The 2013 local river season has now officially ended. Conditions-wise it was tough to say the least. Low flows as a result of the ever hungry water barons and lack of rain took its tole this year. Simply put, a good day numbers-wise was counted if only a few fish were hooked. We had to earn our fish this year. One might think this to be a completely terrible thing, but in keeping the glass half-full, new techniques, strategies, and methods were attempted and sometimes led to moderate success.
Albeit overall it was quite dismal on the home waters this year, the one shimmer of hope is that it seems as if the salmon run in all 3 rivers is quite well. Time will tell once it's over but the run seems to be shaping up well. Some really great days were experienced in the weeks leading up to the closure.
In other news, my dad, a few friends, and I made it up to the Lower Sac to try our luck. The egg bite was still definitely on, but that particular weekend seemed to be a popular one with others as well. Lots of boats to say the least, but we still managed a handful of fish everyday out there. Not knowing the river very well didn't help matters either. If you're interested in spending a day up on the Sac I'd recommend hiring either Anthony Carruesco or Matt Formento. They're good friends of ours and know the river well and can put you into fish even when the river is pressured.
In the midst of all the hustle of everyday life and whatnot, I did manage to sneak away with the two-hander for just a few short days to do some swing steelheading up north. Luckily for me, I picked a great time and the fish were there and I was able to land a few hot wild fish. A wet fly I developed last season proved to be what worked yet again (it's true about what they say in fly confidence in steelheading). Managed to hook up one on a dry fly skater too but unfortunately it came unbuttoned. Like all good trips, this one was too short, but hey it's better than nothing.
As we head into what's left of 2013, I'm not sure what's on the menu as far as fishing goes. One thing I know is that this is my favorite fishing season and good things tend to happen this time of year, so we'll just sit back and enjoy life and fishing as it happens. Hopefully I'll get to explore some new water and visit old spots that feel like an old friend I haven't visited with in awhile. Either way, exciting times are around the corner and all you have to do is get out there!
Stay fly,
T
