Update: PG&E’s managing a “spill release,” which isn’t coming over the dam, but would if they didn’t dramatically increase flows…
According to PG&E, water started spilling over the McCloud Dam at 4:30 this afternoon.
Thus, the book closes on opening day for one of the state’s most-loved rivers (unless you’re willing to pound it out at high flows).
See you muttering “damn dams,” Tom Chandler.
This in from PG&E (who operate the McCloud Hydropower facility):
PG&E is observing rapidly increasing inflows into McCloud Reservoir and anticipates that McCloud Dam will begin to spill earlier than previously forecasted. The reservoir has increased approximately 4.7 feet in the past 72 hours and continues a rapid ascent.
PG&E has taken careful steps to manage the increasing inflow into McCloud Reservoir by monitoring reservoir level, maintaining a low water surface elevation in Iron Canyon Reservoir, and diverting water through James B. Black Powerhouse to maintain the maximum amount of storage capacity. Despite these efforts, deep snow pack and increasing spring snowmelt means that the capacity of the McCloud Reservoir will fill and water will spill over the dam spillway.
Based on the current increasing inflow conditions into McCloud Reservoir, PG&E anticipated that McCloud Dam will begin spilling on Wednesday evening/Thursday morning (April 27 / 28, 2011).
At this time PG&E is unable to accurately provide an estimate of the anticipated spill magnitude, as inflow to the reservoir continues to increase hourly. However, based on inflow trends as of this notification, initial spill flow from McCloud Dam may be approximately 500 to 600 cubic feet per second with regular increases likely until inflows subside.
Amusingly, my very recent post about the season opener suggests the McCloud will offer good fly fishing.
Once again, the illusion of omnipotence is shattered…
See you eating blackbird, Tom Chandler.
It’s coming down pretty good (6:30 am, current forecast here), and for all the fly fishermen who typically populate the Upper Sacramento and McCloud Rivers this time of year (including several clubs), waking up to the sound of a driving rain on the roof isn’t listed on anyone’s “Ten Favorite Things To Hear On A Fly Fishing Trip” bucket list.
Fly fishermen have a love/hate relationship with rain; a little damp drizzle or light rain tends to fire the BWOs (or simply keep them on the water longer), which brings up the trout.
It can also start washing October Caddis into the river, turning the biggest trout you’ll see all year into real surface-feeding predators.
On the other hand, the heavy stuff – especially when driven by a little 15 mph wind (the case now) – isn’t so helpful.
We’ve all fished those days where – despite swaddling yourself in the finest rain gear money can buy – you end up sloshing a little by lunch, and by the time you get back to your home/hotel/tent/cave, you’re a wrinkled, pasty-looking “before” picture for an anti-aging product advertisement.
Flows on the Upper Sacramento have only gone up 40 cfs or so, suggesting we haven’t seen much rain yet (probable), though the forecast for today and Sunday is simply “rain.”
My hints for rainy day survival on the Upper Sacramento & McCloud Rivers?
The Big Bug
A little spike in flows can really get the trout feeding. I try to cover a lot of water using a big October Caddis dry, and I’ve been reminded a couple dozen times that shallow bankside feeding lanes can be hugely productive (“reminded” as in catching a great big trout out of nine inches of water after wading through miles of similar water without fishing it).
Just before noon, I try to find myself on a good BWO flat – a smooth-ish stretch of water that offers plenty of places for trout to feed, yet is bordered on its upstream end by a long riffle.
A good riffle is a bug factory (especially BWOs), and because trout aren’t stupid (at least when it comes to lunch), they’ll tend to congregate in the better chow lines.
And trust me – after you’ve put down a handful of these spooky fall trout – the availability of a few more is a real silver lining.
In ugly terms, more rising fish means more chances to work the kinks out of your small bug/wary trout game, and some of us experience a lot of kinks.
Finally, a lot of the water that creeps inside our little protective bubble of high-dollar Gore-Tex sneaks in through our sleeves, so make sure those neoprene wading jacket cuffs are reasonably tight.
