RJ's Fly Trips

Discounted Fishing & Spring Valley Preveiw

2012-01-27T14:57:00.001-08:00

Big news...there is some crazy good deals to fish in February. February is a good time to catch those 1st spring hatches. Skwalas on the Yuba and early Caddis on the Lower Sac. So check your calendars if you want to save some great $. Also spring is filling up so if you want to fish during the prime time of March and April now is the time to start booking. Weekend dates for these two months are almost gone!!!!

What is the big news in my life? Well it has been an interesting month. The first week of January I had surgery on my tailbone so I have not been doing much of anything lately. I haven't been able to sit down for 3 weeks!!! But the great news is as of yesterday my Doctor cleared me to start fishing and rowing the boat again. So I guess you can say that my Ass has been cleared. LOL. It will be nice to get back on the water.

February Deals & Spring Openings

During the month of February I am going to be offering select discounted trips. I will be discounting full day trips by $130/day. You get a full day trip at the half day price of $295!!! Check out the discounted days below. Also the next couple of weeks is time to start booking your spring fishing dates as prime time openings are filling up. Open dates below:

February Discounts ($295 full day): 5-9, 11-17, 20-21, 28

March: 1, 6-7, 15-16, 17-18 (Sat/Sun), 19-23, 27-28

April: 2, 5-6, 7 (Sat), 9-13, 14-15 (Sat/Sun),16-20, 23-24, 27,30

Spring Fishing Coming Soon!

Some of the best fishing of the year is just around the corner. For those dry fly fisherman out there the Yuba is going to be prime. The Skwala hatch is a couple weeks away, the March Browns will come in March, and then the PMDS in April. If you want to throw dries to picky feisty rainbows then the spring is the best time of year on the Yuba.

The Lower Sac famous caddis hatch is going to happen in March and April. What most people dont realize is that the hatch actually starts in the end of February. Once the warm weather shows up the Sac just goes off. If you want some of the most epic nymph fishing in northern California then the next several months are the time to go. Spring is the time for numbers on the Lower Sac.

Don't forget about the Feather!!! The spring run of steelhead the last 2 years has been impressive. Last year we saw more big fish and greater numbers of fish than I have ever seen. This is a band wagon that you need to jump on. The Feather River is getting better and better. Prime time for the springers is mid March - early May. These are the hottest fish in the valley all year long. You think the fall is cool the spring fish are even better!!!!

Well that is it. I hope you guys are doing well and getting some good steelhead fishing in. Sounds like there are a lot of fish around this winter.

Tight Lines,
Ryan Johnston
__________________

Big Fish & BIGGER SMILES Report

2011-12-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

Fishing this fall has been plain ridiculous!!!!! The Feather was on Fire. The Lower Sac continues to put out great numbers of healthy trout in December. For those of you looking to get away from the Holiday Stress then what is better than treating yourself to a great day of trout fishing on the Lower Sac or Yuba Rivers. Expect the next 3-4 weeks to have some solid trout fishing on our local valley rivers. The weather has been gorgeous and most days have been in the low-mid 60s on the river. Good fishing and sunshine in December makes for some very happy fisherman.

There is all kinds of good stuff in this post!

* Fishing Reports on Sac, Yuba, and Feather

* Discounted Fishing Trips in the next 2 weeks

* Great Gift Ideas for Christmas

I hope all of you have a great Christmas. Thanks for another great year on the river. If it wasn't for you then I would not be able to pursue my passion of chasing these beautiful creatures we call fish. I look forward to all of our adventures in 2012!

It is that time of year again where I am offering a handful of discounted trips on the Lower Sac and Yuba Rivers. Here is the deal.........You get a full day trip at the half day cost. That means you save more than 25% off your trip. Check out the dates that I have below.
Discounted Trips: Dec. 7, 10, 15-19, 22-23

Lower Sac - Good December Trout Fishing

The trout fishing over the last week has been really good for this time of year. The last week I have had several days where we have boated between 25-30 rainbows on the Sac. The key has been to find the drift with the most consistent action. The last 2 days on the river I have floated from Anderson River Park down to Balls Ferry. The action has been really good with trout in the 12-16" class. The hot flies have been eggs, small tan birds nest, Hogan's S&M, and an olive micro may. There really has been no reason to change your flies as the fish just bounce up and down your rig the entire day.

