Lower Sac Update

With all of the fluctuating flows I thought that I would give you and up-to-date report on the conditions I saw early this week.

I fished the Lower Sac on Monday and Tuesday. The river was flowing at 11,000 cfs. We had some solid winter fishing on beads. Monday we hooked 25+ fish and Tuesday hooked 35+ fish. I kept trying different nymphs throughout the day but could not find one that they would eat on a cosistent basis. We did manage to catch a couple fish on Hogans S&M. But all of the typical winter nymphs like micromays, Hogans red headed step child, and gidgets did not produce. The reason Tuesday was better than Monday is due to the rain we had on Tuesday. In the winter time the best fishing happens on overcast rainy days on all of the valley rivers. So put on that rain jacket and man up!! Just this morning they raised the river to 16,800 cfs. So give the river a couple of days to settle down and then it should be game on again. Most guides fish the river with good success all the way to 25,000.

The Yuba is still blown out. In my opinion the river needs to be below 4,000 cfs to be fishable. All week it has been flowing at 6,000 cfs so with this dry weather coming we may have a small window to get out there.

Lastly the upper parts of the Feather in downtown Oroville open on Jan. 1. Currently this is probably the most viable option in the valley. Low clear water is the name of the game. Expect good fishing for 3-6lb steelhead on eggs, baetis nymphs, and san juans. This is going to be a small window so make sure to get out there in the first three weeks. After these fish have been hit a few times they will move up into the hatchery. This is a great half day trip for someone looking to work on their nymphing technique and catch a few steelhead.

Well that is about it. Hope this points you in the right direction to find some fishing admist all of the high water. Anyone looking to do a trip I have Jan 3-4 and 10-16 open for any last minute bookings.

Happy New Year and Tight Lines.

Christmas Fishing Report

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

In this report you will find Holiday Fishing Discounts, Availabilities, and an Up-to-date Fishing report on the Lower Sac and Yuba.

BOOK 2 DAYS GET A 3RD DAY FREE

The Holiday Winter Special is back! Over the last 4 years this has become one of my biggest promotions of the year. How does it work. Book 2 days and get the 3rd free! If you book 2 days between January 1st and March 15th then you get the third free. All 3 days do not have to be consecutive. You could fish the Lower Sac in January during the second egg bite, then hit the Skwala Hatch on the Yuba in February, and finish is up with some spring steelhead on the Feather in March. This is a $400 value for free!

If you want to get some fishing in this winter then my openings are below:

January 1-3, 6, 10-29, 31 & Feb 1, 7-24, 28 & March 1-14

As for the fishing there are plenty of fish still be caught with all of the rain and high flows that the central valley has been receiving. Check out the current reports below.

Lower Sac: This is the time of year that we catch some of the biggest rainbows on the river. Daily we catch fish near the 20" mark. Just last week we had one trip where we landed 4 fish between 20-23 inches!!! So if you have the itch to chase some big rainbows and you dont mind a little rain then now is the time to go.

Currently the river is running at summer flows of 15,000 cfs. I have been out there the last two days and the river is fishing decently with most days resulting in 20ish hookups. The river should be dropping in the next week as these winter storms lighten up. The hot flies have been eggs, eggs, and eggs. In the next couple of weeks the second egg bite should be getting started. This means big fish looking for beads from those winter salmon. If you are going to head out there fish a little deeper and add some split shot. Remember you need to get those bugs down to the fish. If you bump them in the nose you will start fishing more effectively.

Yuba: The Yuba River was having the best winter that I could remember before it blew out this last week. We were having 30+ hookups on a daily basis out here the first couple weeks of December. Plus we were hooking a random winter steelhead. Some of these were big wild fish and others hatchery fish taking the wrong turn from the Feather. Last week we landed 2 steelhead with one going 21" and the other 22".

Currently the river is blown out but should be fishable by the end of the weekend. The river is dropping at a steady rate and we should see in the next few days what the outlook is going to be. Remember you can fish the Yuba effectively at flows below 4,000 CFS. The hot flies are going to be eggs, san juans, rubberlegs, Hogan's S&M, and small pheasant tails. Expect things to get really good come January. This is a fun time of year where fish gobble up those eggs and you have the potential of finding some chrome.

Well....... I think that is it. Hope you are all doing well.

Tight Lines!