The Lower Sac
That the lower Sacramento River in northern California is an incredible trophy-trout fishery is hardly a surprise, given its remarkable lineage. Drift-boating the lower Sac, one can almost recognize the brawling rapids of the upper Sac and McCloud, the Pit River’s mysterious stained-water riffles, and the sedate, fish-dimpled flats of Hat Creek and Fall River. What is astonishing is that until the early 1980s, few anglers considered the lower Sac a viable trout fishery. Before then, water releases from massive Shasta Dam were mandated by agricultural interests downstream in the fertile Sacramento Valley. River water released from the upper levels of Shasta Lake sometimes reached temperatures nearly lethal to fish and their eggs. To make matters worse, flow changes in drought years were often unpredictable and dramatic, at times exposing and annihilating fresh salmon redds. As the aquatic habitat suffered from this dual malady, a third and potentially more devastating threat was discovered. An abandoned copper mine, which subsequently became one of the most highly ranked Superfund sites in the country and was described as the most acidic place on earth, was pouring heavy metals directly into the river with devastating results. Fortunately, tremendous strides have been made in controlling this nightmare, and the amount of effluent from the mine has been significantly reduced. Salmon, however, have ultimately proven to be the savior for lower Sacramento rainbows. Trying to halt the downhill slide of the waterway’s salmon and steelhead populations, a multimillion-dollar device was installed at Shasta Dam that allows water to be diverted into the river from any lake depth, allowing strict control of water temperatures during releases. As an example, during the heat of summer, water is drawn from deeper, colder levels, providing ideal temperatures for endangered salmon. While this tactic has already reaped benefits in the form of increased salmon and steelhead returns, the local trout fishery has perhaps been the largest benefactor, at least from a fly fisher’s viewpoint.The dam was modified in 1997 and within a single season, 16-inch trout were becoming common, with anglers routinely landing fish in excess of 22 inches. A year later, guided anglers experienced consistent 30-, 40-, and even 50-fish days, often with a liberal sprinkling of 20- to 24-inch fish.A Day On the Lower SacWispy tendrils of fog floated like spiderwebs above the river’s surface, slowly evaporating beneath a weak January sun. Here and there, enormous boils and roostertails of spraying river water betrayed the presence of spawning Chinooks, oblivious to all but their primal instincts.I watched, entranced, for a moment. Then, careful not to tromp on the spawning redds, I waded into casting position. Flipping a pastel-pink egg pattern upstream, I let the BB shot drag it quickly to the bottom. Raising my rod tip as the drift fell off the lip of a streambed depression, I watched the tip of my fly line, pulling it gently through the obvious bucket. Keyed by a slight hesitation, I set hard and was immediately rewarded with a short, scorching run, equal in power to that of any bonefish. Suddenly the fish doubled back and ran straight at me. Stripping frantically, I just came tight when the massive trout, easily in excess of 2 feet, threw itself into the air in wildly gyrating contortions not 6 feet from where I stood. Then it was off to the races again, this time in earnest. I knew I was in trouble as I watched the end of the fly line melt off the reel, but then, as quickly as it had begun, it was over. My line went limp, and moments later the scarlet-sided behemoth greyhounded a final farewell.Half an hour and three chunky rainbows later, I came to the bottom of the spawning riffle and noticed a flock of fish-eating ducks busily chomping salmon fry in the deep run below. Taking my cue from the ducks, I rigged a large yarn indicator and replaced the egg fly with a salmon sac fry pattern.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
Comments