Salmon Closures are Tough, but Necessary

This year has been particularly tough for me to swallow.

As you know, one of my favorite pastimes is fly fishing for Salmon early in the year. You could find me out in July and August swinging for hours for one or two takes. The rewards of a chrome Salmon on a tight line were worth it.e

Now, as we enter the end of the year, the lack of Salmon in the Valley rivers shows that the closure for Salmon is justifid and needed.

A few trips on the Yuba and Feather in September and October have shown a dearth of Redds and spawning fish. Likewise the early return of Steelhead has not happened either. Only a few Steelies have made it to my net this year so far.

There are many reasons (or excuses) for this lack of fish, including water flows to SoCal, water quality in the Delta, lack of Krill in the ocean, global warming, etc. It really doesn't matter. The fact is that we are seeing the worst runs in many, many years and it may take years to get back to previous levels, if we ever do.

So, this year guiding has been tough, and it isn't going to get better. I have opted to fish Stripers this summer and fall instead. Teh American and the Delta are both robust and healthy, and, since Salmon haven't pushed the Stripers out, they are still there as I write this in early November.

So, in the meantime, I;ll try to enjoy Trout, Stripers and Bass more and look forward to the hope that we will see the return of the King next year.