It should be no secret to Northern Californian’s, but in case you just crawled out of a cave….shits just gotten wild on NorCal rivers. All stretches of the Sacramento River are currently nearing, or at flood stage. NorCal creeks have breached their banks. Bad for fishing! Great for adventure seeking! Undoubtedly Mother Nature has put a “time out” on fishing for a week or more while floodwaters recede.

In the meantime if you are a outdoorsman who has been cooped up with this wet weather, and need something to do. Here is a outdoor activity I enjoy when fishing is sidelined. “Cricking” -taking a jet boat ride up random NorCal creeks. Normally what would be considered non-navigatable waterways, become swollen during brief flooding periods, making them very navigable. You must wait until the creek flows are on the drop, so as debris on the water surface has subsided. Preventing you from clogging up your jet pump. This is no time for engine overheating caused by restricted water flow through your jet pump. When the coast is clear, so to speak, send it! Exploring new waterways can be exciting and thrilling. It can also be very dangerous. Wear a life jacket and make sure to have a back up (kicker/pony) motor, an oar and anchor at the very least. Probably a good idea to make sure your insurance policy is up to date as well. In the end it is just water you are boating on. Same as any other water as far as boating goes. Maybe faster and muddier, but still just water.

The Sacramento River at Woodson Bridge in Corning, Ca peaked out at 186 stage feet, or roughly 125,000 cfs (cubic feet per second). For those unfamiliar with these measurements of river water volume, let me inform you. These measurements mean the Sacramento River was big…huge actually! The third highest river level I can recollect seeing in my lifetime. In 1996 I stood on Woodson Bridge as a senior in high school watching, and feeling massive trees slamming into the bridge pylons. One after another. I distinctly remember thinking the river only looked to be about ten feet from the bottom of the bridge, and moving very fast, like a car drives I remember thinking. Woodson Bridge that year was measured at 191 stage feet. Two feet below the all time high of 193 stage feet, set in 1977. That year was the highest I personally have seen the Sacramento River. I took a cruz on the Sacramento River in 2017 during a big flood. I launched my boat just past the bathrooms on the south side of the bridge. The parking lot at the top of the boat ramp was about 6 feet under water. I tied my boat off to a park bench in the picnic area. The Sacramento River was at 187 stage feet on this day. Approximately one foot above the crest of this current flood.

When the Sacramento Valley finally decides to dry out, and the Sacramento River has come down to a manageable flow, fishing will resume. My prediction is for some extremely good sturgeon fishing to take place surrounding the Colusa area. Once the river levels have dropped below 57 foot on the Colusa Bridge gage. The river will be ready to fish for sturgeon. Floodwaters are likely to bring up a large push of sturgeon up river from the California Delta. This giving anglers another chance to catch the states largest fish species.

Typically considered too early in the month for the spring striped bass run to start on the Sacramento River. This season may be the exception to the rule. It wouldn’t surprise me in the least to see schoolie stripers residing on the gravel bars North of Colusa when floodwaters recede. Giving anglers a early start to the 2023 spring striped bass run.