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I can hardly believe the calender! Summer is rapidly coming to a close and fall fishing is right around the corner. I do not know if it is me or if time just seems to be passing by very quickly these days.
As I sit here at my computer writing this, I am a week away from another milestone in my life. After working for 34 and a half years, the last 29 here for Placer County, I am retiring from my real job. On Friday, September 1st, I will be walking out of an office that has been my workplace since I moved up here in 1977. It will seem strange and I certainly will miss my co-workers whom I also consider good friends.
I wonder just how much my life will change without my regular job. There will be a little more time for fishing and a little golf. Perhaps a part-time job doing something that I like or that would get me some golfing or skiing privileges might be something that I will do. Sure I can do something related to fishing, but do not know if I want to do that right now.
One of my friends gave me some pretty good advice. "Take a year off and do nothing!" A co-worker told me when people asked me what I was going to do after I retired to answer them by saying, "Anything that I want!" Sound advice which I will certainly consider, but I have worked all of my life so the part-time job sounds like a better option for me.
The fishing this fall will be unlike any other fall that I have experienced thus far. I will be able to fish mid-week and avoid some of the weekend crowds. I will undoubtedly still fish during the weekend with those of my friends that are still working, but I am beginning to have more friends that are retired now than working!
I have written the fishing column in this paper since 1987, 19 years. A lot has changed. I used to submit a hardcopy of my column written on a typewriter. It was then re-typed at the paper. Now I just e-mail an attachment.
Around town, to many, I have become known as the fishing guy. When the paper began running my picture, the latest of which my friends says makes me look real bad, I began getting recognized everywhere. I cannot tell you how many conversations that I have had with people about fishing up here in the past 19 years. I have been approached in the airport, restaurants, on the stream, while skiing, and even in restrooms (no jokes please).
Once in 1992 when on a trip to Yellowstone, the day before my family got into an awful car accident, an angler from Walnut Creek that subscribed to the paper recognized me from my picture while my friend and I were coming off the Snake River above Jackson Lake. My friend and I were amazed since we were around eight or nine hundred miles from our homes in Truckee and Tahoe City. He took us back to the motorhome and introduced us his friend and gave us a cold drink.
Since he and his friend were novice fly fishermen, he asked if I would look at their set-ups and see if they were okay. I tied on a couple of new leaders and gave them a sample of the fly that we had been very successful with that morning. The sample fly had a broken hook point, but it was the only one of those flies that I had left. I tied more of them that evening, but we never got a chance to use them because of the accident.
While I am retiring from my real job, I will continue with my column in the local papers because I enjoy sharing my experiences about fishing, fly fishing in particular. I just wanted to let all of you who have given me encouragement, feedback and some great conversations through the years how much I appreciate it.
Boca - (35,600 Acre Feet) The lake is still full, although it is dropping. The road over the dam is closed so you will have to use an alternate route to reach the west side of the lake or launch off the east side. Inflow is at 103 c.f.s. and the outflow is 196 c.f.s. Overall fishing has been fair. Fish have been caught with minnow imitating lures, and flasher combination rigs. Most anglers are fishing from shore using nightcrawlers or Powerbait. Fly fishermen near the inlet have experienced fair to good action. Nymphs and streamers have accounted for most of the fish caught although some fish have also been caught on dry flies and emergers.
Donner - Fishing has been good for mackinaw. A combination of jigging and trolling has been successful. Shore fishermen near the launch ramp have had fair success. Nightcrawlers and Powerbait seem to be the main bait. Fly fishermen have taken a few fish mostly with streamers.
Lake Tahoe Ð 6228.33 on 8/27/2006 (Lake Level 6223.00) Fishing has been good for mackinaw. A guide is highly recommended if you are fishing for mackinaw for the first time. Toplining and shore fishing is fair. Most shore fishermen use inflated nightcrawlers.
Prosser Ð (21,000 Acre Feet) Overall fishing has been fair. Boat anglers have been catching fish with fish with minnow imitating lures, and flasher combination rigs. Bass fishing continues to be good. Most anglers have been shore fishing with nightcrawlers or Powerbait. Fly fishermen have been taking fish near the inlets and the dam with nymphs and streamers.
