Mild winter benefits trout opener
The coming weekend will reveal many answers about the strange and mysterious saga of California weather — and its effects on recreation — for those who venture out for the opening of trout season.
It’s weird out there, folks. Most of the mountain trout streams look like they’re in midsummer condition, with excellent access, no snow on the riverbanks, low to moderate flows and good clarity.
But it’s still April. The temperature in many streams is still frigid. After temperate days in the 50s and 60s, the nighttime lows are still frosty. At Truckee, for instance, the forecast calls for lows in the mid- 20s on Friday and Saturday nights. In the north state, there’s a chance of rain Saturday and Sunday.
The opening day of trout season used to be the biggest outdoors event of the year, with more than 1 million anglers taking part. With most lakes and reservoirs now open year- round in the Bay Area and Northern California, the opener is now an event for most streams in the mountains and the lakes in the Eastern Sierra. It also remains a symbolic start of the camping season.
With such a sparse snowfall this winter, access to highcountry lakes and streams is already good. Caltrans has opened Highway 108 at Sonora Pass and Highway 4 at Ebbetts Pass. In the eastern Sierra, the road from Mammoth Lakes over Minaret Pass to Reds Meadow and the Upper San Joaquin River is expected to open by early- to mid- May.
The Truckee River along Interstate 80 near north Tahoe and the Upper Sacramento River along I- 5 in the north state — the two best trout streams with easy access along spurs from interstates — are testaments to what awaits.
The Truckee is running at 220 cubic feet per second ( cfs) at Hirschdale along I- 80, higher as you near the state line, then much lower in Reno, reported Gilligan’s Guide Service. To translate, these are low, summer- like flows.
It’s similar on the Upper Sacramento. The river is running at 400 cfs at the gauge at Delta ( just above Shasta Lake). In the past, the Upper Sac was at 2,000 cfs and up for the opener, and often didn’t drop to 400 until mid- July.
At Yosemite National Park, winter ranger Robert Pilewski at Tuolumne Meadows provided another similar picture. At 8,600 feet at Tuolumne Meadows, he said virtually all the snow is gone and there is no snowpack below 9,500 feet.
Tioga Road, which connects from Crane Flat to Tioga Pass and provides access to Lyell Fork, Yosemite’s high- country trout stream, is still closed. But the National Park Service has been working to clear obstructions since April 13, and probably will open it soon. In the previous three years, it has opened on May 2, 11 and 7, respectively.
The best all- round prospects for the weekend are in the north state, where the Upper Sac, Lower Sac, Pit, and Fall rivers — as well as Rock Creek and Hat Creek — provide a range of choices and styles.
The most popular river with the best year- round results has been the Sacramento from Redding to Anderson by drift boat. Dozens of drift boats, many with guides, have been putting in at the Posse Grounds and making the trip. Chris Parsons at the Redding Fly Shop called the conditions “great” and said trout up to 22 inches have been caught. The best patterns have been a No. 4 Rubber Legs and No. 14 Birds Nest, fished below a strike indicator. Info, north to south: Jack Trout Flyfishing, ( 530) 9264540, www.jacktrout.com; Ted Fay Fly Shop, Dunsmuir, ( 530) 235- 2969, www.tedfay.com; Redding Fly Shop, ( 530) 2223555, www. flyshop.com; Alan Bruzza’s Sportsmen’s Den, Quincy, ( 530) 283- 2733; Gilligan’s Guide Service, Truckee, ( 775) 351- 6665, www.gilligansguideservice.com; Mountain Hardware, Truckee, ( 530) 587- 4844, www.mountainhardwareandsports.com; The Trout Fitter, Mammoth Lakes, www.thetroutfitter.com.