See you in the rain, Tom Chandler
The McCloud Deadline For Public Comment Looms…
The emails have been flying around the McCloud River Hydro Relicensing (some nice, some pretty nasty, and you can guess which hold more sway with me).
Frankly, I’ve grown weary of all the unsubstantiated claims, so I’ve searched out a retired Forest Service watershed hydrologist (not from the McCloud area) who is willing to look at the raw data and interpret it for me and the Undergrounders.
Unfortunately, that will have to wait until I’m back home, and you’ve only got (I think) until the end of today to lodge your public comment about the McCloud River re-licesning.
If you’ve ever fished the McCloud – or think you might want to someday (and everyone wants to) – then invest a couple minutes and get your name on the board while you still can.
Commenting at FERC will not tax your brain or your time; Go to the FERC website comment page and make sure you file under the McCloud project number which is P-2106-047.
Tell them how important the McCloud River’s angling heritage is to you and your sizable contingent of angling friends.
Currently – after looking at the data – I’m supporting the CalTrout, Trout Unlimited, and Northern California Federation of Fly Fishers proposal, though if you want to support the MRK proposal, that works OK too.
Just support something.
I’m only getting snippets of info, but it appears there’s considerable support for the Forest Service proposal, which is not the one we want.
Time to make a stand.
See you at FERC, Tom Chandler
I kept receiving the emails, which grew more apocalyptic as time passed.
If you believed them, the McCloud Hydropower relicensing process was about to deal the McCloud River a death blow: “eliminate up to two and half months (April to July) of our licensed fishing season in order to create an amusement park for whitewater kayakers.”
Worse yet, the relicensing process was going to “damage the 24 miles of near-perfect aquatic habitat throughout the McCloud below the reservoir and will destroy what is a unique, world-renowned and historic fishery.”
Then – to my growing astonishment – I “learned” that the CalTrout and the state TU reps were “closet” whitewater activists working in the service of a shadowy whitewater lobby with more juice than the Trilateral commission.
Fearsome stuff.
Which happened to be almost wholly false.
[sigh]
Don’t Make Me Pull This Blog Over To The Side Of The Road…
Major dams undergo a relicensing every 50 years, and flow regimes are a part of that process.
It’s an impossibly complex process whereby every stakeholder on the planet has a say (including utilities, irrigators, state water board, forest service, user groups [like anglers & whitewater types], extraterrestrials, etc), and a cynic might suggest that nobody will ever really get what they want.
Where the McCloud’s concerned, the stakes for fly fishermen are high; the McCloud remains one of the most scenic – and popular – rivers in the “real” west, and things can get a little heated.
In this case, somebody went way, way over the top.
In a nutshell, CalTrout, California’s Trout Unlimited chapter and FFF have been deeply involved in the relicensing process for almost four years.
More recently, another group of anglers have become involved, and while I’m all for participation in conservation issues, I’m unwilling to sanction the fearmongering, misinformation and personal attacks offered up by the McCloud Riverkeepers (MRK). In fact, I’m even unwilling to give them a link to their site.
On their website and in a series of increasingly apocalyptic emails, the group – led by Dennis Amato – have sounded increasingly shrill alarms about the McCloud’s imminent demise, and continue to tar and feather the state’s conservation groups with some absurd charges.
Finally, I investigated for myself, and discovered a reality was far from the one painted by MRK’s emails.
In simple terms, McCloud definitely needs the help of every fly fishermen who fishes it (or wants to).
But the dire predictions, alarming emails and character assassination have almost no grounding in fact.
In fact, I’d suggest a lot of California’s anglers were the targets of an over-the-top fearmongering campaign.
So what’s really happening?
What’s Going On With The McCloud?
Several flow proposals have been tendered during the McCloud relicensing process, including one from American Whitewater, which in fact would have rendered the McCloud unfishable for big chunks of spring.
Fortunately, that proposal was Dead on Arrival, and it now appears that American Whitewater – the seemingly omnipotent Bad Guys according to MRK – have abandoned it, throwing their support behind the more reasonable US Forest Service proposal.