What too expect in the upcoming weeks.......as long as we have consistent weather then the fishing should stay solid on those middle drifts. For those of you looking to hook a few steelhead then there are still a handful of chromers down below barge hole. Lots of options for those of you looking to get out around the holidays.

Yuba - Good Trout Fishing Coming Soon

Things are getting close again on the Yuba. For those of you looking for some good winter trout fishing then the Yuba is a viable option in December/January. This time of year we often have shots of throwing blue wing olive dries, nymphing with egg patterns, and even hooking the random steelhead. This time of year expect to hook about 20 rainbows per day on a variety of patterns and methods. Hot flies are going to be rubberlegs, eggs, Hogans S&M, small flashback PTs, and zebra midges. Often times in the winter we run into random Feather Steelhead or the big Winter Steelhead. Only the lucky ones land the big dogs but the truly put all of us to the test.

Feather - Thank You For an Incredible Season!

I am totally bummed that the Feather does not get a bigger run of fish that continues through the winter. It was a fantastic year over there. Seriously the best I have seen in my 9 years of guiding. For those of you that are really looking to find some fish then there are still a handful of steelhead on the river. I have heard some random reports over the last couple of weeks of guys catching a few. The next real good fishing window is going to be after the opener on January 1st. After the opener there should be a couple decent weeks of catching these chromers before the go into the hatchery. Hot flies are going to be eggs, Hogans S&M, Flashback PTs, Alevins, and olive birds nests.

For those of you that are looking into the near future my calendar is open to start booking steelhead trips in March/April. April is a prime month on the river and these dates are going to fill up quickly. Email me if you want dates that far in advance.

Christmas Shopping List!

Christmas is here and often times we are left wondering what we should buy for our family and friends. Well this year give the gift of fly fishing.

Here are some options:

Gift Certificates:

For any $ amount. Buy a full day trip or give a $50 gift certificate to be used on their next trip. Tell the family and put this on your list!

Alternative Gift:

Someone already have everything.....then make a donation to Cast Hope in their honor and we will send them a Christmas Card notifying them of the donation. Send a kid fly fishing this Christmas. Check out the website at www.casthope.org for more information.

Tight Lines!

Crazy Good Steelhead Fishing!

2011-11-16T17:07:00.000-08:00

Well it has been a great month of fishing. For those of you that were lucky enough to hit the Feather in the last 6 weeks have experienced some of the best steelhead fishing that I have ever seen. It has been a blast to watch you guys light up when that chrome eats your bead and jumps out of the water. In this email you will find a detailed report on the local fishing on the Lower Sac, Yuba, and Feather Rivers. In addition to that you will find DISCOUNTED TRIPS on selected dates in the end of November and start of December.

It is that time of year again where I am offering a handful of discounted trips on the Lower Sac and Yuba Rivers. Here is the deal.........You get a full day trip at the half day cost. That means you save more than 25% off your trip at a price of $275. Check out the dates that I have below.

Discounted Trips: Nov. 27-30, Dec. 1-3, 6-8

Feather - Epic Steelheading

The month of October on the Feather was impressive. I have never seen so many steelhead in the Feather ever since I have been guiding the river. The salmon counts were way up this year and this meant there were lots of eggs for the steelhead to feast upon. For over a month we were averaging 15-20 hookups per day on the river. It was great fun on 6 weights as these chromers ripped line off the reel. Many guys had their first ever steelhead experience and from that have now turned their attention to this famous game fish. Steelhead Junkies in the making.

