Current American River Conditions

[thepeacockspecial]

Hi,

For those of you who live in Sacramento, how does the river look as of today or friday? I'm planning on heading there Friday unless it's too high for wading.

Thanks

[winxp_man]

12/12/2012 2075 CFS from CDEC. Should be plenty for wading............

[the_gnarwhale]

Drove by this pm, still really dark.

[Mark Kranhold]

Fished tonight mid river with a foot and a half maybe two foot visability. Did get a grab though... felt more like a half pounder, but I will take it. Looks like 4" of rain is predicted from now till the end of the month. Might be a high dirty opener like two years ago... Fish the edges!

[Jed Peters]

Maybe 12" of visibility at watt this morning....

[DAVID95670]

Maybe 12" of visibility at watt this morning....


was that last night, had a maybe a salmon on for 5 mins then came off not a trout ..... was there last night ...

[Adam Grace]

I fished it yesterday morning, yet more like casting practice. There's only about 1' - 1.5' of visibility. The flows are fine right now, practically back to normal.

[thepeacockspecial]

Thanks. I'll be out tomorrow all day. Will post a report when I get home

[Garrett S]

flows are going up to 3,000 tomorrow and 4,000 by sunday

[winxp_man]

It does not make sense since Folsom is not anywhere near even having any kind of water. Also some are saying that we might not get much rain after some of these storms come in. I just hope they are not dumping water then get no rain and get screwed!

[thepeacockspecial]

1 foot foot visibility. got tagged once...felt small on my 8wt.. going back tomorrow.

[Fish Guru]

It does not make sense since Folsom is not anywhere near even having any kind of water. Also some are saying that we might not get much rain after some of these storms come in. I just hope they are not dumping water then get no rain and get screwed!

Folsom is over 60% right now, being that high this early in the season means were gonna see high flows for a while. It came up 20% with the last storm so it does make sense that were seeing higher releases.

[winxp_man]

Folsom is over 60% right now, being that high this early in the season means were gonna see high flows for a while. It came up 20% with the last storm so it does make sense that were seeing higher releases.


In this case it makes sense. Last reports of Folsom was that it was pretty low. At least we will be getting plenty of water for the summer.

[JasonB]

It does not make sense since Folsom is not anywhere near even having any kind of water. Also some are saying that we might not get much rain after some of these storms come in. I just hope they are not dumping water then get no rain and get screwed!

Thats the thing with these dams, if they play it right for say 90% of the conditions they would likely face, then we could have catastrophic results if/when a really "pineapple express" comes through. Looking on a map, it is pretty impressive just how many little creeks, ditches, gullys, and of course rivers, all end up dumping into Folsom. The potential is always there for some huge flooding, so I think that they really have no choice but to be extremely cautious with how much water they hold back in the winter. IMO the whole benefit of being able to store water has always been a bit overstated; once you take into account all the real world challenges the dam keepers have to manage, they can't store nearly as much as we might like them to.
JB

[flyguy1]

looks like the flows on the American are going up to 6,000 CFS later this evening. I guess they are making room in Folsom for the up coming series of storms. Just watched the weather briefing today at work, looks like rain thursday through monday with the series of storms being pretty cold.

[KJE]

Damn. I leave town in January, guess I won't get out there again.

[Mark Kranhold]

KJE, don't give up and get out there! The fish don't have many places to go in the high flows , but the edges. I have got some of my biggest steel in flows from 6000- 8000 cfs. Just look for some holding / slack water on he edges and just do short casts, no need to bomb it out there. Just look for big boulders , logs and willow clumps along the shoreline that put a seam break in the current and they'll be hanging behind there. Good luck to a new year of chasing fish!

[DAVID95670]

I agree with fyshead high muddy water pushes fish into the banks and shelters. Since hatchery fish appear to motor to home without stopping this should force some to hold

[Jed Peters]

Talked to two separate DFG fish survey folks on three separate occasions. Not one adult steelhead has been reported as caught below the powerlines to them since thanksgiving (or, when flows browned/went up).

I realize this is not capturing ALL the fisherman on the river, but it's a pretty good indicator.

[neck fat]

looks like the flows on the American are going up to 6,000 CFS later this evening. I guess they are making room in Folsom for the up coming series of storms. Just watched the weather briefing today at work, looks like rain thursday through monday with the series of storms being pretty cold.

YOu work at wether man statien?

[Mark Kranhold]

Neck fat, no he does not. He should tho.... being he is infatuated with weather! Hell, i think that would be a easy job since they are only right half the time! The whole family relies on Scott for the up coming weather.:D

[flyguy1]

Mark-
Just sent you another forecast for these upcoming storms. Neck fat, no I don't work for the weather service, however, I do work for the Department of Water Resource, Division of Flood Managment, so I do get more frequent updates of weather, hydrology, etc.

Scott

[Troutsource]

Snow levels are expected to be in the 3000 to 4500 foot range, so the runoff shouldn't be as severe as those biggies a few weeks back.

[baldeagleflyfishing]

went by yesterday and flows up to 10000cfs, they also had to pull down the screen @ Nimbus fish hatchery(due to flows)so there should e lots of fish milling around in the nimbus basin. GOOD LUCK if your planning on wading, I'm goin skiing till flows lower. There were lots of clean 24-32" steelies in the ladder.

[Jed Peters]

@baldeagle...is the water super brown?