El Nino Briefly Bless’s California Fly Fisher’s

We long time river obsessed California Fly Fishers are well aware of natures limits and cyclical habits, not to mention the whole new global warming speak.. My personal favorite rivers have all been effected except a select few such as the mighty Feather River not running 100 percent, but still very fly fishable. Way up north the underground artesian fed waters of my old home Fall River appear unchanged. El Nino has perhaps briefly stopped a drought going back several years. Snow depth at one of my other beloved homes in lake Tahoe Donner Summit 6,900 feet is at new records so far this year 90 inches in late February ain’t bad fly maniacs! Sonora Pass 8,800 feet is now nearing 70 inches and looking great. Water management are not quite as optimistic as aging fly fishers, they say we are still in critical water rationing because of all the needs here in this soon to be bankrupt state ( worlds 10th largest economy Pilgrims ).

It is sobering to consider this huge bucket of endless water falling for the last several months and possibly providing this states best late spring fly action in many years will be just a anomaly on the way to rivers slowly becoming what happens when the water is gone...... Not to get too cryptic. Now lets get down to the only possible slower deep water opportunities for those who can’t or won’t wait for late spring to slow the rivers, streams down. I know several smaller tributaries from on top of California running near Lake Shasta to stretches of the Truckee river near Reno Nevada. Including short stretches of the great Merced River coming straight out of Yosemite National Park . In short fly fishers slower water exists even in early May! Now in my mind three options exist working deep water early spring. One can use all the known streamers, leeches, wolly buggers, and of course the Mouse ! Working the edges of smaller streams and the slower elbow sections of mid size rivers can be very productive early and late in the day. I love to work gaudy flashy little streamers like my “ Harlequin “ making it move quickly and stopping so the marabu white feathers shimmer and move like a real live bait fish. Good luck and try working big streamers in deep fast water.

HARLAQUIN

Cheek: Carved wild Chinese pheasant feather




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“ ADVENTURES OF FLETCHER QUILL “