Hi everyone . . .
As the valley tailwaters are beginning to get into shape I thought that many of you might be interested in a reprint of an article I wrote for Salmon & Steelheader magazine a few years ago. The story is about Steelheading on the Mokelumne River. The Moke doesn’t come up very often in discussions of Steelhead fishing in CA tailwaters, yet between its hatchery and its prolific spawning habitat, it produces a large percentage of the Salmon and Steelhead that are derived from northern CA waterways.
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A few years ago I was attending the annual spring fling event at Kiene’s Fly Shop in Sacramento and among the many exhibitors was Bill Ferrero pitching his guide service-Mokelumne River Outfitters-on the Mokelumne River located about an hour away from Sacramento. My first thought was, who the hell fishes the Mokelumne? He was a friendly sort of guy, so we chatted while we munched free hotdogs provided by the shop. He explained that he guided clients on the tailwater section of the Moke from where it flows from below Comanche Dam to its confluence with the San Joaquin River. The stretch of the river is the first five miles or so downstream the dam. He showed me a photo album of grin and grip photos of his many clients holding 6- to 8-pound steelhead. I was both embarrassed and impressed; embarrassed because this wonderful fishery that was only an hour away from Sacramento, had been under my radar all these years. I was impressed because I now had a new water, close to home that I could explore and fish.
The river changes drastically from its origins at timberline to where it dumps into the Sacramento River delta just east of the San Francisco Bay area. At the headwaters, which is literally at the crest of the Sierras, the “Moke” is a typical west slope of the Sierra’s trout fishing experience, with the river coursing over and around large granite boulders and flowing through deep inaccessible canyons. Fish are generally small and wild but can be very prolific. The Moke’s most interesting fishing is found after it leaves its alpine origins and descends the foothills becoming a tailwater and then flowing through the wine country of the San Joaquin Valley.
The name Mokelumne, means “fish net people” in the Plains Miwok Indian language. The name referred to the fact that the tribe, first observed by the earliest Anglo/American settlers, harvesting the thousands of salmon that migrated up the river each year to spawn. Once the 49ers arrived at the beginning of the Gold Rush, the fish ended up in the stomachs of the minors rather than in that of the Indians. The populations of salmon and steelhead dwindled somewhat during Gold Rush period but was sustainable. Then In the mid-20th Century the Moke was bisected by two dams (Pardee Dam and Comanche Dam) to provide water for Central Valley farmers and the San Francisco Bay Area. The respective lakes that were created covered the historical spawning area and consequently the populations of salmon and steelhead suffered though mitigated somewhat by a hatchery that was constructed at the base of Comanche Dam which impounds Comanche Lake.
During the dam relicensing in 1998 by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission the Partnership Steering Committee, was created that included a representative each from the California Department Fish & Wildlife, USFWS and East Bay Municipal Utility District, which owns and manages the two upstream dams that impound Comanche Lake and Pardee Reservoir to develop a plan, the Water Quality and Resource Management Program, to define reasonable goals, measures, performance criteria and responsive actions to ensure and improve populations of salmon and steelhead on the Moke. It included a comprehensive monitoring and applied research program integrated with a well-coordinated program to adaptively manage water and power supply operations, flood control, and hatchery operations and ecosystem rehabilitation actions.
Since then a stream restoration program was undertaken that included restoring gravel habitat, releasing pulse flows from Camanche Dam to attract fish and provide water temperature management. Fish tagging of hatchery fish prior to their release was undertaken to help biologists assess the results of restoration efforts. As a result, salmon and steelhead runs have grown to be exceptional in recent years and it is estimated that the river now contributes up to 20 percent of the commercial catch of salmon off the coast of California.
Since that day when I first met Bill Ferrero, I’ve been his guest on several floats during the summer months when we caught a plethora of small rainbows that were progeny of the large winter run fish that the Moke was famous for. He really wanted me to experience the river during its prime months of January, February, but all of his available days were booked up with clients and we kept having to put our fishing trip off. Then in the first week of March last year, he gave me a call and explained that he had a cancelation that coming Saturday and wondered if I and a friend would like to join him on a float. I of course said yes as I would now have a chance experience the legendary fishing I’d heard so much about.