What is currently going on........the Feather has about a week left before the major run of fish is going to be gone. The salmon are slowly starting to disappear and so are the steelhead that are sitting behind them. There are still fresh fish in the High Flow so they will continue to keep things interesting for another couple of weeks. If you are looking to wade I would expect to hook a handful of fish in all of the standard spots. The hot flies have been eggs, eggs, eggs, and some more eggs. I have tried lots of nymphs the last couple of weeks with minimal success. The next good fishing on the river will be when the upper river by the hatchery opens on January 1st.

Lower Sac - Excellent Trout Fishing

The Lower Sac has been really good the last month. I know that everyone has been complaining about the egg bite not going off up bye Posse Grounds but it you are willing to go down river then there is still lots of great trout fishing to be had. The lower drifts below Balls Ferry have been fishing well. I have been spending the majority of my time either on Balls to Jellys or Barge to Bend. The best part of fishing the lower river is there has been no one else down there. It literally has felt like a private fishery. Most days on the lower river we have been landing 30-40 trout and hooking 1-2 steelhead. Now it doesn't get much better than that. Lots of fish, no crowds, and a handful of steelhead makes for a lot of happy customers. The hot flies on the lower drifts have been rubberlegs, eggs, tan birds nest, and micro mays. The trout have definitely been smaller than the fish on the upper river but there are still lots of high quality trout to keep those smiles going. The only downfall on the lower river is that you are catching the majority of your fish between 9AM and 3PM. After 3PM you might as well go home as the fishing gets extremely tough.

Expect good fishing to remain for a couple of more weeks on the lower river. Once the winter salmon start showing up then it will be time to head back up to the Posse Grounds. For those of you looking to get out around the Holidays then make sure to take advantage of my discounted trips.

Yuba - Great Month But Slowing Up

The Yuba has been solid fishing but not great. Early/Mid October had some really good fishing on the river. I actually had 2 of my largest days ever on the Yuba during October but things have since changed. The Yuba should get better once we get some rain and consistent cloudy weather. The darker conditions will make the egg and baetis fishing much more consistent. The last time I fished the river was last week and the hot flies were rubberlegs, eggs, and small pheasant tails. We were able to land 3 fish on baetis dries as well. The majority of the fish were on the smaller side and the nice ones that we ran into were on the lower river below Hammond Grove. It seems like the bigger fish were still eating eggs behind the handful of salmon that are still spawning. Most days the last couple of weeks sounds like guys are hooking 20-30 rainbows per day. Dont be surprised if you run into a steelhead as this is the time of year that they start showing up.

I hope all of you are doing well and I would like to be the first person to say Happy Thanksgiving. I know this year I am grateful for my family, the ability to make a living as a fishing guide, and for those of you that have become friends over my last 9 years of guiding. Hope your Thanksgiving is a good one.

Tight Lines,
Ryan Johnston

Nor Cal Valley Report

2011-10-12T11:03:00.000-07:00

It has been a good start to our October season. The salmon are in the rivers for the most part and starting to do their egg drop thing. The name of the game has been to fish the river with the most salmon and tie on your favorite egg patterns. Eggs. Eggs. Eggs. Gotta love this time of year. Check out the quick report below of what is happening in the north valley.

Yuba: The Yuba last week was en fuego!!!! I had the 2 best days that I have ever had on the Lower Yuba since I have been guiding it the last 5 years. I seriously had 2 days over there where we hooked 55+ rainbows on beads. To be honest there are not that many salmon spawning in the river but when you find a handful of them there are plenty of willing trout below trying to gobble up those eggs. What was nice is that the quality of the fish has increased over the last week. Late September it was all 10-12" fish but last week we started seeing more than half the fish from 15-18". The hot flies have been eggs. You can catch random fish on caddis patterns like birds nest and pupahs as well as on rubberlegs.