Stampede Ð (209,100) Stampede fishing has been fair. Kokanee fishermen continue to do well early. Shore fishermen have found action fair. Most are using nightcrawlers or Powerbait. Fly fishermen are using a combination of nymphs and streamers with fair success near the inlets.
Martis Lake - (Martis is restricted to artificial lures with barbless hooks. Zero fish may bagged or possessed) Ð Fishing here has been slow. Water temperatures are very warm. Reports indicate that there were some good fish caught early in the season, but things should be tough now. The weed growth is limiting access of float tubers according to the most recent reports that I have received. Not a lot of reports coming out of Martis.
Little Truckee River Ð (Special Regulation Water Ð Artificial lures or flies with barbless hooks Ð no bait. Only two fish with a maximum size of 14" may be possessed) This body of water between Stampede Reservoir and Boca Reservoir is crowded. Flow is at 103 c.f.s. At this level the fishing should remain good. Keep an eye on the releases because it has fluctuated a lot this year. Stampede is also very full. Anglers are using a combination of nymphs, emergers and dries to take fish. Green drakes and PMD dries continued to produce this past week.
Truckee River Ð The water in the upper river between Tahoe City and River Ranch is now running at 303 c.f.s. Fishing should be difficult in this stretch with such a low flow. At Truckee gauge near Granite Flat campground it is presently running at 290 c.f.s. and increases below Donner Creek. As indicated earlier, brood stock Lahontan Cutthroat trout had been planted from Heenan Lake in June. Below Boca, the water is running at 568 c.f.s. Results should improve dramatically on the river below the confluence of the Little Truckee out of Boca with the current flows. Most fly fishermen are using a combination of nymphs, emergers, dries and streamers to catch fish. Dry fly fishing has been fair in the late evenings. Caddis and pale evening duns are the main attraction right now.
Other Waters Ð The road to Jackson Meadows is now open. Fishing has been reported as fair. Davis and Frenchman reservoirs have been fishing fair for most anglers. Boat, shore, and fly fishermen are all catching some fish.
As I sit here at my computer writing this, I am a week away from another milestone in my life. After working for 34 and a half years, the last 29 here for Placer County, I am retiring from my real job. On Friday, September 1st, I will be walking out of an office that has been my workplace since I moved up here in 1977. It will seem strange and I certainly will miss my co-workers whom I also consider good friends.
I wonder just how much my life will change without my regular job. There will be a little more time for fishing and a little golf. Perhaps a part-time job doing something that I like or that would get me some golfing or skiing privileges might be something that I will do. Sure I can do something related to fishing, but do not know if I want to do that right now.
One of my friends gave me some pretty good advice. "Take a year off and do nothing!" A co-worker told me when people asked me what I was going to do after I retired to answer them by saying, "Anything that I want!" Sound advice which I will certainly consider, but I have worked all of my life so the part-time job sounds like a better option for me.
The fishing this fall will be unlike any other fall that I have experienced thus far. I will be able to fish mid-week and avoid some of the weekend crowds. I will undoubtedly still fish during the weekend with those of my friends that are still working, but I am beginning to have more friends that are retired now than working!
I have written the fishing column in this paper since 1987, 19 years. A lot has changed. I used to submit a hardcopy of my column written on a typewriter. It was then re-typed at the paper. Now I just e-mail an attachment.
Around town, to many, I have become known as the fishing guy. When the paper began running my picture, the latest of which my friends says makes me look real bad, I began getting recognized everywhere. I cannot tell you how many conversations that I have had with people about fishing up here in the past 19 years. I have been approached in the airport, restaurants, on the stream, while skiing, and even in restrooms (no jokes please).
Once in 1992 when on a trip to Yellowstone, the day before my family got into an awful car accident, an angler from Walnut Creek that subscribed to the paper recognized me from my picture while my friend and I were coming off the Snake River above Jackson Lake. My friend and I were amazed since we were around eight or nine hundred miles from our homes in Truckee and Tahoe City. He took us back to the motorhome and introduced us his friend and gave us a cold drink.
