The California angling community lost a true treasure last month with the passing of Craig Ballenger.
Craig was a senior editor at California Fly Fisher and California Trout’s fly-fishing ambassador and historian. Born in McCloud, California, and raised in Mount Shasta, Craig had adventure in him from an early age. As a young boy, he would hop trains to San Francisco and City Lights Bookstore on the heels of his father, who was a locomotive engineer for Southern Pacific. He was the youngest person to solo summit Mount Shasta at the age of 12 and scaled peaks from Nepal and Tibet to the Andes and the Alps. He summited six of the seven tallest peaks in the world, turning around just 500 feet from the peak of Everest to save a stranger who was left for dead by their climbing partners. That is the kind of person Craig was–humble, kind, and giving.
Craig held a Bachelor of Arts in Theology, attended fine arts school, and was the author of Shasta’s Headwaters: An Angler’s Guide to the Upper Sacramento and McCloud Rivers, published in 1998. Craig was CalTrout’s historian and storyteller for decades and was the caretaker of Trout Camp, a 40-acre property on the Upper Sacramento that he helped design in 2001 and continued to make improvements over the years. There, he entertained guests from donors to congressmen to California governors. California Trout’s Executive Director Curtis Knight shared, “Craig left us too soon and too suddenly. He leaves a huge hole and heartbreak in the CalTrout community. He was an original. His depth of knowledge and insight from direct experience of California’s rivers and mountains was unmatched. His ultimate measure was his influence on all who shared a campfire with him. We miss him and honor him by saying yes to the next adventure.”
While Craig’s travels took him to over 40 countries, his true love was the Sierra Mountains, where he spent a month every summer exploring its rivers, alpine lakes, and fish. Ever curious, Craig went on a quest for California’s proto-golden trout in 2014, as documented in the short film “Liquid Gold,” and most recently was making a film about the Kern River rainbow. While the Sierra was his favorite mountain range, the McCloud was unquestionably his favorite river. Along with his book on its blue-ribbon waters, he spent many a day casting a dry-dropper to rising trout or throwing streamers to the big browns lurking in its deep pools.
“Silver rivers run here,
-Joaquin Miller, 1873
the sweetest in the world. They wind and wind
among the rocks and mossy roots, with California lilies, and the yew with scarlet berries dipping in the water, and trout idling in the eddies and cool places by the basketful.”
Life Amongst the Modocs: Unwritten History
George Revel, owner of Lost Coast Outfitters and editor-at-large of California Fly Fisher reflects, “Craig valued life in miles hiked, fish caught, rapids run, peaks summited, nights spent under the stars, stories told around a campfire, beers drank, nicknames given, and friendships forged by stories born in adventure. Craig lost count and probably never even tried to keep track, but if we tallied it up, he’d have the highest score of anyone I’ve ever met.”
To sit around the campfire and listen to Craig tell stories of his many adventures was a treasured experience. He was a captivating storyteller, and while he had many fascinating tales to share, he was more interested in hearing the stories of others. He cared deeply about ‘his people’ and remained forever curious about the world around him.
He was one-of-a-kind and will be dearly missed.
For some quintessential Craig musings, enjoy these Moments of Zen, produced for California Trout’s virtual gala in 2020.
Thank you for posting this article on Craig. I met Craig at Bollibokka around 1999 – I was sitting in the main lodge reading this book – “Shasta’s Headwaters”. I still treasure it. He taught me much about fishing (as I was a novice then) as well as on the history of the McCloud area. I loved listening to him talk about anything he was willing to share. So sad – a loss for sure.