Lower Sac: The Sac egg bite is not in full swing. There are fish eating eggs over there but it is not gang busters by any means. The river is still pretty average for the middle of October. Lots of 20 fish days. What I have been surprised about is watching rainbows eat nymphs in the middle of redds. Places they should be eating the egg they are preferring the caddis. I personally feel that the Sac egg bite is going to be late this year. There are still salmon rolling around in the deep water and not getting up in the shallows. So it looks like the end of October is going to be prime over there. Now if you can get out there on a cloudy day then they will most likely eat eggs the entire time. But that is a total different story. This time of year clouds and rain make the fish stupid. So dont be afraid to get a little wet because the pay-off could be huge.

Feather: I have spent 2 days on the Feather in the last week and there is a good number of salmon over there. There are a handful of steelhead in the system but not gang busters yet. We were having decent days with hooking random fish throughout the system. Most of the fish are the typical 18-20 half pounders which the Feather is famous for. These fish are hot and pissed off right now. Really bright fish for Feather standards and they are very unhappy when you hook them. There is a random adult around if you are lucky enough to hook one. I had a client land a 26" buck yesterday which was pretty awesome for the Feather standards. On the lower part of the low-flow we are still hooking fish on nymphs while almost every fish at the top is coming on egg patterns. It seems like the word is out though because there are quite a few people out there wading around trying to find some chrome.

Well...............there you have it. The lastest info on our North Valley Fishing Rivers. To sum it up fishing is good and time to get out and test your egg nymphing skills.

If you are looking to do some fishing in the next 6 weeks you can find my limited openings below:

Nov: 8-10, 15-16, 18, 22, 27-30 (27th is the last weekend day open!)

Tight Lines!

Yuba River Report

2011-09-23T10:18:00.000-07:00

Well.....It is good to be back in CA after a long summer of guiding on the South Fork of the Snake in Idaho. I took a week off to spend some time with the family and work on Cast Hope. Now it is time to get back on the water and see if I still know how to guide these Nor Cal valley rivers. Below is my current report on what I saw on the Yuba.

I spent the last two days guiding good clients of mine on the Yuba River. We found really good fishing for Yuba standards with 30+ trout hooked each day. It really doesnt get any better than that on the Yuba. There were a handful of salmon milling around in the deep slots. We saw about 15 each day but not nearly the number of salmon that we saw this early in the last couple of years. I have to imagine that the egg bite is going to be a couple of weeks away. But needless to say the fish still ate egg patterns. To be honest 2/3 of our fish each day ate the egg. So it is becoming that time of year over there. It should only get better in the next 2 weeks as more salmon start showing up and actually get on redds and start dropping eggs. The one odd thing is that there were lots of small fish. Each day half of the fish we hooked were like 12" long with a handful of your typical 16-18" rainbows thrown in the mix.

For those of you looking to get out on the river in the next couple of weeks I have some prime openings still left for the Yuba and the Lower Sac.

My openings are Oct. 2-5, 11-13, 18-19

Early October is prime for the Yuba while mid October is great on both the Yuba and Lower Sac.

Hope all of you are doing well.

Tight Lines!

Cast Hope Kids Summer Fish Fest

2011-08-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

Here at Cast Hope we have some huge news. We have taken a second step to follow up with the kids that we take out on free guided trips. Check out what Hogan wrote on the Idylwilde Blog about our first summer clinic. Here is the link: http://idylwilde.com/wordpress/ if you want to stay up on Hogan's rants & raves. To be honest there is some great fishing info in his blog and some just funny stuff that will bring a good chuckle. Below is what Hogan wrote about Cast Hope's first summer Fish Fest.

"If you do not know what Cast Hope (www.casthope.org) is it is the brain child of Nor Cal Idylwilde city guide and all around great guy Ryan Johnston. Ryan is one of my best friends and told me a few years ago he wanted to create a 501(c)(3) non profit to take kids fly fishing and expose them to fly fishing. I said you have a business degree from UC Davis and an MBA and you want to do what to raise your family and pay your mortgage?

