Question about the American...

[Fats]

I see that the flows are still around 800 cfs which is fine for wading. The last time I was looking at the river it was dang clear. Has the recent rain colored the water up?

[bclem81]

it is very very very rare that the american will get discolored, really the only time i have seen it discolored was the flood a few yrs back, or when they raise the flow up a bunch usually from the 800 1000 cfs mark to 3000 4000 mark, this happened last yr around may when it was flowing around 850 then it was at 4500 for almost a full month, then it was around 3200 for another month (retards look where folsom is at now, cant they just do a steady flow of 1500 yr round) anyways, thats the only time you will see it get discolored.

[Darian]

I know it's easy to blame personnel at the Dam for the variances in flows year 'round but, given all of the contractual and mandated demands for water, providing uniform flows probably isn't realistic. This situation is the same on all but a few rivers in this state. :confused: :(

Just to give a few examples:

Agreement with Sacramento Area Flood control Agency to maintain Folsom Lake at an agreed upon maximum level to avoid the danger of flooding downstream. (applicable in all years)

Demands for water to impede saltwater intrusion in the Delta.

Demands for water to meet allocations to agri-business, water distributors, municipal water needs.

Set-asides for demands to meet special needs of threatened or endangered species. (e.g. Salmon, etc.)

[STEELIES/26c3]

The further one goes downriver, the more colored the water gets during and after a rainfall.

In the aforementioned places, the water is clean because it comes out of a flow-regulated, bottom-draw dam (Natoma) and from the filtered, hatchery plumbing.

However, if you fish Sunrise, there's a little color. Rossmoor, more color, Goethe, quite murky and Paradise Beach can be soup.

The further one travels downriver, the more accumulation of collective, incoming H20 runoff + sand, silt, clay there is from upriver creeks, sewers, culverts, and storm drains which empty their sediment loads into the river.

Further, since the topography of our river is flattest from Paradise Beach down to Discovery Park... the outflow of the American at a paltry 800 CFS actually gets blocked by the 7,000 CFS (Sacramento River water-wall) running adjacent to it at the mouth thus causing the American R. to back up as far as H Street.

Mark

[Phil Synhorst]

I had to cross the A at three different bridges this week. Wednesday and Thursday the river was high and muddy at I-5, and Hwy 160. I was tempted to start a nasty thread that DWR was releasing water. I should have realized it was just backing up from the Sac. Friday and Saturday I crossed Sunrise, the water level was still low, and very clear.

[Fats]

Guys... I wasn't trying to start a pissing match with this thread... I wanted to see if the American is holding up with all these rains. It makes sense up by the dam it is still clear. It also makes sense the farther down river you go... the more color it gets.

There aren't snakes under ever rock guys... sometimes a question is just a question.

[Kurt P]

Fats,
You're right about snakes, and lack thereof.
Here's what little I know of AR clarity. I floated the stretch from Sailor Bar to Rossmoor last Wednesday, right at the end of the week-long storm. The water was pretty clear for the whole stretch. That's my only experience fishing the AR other than a few days wading down by River Bend Park, but that was in the fall, before any rain.
Kurt

[Darian]

Fats,.... Lighten up. I've re-read everything posted here and don't find anything to suggest a "pissing match" is taking place. Some very good, accurate info is being passed along to persons who might use it to:

1. place blame where it should be and,

2. make their fishing experience better by understanding where water is clear or not, where water may be high or not, etc. 8) 8)

[Fats]

Fats,.... Lighten up. I've re-read everything posted here and don't find anything to suggest a "pissing match" is taking place. Some very good, accurate info is being passed along to persons who might use it to:

1. place blame where it should be and,

2. make their fishing experience better by understanding where water is clear or not, where water may be high or not, etc. 8) 8)

Gosh... all I was trying to do was to keep people from taking this so seriously...

I could have sworn there was another post in this thread were someone was getting their nose bent. Maybe it got pulled... maybe I was just trying to find out what shape the river was in... maybe I'm not the one that needs to lighten up? Maybe I do?

Who am I to blow against the wind?

Tight lines my friend, thanks for the knowledge!

