S. Fork American River

[Eric M]

I’m sure some have seen the river recently but if you haven’t, for at least the last week the river is chocolate brown. It does improve gradually as you go higher but is still pretty stained at Camp Sacramento. I’m guessing daily thunderstorms combined with ash and loose dirt from the fire is the culprit. To me it looks bad enough to harm the fish, zero visibility down low with a lot of particulate. Obviously I’m not an expert but very concerned about the health of the river.

Eric

[TaylerW]

There aren’t much fish to hurt unfortunately. The caldor scar will likely send some huge slides in the coming years.

[Eric M]

Certain sections have fished quite well for many years but you are correct overall kinda sparse.

[TaylerW]

Very certain sections for sure! I grew up in placerville and miss the brutal canyon boulder hopping. There’s are some rad places to go if your good with the monumental effort it takes!

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Comments on the South Fork of the American River:



In the 1950s, Walt Bennett said that there was no road going up the Silver Fork from Kyburz Lodge/Hwy50/the South Fork.

I guess he parked around Kyburz and hiked up the Silver Fork. In the afternoon he said he would use a large black dry fly.

Fish would come up from their hiding places and take a look but usually never pulled the trigger.

Then he would come back downstream with a #14 Adams, now knowing where they were, to catch a bunch.

https://www.trulia.com/p/ca/kyburz/13672-highway-50-kyburz-ca-95720--2085700998

______________________________________________

Mike & Kristine Fong put on an entomology clinic for our shop maybe 30 years ago?

We all met up on the South Fork of the American River.

Kristine was always taking pictures.

Mike talked about all the different insects that were on most of the Nor Cal rivers.

Then we waded out and turned over lots of round rock but never found any insects.

Back then the river went up and down from 500 to 1,500 cfs daily so Mike said he thought

that was why there were no aquatic nymphs present.


________________________________________________


Mike McIntyre was a very stocky man, part native American, who worked for the State of California.

He took many of fly fishers down the South Fork of the American River.

I went with a group one time and Mike used about a 6-weight outfit with a sinktip and Black Wolly Bugger.

At opportune times we could do some casting and I remember Mike caught a beautiful, hot 18-inch wild Rainbow trout.

Mike also took groups of fly fishers from the Sacramento area to the Deschutes River for the stonefly hatch.

_________________________________________________


In about the 1980s we would leave the shop and drive up to the South Fork of the American River for some evening dry fly fishing.

We always seem to do OK. I had a real nice customer who lived in Placerville and fished the SFAR a lot.

On occasion, he would tell us about a certain stretch that was real good so we could have better luck.

__________________________________________________

All those streams/rivers have a 2 to 4 week window in the spring where the fishing is really good if you can hit it.

Usually, there is a good period in the spring, when the water gets to about 55 degrees, then for 2 weeks it is good, and then

again in October.

_________________________________________________

One spring when it was perfect on the South Fork Mike Ziem rented a cabin right above the bridge at Chili Bar for a week.

Bob Giannoni went up there and fished with Mike during the "perfect dry fly week".

Mike caught a 17 inch Brown trout during this period on a caddis dry fly.

I think the big hatches started at 3pm and went til dark. This is just below Chili Bar Dam.

I guess it was a life time experience for both.

__________________________________________________ __

Back then you could cross the bridge at Chili Bar and turn left to park on a big gravel area.

We could hike from Chili Bar downstream on the north side "forever", seriously.

I think you could hike all the way down to Folsom Lake????

When the water surface and light was just right I saw the biggest Squawfish or Sacramento pike of my life, 15#?

Now there is no access there at all now.



https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/42772139?source_impression_id=p3_1697163515_I2ChQI jcaGc8eqmZ

If this cabin is in the right place I think you could rent it and fish the water that is from there to the Chili Bar Dam.

Maybe a 100 yards of water upstream that is good in the evening with a small #16 Light Cahill dry fly on 5x tippet.



Another problem with the South Fork is that in drought years it gets low and warm.

I think it is free flowing from Chili Bar Dam downstream to Folsom Lake so fish can move up and down the river.