Even if the fly fishing goes to hell, there's always something to look at

Unfortunately, Older Bro and I ran into a bunch of cars in the parking lot, and plenty of fly fishermen on the river (and yes, one real asshole), and while we got plenty of eats in a few of my Secret Big Fish Spots, things slowed dramatically when we fished used water (which was most of the evening).

Still, the Upper Sacramento’s fishing very well – and rumour has it the McCloud’s going even better.

As proof, I offer this clearly sympathetic email from an Undergrounder, who was out fishing while I was wrestling soiled diapers off the Littlest Undergrounder:

BWAH, HAH, HAH!!!
fish, big fish. Lots of em…..
Big black noses, sucking up caddis dries….
Big, jumping hot fish…
Best night…ever. I was THERE!!!
and you…..BWAH, HAH, HAH!!!!!

As always, I’m warmed and comforted by the love and support of the Undergrounders, though as the above email writer will soon discover, I know people – people who carry power tools in the trunk of their car, yet don’t build things.

(Then again, in Day 71 of the Underground’s Home Contractor Hostage Crisis, that pretty accurately describes our contractor too)

Naturally, the usual caveats apply whenever I suggest the fishing’s good:

• The fishing could become un-good tomorrow
• I could be lying (changing diapers makes me cranky)
• You might not be a good fly fishermen
• I might not be a good fly fishermen

Helpful Hint: Everyone’s throwing stimulators, and while they work, they don’t offer the best hooking percentage. Consider a pattern that sits a little lower in the water, and bring a handful so you can replace the chewed, soggy mess on the end of your line.

Helpful Hint #2: leader selection is important when you’re throwing short casts with a wind-resistant fly. Micro-drag isn’t a big issue, and shorter leaders throw much better, so…

More to come (and soon) – including a short summary of our latest wading boot test. It went – sadly – about as expected.

See you at the keyboard, Tom Chandler.

Yes. It’s a twofer Tuesday.

Upper Sacramento is (shuss) Fly Fishing Well

The Upper Sacramento River is busting out, with reports of evening hatches (and good-sized trout) filling the clandestine, whisper-encrypted airwaves that reflect the “don’t tell anybody, but…” communications between locals, guides, and the visiting fly fishermen.

Flows on the Upper Sac are wholly wadable and will remain so. The fly fishing’s good.

Time to fly fish.

And don’t forget to spend a few bucks in the area while you’re up here (see the Undergrounder’s Human Refueling Guide here).

The McCloud

The McCloud’s in great shape, and in fact, you can read flow data from Ah-Di-Nah online. That’s great news for fly fishermen trying to make the difficult “go, no-go” decision (Houston, we have a flow problem).

There’s really no need to hype the McCloud’s fishing here; this world-famous, soil-your-waders-gorgeous river is the most popular in the area, and it’s not as if the within-driving-distance Undergrounders need much urging.

It’s fishing pretty good. We’ll leave it at that.

The Pit? I haven’t heard. It was easily the early-season champion among the area’s three rivers, and I’d expect it’s still going good – the heat hasn’t yet gotten too bad.

River Flows Online (also on the Underground’s Link page)

Upper Sacramento River flows (at Lake Shasta)
McCloud River flows (at Lake Shasta)
New! McCloud River flows (at Ah Di Nah)
All Calfornia’s CDEC flow stations

UPDATE: CalTrout also wants PG&E to publish dam release data as part of relicensing effort; we’ll update you if that comes online.

(Now stop looking at flows, and start fly fishing)

See you on the river, Tom Chandler.