Since he and his friend were novice fly fishermen, he asked if I would look at their set-ups and see if they were okay. I tied on a couple of new leaders and gave them a sample of the fly that we had been very successful with that morning. The sample fly had a broken hook point, but it was the only one of those flies that I had left. I tied more of them that evening, but we never got a chance to use them because of the accident.
While I am retiring from my real job, I will continue with my column in the local papers because I enjoy sharing my experiences about fishing, fly fishing in particular. I just wanted to let all of you who have given me encouragement, feedback and some great conversations through the years how much I appreciate it.
Boca - (35,600 Acre Feet) The lake is still full, although it is dropping. The road over the dam is closed so you will have to use an alternate route to reach the west side of the lake or launch off the east side. Inflow is at 103 c.f.s. and the outflow is 196 c.f.s. Overall fishing has been fair. Fish have been caught with minnow imitating lures, and flasher combination rigs. Most anglers are fishing from shore using nightcrawlers or Powerbait. Fly fishermen near the inlet have experienced fair to good action. Nymphs and streamers have accounted for most of the fish caught although some fish have also been caught on dry flies and emergers.
Donner - Fishing has been good for mackinaw. A combination of jigging and trolling has been successful. Shore fishermen near the launch ramp have had fair success. Nightcrawlers and Powerbait seem to be the main bait. Fly fishermen have taken a few fish mostly with streamers.
Lake Tahoe Ð 6228.33 on 8/27/2006 (Lake Level 6223.00) Fishing has been good for mackinaw. A guide is highly recommended if you are fishing for mackinaw for the first time. Toplining and shore fishing is fair. Most shore fishermen use inflated nightcrawlers.
Prosser Ð (21,000 Acre Feet) Overall fishing has been fair. Boat anglers have been catching fish with fish with minnow imitating lures, and flasher combination rigs. Bass fishing continues to be good. Most anglers have been shore fishing with nightcrawlers or Powerbait. Fly fishermen have been taking fish near the inlets and the dam with nymphs and streamers.
Stampede Ð (209,100) Stampede fishing has been fair. Kokanee fishermen continue to do well early. Shore fishermen have found action fair. Most are using nightcrawlers or Powerbait. Fly fishermen are using a combination of nymphs and streamers with fair success near the inlets.
Martis Lake - (Martis is restricted to artificial lures with barbless hooks. Zero fish may bagged or possessed) Ð Fishing here has been slow. Water temperatures are very warm. Reports indicate that there were some good fish caught early in the season, but things should be tough now. The weed growth is limiting access of float tubers according to the most recent reports that I have received. Not a lot of reports coming out of Martis.
Little Truckee River Ð (Special Regulation Water Ð Artificial lures or flies with barbless hooks Ð no bait. Only two fish with a maximum size of 14" may be possessed) This body of water between Stampede Reservoir and Boca Reservoir is crowded. Flow is at 103 c.f.s. At this level the fishing should remain good. Keep an eye on the releases because it has fluctuated a lot this year. Stampede is also very full. Anglers are using a combination of nymphs, emergers and dries to take fish. Green drakes and PMD dries continued to produce this past week.
Truckee River Ð The water in the upper river between Tahoe City and River Ranch is now running at 303 c.f.s. Fishing should be difficult in this stretch with such a low flow. At Truckee gauge near Granite Flat campground it is presently running at 290 c.f.s. and increases below Donner Creek. As indicated earlier, brood stock Lahontan Cutthroat trout had been planted from Heenan Lake in June. Below Boca, the water is running at 568 c.f.s. Results should improve dramatically on the river below the confluence of the Little Truckee out of Boca with the current flows. Most fly fishermen are using a combination of nymphs, emergers, dries and streamers to catch fish. Dry fly fishing has been fair in the late evenings. Caddis and pale evening duns are the main attraction right now.
Other Waters Ð The road to Jackson Meadows is now open. Fishing has been reported as fair. Davis and Frenchman reservoirs have been fishing fair for most anglers. Boat, shore, and fly fishermen are all catching some fish.
