I'm being dramatic in the headline; the golden stone bite isn't gone yet, but last night it was a pale shadow of what it had been. I'd clobbered them last Wednesday night; Steve Bertrand enjoyed a similar experience Sunday. Could be the Goldens have slowed dramatically, but we might also be looking at the effects of hotter temperatures than normal.
Steve and I headed upriver from Prospect in the late afternoon; it was hot, and Upper Sac regulars earn no extra credit points for correctly identifying the Upper Sacramento's coolest spot (outside the river itself) on a hot day:
Shocking photograph of never-before-seen Mossbrae Falls on the Upper Sacramento.
We still caught fish on the stones - and the slightly cooler weather might bring that bite back a bit - but eventually we figured we'd fall back on the evening mayfly hatch for our entertainment. While the mayfly hatch underperformed compared to the night before (again, maybe the heat), Steve and I found working fish in a couple of the reliable evening spots, though it was mostly dink-o-rama. My best was a 13"-14" fish that came off after a minute of kicking my butt in the current.
Nice to see that some things don't change.
The forecast calls for slightly cooler temperatures the rest of the week, so hopefully the bite will pick up to pre-meltdown levels. If not, you can always sit and stare at Mossbrae Falls for a few hours.
The ever-present pressures of deadlines mean no Underground Entertainment today, though the online world as a whole is looking like it's entering the summer doldrums. We've got a ways to go before that happens up here, and my next adventure could easily include an alpine float tube trip. They can be big, big fun. See you at the cool spots, Tom Chandler.