Autumns Expected Flirtations Upstaged by Massive Levee Break

Fly fisher heaven was dealt a serious blow early August when an overfed, swelling Fall River in California finally pushed its way through a levee and dropped in a short time over 36 inches. This eco disaster is blamed on several factors by local and state officials. First excuse, a virulent strain of river weed has been growing rapidly and chocking the river while causing the volume to increase. Its pitiful to watch big browns and rainbows struggling to find their way around this weed taking the life and oxygen from the river. Weather here has been very hot, in the 100s for extended periods of time. It is possible even a remote place like the Fall can be feeling the effects of too much heat. The heat alone is surely a major factor, yet this weed has gone unchecked here for many years?. One would imagine other fly fishers and fish and game officials would have spotted this weed and began the process to identify it and get rid of it? As and outsider, I have questions and few answers in regard to how this weed problem became so deadly and caused this levee break that has stopped all river activity. Truth of the matter is the weed probably was identified early on by naturalists and the possible negative future scenarios were weighed. If any action of any kind is ever undertaken to either get rid of or control this weed a tangled web of; impact studies, federal, local, environmental agencies, watch dog groups, public hearings and other voodoo will without fail allow this weed another ten to fifteen years, time enough to break a few more levies. It is difficult to witness such a profound event and not become emotionally involved, my favorite excuse for the levee break in the words of a local farmer "Must be those ground burrowing things, Nutria or whatever those fury digging things are called, weakened the levies, that’s what they did."

As I moved into the misty morning this morning, I felt like Thomas Hood when he wrote "I saw Autumn in the misty morn stand shadows like silence, listening to silence."

Mornings are still a wonder and though the action has slowed and fewer trout rising rings can be seen. It is only mother nature rearranging trout and deciding which bugs to let be born. The upset in the rivers natural order can be observed in the displaced insects like the grasshoppers that were in the fields now flooded are everywhere you look. Geese are beginning to assemble in large flocks and mother deer and surviving babies are looking fit and healthy. Trout are more concentrated as I still spend most mornings looking for surface activity and throwing in likely places. I have noticed everything slowing down as It must every year when temperatures cool down. Summer is not over yet, but it is in retreat as the Fall River begins to adjust to this slight bump in the road. It was a once in a life time experience to be on a major river that suddenly begins running backward. I have been careful to observe every nuance of change in the insects, birds, fish in the area. Basic logic suggests a sudden change in either river depth or direction along with high temperatures must have a profound effect on unseen forces such as magnetic fields, migration routes for insects like grass hoppers, smaller birds such as finches, warblers, many insect eating birds that live near farms and rivers are for the moment displaced, disoriented. Impact of this sudden change will be carefully observed and I hope to witness many more of Mother Natures reactions to this new set of influences. Ancient cave dwelling hunters and gatherers fished and hunted by this valley water. Hopefully man will never have such a foothold in this rivers flow and life as to be the final regulating force. Don ‘t mess with Mother nature, you’ll be sorry if you do, you live in her domain, she might walk all over you.

It estimated four months or longer to first rebuild a road to get to the damaged levee, then move enough earth to rebuild it. The water has not dropped much since the first brake happened almost two weeks ago. Many locals that take water from the river are worried it may get too low to take water for home use and drinking. One can easily see the evidence of a 36 inch drop in depth, weeds and reeds now have a distinct lighter band where the water level once was. Now all boats tied to docks are almost in the mud and large flocks of geese have moved onto new open mud flats created by shrinking water levels. A more than three foot drop estimated at around 36 inches has for the moment created perhaps both an interruption of life and an unexpected window for new life to establish as new land is flooded. In the course of all rivers natural history many factors influence its direction and next meander, floods, droughts, sediment collection, and sadly man. If this weed is found to be directly connected to either global warming or worse transported on the bottom of boats or seeds arriving on migrating birds? However it got to a near perfect still wild place like Fall River, for the sake of all the wild rivers left in America and the world, hopefully this mystery can be quickly solved.

It is gratifying to see the whole community of Fall River Mills pitch in and help the farmers and others on the river do what has to be done to survive this serious break. Hopefully other communities will now consider the health of their local rivers in regard to foreign weed growth and the innate fragility built into all wild rivers. Man (Pacific Gas & Electric) does have some control with the water coming out of natural springs out of the ground and not solely from mountain run off. This unique artesian spring like situation means this water runs about the same volume and at a fairly steady 44/54 temperature range year round. Though the last two years have been hotter than usual locals say, its is difficult to watch pristine area’s feeling the effects of this obviously real condition Global Warming. Fly Fishers, farmers, naturalists, bird watchers, hunters always see the first signs of damage.

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“ ADVENTURES OF FLETCHER QUILL “