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View Full Version : Yesterday (Saturday-9/03) @ /Watt Avenue



Bill Kiene semi-retired
09-04-2005, 09:41 AM
Gregg Machel and I met at 7:00am yesterday morning at Watt Avenue (Lower American River, Sacramento, CA, USA). We put on our waders and boots under the bridge (south side access) then walked upstream to the end of the access road and then a few yards further.

We dropped in the river above the big riffle above Watt and started fishing the "Joe Shirshac" tailout. We fished from there back downstream to the bridge. The water this Fall is still high @ 3000cfs. Normally this time of year it is 1500-2000cfs which makes wading much easier especially if you have a 28" inseam.

I was using my new Anderson 13'3" #6/7 Spey rod for the first time ever. We were having to wade very deep so it was not very comfortable with a new Spey rod and an old fly fisher. Just above the bridge I went for a very short unauthorized swim. Lucky by then it was 9:00am and starting to warm up a bit.

We did not see any sign of fish (rolling) or have any grabs but it was still great to be out on my old river. I started fishing at Watt Avenue in the '60s and it is still my favorite piece of water on the river.

With the high water Andy Guibord was saying that the fish might be further upstream now.

Jeff Putnam had a nice group of "new to single handed fly casting" people down below the bridge. He told me during the week that he would give me a Spey lesson after that class around noon. I dried off a bit and had to resist helping coach some of those students. One of Jeff's students, a young lady who had not held a fly rod till that day, was casting a tight loop that that was absolutely shocking in less than 2 hours of instruction. Wow, another potential customer..........

After Jeff's "Beginning Fly Casting" class was over he gave me a personal Spey casting lesson. I have been around Spey casting for some time even helping Simon Gawesworth with lunch and drinks during some of his classes on the river but this was my first real class with my own Spey outfit.

I have to say that a "one on one" with Jeff was very powerful. He wanted to see where to start with me and I told him we better start from the beginning. We basically worked on holding the rod and the single Spey but I had no idea how technical it all really is. I can only equate it tomarshal arts or corigraphing a dance. I will now have to just go practice like everyone else does.

I also learned that there is an unofficial "Sacramento Spey Club" or "American River Spey Club" that gathers just below the Watt Avenue Bridge almost every Saturday and Sunday morning just practicing casting and trying new equipment. Some are even "cutting up" Spey lines and splicing in pieces to make lines to fit their particular Spey rod and personal casting style.

If you are interested in Spey casting I would just show up and start asking questions. You will probably get more help than you would believe.

All in all I realized how nice it was to just be out on the river on a Saturday morning. We are very lucky to have this beautiful river running right through our town.

"See you on Saturday morning @ Watt."