Mid March…
It has been a loooong winter season and so far spring has been a continuation of the wet winter patterns we have experienced for months. It even snowed in Redding on Friday. And, not just a dusting of snow, either. It Puked.
I am over it…
We have had plenty of rainfall, a deep snowpack and our reservoirs are filling-up. We are good! Let’s see some warm spring days in the forecast shall we??
My report of the Lower Sacramento River here in Redding is going to be brutally honest. It’s tough fishing right now. We have many challenges and obstacles to deal with currently.
The water levels blew up big time back in February as the Bureau of Reclamation was sorta forced to dump water out of Shasta Lake (same thing happened on the Trinity River) as incoming flows to the reservoir were filling the lake too rapidly and the trigger point was met to release water in order to reserve capacity for future storms and runoff. These are flood water protection dams first and foremost… recreation and water supply sources secondarily.
The result? 60,000 cfs of water released down the L Sac River. Unfishable to say the least. As water levels finally began to drop down in March I got out on the river once it went 20k to 15k. I had a great day fishing w/ my buddies, KP and Fuzz on my first day back on the water. I thought we would see some stellar fishing over the next few weeks as flows were scheduled to drop to 8k and then 6k.
Now the river is at 6,000 cfs and this is a GREAT springtime flow… but we are experiencing some water clarity issues. We had a large mud plume of dirty water up in Shasta Lake and it has been working its way out of the lake and through the dam. It’s a bit dirty (but still green) at about 30” of visibility. Fishable? Yes. Awesome? Not really.
We are still catching some solid wild trout and some days have even been decent… but it’s tougher for sure. You gotta really know the river, the drop offs, and where the fish are holding right now… they are in specific types of water. Not in all the riffles and spots where you might be used to catching them.
Secondly, bug hatches have been a bit weak. We are seeing some PMD’s midday but with the water clarity issues the fish are not really on them like they should be. Eggs? Yes. And this is where the game is at right now. It’s an egg game. Love it or leave it.
Thirdly, many of the big trout we are used to seeing have been busy spawning. They are up in the tribs or otherwise predisposed in the river in that suitable habitat. They are not, “in the feeding lanes” as much. This takes some numbers of players out of the game.
I have begun to notice more post-spawn trout this week. Spawned out trout don’t fight very hard (like a wet sock actually) but they do eat stuff… voraciously as they regain their strength. So, in short order over the next few weeks we should see more and more healthier trout returning to the regularly scheduled program. It will get better soon.
On the Bright Side….
Shasta Lake has been pretty damn good for bass fishing. And this is where I have been spending more time lately and my top choice for fly fishing.
It is still a little early (surface temps of 51-53 degrees) and there are many, many bass still holding in deeper water. But we have also found PLENTY of willing and aggressive spotted bass in the shallower water and on the steep edges and points. I do not think any of my clients these past few weeks have been disappointed and we have lost count of fish by the time we head back to the boat ramp.
April will get even better. Better weather (hopeful) and warmer temps on the lake will get these bass really fired up. It is about to get wide up.
Contact me ASAP for available dates in April and May.
