That’s why it wasn’t that hard to convince the dutiful part of my brain (the Hippoworkus) to abandon the computer for two hours and ski into the Upper Sacramento for a quick hit of fly fishing.

It was hard not to get excited, though even someone with the self-delusional capabilities of a blogger would know this wasn’t a heavy-duty fishing trip.

More a lunchtime ski trip with the chance for a little fly fishing sandwiched between the sweaty portions.

Our record snowfall was disappearing fast under the impetus of 60+ degree days (purrrrrrr) and nighttime temps that stayed above freezing, and the river definitely reflected it.

The snow was soft enough that when I jumped off the snow berm, figuring I’d start the downhill stretch with some flashy downhilll speed, the skis simply stuck four inches into the snow, and I face planted.

Auspicious beginnings.

I was even reduced to double-poling my way downhill — a reality which suggested a painful slog uphill on the way home (I wasn’t disappointed).

Still, the Wonderdog was as happy as I’d seen him in weeks, and while he probably thinks his job is to sniff everything in sight, it’s clear his real job description includes “Reality Check for Owner.”

Mission accomplished.

The Fishing

I fished for only a half hour (you can take the boy out of the office, but you can’t take the office with you into the outdoors, and my big site project launches this weekend), and sad to say, no trout were harmed in the making of this fishing report.

At one point, I was fishing a micro mayfly nymph and the tiny bobbicator stopped for just a second, but because I’m like most dry fly fishermen (I fucking know better, thank you), I didn’t set the hook.

When it happened again the second time through, I did lift the rod, and for a few seconds, I experienced the undeniable reality of a trout on the end of my line.

Later, I’d tromped out of the water and was taking off my wading boots when a handful of BWOs went by, which stopped me cold.

It was sunny and rising fish were unlikely but I’m a sucker for a hatch, and apparently the BWOs know it because another cluster came off, and that was it.

I’m pretty sure they were yanking my chain (apparently BWOs have a Hippoyankus).

It’s looking like a busy weekend and while I’ve got plenty on the front burner for next week, there’s the near certainty of some kind of outdoor adventure.

See you there, Tom Chandler.

At least if you believe what you read in National Geographic (I only get it for the articles).

They published their much-anticipated list of America’s Ten Most Dangerous Volcanoes.

It turns out I live smack on the flank of #5.

The Fifth Most Dangerous Volcano in America...

Surely, the vision of the keyboard that delights and amuses both my readers my massive readership lying mangled under tons of flesh-vaporizing, molten rock surely causes concern (if not outright consternation).

(Note to self: I always knew I was a risk-taker – one of those dangerous, bad-boy types that chicks should have thrown themselves at in high school. Sadly, proof of this comes 30 years too late.)

Here’s What This News Means To You

With both the McCloud and Upper Sacramento Rivers virtually certain to disappear under a 450 mph river of 1800-degree gas and debris – parboiling the trout and making rollcasting difficult – the Undergrounders are left with one inescapable truth.

Drop everything you’re doing right now.

And go fishing on the Upper Sacramento or McCloud. Before the volcano makes wading impossible. (Wading on magma: felt or rubber?)

See you casting into the fiery pit, Tom Chandler

Best wishes to them both, and we hope Myrna returns home soon.

You’re looking at a pair of Korkers Guide boots with a studded rubber sole on one foot, and the plain rubber on the other.

Studded rubber on one side, plain "sticky" rubber on the other (courtesy my cell phone camera)

This, I think, should prove interesting.

Next I plan to do the same with the Simms wading boots, and yes – the Korkers will eventually permit me to compare studded rubber to studded felt (these thing were made for testing).

With any luck, I’ll return (sans dunking) with pictures of big trout and a review of the real difference between studded and un-studded rubber – and some idea as to whether the Korkers studded rubber soles will cut it on the Upper Sacramento.

Naturally, all this is subjective (well, not the big trout part), but if it’s one thing fly fishermen manufacture in abundance, it’s opinions.

See you on the river (finally!!), Tom Chandler.

On top of all the usual work craziness, I’ve been teaching online marketing boot camp (for an economic development nonprofit), and remembering that you can’t subtract two full days (and nights) from a full work schedule without cutting into your spare time.

Your spare fly fishing time.

That might suggest I’m a slow learner, but the sad truth is… OK, I’m a slow learner. I cop to it.

Soon after I moved up here from the Silicon Valley, I ran into the same problem; a friend remarked that I’d traded workaholism down there for workaholism up here, and the only real difference was that the view outside the window was better.

Still, that leaves us here – one of us reading this post, and the other trying to write it (coherently, and yes, very slowly). So what time does that make this?

Friday Housecleaning. Get ready for a series of short, overdue posts. You’ll love it. Really.

Meanwhile, I’m firing up some actual fly fishing related plans for the weekend. Plans which could involve a shot at some smaller stream trout.

Still, the cooler weather has dropped the Upper Sac’s flows to the 1000 cfs neighborhood, which pretty much anyone can fish (even overtired marketing teachers).

Tune in, and you’ll get to see the Underground engaged in actual fly fishing related activities, though it’s going to happen pretty fast; I start teaching another online marketing boot camp in 1.5 weeks.