;-)

[Darian]

Fat's.... When I pointed out the need to be accurate in placing blame, I meant blame for management of river flows by BuRec staff. They're not all "retards" as they were characterized. :cool:

The rest of the posts look a lot like the posters were trying to pass on info about in-stream flows.... :cool: Can't verify another post that was removed.... :confused:

[Ryan Miller]

Hi guys,

Floated Sailor to Gristmill today- she is blown (less than 2' vis) from upper Goethe down. We stayed ahead of the mud most of the day, then it finally consumed us. She is pure Hershey's syrup with a TON of fresh trash to top it off. We landed a fish and while netting it I had to pick the trash out of the net to get the fish... awesome!

We hit 5 adults today on egg patterns

The A does blow, blame no one, just go fishing.

Ryan

[jlmelend]

Miller, you poser! I didn't see you land a single fish yesterday or today, and the water is mud pie brown all the way to the dam! Stay off the water and get a desk job...then let me know when you hit Oregon again!

[Ryan Miller]

Nice loops out there!

You should be more careful when working the water, we may have found something you missed in that run... :)

Today was another good day, landed another 5 and got demolished by one other. We got a darkie that was pushing 12 lbs :)

[Kurt P]

Such a nice day today, my son, Cooper, and I headed for the American for a few hours. Water was still very clear up at Sailor Bar, but maybe only 1.5-2 feet of visibility down by Rossmoor.

As I was swinging flies, Cooper was floating sticks. One of his favorites got out into the current, then hung up between rocks. It was out beyond his wading depth, so he got his Spiderman pole rigged with an indicator and, with only a few casts, managed to adjust his drift to foul hook the stickfish. I was very proud of his casting, but we had a little discussion about snagging and about catch and release ethics.

I think he’s on board about not lining stickfish anymore, but I didn’t get through to him about catch and release. He said I was just jealous because I didn’t hook a thing all day. Today’s stickfish has joined his collection in the garage. I’ll keep on him.

Kurt

Here’s Cooper’s hero shot. I tried to crop out any identifying landmarks so internet-lurking sitckfishermen wouldn’t swarm to Cooper’s honey hole.

[Hairstacker]

That is a very fine stick. It's not everyday that you get a good one. ;)

[Kurt P]

Thanks, Mike.
Not the thickest stickfish Coop's landed, but this beauty taped out at just under 34 inches, and was fresh from the shore--you can't see them in the photo, but it still had a few ticks on it.
Kurt
Oh, and by the way, thanks for the info on the PFD and head lamp on the other thread.

[jlmelend]

Nice loops out there!

You should be more careful when working the water, we may have found something you missed in that run... :)

Today was another good day, landed another 5 and got demolished by one other. We got a darkie that was pushing 12 lbs :)


Hmmmm...you either caught my fish, found my camera or my rod tip. I'll take any of them back, but I'm too broke to pay you, you know.

[Phil Synhorst]

Dang it Kurt, now I have to keep my son from seeing this thread. If he sees that stickfish he'll pester me every waking hour to get out there.:wink:

I can't convince Chris about the c+r either. He likes to build up a good stack for the camp fires. Real shortage of sticks in the mountains ya know. My greenwaste container is never empty.:-\"

[wjorg]

....when the tweakers drop a Turd in the A, it discolors. If Darian has an emoticon for that, Ill die laughing......

[Darian]

Hmmmm,.... Lessee whad I can come up wid.... :confused: :

[-X or :puke: maybe :eek: and [-( . How about :-\" or :paranoid:

My best efforts.... ;)

[Charlie Gonzales]

I prefer the american without "brown trout"

[Fats]

....when the tweakers drop a Turd in the A, it discolors. If Darian has an emoticon for that, Ill die laughing......

http://forums.mathewsinc.com/images/userpix/3417_turd_1.gif

There ya go!

[wjorg]

Now if you could only get a skinny, pock marked happy face... drop trousers in a moving river...

[Fats]

Now if you could only get a skinny, pock marked happy face... drop trousers in a moving river...


I don't think they've got "that" emoticon!

[wjorg]

Darian never fails....I have faith.........

[Darian]

We need a set of redneck emoticons.... Maybeeee a few showing a guy holding a giant catfish with his hand in it's mouth.... :lol: :lol: :lol: