Rockin' The Sacramento

I had a new experience today. Asher and I fished a pretty section of the Sacramento River with a live metal band playing the background.

You might guess that wasn't planned.

We stopped by a fly shop in Dunsmuir, California and asked advice about a spot that would provide a decent look at the Upper Sacramento but in a fairly short time window. A helpful person in the shop suggested the Dunsmuir city park. Though not exactly wild feeling, it offered a good representation of the upper Sacramento's water and produced quite a few fish, and it was very close. He said it could get crowded, but he didn't think it would be bad mid-afternoon because the best summer fishing, by far, occurs early and late.

What he didn't realize was that a festival, complete with vendors and live heavy metal music, was taking place in the park. We parked well up the hill, walked through an atypical river crowd, and heard plenty of drums, guitar, bass and screaming vocals as we fished. I also noticed the air sometimes smelled a lot like the concerts I attended in my teens and early 20s.

I have to admit that I like bird sounds and solitude better, but it certainly was interesting!