Hooked for Life
I read Bill Barich’s article on the Mighty McCloud and can totally relate. Years ago, I had a very similar experience in my first attempt at fly fishing. I made the trek over the rough road to Ah Di Nah and clambered about over the riverbank and through the blackberries to take a first cast. Not expecting anything, I was totally unprepared for the rise of a very large brown under my EHC fly, turning slowly, opening its huge mouth, and in my excitement . . . pulled the fly from its mouth as it turned to go down. I remember the whole experience in vivid detail, as it plays out in slow motion in my mind. That was it. I was hooked for life.
I fished the whole weekend on that challenging river and landed one 4” rainbow, but hooked and lost many fish, some quite large. Over the course of three days, I perfected the art of “hook and release,” watching fish jump to spit out my fly, running at me full speed to take tension off the fly, and doing nearly everything imaginable to come unhooked. It was completely frustrating but completely addicting. I have been back many times, but the memory of that first experience remains.
Thank you, Bill, for rekindling these memories. I, too, feel humbled and frustrated but in awe of this magnificent river.
Jeff Lorelli
Fremont, CA
P.S. Love the new layout and format, looks like a work of art!
Bittersweet
It was bittersweet getting the latest issue of California Fly Fisher after learning of the passing of Craig Ballenger. I met Craig back in my CalTrout days when he became an ambassador for the organization based on his knowledge and charisma. He helped create CalTrout’s Trout Camp on the Upper Sac, and I spent some time with him up there.
I remember clearly an afternoon we fished and then hosted two CalTrout supporters for a campsite dinner. I grilled the T-bones, we drank some single malt, and we talked for a few hours a couple of hundred yards uphill from the river. I also remember an evening at dusk when Craig took me out to fish the October caddis hatch as it got darker and darker and only he could actually see what was going on. He caught fish and I didn’t, but he always put up with my ineptitude and tried to teach me how to be a better angler. It was appropriate that Craig’s article in the latest issue was about the October caddis hatch. I learned something from Craig in that article, which is a cool thing under the circumstances.
After I left CalTrout we stayed in touch. One late-night phone call from Craig got me in a bit of trouble with the then-executive director. It was always great to see Craig at The Fly Fishing Show where we could swap some stories, talk about books, share some laughs. He also would call to get some dirt on book publishing, seeking some guidance on getting his terrific writing into book form.
He was just a good guy to hang around and he’s someone I’ll never forget. I know that anytime I’m fishing the October caddis hatch, Craig will be front and center in my mind. I’ve I have always been grateful to Richard Anderson and now to the new California Fly Fisher team for keeping Craig front and center in our hearts and minds.
Andy Weiner
Sonoma
Remembering Craig
It was with a mix of joy and sadness that I took the fall issue out of my mailbox and opened it up. The first thing I saw was a picture of contributor Craig Ballenger. On September 24, I got a text from my daughter, a scientist who works for California Trout. She informed me that Craig had passed away. It was a shock to all who knew him.
Tyanna also made sure that I got the fall issue, saying, “Craig was talking about it recently and his fingerprints are all over it.” From his column on October Caddis to the feature on the rewilded Klamath and a piece by Bill Barich on one of Craig’s favorite home waters, the McCloud, it was certainly an issue that does Craig’s memory justice.
While I wasn’t close friends with Craig, we had some very cool phone conversations recently as he was going to help me by being a guest on Blue Dot to talk about the amazing history of the McCloud River. Sadly, that won’t happen, but I hope some friends of his will help me produce that episode in his honor.
From exploring the Sierra in search of Golden Trout to his classic book, Shasta’s Headwaters: An Angler’s Guide to the Upper Sacramento and McCloud Rivers, Craig Ballenger was a force of and for nature. He used to tell me about “Tyanna and her scientists,” referring to his colleague, my daughter Tyanna Blaschak, and that always put a smile on my face. In one of her texts to me the day she learned of his passing, she said, “He was like having an ‘adventure uncle’ at CalTrout if that makes sense.” It makes perfect sense. May he pleasantly haunt the wild trout waters he loved so much forever.
Dave Schlom
Host/Creator
Blue Dot radio program and podcast
