Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3820 Sept 13-27 | Page 9

Sept 13-27, 2019
VOL.38 • ISS. 20
7
Catch & Release Fishing!
Hook More & Bigger Fish With Flies...
Sponsored by Kiene’s Fly Shop
916-483-1222 • www.Kienesflyshop.com
9550 Micron Ave. Suite B • Sacramento, CA
Are You Up To The Challenge Of Fly
Fishing The Middle American? By Cal Kellogg
The trout were rising in a seam that appeared impossible to reach. On my side
of the river, the bank adjacent to the trout was lined with thick brush and black
berry vines. And even if it weren’t the trout were well beyond my casting range
and the water was too deep for me to wade closer to the fish.
Studying the scene, I noticed that there was a finger of sand and gravel that
extended from my side of the river downstream to a point 40 or 50 feet above
the trout. The water appeared shallow enough to allow me to wade down the
finger to within casting range of the risers.
Easing into the water I started working my way slowly toward the trout that
continued to rise enthusiastically.
The trout were feeding on hatching mayflies and my simple No. 16 rust
colored parachute with its grizzly hackle and elk hair wing had already proven
to be a good imitation. I made a couple false casts and then fired the fly down
stream with a lot of power.
Right on cue the fly disappeared in
a small swirl. I reared back on the rod
and instantly felt the weight of the
fish. True to its nature the big wild
rainbow catapulted out of the water
and then bolted for the far bank,
swimming upstream in a wide arch.
The odds were against me, but luck
was on my side. I kept the pressure
on the trout and after a nerve-racking
fight I was able to slide the awesome
22-inch rainbow into my net.
The fact that I just described
catching a big beautiful wild rainbow
in the American River is sure to raise
some eyebrows among members of
the Northern California trout fishing
fraternity and that comes as no
This American River rainbow blitzed to the surprise. The small group of savvy
surface and ambushed a well-presented
anglers that fish the Middle Fork of
caddis imitation.
Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. the American know it as one of the
P
Golden
State’s
best-kept
trout fishing
secrets.
The
American
River’s
Middle
Fork
bubbles to
life high in
the Sierra
Nevada in
The Middle American is a big brawling river that flows through a steep,
the Granite rugged canyon. This keeps the crowds light and gives the river’s trout
the opportunity to grow large.
Chief and
Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff.
Desolation
Valley
Wilderness areas. From
there the river flows in a
rough westerly direction.
The best section of the
river for trout fishing,
from Oxbow Reservoir
to the Middle Fork’s
confluence with the North
Fork, encompasses about
40 miles. Some parts
of this 40-mile section
provide easy access off or
Highway 49, Forest Hill
Road or Mosquito Ridge
Road, while other areas
Subsurface flies work best on the Middle American, but
require aggressive hiking in the river’s calmer stretches dry flies hook fish too.
Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff.
to reach.
The Scoop on Sewage & Our Waterways!
roperly disposing of boat sewage
makes a significant difference in
water quality and helps to safeguard
the thousands of miles of California’s
waterways. You might think your
boat’s contribution to the
overall pollution problem
is minuscule, but
considering there
are more than
four million
recreational
boaters in
California, indi-
vidual sewage
discharges add
up.
Plainly put,
dumping sewage
spreads disease, harms
aquatic life, impacts
positive nutrients, and floating
sewage is just gross! Each one of us can
make a difference by implementing these
practices to properly dispose of sewage
before or after a voyage:
Make use of available resources.
Dispose of sewage at pumpout stations,
dump stations, floating restrooms or
mobile boat-to-boat pumpout services. For
locations visit: www.dbw.ca.gov/pumpouts
Know the laws. According to federal and
state law, if you’re operating your boat
on any lake, reservoir or confined fresh
water; in any marina, yacht harbor or river
that does not support interstate traffic; or
in any “No Discharge
Zone,” it is
illegal to
discharge
sewage, even if
it’s treated. It’s also illegal
to discharge raw sewage in state waters
within the three-mile territorial limit or in
any national marine sanctuary.
Know your system. Vessels with an
installed toilet must have an operable U.S.
Coast Guard–approved marine sanitation
device (MSD). MSDs are designed to
keep untreated sewage out of the water.
There are three types of MSDs: Types
I, II (treatment systems that reduce
bacteria and suspended solids), and III
(no treatment systems–holding tank
that retains untreated sewage for proper
disposal).
The Y-Valve is the part of the MSD that
directs waste either overboard, into the
holding tank or to a deck pumpout fitting.
If your holding tank (Type III) is equipped
with a Y-valve for overboard discharge,
make sure it is secured in the closed
position while operating your vessel
within the three-mile limit. To make
sure your Y-valve is working properly to
prevent discharge, test your system by
placing a dye tablet
in the holding tank.
Use available
education
resources. Cali-
fornia State Parks
Division of Boating
and Waterways
(DBW), offers
free, user-friendly
online materials,
including the Delta/
San Francisco
clean boating
maps, “Southern
California Boater’s
Guide,” “When
Nature Calls”, important educational
videos and the FREE Pumpout Nav app
(available for iOS and Android), which
helps boaters find a pumpout station to
properly dispose of boat sewage. www.
dbw.ca.gov/CVAeducation-outreach.
Report sewage discharges to Cali-
fornia Office of Emergency Response
(800) OILS911 (645-7911) and National
Response Center [phone].
One toilet flush of untreated sewage
from your boat can cause the same envi-
ronmental impact as 10,000 flushes from
your home toilet (San Francisco Regional
Water Quality Control Board, 2009).