Yes, over the past 60 years, I have noticed lots of changes.

My parents used to drop me off at Watt Avenue when I was 16 and that was 63 years ago.

Then I worked my entire adult life in the fishing tackle business within a few miles of that wonderful river.



I remember one winter when it was flowing, 130,000 cfs, right over the entire top of Nimbus Dam.

In the Spring the entire river was flat as a pancake with no deep runs.

The rocks were as clean as a newborn baby. Many of the willows were gone too.


During a bad long draught, maybe the late 1970s, the river below Watt was full of low aquatic weeds.

The Squawfish came up into the lower American River from the Sacramento River because it was so warm.



Two veteran local guide friends of mine think the Lower American River is empty?



The predictions are that we should have a good Shad run in the Sacramento, Feather, Yuba, and American Rivers.