The following Saturday morning I met my friend Paul Thick at the shop, and we hopped into his SUV and then headed south down Hwy 99 towards Lodi. As soon as we passed the Sacramento city limits the suburbs transcended into vineyards that stretched to the horizon. Just past the town of Galt we turned off the freeway and traveled east. As the sun peeked over the crest of the Sierras the landscape before us was a silhouette of bare grape vines with mist sparkling in the sunlight as it ascended from the vineyard soil. We were traveling through the world-famous Lodi vinicultural appellation on our way to fish for world class trophy steelhead in one of the (arguably) most southern latitude steelhead waters in the world.
We pulled in to the Mokelumne Day Use Area, which is a park facility owned and maintained by EBMUD on the bank of the river where you can launch a watercraft. The park stretches from the first parking lot to about three quarters of a mile to the hatchery and the base of the dam that impounds Comanche Lake. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that during the salmon and steelhead runs, the fish tend to stack up in that section. Of course, so do fishermen but if you can be there on week days, you won’t have much competition. The water in this section usually runs around 300 CFS which makes the river very wadable. At that flow the water depth is low enough that you can often sight fish in its crystal-clear water. As there is no vehicle access to the river, one has to drag or carry their watercraft about fifty yards to the water, which means that inflatable watercraft are the only option.
Within ten minutes of arriving, Bill pulled into the parking lot with his trailered 13 ½-foot Fish Craft Super Cat raft. We unloaded it and the three of us carried it down to the shoreline. It’s amazing how heavy an inflatable can be, as because they are filled with air, you assume that they are going to be light, but they’re not. We loaded up the boat with ice chests, day packs and fly rods. Bill also brought along a couple of spinning rods.
We pushed off and slowly floated through about a hundred yards of frog water, during which time Bill explained that steelhead don’t spawn until their third year of life but prior to reaching sexual maturity and even after their first spawn, they move in and out of the river systems at various times of the year, depending on environmental conditions. Many of the smaller, sexually immature fish make a run up into the tailwaters, with the Moke being one of them. The locals call them half-pounders, though they are much heavier than that. Bill went on to say that around the end of September chinook salmon arrive on their annual spawning run. At that time, the river closes to all fishing until Jan. 1 of the following year to protect non-hatchery or wild spawning fish. Many half-pounders will follow the salmon to feast on stray eggs.
Like most of the other valley tailwaters once the traditional spawning beds of the Moke were cut off by the construction of Comanche Dam, the hatchery was unable to spawn the indigenous steelhead. Consequently, they imported Eel River (a north coast river that is known for its trophy size fish) strain eggs from the American River and Feather River hatcheries and along with all of the stream restoration work that had been undertaken since 1998, created a true trophy winter steelhead fishery. Today it’s not uncommon to catch fish in the 8- to 10-pound range.
For the first couple of hundred yards we floated through tunnels of riparian growth lining both sides of the river. Being that it was March the Alders and Cottonwoods hadn’t leafed out yet, so the landscape appeared more expansive compared the summer. In a way, the river was more beautiful than when the leaves blocked the view. Eventually the river opened up to a section with some wide riffles that dropped off into deeper water. Bill pulled up the raft on a gravel bar and we got out.
On valley tailwaters, one of two fly fishing strategies are utilized, which are either swinging or dead drift indicator fishing. When you have wide expanses of relatively shallow riffle water over a cobble substrate, the swinging tactic will cover more water and put the fly in front of more fish. Beginning at the top of the riffle you cast at a roughly a 45-degree angle to the water flow and swing in a wide arc until the fly reaches the seam between the fast and slow water close to shore. Often the grab will come when the fly is near the seam. You then slowly continue casting arcs while you slowly walk downstream along the riffle. The fly rig for swinging is usually composed of an egg pattern with a dropper tied in about 18 inches behind it attached to an articulating dark colored streamer patterns, such as a black Wooly Bugger, Rabbit Leach or Andy Guibord’s “You Name It”. Bill tied on a streamer pattern he called John Rohmer’s “Simi Seal Bead Leech” and directed me to swing through a deep undercut on the other side of the river. On the second cast I stuck a six pound beauty.
