overflow quickly and remain that way during the snowmelt, and worse, many remain unreachable long after the season “officially” opens (snow drifts are poor at recognizing the state’s legal authority).

Then again, some alpine streams clear up and become fishable before the rivers farther down the watershed, though in a wet year, a trip to an alpine stream could find you in the dentist-drill-esque company of a bazillion mosquitoes (see above for the “taketh & giveth” thing).

Saving The Early Season

First, you might give up on the idea of an early season trial for that new 1-weight rod. Yet the Underground — ever the California’s fly fishermen’s friend – will bravely suggest Four Ways to Beat The California Snowpocalypse (see, eastern media aren’t the only ones capable of sensationalizing snow):

  1. Fish tailwaters, where flows will be high but controlled
  2. Fish lakes, which — outside of poor water clarity — don’t much care about runoff (a good, if often overlooked, choice)
  3. Learn to love soft-ball sized split shot
  4. Leave the state and run (like some kind of pathetic sissy) to a less-rampant snowpack

Frankly, I’ll probably opt for #1 and #4 – gravitating to #2 as soon as I can. (Yes, I may be returning to Tennessee this year after a several-year absence.)

For now, I’ve got websites to launch.

See you under water, Tom Chandler.

Posted in Upper Sacramento and tagged , , .