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Proposed McCloud River Flows Look Good For Fly Fishermen (Despite All Rumors To The Contrary)

By Tom Chandler 5/5/2011

The McCloud River might be California's most-loved river, and despite a contentious licensing process and a lot of misinformation to the contrary, the dam relicensing process is probably going to result in flows that look pretty good for fish and fly fishermen.

We just posted an article at the CalTrout site ("The Facts About the McCloud Dam Relicensing Process' explaining the final Environmental Impact Report's recommended flows -- including hydrographs graphically displaying the differences between the old flow regime and the proposed new one.

The highlights?


  • Winter/early spring flows have been modified to better protect the McCloud's spawning fish and newly hatched fry from the severe swings often seen under the old plan


  • In the vast majority of years, fishermen will not experience any difference in the "fishability" of the river (wet years are out of control anyway, and dry years don't present a problem to fishermen as much as spawning fish)


  • Higher base flows in winter (when fishing is illegal) not only protect spawning trout, they also reduce the likelihood of uncontrolled spills in the spring (which do shut down the fishing)


  • Contrary to all the rumors, there were few concessions made to whitewater folks (no pulse flows, extended spring flows, etc)




The Bad News


Outside of high water events (which suck equally under both flow regimes), the worst case scenario for fly fishermen involves a "normal" year with a late spike in flows; protecting spawning trout and fry requires a more gradual downward ramp than has been seen in the past, so flows will take a bit longer to settle out.

In fact, more gradual ramps and higher winter base flows (reducing the amplitude of the spikes in flows which strand fry and expose redds) are really at the heart of the modified flows, and because the above scenario only happens a few times a decade, it's a pretty small price to pay for an enhanced trout fishery.

To see the actual data, I urge you to visit the CalTrout article and see the hydrographs for yourself.

After all, a few facts go a lot farther than a lot of misinformation.

See you being a water geek, 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.

PSumner: seems like no matter what in wet/big snow years flows will be up late spring You're absolutely right; McCloud Reservoir has so little storage capacity (relative to winter/spring inflows) that wet years simply overwhelm things, and no matter what the flow regime, fishermen probably won't enjoy the spring. That said, higher baseline flows in the winter not only protect spawners (and redds, ... more and fry), they also reduce the risk of spills later in the spring (when it matters to fishermen). The worst-case scenario is a normal year with a late spike in flows; the slower down ramp of flows (to protect spawners and fry) means fishermen will miss an extra week or two. Not a bad trade for more fish the rest of the year(s).
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Thanks for sharing Tom... Looks great. Ramping the flows down slowly makes a lot of sense. Given all the feeder creeks, even upstream of Ah-di-nah and the Preserve, seems like no matter what in wet/big snow years flows will be up late spring... protecting the fish, long term, is obviously the best way to make sure it continues to be a great fishery. We fly fishers sure want everything perfect don't ... more we?
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You're right. I was being optimistic. Shasta is basically surrounded by "crazy" and it's hard to see that ending anytime soon. Worse, being angry and holding your fingers in your ears seems to be the new black; I suspect that will get worse before it gets better too.
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Oh, I think you can count on the crazy marching right along... it might get different standard bearers, but you can always count on the crazy.
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Yeah, it might even get a little better down there. And hopefully we'll see less "crazy" up here...
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Well done Tom. Hope this puts a lid on the misinformers. Looks like years of good fishing on the McCloud are ahead.
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