Is the Feather River clean enough to fish?

[winxp_man]

Anyone been on the feather as of late? I know the flows are ok but how is the water? Clean enough to go out for a few hows to cast some line?


Thanks for info

[Ed Wahl]

Aron, I crossed it in Oroville yesterday and it was still very brown. But I did see a drift boat with a client on the riffle just downstream of the O.D. Hwy bridge.
Guess that doesn't really help though.
Ed

[winxp_man]

Sounds like I might wait a few more days until we get some nice clear water. If you say its brown then it cant be much better down stream. I was going to start somewhere below 162 (or whatever the highway that is) and go down from there. I just cant stand sitting inside the house like this :D

Thanks Ed.

[Dan Harrison]

Was there Nov 28th before most of the rain and the water was off color and high. It was running really high over the bank and into the bushes in some spots. Very difficult to fish at that level when I got home I checked the flows and it said 2450. Must of been back up from the Sac being high because it looked much higher than 2450. Still managed one steelhead in 2 hours left when the rain started coming down in buckets.

[Tony Buzolich]

I see it regularly here in Yuba City and it's brown here as well. Sometimes the upper part will clear first in the low flow but the way it's filling up the main lake it's going to be brown for a while yet.
Tony

[roywest]

There was a fire in one of the hydro power plants in the dam over Thanksgiving. This appears to be the reason the flows into the "low flow" section are in the low 2000s, rather than the typical 600cfs. So if you're not in a boat, it will be tricky to fish and dangerous to cross. I've been trying to find out more about the fire and what it means for the low flow. There is very little on line I can find, other than stories like this that are already over a week old:

http://www.lakeconews.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=28181:water-fire-at-state-water-project-pumping-generating-plant-controlled&catid=1:latest&Itemid=197

I'd appreciate it if folks would share what they can find out about the fire and flows here.

__Roy

[Lincoln Gray]

Yes, there was a fire at the Thermolito Power House. The low flow will be flowing at 1700 or so for a while. Info via DWR.

[winxp_man]

I guess the water will clear up even though the low flow is running at 1700 cfs.