Remember when…
August 31, 2007
It was but a few short years ago when the Feather River, just north of Sacramento, was one of the hottest places to fish for king salmon on the West Coast.
Near the infamous Thermalito Afterbay Outlet, the kings would stack up by the tens of thousands and the action was often lights out.
Since the area is a good 150 miles upstream of the ocean, Feather kings weren’t always chrome bright, but there were lots of them and days like this, where I had two guys with their 3-fish limits by 8 a.m., were common.
But that was then and this is now.
In just a few seasons, the Feather went from world-class to virtually salmon-free…and nobody has a really good answer as to why. Of course, there are millions of theories, but the true cause of the incredible decline is as yet unknown. Things got so bad so quickly, however, that I suspect something very sinister is afoot.
Over the last several years, water management practices here have been…well…let’s just say less than idea from a fish’s standpoint. But Chinook runs across the entire Central Valley are almost nil this year, so there’s obviously something going on out in the ocean as well.
In any case, things are looking bleak. Take a long look at this picture…
That’s what the “Good Ol’ Days” looked like.
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