The dead drift indicator tactic, which is generally used when the fisherman can stand relatively close to a deep run or hole or is fishing out of a watercraft. The rig consists of a long leader, with a strike indicator/float that is placed at a point on the leader so that the when suspended the split shot will just barely bounce on the river bottom. Fly selection in valley tail waters is not rocket science as the most prolific aquatic bugs are Blue Wing Olives, Tricos, Caddis and of course midges. During Steelhead spawning runs that occur in January and February an egg pattern will get regular grabs. Two flies are suspended with one usually the egg pattern and the other often a caddis larva pattern which mimics, as already mentioned, a very common bug found in the river. Strike indicators that are designed so that the leader is fastened so that a 90-degree hinge is created, will suspend the weight/fly vertically and eliminate a bow in the leader, and make it easier to detect strikes. Some have a fluorescent red tag end that points straight up when the fly/weight is suspended directly below and obviously in dead drift.
If using spin gear out of a boat, the most common technique is to bounce roe along the bottom along the current seams. Surprising enough, a nightcrawler will work just as well if roe is not available. Most of the fishermen fishing from shore from the launching area upstream to the hatchery, cast and swing spinners into the seams. Heavy spinners similar to Super Dupers and Little Cleo’s are the most popular. A minimum of 10-pound line and leader is necessary if fishing faster moving water.
As the day progressed, we experimented with various techniques and fished a variety of great steelhead water. It was a wonderful introduction to a river that I knew barely existed, let alone has runs of salmon and steelhead. Since then I’ve made several trips to the Moke on my own and have found it to be a gem. Like so many other steelhead anglers in Northern California it’s a tailwater fishery that I can always rely on to produce winter steelhead and half-pounders in the winter and spring.
If you go, the tailwater section below Comanche Dam is easy to find. First of all, if you should be flying in, Sacramento International Airport (SMF) is served by most major airlines and is located only about an hour and fifteen minutes away. If driving from the bay area, take Hwy 4 east through Stockton to Hww 99. Take Hwy 99 north to Lodi (about 15 min) and Hwy 12. Travel east on Hwy 12 to where it intersects with Hwy 88. Then take Hwy 88 east through the town of Lockford on to the town of Clements. In another 2.78 miles you will come to N. McIntire Rd where you will turn north. Continue north on N. McIntire Rd for 1.27 miles where you will turn right at the sign that says “Mokelumne Day Use Area”. You will come to a kiosk where there sits a kiosk with a parking area behind it. This is where you can launch a watercraft. If you continue on the road you will pass by a couple of turn-outs/parking areas and it will eventually dead end at the hatchery and Comanche Dam.
The section between the first turnout (kiosk)and the dam and the Hatchery is about a half a mile. The water is somewhat freestone with wide riffles and deep runs and it’s very wadeable at flows under 500 CFS. Being that this section is as far as the fish can go on their spawning runs, they can stack up here at certain times during the peak of the run to wait their turn to ascend the hatchery fish ladder.
To float it, you put in at the first parking lot of the Mokelumne Day Use Area and float the eight mile stretch where you can take out at Stillman Magee Park which is where the N. Mackville Rd crosses the river. Much of the river is frog water punctuated by deep runs and riffles. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know where the fish will be holding. The riffles of course will hold fish but you shouldn’t ignore the deep undercuts, particularly on the outside bend of the river. A well placed black streamer at the end of a 250 gr sink tip line can be deadly. Fishing. Fishing season one theMoke runs from January 1 to March 31 and from the 4th Saturday in May to October 15.