the D word and rain

Just what we need a drought.

I subscribe to a private fishing report called The Hotsheet run by some guys that really know fishing and get good updates from guides and boat captains from all over the west coast and Alaska.

So one of the main guys there is Mike Aughney. Mike has a day job working for the Marin Water District. If it has to do with water he knows what's up.

What's not up are water levels in the west. We're in trouble. Now.
We need rain. Now.
We need more than an average year to kick in. Now.

Here's how he opened his Hotsheet this week. (Steelie are steelhead fish.)

There is little good news on the weather outlook. Rain is desperately needed and none is forecasted through the beginning of next week. All coastal streams are low and clear and your best steelie bets lie inland on the Trinity and Klamath rivers.

I don't know if the media is really in touch with how severe of a water
shortage will have if these dry conditions persist. Let me dust off the soap box for a few paragraphs.

California's largest reservoir, Shasta is currently at just 31% of capacity. The 2nd largest, Oroville is at just 28%. Combined they have a capacity of about 8 million acre feet. Here in Sonoma County Lake Mendocino is at 26% and Lake Sonoma is at 48%.

Down in the southern part of the state many reservoirs are under 20% of capacity and some under 10%. There is little water content in the low snow pack in the mountains and if we don't see some significant storms in February we will see a critical water shortage this summer.

And the same conditions exist at the lake where I spend lots of time, Clear Lake. The levels are getting might low.

Terry Knight the local outdoors reporter says some ramps at the lake are already getting pretty tough to launch from.