Bill Lynch: Letter from Redding’s firezone

Letter from Redding in the midst of a firestorm, plus local fishing news.|

Fly-fishing guide Anthony Carruesco, of AC Flyfishing.com in Redding, sent out an email this week with a report and photos about the fire burning in and around his hometown. Anthony has guided a lot of Sonomans on the Sac and nearby rivers.

Here is his report:

“For those of you who are unaware, there has been a ferocious fire burning in and around our hometown of Redding, CA for the past six days. This fire has already burned nearly 100k acres and is still only 20 percent contained.

“We have received an overwhelming number of calls and messages over the past few days from our clients and friends looking to help anyway they can. We are blown away at how many of you have reached out.

“Luckily, my family and our guides live on the east side of town which is currently out of harm’s way of the fire.

“Currently, the fire is making its way south, southwest away from town and the river. There were some pretty jaw-dropping images in town when the fire made its strongest push into western Redding on Thursday evening.

“As some of you know who have experienced these events close to home, it can be pretty devastating watching your community surrounded by flames. Although still not good, we’re lucky the fires have started to move into some of the more undeveloped areas. All the men and women involved with fighting these fires have been working their tails off to keep it from getting into the heart of the town.

“Smoky conditions will persist in all of the north state for weeks to come. As of this morning, the smoke is pretty mild on the water. No telling how long these fires will last. With that being said we are still running our trips on the river this week and expecting good to great fishing, especially with the opening of the ‘upper river.’ Please feel free to reach out with any questions for updates.”

You can keep in touch with Anthony by email at anthonycarruesco@acflyfishing.com.

If you want to stay out of the smoke, fishing off the Sonoma Coast and inside San Francisco Bay are excellent choices.

A healthy combination of salmon, rock and lingcod are being caught on party boats out of Bodega Bay and through the Golden Gate. Call Capt. Rick Powers at Bodega Bay Sportsfishing for reservations at 875-3344.

Inside the Bay your best contact is Keith Fraser at Loch Lomond Bait Shop in San Rafael. Keith reports the halibut fishing is producing lots of action for anglers. Striped bass and some salmon are also being caught. Fishing overall inside the Nay is outstanding right now. Keith books Bay fishing party boats; call him at (415) 456-0321.

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