That hasn’t stopped the MRK from using that original proposal, raising the specter of scouring flows, a dead fishery and scores of happy kayakers paddling past frustrated fly fishermen.
In truth, the group’s dire predictions are beyond the scope of even the most harmful whitewater proposal. And just to be clear, pulse flows and the like simply aren’t on the table at this time.
Meanwhile, CalTrout/TU/FFF have submitted a flow proposal that recognizes the “90% users” of the McCloud (that’s you and me – fishermen), and tries to rectify the more glaring problems with the existing flow regime.
What’s astonishing in all this is that MRK’s stated goal is to maintain flows at the status quo – a fairly reasonable stance, though given what I’ve learned about the relicensing process, a largely impractical one.
Which truly makes me wonder why it’s being propped up by so many lies.
I’m willing to debate the merits of the CT/TU/FFF proposal vs status quo flows vs the Forest Service proposal (and we’ll do that someday soon).
But I won’t debate anything in a toxic environment charged with invective and misinformation.
And though I’m unwilling to dignify the personal attacks with a lengthy rebuttal, I will suggest MRK’s charges are absurd, serving only to sink the credibility of MRK into the realm of negative numbers.
So Why The Fly Shops?
Almost as painful as the emails has been the willingness of several of California’s biggest fly shops to hitch their drift boat to this particular anchor.
MRK’s emails tout the support of Bob Marriot’s (Southern California), Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters (San Francisco), and The Fly Shop in Redding (which manages the old – and still seriously private – Bollibokka club for Westlands Irrigation District, who bought it to remove another obstacle to raising Shasta Dam).
You only have to read the Background/Positions section of the MRK website to get a sense for the bombast and personal attacks involved, and why the shops didn’t perform that due diligence – when even a local (and tiny) fly shop managed to do so – reflects poorly on somebody.
So Who Am I Backing?
So after wasting time writing this post (the kind of post I’d happily avoid), I’m supporting the CT/TU/FFF proposal over the “status quo” flows (the gist of the CT/TU/FFF support request is placed at the end of this post).
The CT/TU/FFF flows appear to fix many of the problems that plague the McCloud, including the springtime dewatering of the first mile below the dam, and the too-rapid fluctuations (hard on insects and fry).
Local Shasta Trout guide/outfitter Craig Nielsen actually fished the McCloud during the flow regime testing, and also supports the new CT/TU/FFF flow proposal on his website.
We spoke on our way to and from our alpine lake fishing trip, where Nielsen asserted said that higher flows (up to a point) will actually open up more water to anglers, increasing the “carrying capacity” of the river and improving the habitat for trout.
In simple terms, he thought fly fishermen would “lose access to a few spots, but gain many more new spots in the process.”
That’s not a bad start.
Summary, and More Information
These issues are rare easy or clear cut, but nobody’s served when the facts are obscured under a heaping mound of fear, exaggeration and character assassination.
You can advocate for a status quo on the flows without any of the above, which is how I wish this was playing out.
It’s clearly not. Still, perhaps it can, if we stick to the facts at hand.
Excerpt From the CalTrout/TU/FFF Letter
We have proposed an alternative flow regime with the intent of protecting, if not enhancing, the McCloud River fishery and improving its world class angling. Our recommendation calls for increased flows in the late-winter and early-spring during the critical time that rainbow trout are spawning and fry are rearing. Our proposal provides a more gradual down ramping of flows compared to how the river is managed now and will decrease the risk of rainbow trout fry stranding and reduce fish mortality.
We also believe that by releasing more water in the winter and early spring months we can minimize the amount of uncontrolled spills from the dam that create unexpected blow out conditions. These rapid increases and decreases in flow are detrimental to both fish and anglers.
While today some think the McCloud is as good as it can be, we believe that by addressing some detrimental flow issues we will both protect and improve the health of the famous McCloud River for years to come, and maintain wading access and fishability of the McCloud that anglers have come to expect. And, ultimately protecting the fish will enhance the overall fishing experience.