See you on the crazy train, Tom Chandler.

Yesterday at 6 PM, I cleared the snow off the Trout Underground/Man Cave’s back deck. Today – at precisely 11:00 am – I measured 19 inches of snow there. And the fluffy white stuff continues to fall.

Ahh, the pretty snow - until you've got to shovel it.

It’s next year’s trout water – and our parched state clearly needs the stuff – but it’s also an interesting lesson in microclimes.

As I write this, the CalTrans traffic cams near Yreka (30 minutes north on I5) are sending back images of a sunny, completely snow-free landscape.

Meanwhile, the Dunsmuir traffic cam shows snow on the ground, but nothing near what we’re experiencing.

In one sense, it’s a good illustration about why I can’t give clear answers when people email, tell me they’re going to fish the Upper Sac/McCloud/Pit River, and ask what the weather’s going to be like.

The short answer is I only know what it’s like here, which may or may not be anything what it’s like there. Tomorrow? Oy vey.

In the face of what amounts to a pretty heavy snowstorm, it’s clear my plans to ski into the river today are kaput; I’ll be home moving snow and (probably) working in the hopes I can sneak out during the week. And yes, this hardly signals the end of California’s drought, but we do desperately need the stuff, and I plan to move it into nice, neat piles, waiting for it to melt and make a lot of trout, salmon and steelhead very happy.

See you in the snow, Tom Chandler.

Wayne Eng, the Upper Sacramento River, and snow.

Report to follow. (Click here to see a 1440 pixel version.)

And because I’m teaching another marketing class tonight (this one on email/e-newsletter marketing for small business), I’m on yet another treadmill, where I work a lot and think about fly fishing instead of actually doing it.

Still, tomorrow beckons, and I expect to finally fish a little, if only because if I grow any pastier, I’ll be accused of wearing my Casper the Ghost costume long after Halloween ends.

It’s a far cry from the bad old days, when winter meant damned little fishing was available up here. Now the Upper Sac and Pit Rivers are open for winter fishing, and on November 15, it’s no longer necessary to confiscate kitchen knives from morose fly fishers.

The Linkmeister Cometh

It’s a time of year when I don’t post a report about every fishing trip I take, but to feed the hungry maw of the Underground’s readership, I have added a few helpful local links to my Links page:

• Upper Sacramento flows
• McCloud River flows (& turbidity)
• Where to find CDEC flows for all California Rivers
• Local weather (Shasta, Dunsmuir, Redding)
• CalTrans NorCal freeway cameras

What else would the Undergrounders find useful?

See you on the river (eventually), Tom Chandler.

fly fishing, upper sacramento, season’s end

Powered by ScribeFire.

It’s simple.

I’m getting reports of heavy October Caddis hatches on the Upper Sacramento.

It’s time for the BWOs to show on certain (and surprising) stretches of the Upper Sac.

The Internet drumbeat says the McCloud is fishing tough due to high water.

It’s a full moon, which doesn’t help the fishing much.

The weather’s warming a bit after last week’s mini-snowstorm.

“What’s it all mean?” you ask the Underground?

Hell, I have no idea. Except that – in my capacity as fly fishing’s leading journalistic voice* – I’ll be exploring the October Caddis Phenomenon AND (likely) the McCloud High Water story this week.

Stay tuned, Undergrounders. Fall is when everything hits the fan, including work, a pair of online marketing classes I foolishly agreed to develop and teach, the heaping piles of just-before-winter home improvement, and yes, the potential for a Thanksgiving trip to the Big Wood River in Idaho.

More to come.

(*True for an area of up to two square miles, at least at the time of this writing.)

fly fishing, fishing, october caddis, upper sacramento, mccloud river

The hot weather has caused inflow to exceed storage capacity in McCloud and Iron Canyon reservoirs and outflow through James B. Black Powerhouse.  As a result, starting early this morning, McCloud Dam is spilling with MC-1 gage (Ah-Di-Na) at approximately 1,350 cfs and MC-5 gage (MSS) at approximately 1,650 cfs. 

Depending on weather conditions, we are hoping to be able to reduce flows as temperatures are predicted to cool through the week and end the spill by Friday, 5/23. 

Spill flows from McCloud Dam are not unusual this time of year, typically occurring about 4 to 5 out of every 10 years; however, this spill event is directly related to the flow studies. 

To provide the target flows required for FA-S8 (Instream Flow Evaluation on the Lower McCloud River) both McCloud and Iron Canyon reservoirs needed to be near capacity.  As a result, there was very little storage capacity left in the reservoir and the hot weather significantly increased inflow to McCloud Reservoir, exceeding the capacity to either store the water or move it through the powerhouse.

The McCloud’s likely out reach for a little while, and the Upper Sac continues to move a ton of water. A weekend reconnaissance of the South Fork revealed one long whitewater cataract, unsuited for man or Wonderdog.

Right now, the local lakes are looking like the best bet. More on fishing conditions as it happens.

The good news? The runoff will be damned short this year, and cooling temperatures will slow it a little.

See you on lake, Tom Chandler.