Firefighters Winning and Fishing

This is about the Rim fire. It is now the 7th largest fire in California history dating back to 1932.

When I last posted on Sunday the fire was 203 square miles. This morning its 280 square miles, BUT where it was 7% contained, it's now 20% contained. There are still 4500 structures threatened and 23 destroyed. There are 3700 firefighters on the line with a current cost of 44 Million dollars.   

I headed out of the house at 0800 and this is what it looked like driving down the road to Highway 88. 

Shakeridge Road

Once I got on Highway 88, it didn't change much. Kind of reminds me of  the inside of the Olympic
Auditorium in Los Angeles during Friday Night boxing. Really, really smoky.

Highway 88

My destination this morning was Silver Fork of the American River. I read a post on one of the local forums that said there was water in the river and the water was cold (it was 56.5 degrees). Thought I'd just check it out. It also said that fish were seen, but the writer said he couldn't catch any.  

I stopped at the bridge on a road and you're going to love this, called Hells Delight Road. Now this road has special meaning for my wife and I. It was off this road we camped together for the first time. At daybreak the dirt bikes started and it sure was Hells Delight.

Parked on the side of the bridge and wadered up, strapped my oxygen tank on my back, got the Tenkara rod rigged, and my fly rod rigged. I was headed upstream. 

Up stream from the bridge

It wasn't very long before the first Rainbow came to hand on a yellow, size 12, Sloan's Paralyzer. It came in at a blazing 6 inches or so.

First of the day

Shortly there after came #2 on the same fly. This one a bit larger at about 9 inches. OK, maybe 8 inches.

Second of the day

Further up the river I came across this area. It is where the river runs during the winter. I was a good 25 feet from the river and pointing the camera away from the river. 

Winter wash

Not to put down the two fish I caught, (by the way, the second one was a Rainbow too), but the stuff I found on the way back was quite interesting. 

In the picture below, on the left is a fly fisherman's net. Needs a little cleaning up and then I'm going to donate it to the fly club raffle. Next to it is a Husky wood saw. That will also be donated to the raffle. The long blue bag is a tent peg bag. On the right is a bag of Chinet Paper Plates, 225 count and never been opened. Still has the factory twist on the twist tie. Geezers know this kind of stuff. Much more stuff and I'm going to have to start taking a wheelbarrow with me.  

Stuff

So, two fish brought to hand and four missed. I missed one on a green Sloan's Paralyzer because I kept donating the yellow ones to the trees. All in all not a bad day, but a little hard to breathe.  

Mark