To understand the impact on anglers we reviewed over 30 years of McCloud River flow data. Our proposal would have impacted wadability in only the early weeks of the season in only five of those years. We believe that is a reasonable compromise in providing an even healthier fishery. We have consulted with dozens of anglers and guides who agree our proposal is the best for the fish and anglers.
Bottom line:
1. Our flow proposal will maintain world class angling conditions in the Lower McCloud River.
2. Our flow proposal will improve rainbow trout spawning conditions during early winter and
spring.
3. Our flow proposal will minimize flow fluctuations that can strand fry.
4. Anglers that know the McCloud best agree with our proposed flows.Yes, we need your support. It’s easy to make your voice heard directly to Federal Energy Regulatory
Commission. Click here to comment and make sure you file under the McCloud project number which is P-2106-047.Tell them how important the McCloud River’s angling heritage is. Tell them you support the CalTrout, Trout Unlimited, and Northern California Federation of Fly Fishers proposal to improve the way the river is managed and protect McCloud River’s fishery.
Your voice can be heard (and yes, FERC is listening (sorta)).
Like many things in government, the process is easy, but convoluted.
See you on the McCloud, Tom Chandler.
It’s another 90 degree day in Mount Shasta – a good 5-6 degrees warmer than “normal.”
In fact, it’s been far warmer than “average” the last couple weeks, and while the heat feels good – especially after winter decided it was never going to leave – I am starting to wonder at the effects of sustained high temperatures on the trout.
The leading edge of last night's thunderstorm... which missed us to the North (damn).
For example, the water temps on the Upper Sacramento River (at the Delta – the warmest stretch) have oscillated between 65 and 70 degrees.
Trout tend to stop feeding at water temperatures much above 65 degrees (I’ve seen 68 degrees listed as the magic number), and 75 degree water is typically fatal to trout, who simply won’t get enough dissolved oxygen to breathe.
Note that I’m not advocating anglers avoid the Upper Sacramento River; the Upper Sacramento and Lower McCloud are essentially tailwaters, so temperatures on the upper/middle stretches of both will remain nicely fishable year-round.
But what happens to the lower stretches of the Upper Sacramento – or my beloved small streams – if our current heat wave continues?
With temperatures swinging between 65-70 degrees, I don't know if I'd fish the lowest stretch of the Upper Sacramento River (click image for latest flow/temp info)
I’m not sure, though I’m taking a water thermometer on my next small stream trip.
I’ll probably discover temperatures are plenty low on the nearby small streams, which are running slightly higher than normal.
Still, if the current heat wave continues, things could get a little grim come mid-August. Will we come to the point on some waters where the Undergrounders stop fly fishing voluntarily?
Or should California Fish & Game follow Montana’s lead and institute water-temperature-based closures?
Local fly fishing guide Craig Nielsen offers a surprising (to me) admission:
“I already closed my season on the Klamath River. In fact, when fishing for rainbow trout, I tend to stop fishing stretches of water when the temperature goes over 65 degrees. You get temperatures in the higher 60s, and the mortality goes way up.”
Note that legislating closures would be difficult on waters like the Upper Sacramento, where temperatures vary widely over the length of the river. Close just the bottom five miles?
Unlikely.
Thoughts from the Undergrounders?
See you tapping the thermometer, Tom Chandler
Alert Underground Reader Bill sent us this muddy nugget of McCloud River fly fishing news:
There’s a horrible muddy spill below the Res! The entire stretch from the dam to Shasta Lake is blown. No visibilty whatsoever. Happened about noon today. Not the creek either. Starts at the dam. Did you know?
Once Mud Creek begins running with water colored by its namesake, the river turns muddy in a hurry.
With a whole reservoir between the Lower McCloud and Mud Creek, it’s a counter-intuitive event, but Curtis Knight of CalTrout once explained it to me.
Essentially, once Mud Creek starts flowing with runoff, the muddy water stays more or less in a coherent stream through the reservoir and right to the dam.
Put like that, it sounds like a bad thing, but as Curtis explained it, it’s probably better than muddying up the whole reservoir, which would then take a long, long time to clear.
