bonneville54
04-28-2009, 01:50 PM
It had been a good ten years since I'd fished the Lower Sac and I'd forgotten what it was like. To me, it's a strange river, flowing through a good size town and neighborhoods of modest retreats and palatial homes, past lumber mills and sewer treatment plants and interstate highways. And yet, just a few hundred yards downstream or perhaps around the next bend, one drifts past overhanging cottonwoods, spots river otters and deer swimming across, and can marvel at the osprey and geese and swallows.
And then there is the fishing.
A good friend and I had decided to play hooky from the doldrums and tension of work on Monday (Very little persuasion needed these days) and like a lot of us, these chances are rare and so must be valued and revered, not so much for the numbers of fish, but for the time - that most precious of commodities. We left Grass Valley at 5 am and by the time the sun began to rise, we were marveling at the farmland of the central valley, filled with walnut groves and hayfields and rich soil - all the beautiful scenery working its calm and restorative qualities on our psyches. This was almost worth the trip, this splendid drive filled with wonderful conversation, a warm cup of coffee and enchanting scenery. Behind it all, of course, was the anticipation. I think I read somewhere that the anticipation of a fishing trip is often so wonderful, it almost feels like a shame to go fishing.
Almost.
We met our guide for the day, Ryan Johnston, at The Fly Shop promptly at 8am and followed him for the short ride to the Bonneyview put-in. After unloading the boat, Jeff and Ryan left to shuttle the trailer to the take out, some 12 miles down stream and I was charged with stringing the rods, checking the gear and truth be told, doing nothing. I did a marvelous job.
Upon their return, Ryan found he would have to teach us codgers a thing or ten about fishing the Lower Sac when I commented he had put too many flies on my line. Don't get me wrong, I'd read about droppers and indicators and I had even bought some bright orange globes once, but was always to scared to use them and so never had. Then Jeff mentioned that he had really been practicing his double haul and couldn't wait to use it.
Did I say that Ryan was a really nice guy? "That's great" he said....."but you won't need that here." Jeff looked a little bit disappointed, I think. I told Jeff that we were not too old to learn something new, that in fact, it was good for guys our age to try something new, that it could stave off dementia and that exercising our brains might even burn a calorie or two. Ryan smiled that smile that young people do when listening to a couple old fella's talk about nothing.
But...he taught us and we learned. He taught us how to cast with three flies and a split shot and a bobber...err...strike indicator. He was patient when we looked at the flora and fauna rather than the strike. With a good nature that must have come from his parents, he said he didn't mind untangling our lines and asked, ever so kindly, if we might spend a bit more time in the center of the boat.
Well....we caught fish. Beautiful rainbows, everyone of em'. Fourteen in all, which I suspect disappointed Ryan, but not us. It seems that this is a less than average day on the Lower Sac, but we ignored that fact. It just didn't seem relevant. Perhaps it's his job, a higher fish count as a measure of success or perhaps it's just youth. I don't know.
Ryan was a wonderful guide and I recommend him highly for those so inclined. Our day started out cool and sunny and ended with a strong wind and more than a few raindrops, but there were no complaints among the captain and crew. The Sac is a marvelous resource and we're fortunate to live so near it.
Here's a few photos with apologies in advance for my lack of illustrative skills.
http://bonneville.smugmug.com/photos/523443540_cR8vE-M.jpg
http://bonneville.smugmug.com/photos/523445436_CAmpd-M.jpg
http://bonneville.smugmug.com/photos/523445763_a6iYw-M.jpg
And then there is the fishing.
A good friend and I had decided to play hooky from the doldrums and tension of work on Monday (Very little persuasion needed these days) and like a lot of us, these chances are rare and so must be valued and revered, not so much for the numbers of fish, but for the time - that most precious of commodities. We left Grass Valley at 5 am and by the time the sun began to rise, we were marveling at the farmland of the central valley, filled with walnut groves and hayfields and rich soil - all the beautiful scenery working its calm and restorative qualities on our psyches. This was almost worth the trip, this splendid drive filled with wonderful conversation, a warm cup of coffee and enchanting scenery. Behind it all, of course, was the anticipation. I think I read somewhere that the anticipation of a fishing trip is often so wonderful, it almost feels like a shame to go fishing.
Almost.
We met our guide for the day, Ryan Johnston, at The Fly Shop promptly at 8am and followed him for the short ride to the Bonneyview put-in. After unloading the boat, Jeff and Ryan left to shuttle the trailer to the take out, some 12 miles down stream and I was charged with stringing the rods, checking the gear and truth be told, doing nothing. I did a marvelous job.
Upon their return, Ryan found he would have to teach us codgers a thing or ten about fishing the Lower Sac when I commented he had put too many flies on my line. Don't get me wrong, I'd read about droppers and indicators and I had even bought some bright orange globes once, but was always to scared to use them and so never had. Then Jeff mentioned that he had really been practicing his double haul and couldn't wait to use it.
Did I say that Ryan was a really nice guy? "That's great" he said....."but you won't need that here." Jeff looked a little bit disappointed, I think. I told Jeff that we were not too old to learn something new, that in fact, it was good for guys our age to try something new, that it could stave off dementia and that exercising our brains might even burn a calorie or two. Ryan smiled that smile that young people do when listening to a couple old fella's talk about nothing.
But...he taught us and we learned. He taught us how to cast with three flies and a split shot and a bobber...err...strike indicator. He was patient when we looked at the flora and fauna rather than the strike. With a good nature that must have come from his parents, he said he didn't mind untangling our lines and asked, ever so kindly, if we might spend a bit more time in the center of the boat.
Well....we caught fish. Beautiful rainbows, everyone of em'. Fourteen in all, which I suspect disappointed Ryan, but not us. It seems that this is a less than average day on the Lower Sac, but we ignored that fact. It just didn't seem relevant. Perhaps it's his job, a higher fish count as a measure of success or perhaps it's just youth. I don't know.
Ryan was a wonderful guide and I recommend him highly for those so inclined. Our day started out cool and sunny and ended with a strong wind and more than a few raindrops, but there were no complaints among the captain and crew. The Sac is a marvelous resource and we're fortunate to live so near it.
Here's a few photos with apologies in advance for my lack of illustrative skills.
http://bonneville.smugmug.com/photos/523443540_cR8vE-M.jpg
http://bonneville.smugmug.com/photos/523445436_CAmpd-M.jpg
http://bonneville.smugmug.com/photos/523445763_a6iYw-M.jpg