Well with the help of his wife Bonnie, Todd “Slim” Cancilla, myself, and a dedicated board of directors Cast Hope has become a reality. Cast Hope takes kids on free-guided fishing trips with a mentor, advisor, parent, grandparent, whomever nominates the young person for the trip. Ryan’s initial idea was if you love something give it away and share it with other people and that is what we do. Through huge fundraising efforts, the support of the fly fishing industry, local California shops and Outfitters, guides, and just people that believe in what we are doing we have been able to take over 80 kids on guided trips on the Lower Sacramento River and Lower Yuba Rivers over the last two years.

Helping at Cast Hope Fish Fest

This last weekend we took a big step further towards our goal of sharing the sport of fly-fishing and positively impacting the lives of the youth in our area by hosting the first annual Cast Hope Fish Fest. What we did was invite 30 or so mentors and mentees whom we have taken on cast hope trips and whom we thought showed a genuine interest in fly-fishing to this event. We hosted the event on the banks of Deer Creek outside of Chico, ca and the goal was to follow up on that interest and give the mentors and mentees the tools to pursue fly fishing on their own. We did this by giving each mentor and mentee their own rod, reel, fly line, rod and reel case, tippet, leaders, and flies, then with the help of the cast hope guide staff we gave casting, entomology, and rigging lessons then followed that up with fishing on Deer Creek. This could not of been possible without the help and support of Reddington who donated a rod, reel, and line outfit with a case, Rio who donated leaders and tippet, and of course Idylwilde Flies who donated sindicators and a dozen or so flies to each mentor and mentee.

The event was a hit. While I have guided many Cast Hope dates the impact you make is at the one on one level and rarely do you get the feeling you are making a mass impact. The Fish Fest had that moment at one point for me. I had my group of 6 or so kids positioned in a run on deer creek (that had conveniently been just planted on thurs.) and I 1own…chaos later ensued as I worked the line un hooking fish and talking kids through landing fish, but it was a truly an amazing sight to see kids who a year or so ago had never seen a river let alone ever cast a fly rod hooked up on trout and having a ton of fun.

Thank you Zach, Patrick, Chris, and all the Idylwilde crew for believing in what we are doing enough to support it."

Well....enough said. I am so pumped that we are making an impact in Northern CA. I have posted some pictures from the event. Hope you like them. If you know of an at risk/ underprivileged youth that would benefit from this then send in an application online.

Tight Lines!

Dry Flies Finally!!!

2011-08-27T08:13:00.000-07:00

Well the last three weeks have been really solid on the South Fork of the Snake. Water finally decided to clear about the first week of August and ever since then it keeps getting better and better. The dry fly fishing is still not even close to normal but there are plenty of opportunities to get those fish on dries if that is your game. But then of course who doesn't like getting fish on dries.

Well I have to admit that is the way that I usually feel.......but if you are up for some nymphing then there are some big browns to be caught on the Heise - Lorenzo drift on the Lower River. In the last couple of weeks I have had several guests that dont mind fishing the indicator and we have hooked some huge brownies. One day we landed 6 fish 18", a 19", 20", 21", and broke off a 23" fish! Days after that my clients were hooking 21-23" daily. Now it doesn't get much better than that. The hot setup has been to have a rubberleg, san juan, and then lightning bug on the bottom. Streamer fishing down there has been solid with plenty of browns willing to chase up a meal on a bright JJ (yellow/brown streamer)

This last week the PMD fishing went off on section 3 from Cottonwood - Byington. All summer I have been waiting for this to happen as this is my favorite style of fishing on the South Fork. In the morning time all one has to do is start searching the rock/foam banks for those suspended fish in the foam. Then put 2 small emergers in front of them and they cant resist. Seriously these fish see an emerger and they move for it every time. But if you miss them once then you have to change the pattern to get them again. The hot emergers have been the pink hackle stacker and pmd challenge. In the afternoons the riffles and flats have been on fire as fish are eating emergers. There are a couple of flats that seriously have over 100 fish in them. About 3PM everything starts to slow down and those last couple of hours are pretty brutal. But who cares when you are getting a solid 6 hours of fishing dries.

