Slab Creek Reservoir & SFA

[Frank Roepke]

We headed out to Slab Creek Reservoir this afternoon to fish the SFA. We fished from the inlet on the east side, then up to the pg & e build. We drove to the pg & e building upon arrival and looked down on the river. Saw some risers, couldn’t tell how big, too much rain. First thing I noticed about the river was it looked like it was recently much higher, but didn’t think much of it.

We parked down river towards the reservoir, tried Nymphing and Dries, but not a hit. Mike fished up to the pg & e build and Aaron and I took the road. You could hear the Generators humming (unlike when we first arrived) and looking down on the river you could see the build vibrate the water. We talked to a worker there on his way out and he told us the river can fluctuate quite a bit when there producing energy. That must be though on the fish.

Looking up river from the build the river looks real strong and we will try that next time. It will require some walking but the fishing should get better the higher we go. Another thought is the browns should be heading up for spawning? That would be sweet to land one of those.

Anyone fish the reservoir? Looks like a great place for a float tub, or small boat.

Frank

[Jeff Fisher]

Trout are few and far between in Slab Ck Res. The lake has been overrun by squawfish aka pikeminnow.

The SFA in that area is jacked up due to PG&E flows. Same as the lower river below Chili Bar. However, the fishing can be good down below Lotus if you hit some stable, non-rafter flows.

[westslope]

Slab Creek Res. can be tough although the pike minnow's can be very aggressive and fun to catch. The stretch of water that you fished gets hammered by worm flingers and yes the elevation of the river can change on a dime. The stretch above the powerhouse is short lived as it is only about 150-200 yards long until you reach another hydropower plant (EID). The pool above the EID plant is almost impassible on both sides unless you want to hike through steep poison oak covered terrain.

The South Fork went from ~60 cfs yesterday morning to almost 4,800 cfs late last night (measured in Kyburz). It is ~1,100 cfs and dropping and should take several days to mellow out before any fishing turns back on.

I'm heading up the canyon today to check flows and water clarity. I'll post my findings for all who are interested.

Todd Gillihan (owner/guide)
West Slope Outfitters
www.westslopeoutfitters.com

[Frank Roepke]

Todd,


Thanks for the input above the PG & E building. We were thinking of giving that a try, but will pass on that.

You ever fish Coloma / Lotus area? I have always stayed away due to the rafters.

Frank

[DFrink]

I've fished it a few times, it's tough going down there. The flows fluctuate so much, and the bottom of the river is covered in silt which I'm sure doesn't help the fly siuation? I've seen and talked with bait guys who pull big trout out of some of those holes, and I've seen big trout while rafting the river. Much better options for places to fish IMO. Good luck.

Dan

Todd,


Thanks for the input above the PG & E building. We were thinking of giving that a try, but will pass on that.

You ever fish Coloma / Lotus area? I have always stayed away due to the rafters.

Frank