Why the Mud?

[Tony Buzolich]

For the last month or so we've been dealing with the occasional rain storm and watching the Sac rise and fall, and after a week or so it would clear enough to be fishable. In the turbid water you needed a high contrast color of black or white and I took a few fish on both colors.

But now, as the season is progressing into spring there ought to be a lot more fish here than we're seeing. What we ARE seeing though is dirty water and lots of it. It's been at least a week or more since our last rain and the river seems to be getting dirtier and muddier than ever to the point those fish can't see our flies.

Any thoughts about where this mud is coming from or maybe how conditions are around Chico or above?
Tony

[Darian]

Just a guess but maybe it could be from run-off from rice fields or other ag activities. An article in yesterday's SacBee mentioned how much rain had recently fallen from the Sacto area northward. Accompanying the article was a photo showing a full/muddy drainage canal(????).

[matt johnson]

Hi Tony,

The water from Balls Ferry down to Chico was very muddy a week ago from the rains (tributary discharge) but now is essentially clear to green/clear. A friend who passed by Princeton the other day said the river had good color (green side of brown). How far down are you fishing? Maybe the clearer water just has not gotten down to you yet? Matt

[Tony Buzolich]

Let's hope that greener clearer stuff is down to Colusa in another day or so. Princeton isn't that far upstream.
Thanks Matt. See ya out there,
Tony

[Jake O]

Just a guess but maybe it could be from run-off from rice fields or other ag activities. An article in yesterday's SacBee mentioned how much rain had recently fallen from the Sacto area northward. Accompanying the article was a photo showing a full/muddy drainage canal(????).

Not possible, rice fields were drained months ago. I think in lower water years (like this year) you will find that rainstorms tend to keep the water muddier for longer periods of time---when resevoirs are low and we get rains, the entire resevoir is chocolate milk, and so it puts out muddy water releases. In higher water years the resevoir is already full of relatively clear water so when we get rains, the inflow of muddy water doesnt' have a big of an impact on the color of the resevoir--so in high water years we see color quicily after rainstorms due to creeks etc below damns pumping in brown water, but in low water years we see not only the quick inflow of brown water, but also the longer releases of brown water from the damns themselves.

[Tony Buzolich]

Damn Jake, that's about as good an explanation as I've heard yet.

Thanks, Tony

[matt johnson]

Hi Tony,

I fished out of Wards on Thursday and once the sun got up enough my buddy and I said to each other: "Geez, the water looks awful!"

The water coming out of the pipes at the launch (I think that is Butte Slough?) is REALLY dirty, but the water above Wards is not much better.....

Driving home north on Hwy 45 the water looked a little better at Princeton but did not really look "normal" to me until we got above Butte City. I know the Sac down low is never really "clear" but conditions Thursday did not give me much confidence that a striper would find my fly unless I was stripping it really close to him. If I had some sardines on me I probably would have smashed a couple up and soaked my Clouser in the juice :)

Fishing was brutal for us. We fished from a little above Wards all the way down to a turn or two above Grimes and didn't find a fish.

Wish I had an explanation for the extremely dirty water but I don't. The Sac coming out of Keswick has a little bit of color but is in no way blown. The river near where I live (Woodson Bridge) is a normal green/clear color for this time of year. It has got to be some kind of Ag-return/slough somewhere.

Well, I hope it clears up down there soon before the spawning run is over. Please report if conditions improve. I'd sure like to get another trip in but don't want to waste the gas and time off from work if it doesn't clear up a little. Matt

[Tony Buzolich]

Thanks Matt. Good info. I guess we'll just have to wait it out.

With the Feather so low I can't use my big boat over there so yesterday I took my pram by myself. The electric only pushed it so far and I wound up rowing as well. Even then the electric was dragging bottom and the oars were hitting on every stroke along that upper gravel bar.
Tony

[Randy Lee]

Tony,
That water level is beyond skinny, its anarexic.I don't think I'll be able to use my boat on the Yuba this shad season either. Hopefully the Sac clears for you shortly. Ahhh... next year?
Randy Lee

[Loomis 1]

Went out of Knights landing with a couple buddies bait fishing. They started off drifting minnows so I threw a fly. MAYBE 6 inches of visibility. Got one hook up that came unbuttoned after about 20 seconds. Didn't get to see it but it felt like a nice fish. Had a couple other short bites. With the gear guys in full blitz mode plan on having a boat buzz by about minute or so. There is talk of 220 rigs at the Teasdale ramp on Friday. Hang in there Tony, should start clearing up by the end of the week, and we can go try out the new Motor Guide.

Bill Siler