One time, a few summers ago, I decided that I was bored with wading the Upper Sacramento, so a few friends and I went up to the Pollard Flats exit, off I-5, and decided to float the river. We all loaded our pontoon boats in our trucks and headed off. We decided we would do the float from Pollard Flats to Delta.
What a great day to be on the river! When we got down to the access, there was a nice man who began telling us about his friends attempting the same float, but never made it. He made a few other remarks to try and persuade us into not attempting our journey. We chose to ignore his advice, as my PAC 800 had already proven it could handle tougher waters than these.
The rest of the day consisted of catching fish, shooting rapids, getting a tan, and having a great time.
The three of us used three different methods to catch fish. I chose to high stick the faster water with a double nymph rig. A size 12 Hare's Ear with an olive Bird's Nest (#14) did the trick. My friend Mike chose to use an indicator with a Bird's Nest (#12) and an olive Poopah (#14). Our other friend, Mike, used a dry with a nymph dropper. All three of us caught a ton of fish through the entire float. It was amazing to see how many fish were in the tailouts. These fish would stare up at us as we floated by, at least the ones that we didn't catch.
As the take-out approached, we had to pick up our pontoons, because the water spread out too much and became too shallow. However, with the weight of our boats, this was an easy task.
If you're going to do any stretch of the Upper Sacramento, know what you're doing and have a sturdy pontoon or inflatable that is rated for at least Class 3 whitewater! I almost enjoyed going over and through the rapids more than catching all the fish.
If you're thinking about doing this float yourself, give me a call or email me at The Fly Shop and I'll give you more details. Life is too short not to have experienced this rush. I can't wait until the next time this opportunity arises.
