The California angling community lost a true treasure with the passing of Craig Ballenger in September.
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 twelve, 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 BA 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 Shasta Springs Trout Camp, a 40-acre property on the Upper Sacramento where he entertained guests from donors to congressmen to California governors.
“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.”
Curtis Knight, California Trout Executive Director
During a California Trout event last fall, Craig was bestowed a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by The Honorable Jared Huffman of California’s Second District. It reads, “In memory of a dedicated adventurer, historian, and educator, Craig Ballenger of Mount Shasta, California crossed the river too soon and will always be remembered for his wit, storytelling, and passion for California’s backcountry.”
While Craig’s travels took him to over forty countries, he was devoted to the people, rivers, and peaks of Mount Shasta. His home away from home 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 the proto-golden trout in 2015 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.
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.
