CALIFORNIA DROUGHT IMPACTS TROUT

Over Labor Day weekend I spent 9 hours fishing on two of California's watersheds. Neither of which looked healthy. Both were wrought with algae and very little signs of fish. While there were frogs and small fish I did not see anything above 3 inches.

Fish not only need water to thrive but the water also needs to be relatively cool. The Water temp was 75 degrees just above Lake Clementine while the air temp was 101. 

The other fishery which I fished was a bit better though I did catch two small trout. The real issue here is not one which man can fix nor will adding additional dams. The real issue at had is the lack of rain and snow in the mountains. Recently there was some discussion about Lake Tahoe only producing 65 cubic feet Per second (CFS). The Little Truckee is not flowing nor is Prosser creek. There was a group men and women from the Truckee Chapter of Trout Unlimited who worked hand in hand with the California Fish and Game catching trout with nets and then relocating them to the main river. 

As one can see when analyzing the images above that the past three years the lack of water has been accelerated. The lack of rain fall is hard on wildlife but with out a healthy river our food chain begins to break down. There are no clear answers other than conservation.