Besides that things are going well. Starting to get ready for the famous Jackson Hole One Fly Tournament. This will be my first summer to guide for it. They have asked me the last 2 summers but I have opted out since I have gone home in the end of August. So this year I will give it a try. Maybe some CA kid will ruffle up a few feathers and put some pressure on these ID guides. It should be fun. Stay posted for the results.

For those of you looking to do some fishing this fall things are starting to book up. So start looking at those calendars and get your dates picked out. Below are my openings.

Prime Time Yuba: Sept 20, 23, 29, Oct. 2-6

Prime Time Sac: Oct. 11-13, 16-19, 31

Prime Time Feather: Nov. 1-4, 7-11, 14-18, 20 (Sunday)

Let me know if you guys want to book any dates. Hope you all are doing well and getting some fishing in.

Tight Lines!

South Fork Snake Update

2011-07-20T06:12:00.000-07:00

Well things have finally started to get good out here in Idaho. The water on the South Fork of the Snake is still big at 21,000 cfs but the clarity is now to a green 3 feet of visibility. With the increased visibility the fishing has gotten much better. The last two days on the river has resulted in hooking 30+ trout. Right now it seems like the upper is fishing the best from the Irwin Slide down to the Spring Creek Bridge. The name of the game is still nymphing but yesterday in the canyon I finally saw some suspended fish sipping yellow sallies. The yellow sally hatches have been huge so by next week I think the dry fly game is going to be on. Usually when it starts it is nymphing in the morning and then switching to dries for the afternoon hatch. That game plan lets you stay on more fish throughout the entire day. Right now the hot flies are Rubberlegs (6), Red/Pink San Juans, Lightning Bug(12), and a drowned small Stimulator. The drowned Stimi is to represent a sunken yellow sally. The good news is that things are improving. Tough fishing last week has turned into lots of smiles and trout grabs. It is definitely a relief and much easier to get excited about going fishing. Hope you are all well.

Tight Lines!

2011-07-10T14:04:00.000-07:00

Well..........it has been a while since I have sent out a fishing report. It seems like time is getting more precious as we try to figure out our new life with baby Maggie. She is growing like crazy, starting to giggle, and becoming much more calm. No doubt there are still lots of sleepless nights but hopefully that will improve with time. These first three months have been an amazing process. I want to thank all of you for your words of encouragement as Bonnie and I try to walk our way through becoming parents.

We left for our annual summer to Idaho the third week of June. We were scared of the drive with the 3 month old but we pulled it off in one long day. About 16 hours of driving got us back to our summer home. It was such a blessing that we made it out in one piece. We will be out here through the first week of September and then will be ready to kick off another fall guide season by September 20th.

In this report you will find a detailed report of Western Wyoming/Eastern Idaho Water Outlook, the South Fork of the Snake, Lower Henrys Fork, and openings for fall fishing.

WESTERN WY / EASTERN ID WATER CONDITIONS:

Well there is tons of water out here. According to the locals this is the most snow that they have had in over 100 years. I have heard snow totals from 175-225% of the normal annual precipitation amounts. All of the rivers from Jackson Hole to Idaho Falls are all blown out. The freestone rivers are completely flooded and water is up to the tops of the banks. A local favorite river of mine is called the Salt River. Currently the Salt is so high it has overflowed its banks and is running through hay fields. The tailwaters are still at fishable flows but water clarity is still a big issue. Most tailwaters in our local area are looking at about 10-18" of visibility. The water is not complete chocolate but definitely on the brown side.

If you are planning on coming out this way this summer then I would postpone your trip to at least the third week of July. There is still tons of snow in the mountains. Currently it looks like it normally does in the first of June. So I figure that we are about a month behind from normal water conditions. One great thing is that the late season stuff should be awesome. For those of you that love to come out to the Rockies after the Labor Day crowds should find excellent water conditions and fishing. I don't know what Montana, Western Idaho, or Eastern Wyoming look like but I have to assume things are similar in those parts of the states.

I hope this helps you plan your annual trip.

