Fishing Report,    mccloud river

Where Are The Undergrounders Fishing on California's Opening Day? (or, McCloud's Fishable.... Barely)

By Tom Chandler 4/29/2011

As the only website not commenting on the Royal Wedding, I'm simply here to suggest California's season opener doesn't hold the same impact it used to, but it's still a milestone -- one that seems to arrive faster and faster each year.

With fishing commencing on the McCloud River tomorrow a.m., local guide Wayne Eng told me the McCloud is very high... but fishable (at least the mile above Hawkins Creek).

Below Hawkins flows are edging above 750 cfs. Those are the same flows I fished with Uber-fly angler Frank Smethurst on a fall trip, and while he managed to pound out just enough fish to save the day (a video day), I don't think either of us would have said it was pleasant.

Sadly, the McCloud's already crowded; Wayne said every square foot of real estate at Ash Camp was staked out by campers (yesterday), so a solitary experience it won't be.

Frankly, in the interest of adding a badly needed element of entertainment to fly fishing, I'm proposing a WWF-style "Ring of Doom"
where two anglers enter the fish cage to challenge each other for good water on the Upper McCloud -- but only one leaves.

Once again, I've got fly fishing's best interests at heart, yet the industry -- predictably -- will fail to recognize my genius.

Me? I just got off the phone with Wayne, and we're still unsure where we're heading.

I've got a couple spots in mind on the Upper Sacramento -- good high water stuff -- and may just show up and drown a nymph.

(Don't forget Joe Kimsey's 3pm Memorial at Dunsmuir City Park.)

Where Are The Undergrounders Fishing?


I realize tomorrow isn't opening day for the majority of my readers, but in the interest of at least appearing concerned, I'm asking where everybody's weekend plans are taking them.

Hopefully someplace where work isn't an option; I'm thinking of declaring Work Chapter 11 Bankruptcy Protection, where you tell your clients you're filing for protection, and they're now legally obligated to wait while you reorganize your workload.

And go fly fishing.

See you on the opener, 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.

22 comments
Write a Comment
Tickets are still available...
Reply
0
0
Still ridiculously cold in these parts. It snowed (again) last night. However the floral delivery people have made sure that we notice that Mother's Day is quickly approaching. That blessed commercial event does suggest some road trip options.
Reply
0
0
I'd tell ya but then I'd have to kill ya !!!
Reply
0
0
Tom Chandler: Holy crap, that's a long time. A good pike season would make up for it. Pike, still water trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass and panfish... plus a couple trout rivers that don't have closed seasons. North central Idaho is a pretty happening place even during the spring doldrums. Pike just have this compelling quality though.
Reply
0
0
If the snows clear, might make it to Clarks Fork myself, but I'm not holding my breath. Last year this time the road in had yet to be plowed...
Reply
0
0
We are looking forward to the opener here. Expect to be on the Upper Sac tomorrow after son's soccer game(had another grand day on it today including a few on dries) , hope to see you at Joe Kimsey's tribute at City Park, then over to the Fall River with Jerri on Sunday as I had a last minute cancellation.
Reply
0
0
Alas, this rat is hitting the cubicle this weekend and next. High water or not, things are looking grim until June for me fishing-wise.
Reply
0
0
David: Once the season opens I'm looking forward to some small streams and backpacking trips. Those are a ways off for us; so much snow that the backcountry is going to be out of reach for a while longer...
Reply
0
0
trout chaser: Our general stream season doesn't open for another month. Holy crap, that's a long time. A good pike season would make up for it.
Reply
0
0
That's pretty stuff. When I lived in the Bay Area, I made a few trips up there. Mostly fished the Lower Stan on day trips, got up that way a few times.
Reply
0
0
Heading up Hwy. 108! Will check out S. Fork of Stanislaus and Herring Creek. Most of my fav spots still snowed in, so will have to stay to the plowed path (at least for parking the Avalanche!) May head up to Clarks Fork or Kennedy, will just have to see! Just got my Double Haul pack back from fishpond (zipper fragged, replaced, no questions, AWESOME!) so get to re-configure and add more! Bottle, I ... more mean glass of syrah and a box of gear to put back, great evening!
Reply
0
0
We still have another month to go before everything opens up here in the Portland area so I think I'll head to Maupin tomorrow and fish the Deschutes. Flows are a little high but it usually still fishes well. Once the season opens I'm looking forward to some small streams and backpacking trips. Wild cutthroats really do it for me.
Reply
0
0
Our general stream season doesn't open for another month. While there are any number of trout streams and lakes that are open year round here, mid to late April tends to find me focusing on Pike fishing. Lots of rough and tumble action on big streamers and surface poppers, with the added bonus of fish fries and a reputation for generosity. Pike are quite tasty which adds a veneer of legitimacy to ... more what basically amounts to vermin control with a fly rod.
Reply
0
0
The eastern Sierra is in fine shape! Our big runoff doesn't start until late May. And many of the better trout streams are open year round now anyway. But, the big news is a few choice lower elevation trout lakes are ice free!!
Reply
0
0
You're a beadhead anyway, so I don't care...
Reply
0
0
Patrick: More importantly, I'll start fishing Monday, after most of the other (working) anglers are back at the grind. It's sentences like these that lead to the delivery of packages from your friends that are -- oddly enough -- ticking...
Reply
0
0
Gills are pure fun. In truth, I'm envious.
Reply
0
0
Flows are all too high where I am. Going tomorrow to a small lake on Tejon Ranch for Bluegill and Bass. Yeah!
Reply
0
0
I'll be revisiting this small stream 11 miles down a Forest Service road a bit north of Yosemite, where cows outnumber the fishermen. The kind of stream where high flows create very nice pools that hide wild trout that may lack size, but put on an entertaining show of zipping out of the depths to nail a dry. More importantly, I'll start fishing Monday, after most of the other (working) anglers are ... more back at the grind.
Reply
0
0
[...] Link: Where Are The Undergrounders Fishing on California's Opening Day … [...]
Reply
0
0
Like I'm telling you where I'm fishing. Ha!
Reply
0
0
I'm hitting the Animas this Sunday. Run off has slowed up a bit, and it looks like there is some good water to fish.
Reply
0
0

Discover Your Own Fishing and Hunting Adventures

With top destinations, guided trips, outfitters and guides, and river reports, you have everything you need.

Help