Whiskey is for drinking,....

..water is for fighting over. No more prophetic words than those of Mark Twain so many years ago. With the exploding population growth of our beautiful state, the recent low rainfall years has caused all sorts of water-related controversies to be raise their ugly heads. Water interests in their desperation to stop the decline of not only the endangered Delta smelt and many other native California fishes such a Silver Salmon, Chinook Salmon, and Steelhead, are now pointing their finger at non-native species such as Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass as a significant contributors to the decline of native species. They ignore or attempt to divert people's thinking that prior to the huge water diversions to the south state, populations of both native and non-native species coexisted in large numbers. There is now ( Assembly Bill 1253 ) an attempt to lift all limits of Striped Bass and allow the commercial harvest of the Striped Bass to reduce the numbers of predator species. The California Sport Fishing Alliance is leading the charge against the bill. You will be able to make feelings known by sending or faxing letters to the appropriate parties on the CSPA's website or on savedeltafish.com.

UPDATE: The bill was gutted due to a good showing by over 60 groups opposing the bill. Read more about it here. As the article says, " The water wars in California are just beginning."

The movie " Rivers of a Lost Coast " is coming to Modesto on April 16, 2009

Rivers of a Lost Coast from Skinny Fist on Vimeo.

" Rivers of a Lost Coast " is coming to Modesto's State Theatre on April 16, 2009. If you attended the Fly Fishing Film Tour at the State Theatre on March 5 you likely saw a segment of the movie. Here is what the movie's website has to say about the movie:

"At the turn of the 20th Century, a handful of pioneers carried their fly rods into California’s remote north coast and gave birth to a culture that would revolutionize their sport. For a select few, steelhead fly fishing became an obsessive pursuit without compromise.

Leading the pack was the mythical, Bill Schaadt, an off-kilter angler famous for his ruthless pursuit to be ‘in the fish’. The new endeavor was ruled by a demanding, unspoken code, which made 'breaking in' almost as difficult as 'breaking out'.

By the early 1980s, the Golden State’s coastal fisheries found themselves caught in a spiraling decline. As California searched for its disappearing salmon and steelhead, these men foraged for their souls."

Tickets are available here at the shop for $9.00 each or online at the State Theatre.

This movie is sponsored by the State Theatre and the Tuolumne River Trust, both non-profit organizations.

Here is a link to the State Theatre.
Here is a link to the Tuolumne River Trust.
Here is a link to " Rivers of a Lost Coast " website for more information on the movie.

February Snowfall

The photos above are from Yosemite.org

Fortunately, February has been kind to us fly fishers ( and more importantly, the fish ). Mammoth Mountain has received 129" this month, bringing Mammoth's total this winter to 368". Last year's total for the entire year was 333". Let's prey that we get more!

2009 Fly Fishing Film Tour coming to Modesto

The 2009 Fly Fishing Film Tour is a presentation of fly fishing video shorts. The tour will be here in Modesto on March 5, 2009 at the State Theatre. The videos are reminiscent of Warren Miller Ski Films, in fact some of the owners ( Drake Magazine ) of the tour were involved in Warren Miller Entertainment. Tickets will be available online, at the box office and here at Sierra Anglers ( $12.00 per ticket, $15.00 at the door ). The video is the promo for the 2008 film tour. The proceeds of the event will benefit " Rivers of Recovery ", a non-profit organization that provides fly fishing vacations for disabled veterans. Dan Cook, the director of Rivers of Recovery, will be making a personal appearance at the showing.

Here is their mission statement:

"Rivers of Recovery is dedicated to providing unique and meaningful recreational trips to disabled veterans, their families and the families of fallen soldiers at no cost to the participants. A nonprofit organization, Rivers of Recovery seeks to promote the building of self-confidence, foster a sense of empowerment, spark an enthusiasm for the outdoors and provide a sanctuary where enjoyment, relaxation and learning are the priorities.

Veterans and families from all armed forces and military eras are eligible.

Air Force ~ Army ~ Coast Guard ~ Marines ~ National Guard ~ Navy"

It's a great cause, I hope you will be able to attend.

Santa delivers as promised!

Fortunately, the snow that was forecast came in! The Mammoth Mountain ski area received 13" of new snow on Christmas Day. Their total so far this season is 176" inches of snow compared to last year's October to December total of about 72". Let's hope it keeps coming!

The photo above is from the Yosemite Association's live webcam this morning, December 26, 2008.

Merry Christmas! Santa to deliver this week.

It looks as if Santa is going to deliver a great gift to us fishermen this Christmas week, rain and snow! With the lack of precipitation this year, the outlook will be much better with a wet week of weather forecast. One of my favorite weather links is the National Weather Service's Western Region Satellite page: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/satellite/ . Try the " animation " function.

Here is my favorite Doppler Radar page.

Here is one of my favorite links for river flows: http://cdec.water.ca.gov/river/rivcond.html

Have a Merry Christmas!

New product

Simms Softshell Hoody

We've just received a new jacket from Simms. While very pricey at $219.95, this jacket is a great layering garment and many of the Delta striper guys coming into the shop feel that this will be the perfect jacket for those chilly, foggy days on our Delta. Since it is windproof, you will block the wind on those boat rides looking for stripers. Wearing this over layers of thermals and fleece or down you will very comfortable and dry. This jacket has very breathable Gore-tex membrane. It is not a waterproof rain jacket due to the fact that the seams are not sealed.

• Soft yet rugged stretch nylon shell with soft and very warm microcheck backer
• YKK® center-front zipper
• Adjustable storm hood fits comfortably around a ball cap
• 1 Large zippered chest pocket
• Zippered, polyester mesh-lined hand warmer pockets
• Adjustable cuffs
• Adjustable shock cord hem
• Imported