Fall Half-pounder run info on Lower American River......... getting near.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

He still drives..............doing well.............still fishes out of the boat with Andy.

[Troutsource]

Fivefingers that's a sweet fish. I'm going to hit the river Saturday AM and may try a white wooly bugger if all else fails. I've been doing well swinging a size 6 or 8 olive Beldar and size 16 copper/tan G6 caddis pupa, and high stick nymphing a size 10 or so beadhead prince and the same caddis pupa. There are lots of small tan caddis in the river that have been hatching (and I've seen them in their pupal state when pulling apart their homes under the rocks). There seem to be more green caddis larva than tan ones under the rocks right now, though -- maybe they hatch later in the season. I might try fishing some dry trico's if I get skunked, as I saw some nice halfpounders porpoising for them last weekend around 9-10am. Also drifting on the surface were some midges and I even netted one midge larva. I kept two hatchery fish a month ago in the morning and they both had nothing but dry midges in their stomachs. Strange, I was expecting a bunch of caddis.

The fall stoke is in the air! First big cold front of the season coming through for the weekend. Possible snow down to 5500 feet.

[Peter S]

For a change of pace try swinging an unweighted size 8-10 muddler on a floating or intermediate line/tip.

Works well on Coleman steelhead, might work well on the American.

[Paul B.]

Fished above Sunrise from daybreak. Hatchery work must still be in progress because the visibility dropped to maybe a foot by 8.
Managed one 12’er just before.
With the high temperature forecast I didn’t expect to stay long anyway.
Recommend jumping in lower down.

[Troutsource]

Looks like flows will temporarily drop Wed & Thu before going back up Friday morning:

https://cdec.water.ca.gov/dynamicapp...T&d=2019-09-27

DATE / TIME REL SCH
09/23/2019 10:00 2100 cfs
09/25/2019 01:00 2000 cfs
09/25/2019 02:00 1900 cfs
09/25/2019 03:00 1800 cfs
09/25/2019 04:00 1700 cfs
09/27/2019 08:00 2100 cfs

Max daily temps have dropped a degree but will probably bounce back up tomorrow with the 100 degree heat:
https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ca/nwis/uv?site_no=11446500

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This morning the river went from 2700 up to over 8,000 cfs?


I didn't get an email warning?

[Troutsource]

May the wrath of Bill be upon them

[Renty]

This morning the river went from 2700 up to over 8,000 cfs?


I didn't get an email warning?

What the heck is up with that? Flush some of the gravel down?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

That is what Andy Guibord thought........


Funny, I usually get an email when ever the river goes up or down?

[hwchubb]

For a change of pace try swinging an unweighted size 8-10 muddler on a floating or intermediate line/tip.

Works well on Coleman steelhead, might work well on the American.

Peter, I would love to see someone be successful on that. I’ve been faithfully skating size 8-10 muddlers from Aug- Dec (until the water temps drop below 50) for the last 5 years on the American, and have raised 2 fish. Unless there is a hatch, the American River fish just don’t seem to look up the way Trinity / NU / Rogue / Deschutes etc fish do. I’ve been more successful on all those rivers (ie more than one fish raised every 2.5 years) with far less time committed. Maybe because it is so heavily hatchery fish? Dunno. I just know I’m really starting to question why I keep at it (yet I do).

At the same time, a soft hackle in or just below the film produces decently for me, even on winter fish, in the American. Go figure. Freaking steelhead.