The boat launch at Friant Cove is flooded with ankle-deep water, our first indication the San Joaquin River is no longer just a trickle.
(Oops. Someone forgot to plan for that.)
Thanks to court-ordered releases that began Oct. 1, the San Joaquin has been all over the news. It's unfortunate, though, that most of the coverage centers on water politics instead of what a restored river can mean to those who live here.
Let farmers and environmentalists argue over flows. The rest of us should just go with it.
So that's precisely what three of us did Monday, sitting in our kayaks as Gov. Schwarzenegger grandstanded for his water bond near Friant Dam.
Eric Kaai shows off an approximately 20-inch Rainbow trout he caught and released while on the San Joaquin River below Lost Lake Park.
Eric Kaai of Fresno kayaks down a small riffle to position himself in an eddy to cast his line. Flows on this day were 750 cubic feet per second from Friant Dam.
Wildlife such as this great egret near Lost Lake Park are a common sight along the San Joaquin as the river flows higher and faster.
Besides your humble narrator, the group included Eric Kaai, who manages Fishermen's Warehouse, and Greg Talbot of Clovis, an overnight supervisor at Target who was operating on no sleep.
"I've always wanted to paddle the river but never had the chance to do it," Talbot said.
Talbot was talking about himself, but he could have been speaking for many.
I've written before about the puzzling disconnect between Fresnans and the river that forms the city's northwest border.
About how California's second-longest waterway might as well be invisible to the majority of folks who live here.
About how there are regular users of Millerton Lake who have no clue that water they're wakeboarding across comes from the San Joaquin.
About how, despite all the good work done by the San Joaquin River Parkway and Conservation Trust, there's still no place in town for the public to launch a boat or spend an afternoon strolling along its banks.
Each of those impediments remains. Except now, there's actual water in the river, enough to float the 10-mile stretch from Friant Cove to Fort Washington Beach or the Fresno County Sportsmen's Club (both privately owned) without scraping over rocks. And that changes everything.
(Releases from Friant Dam measured 700 cubic feet per second earlier this week but have since been cut in half in accordance with the restoration program. Flows of 350 cfs are scheduled through Nov. 20, when they'll be trimmed to 120 cfs until February.)
The first thing we notice about the reinvigorated river is how much wider and fuller it is. More sections have current, allowing us to float and cast for trout without constant paddling.
In the vicinity of Lost Lake Park, we encounter a few small rapids and riffles that are easier to negotiate because the extra water allows more room to maneuver. By steering clear of obvious boulders and trees called "strainers" that grow along the banks, most trouble spots are easily avoided.
The fishing, thanks to constant stocking by the Department of Fish and Game, is excellent -- well, at least for one of us. Kaai catches and releases several rainbows, including a couple of whoppers that likely are holdovers from the trophy trout program. (I can't catch a cold even though we're using the same lure, a top-water Diawa minnow that Kaai sold me a couple days prior. Not fair.)
After a while, I put away the fishing rod and soak up the surroundings. High clouds obscure the sun, but it's still warm enough for short sleeves. Huge carp skitter beneath the boat. Great egrets and herons stare impassively as we float past.
Then there are reminders that not everything is peachy.
"No trespassing" signs warn people to keep out, even on ecological preserves that are closed to the public even though they were purchased with public funds. Some ponds have already been separated from the river, leaving the fish in them to die in the name of salmon that likely will be off-limits to anglers.
But the thorniest issue remains access, or lack thereof. There isn't a single place to launch a boat between Lost Lake Park and Fort Washington Beach -- a 9-mile stretch of river -- even though land for such purposes has long since been set aside. Downstream, Sycamore Island Ranch closed for the season in October, and other potential spots like Wildwood Park and Camp Pashayan are rarely open.
It's almost as if more accommodations are being made for salmon than people.
And until that changes, the tragic disconnect will remain.
A few rules are needed to help foster a feeling of community. We encourage a free and open exchange of ideas in a climate of mutual respect, but any post that violates someone's right to use and enjoy fresnobee.com is prohibited. Before you post, please read the terms of use and obey these simple guidelines.
Here are the ground rules:
Contents of this site are © Copyright The Fresno Bee. All rights reserved.
E-Mail
Print
@Nyx.CommentBody@