More on the Mighty Mac is it flows into the Underground (Undergrounder comments encouraged).
UPDATE – This from PG&E:
“However, in response to increasing inflows of melting snow as air temperatures continue to increase there is still a possibility that PG&E will need to bypass an additional 400 cfs of water from McCloud Dam within the next 40 hours.”
The lower McCloud River remains one of Northern California’s most popular fly fishing destinations, so when PG&E fires off a notice about flows, we shake off our insolent, uncaring attitude and actually read the thing.
And because the giving never stops here at TU, here’s a summary:
They’re bumping flows up from now until Saturday, hoping to keep flows reasonable during the Memorial Day weekend.
If you want the longer version:
Lower McCloud River Interested Parties,
We have had a very good water year in the north state and the snowpack is approximately 254% of normal. PG&E has been taking careful steps to manage the runoff into McCloud Reservoir by monitoring the reservoir level and maintaining a low water surface elevation in Iron Canyon Reservoir to provide extra storage to accommodate additional runoff and running water through James B. Black Powerhouse.
To prevent a potential spill during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, there is a possibility that PG&E will be bypassing an additional 600 cfs of water from McCloud Dam. This would begin starting May 25th through mid morning on Friday, May 28, when PG&E plans to return to our normal operating flows. Since the current, non additional release, action plan is based on the forecast which calls for relatively cool temperatures the next couple of days with moderate amounts of precipitation, a rapid warm up in with higher than expected precipitation would increase inflow into McCloud Reservoir resulting in the need for the increased release.
In what we’ll characterize as a typical PG&E move, the email offers up a link to the Ah Di Nah flow gauge that doesn’t work (this one will – make sure you scroll down for flows).
The Upper Sacramento Situation
Those with a hankering to fish the Upper Sacramento will note that its flows continue falling steadily (around 1600 cfs as I write this).
With light rain and highs in the lower 50s forecast for the rest of the week, it’s likely the watershed’s extremely impressive snowpack won’t melt, and it won’t blow out the rivers, and fly fishermen – among the whiniest of the outdoor sportsmen – will have little to complain about (except maybe the fact that the cold weather inhibits the stonefly hatch).
See you on the river, Tom Chandler.
The 2010 general trout season opener is fast approaching, and while I’m the first to admit it doesn’t have the cachet it used to (more and more of California’s trout waters are open to C&R fly fishing year-round), it’s still a point in time that demands a little recognition.
This year – due to an above-normal snowpack in California’s mountains and rainy/snowy spring weather, a lot of rivers will likely be high.
You Are Now Free To Move About Our Rivers
(Note I said “high” and not “unfishably high.” The last time I pronounced the Upper Sac “blown out and unfishable,” someone wrote to say they’d had their best day ever on the river.)
What follows is a loose assemblage of rumors, half-truths, guide promotion and outright lies.
At no time should any of my readers actually believe anything they read in this forecast (I’m a fly fisherman after all), nor change their carefully laid plans based on this information.
Void where prohibited by law.
It’s high. And with all the low-level snow still piled up in the hills, it’s likely going to stay high.
As of this writing, the Upper Sacramento is running around 3000 cfs at the Delta station (the bottom of the river), which means you’ll find fishable spots, but the midsummer program – wandering up and down the riverbank fishing every likely spot – is a non starter.
That said, local guide Craig Nielsen has reported some monster fish hookups, though I’d suggest some local knowledge of the best high-water holes is needed before you’re going to get your net slimy. Read more →
The Upper Sacramento River has fallen a sizable 500 cfs in 24 hours (down to 2600 now). It’s always a guessing game as to what will happen, but with the weather not warming much and most of the low-level snow gone, we could be looking at river-wide fishable flows next week.
The McCloud? The gauge is showing 1400 at the lake, which means the upper reaches could be fishable. It’s creeping downward (probably the tribs pumping less into the thing).
I’m fishing tomorrow, though the smart money could find Steve Bertrand and myself on a lake.
See you on a boat, Tom Chandler.
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