Skwalas - Yuba River Report

Here is your latest Skwala report....I was on the river yesterday to find great conditions with a warm 65 degrees and crystal clear water. Currently the flows are 1,700+ at the highway 20 bridge. I had one client fishing yesterday and we hooked 15 rainbows. We caught 8 of those fish under and indicator and hooked 7 on Skwala Dries. It was interesting that all of the nice fish we caught came on dry flies. Most of the fish were in the 12-16" range with one nice 18" fish to hand. I didnt see any skwalas flying around but there are enough of them that the fish were starting to look up. It is my estimate that in the next week things are going to get really good over there. I have some last minute Skwala openings if you are interested in hitting the first big hatch of the year. [B]If you fish in the next two weeks I will take a $100 off my normal guide rate. That will be a full day trip at the cost of $325.[/B] This is your chance to go throw some Skwalas. Expect there to be Skwalas hatching on the Yuba for the next 3-4 weeks. Discounted Openings: Feb. 4 - 6, 11, 13-14 Email me ASAP at ryan@rjsflytrips.com for last minute openings. Tight Lines!

Lower Sac Goes Off

I had some incredible fishing on the Lower Sac this week. For January it is some of the best fishing that I have ever seen. The warm weather is getting those rainbows really happy. Both days we hooked over 40+ rainbows on rubberlegs and eggs. There is not a lot in terms of bugs out yet but with the water a little off color those fish are looking to feed. With it being the winter time the best fishing is from 10AM-2PM. So no need to get out there early. If you are looking to do some last minute fishing then I have January 30-31, February 1-6, 11, 12-14, 25-26, 28 open.

Here is what to expect in the upcoming weeks: The Lower Sac assuming that it stays warm is going to be really good for the next 6-8 weeks. It wont be long now util the caddis decide to start hatching. Typically by the middle parts of February the caddis fishing gets really silly on the Lower Sac. If you are looking for a lot of grabs then the spring caddis hatch is the time of the year to come do some fishing. The Yuba is getting really close to blowing up as well. Expect the Skwala fishing to be getting good in a couple weeks. Typically the best Skwala fishing of the year starts around Super Bowl Sunday. If you are looking for the perfect day to go fishing then Super Bowl Sunday can be pretty awesome. You get the river to yourself and the Skwalas are starting to hatch. Not a bad combination if you dont mind missing a little football. You can still drink beer on the river. Hope you guys are doing well and getting some fishing in. Send me an email at ryan.johnston@hotmail.com if you are interested in doing some fishing. Tight Lines.

Lower Valley Fishing Report - Sac, Feather, Yuba

I hope that all of you had a good holiday season. I can tell you one thing for sure is that I am glad that we are having some consistent dry weather after all of the rain we had in December. In December I was seriouslly thinking about going back to skiing and putting up my fly rods. Well the good news is that with all of this dry weather the rivers have dropped into shape and are currently in their good winter fishing patterns. This is a report of all of our local Northern California Valley Rivers that I guide. I hope that you find this report helpful. Yuba: The Yuba has been fishing good with most days resutling in about 15-20 hookups. The key on the Yuba right now is to find the large groups of fish. If you can find a couple pods of fish then you will do really well. It seems to me that the river is fishing best below the big island. I have started to see some major changes over the last year where the lower river is getting better and bettter while there are times above the island when it is hard to catch fish. Maybe its a confidence thing but see if you notice any difference. Hot flies have been eggs and rubberlegs. Nothing wrong with throwing that. This is also the time of year that we see a decent number of steelhead in the system so dont be surprised to run into a 20-23" fish over there right now. Lower Sac: The Sac is definitely in its winter trend. No need to get out there early as the fishing isnt really going till about 11AM. Time wise 11AM - 3PM is your window to really put the hammer to them. Before and after you can catch some fish but it is tough fishing for Sac standards. Most days on the river we have been landing about 20 rainbows. Currently the best drifts have been from Bonnyview down to Anderson and Anderson to Balls Ferry. There is better odds at biggger fish on the upper river and more numbers below Anderson. The hot flies have been eggs, rubberlegs, Hogans SM, and Hogans Red Headed Step Child. There has been a small baetis hatch in the early afternoon if the sun is out. Feather: The Feather is fishing really well on the upper parts of the river near the hatchery. However with the flows being up the wading access is difficult. If you are a strong wader and are willing to get into some deeper areas then there is excellent nymphing to be had with egg patterns. This only has about one week to go as a lot of the fish are starting to get really dark. Last Friday it was a mix bag of half fresh fish and half downers. If you are in the need for an easy access steelhead itch then this is your last shot until spring time. Well....that is all the information that I have. If you are looking to do some fishing in the next month then I have some limited openings. Email me at ryan@rjsflytrips.com for openings. Im currently running my winter special where if you book 1 trip then you get a second trip 50% off. The only catch is that all of the trips have to take place by March 7th. I hope all of you guys are doing well. Take Care, Ryan Johnston www.rjsflytrips.com www.casthope.org