Page 4 - Streamkeeper's Log Summer 2014

DROUGHT LEGISLATION, FISH & FISHING
What the Drought Means for Fishing
An Interview with Mike Wier and Craig Ballenger, CalTrout’s Fly Fishing Ambassadors
How is the drought affecting fish?
Craig: During mid-May, I spent a week with CalTrout supporters on Hot Creek. The river was already very low in many places. When I went to check on Mammoth and Rock Creeks, they were bubbling along more like mid-summer flows, as are west side Sierra streams. Guides in the area are clearly concerned. Given fairly similar conditions last year, many spent their summer fishing their groups on Crowley Lake.
On the McCloud River, massive springs comprise most of the flow, with roughly three-quarters of the river diverted to the Pit River. Water for the lower river, though, comes off the bottom of the McCloud reservoir. The water remains quite cold, but warms as it drops toward Shasta Reservoir. Flows, like last year, are lower (based on the gauge at Ah Di Na campground), due to the diversion flows and a decrease in tributary inflow. Fishing here seems much as it was last season, though based on similar conditions last year, by autumn the lower end of the river will be somewhat slow. The Upper Sacramento River is something of a hybrid river, with flow split by runoff (snowmelt) tributaries in the Klamath Mountains and aquifer springs from Mount Shasta. Fishing on the Upper Sac has been quite normal, though with no runoff, there has been no spring flush so algae is at August blooms.
Mike: I’ve fished the American, Truckee, Little Truckee, West Carson, East Carson, Mokelumne, McCloud, some small streams in the Tahoe area, and a few high country lakes.
Most of the tail water rivers on the west slope haven’t gotten those high spring scouring flows in a few seasons now, so moss and slime have built up making it tougher to fish and wade, as well as, choking out habitat for the insects. Flows are also down to the very minimum on many of the tail waters, which reduces habitat ever further. Freestone rivers like the East Carson are lower and warmer too soon in the season to support healthy populations of trout by mid- to late-summer. From what I’ve seen, the East Carson has been one of the hardest hit. The population of wild trout is down and the fishing has been really slow compared to years past. The rivers that are still cold and have decent flows, like the Truckee and McCloud, are getting a lot more fishing pressure, making it harder to find solitude and happy fish.
I’m finding that many hatches I like to fish are happening, on average, a month earlier. I expect those spots to turn off sooner, leaving little good river fishing for July and August. I’ve been trying to focus more on lake fishing through the summer. There can still be some great dry fly action on the higher elevation lakes that stay cold, and fishing deep with sinking lines and heavy flies from a boat or canoe can produce large fish in the lower elevation lakes that have a warmer top thermocline.
What advice would you give to anglers when fishing during the drought?
Craig: The result of lower flows is warmer water of course. And warmer water stresses trout. Landing a fish is the second most stressful thing that can occur for a trout. In the past, as anglers, we have collectively decided not to fish some reaches in late summer for just this reason. Take a thermometer along, and if the water is too warm, fish somewhere else. Heavier tippets during lower flows may sound counter intuitive, but allow a margin of safety for the fish by allowing it to be landed and released more quickly. Forgo any photo of a trout held out of the water. Larger fish require more time to recuperate. Don’t be like the guy I spoke with yesterday, so proud of landing a steelhead hen on the South Fork of the Trinity on a trout rod with 5x tippet. It took him 40 minutes. When I asked him if it was released unharmed, he shrugged his shoulders and said he doubted it.
Mike Wier
Mike: I would tell people if they are set on fishing the rivers to be very cognizant about the temperatures.
Try to fish early and late on rivers where the temperature can reach over the mid 60’s during the hot hours of
the day. Use stronger tippets where you can get away with it to bring the fish in quicker and then take extra precautions to keep them in the water and release them as quick as possible. Also, think about resting some of the rivers and focus some attention on stillwater fishing. The drought is affecting the lakes slightly less than the rivers and many of the high country lakes still have plenty of cold water and happy fish.
While the drought is clearly affecting the fishing around the state, there are still many places to fish. Respect the resource, understand the impact of warm water temperatures, and use some common sense. But, you can still get out and fish and enjoy it.
Craig Ballenger
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