Always, always check the forecast before you go…
July 19, 2007
If it sounds like I’m speaking from experience, here, you’re right. Not taking my own advice yesterday, I headed for Lake Oroville without checking what the weather was supposed to do. Why check the forecast? It’s always sunny and hot in July in the Valley, right? Well….
I show up at dawn in my typical summer gear…only to find it sprinkling. A little rain never hurt anybody, plus I had a sweatshirt in the boat. I quickly launched and headed out under a beautiful sunrise…
The weather started to deteriorate immediately and the nice pink sky turned sinister on my first pass in front of the dam. Down at 50 feet, my Hootchie got bit…let it rain, as long as I’m getting bites…and up came a fat coho.
With clouds pouring over the dam, it looked like things were going to get ugly, so I did what any sane person (who really wanted to get soaked to the bone) would do with a storm approaching — I ran further up the lake (away from the boat ramp).
I made a quick pass near the Bidwell Bar Suspension Bridge, but cut it short when the monsoon hit. Obviously, I wasn’t the only guy who didn’t check the forecast…
Next was a tail-between-the-legs dash back towards the dam.
I couldn’t leave without one more pass along the dam. I immediately have a line pulled from the downrigger clip and miss it. Then, I hooked another nice coho…
Just kidding, by the way on the sushi thing — the fillets are going on the grill tonight. But I digress. After that second fish, I was wet and cold enough that it was time to call it a day. Back at the ramp, there was so much water coming off the hill that the parking lot looked like a lake — complete with a waterfall at its outlet.
I’d like to say that I’ll check the forecast before I head out tomorrow, but I probably won’t. It couldn’t rain twice in the valley in one summer…could it? Nah!
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