SOUTH FORK SNAKE REPORT:

The South Fork has been really tough this week. The biggest issue here has been both the volume of water and the clarity. Currently the river is running at 24,000 cfs. On the upper stretches near the dam the clarity is 12". Once you get down into the lower part of the canyon the clarity is down to about 8". So needless to say there are not lots of boats on the water. The good news is that the Yellow Sallies, Salmonflies, and PMDS have begun hatching in large numbers. Now the issue is getting the clarity of the water to a state where the fish can see them. Both days on the river we landed 10+ trout and lost several others. But as most of you know for S. Fork standards that is super tough. The hot flies were eggs, san juans, and rubberlegs. Pretty much anything big and buggy will catch fish.

Right now the outlook is by the latter part of July things should get really good. That is when I expect that the Golden Stones and PMDS should be in full swing. The Salmon Fly Hatch this year might be hit and miss due to the water clarity. But truthfully isn't that the way the Salmon Fly Hatch always is. It seems like you are always one week to early or late. That mystical hatch is one of those things where you should have been here last week.

Expect some great late season fishing on the South Fork. As I expect is the same for the rest of the Rockies.

LOWER HENRYS FORK REPORT:

Well right now the only game in the area is the Henrys Fork. The water is a little high on Henrys but the clarity is perfect. It is literally the only clear water for hundreds of miles. The Lodge at Palisades Creek was able to get an emergency permit for the Lower Henrys Fork from St. Anthony down to the confluence. So two days ago I guided my first ever trip down a piece of that stretch completely blind. I got the call the night before that they were able to get the permit and the next day I was guiding on the Henrys Fork. So I went over there having no idea what to expect and it turned out to be a decent day. When I got to the river I was introduced to the largest grey drake spinner fall that I have ever seen. The fishing was good with lots of rainbows/browns in the 18-19" range. The rowing was fairly technical on this stretch and it really made me pay attention to every rock. I have to admit that I got puckered a few times but we were able to make it down safely. It was a lot of driving from my place with roundtrip taking 220+ miles. But at least I was able to get some work in and throw dry flies. Looks like the next 10 days or so the Lodge is going to be pushing that as the guests best option. It should be an interesting learning curve.

For those of you that are looking to do some fishing this fall the sooner you book your dates the better. Weekends have already begun to fill up. You don't want to miss those prime dates for the egg bite in Septmber/October on the Yuba, October on the Sac, and November on the Feather. Below you can find my current openings with suggested river recommendations.

FALL EGG BITE BOOKINGS IN CA:

Yuba Egg Bite: September 20, 22-26, 28-30 & October 1-5

Yuba/Sac Egg Bite: October 6-14, 16-20, 25-28, 30-31

Feather Egg Bite: October 25-28, 30-31 & November 1-25

Summer 2011: Call the Lodge at Palisades Creek to Book your trip (208-483-2222)

I hope all of you have a great summer and are able to get some much needed dry fly fishing in at your favorite creek or river. Come check out the South Fork of the Snake if you have never been out here before. It is one of those special places that all people need to experience.

Tight Lines!

Last Lower Sac / Yuba Report before Idaho

2011-06-19T06:33:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I have posted a report. Life has been extremely busy in the Johnston house with lots of guiding, running the Cast Hope Annual Benefit, having a new born, and all of life's normal chores. Today is going to be my last day of guiding in Northern California before I leave for my 5th summer in Idaho. The South Fork of the Snake with its huge hatches of stoneflies and pmds awaits me. As most of you know it has been a very unusual spring for both CA and ID. But there are still fish to be caught below you can find a report of what I have been seeing on our local valley rivers.

Lower Sac: The Sac has been good and difficult at times over the last 6 weeks. Currently the river is at 11,000 cfs but it should be going over 20,000 sometime real soon. But again we have been saying this since March but it has to happen with the amount of water they have in Shasta right now. It seems like the best plan right now is to do long drifts and cover as much water as possible. Each day you get grabs in every place you should but rather than getting lots of multiples you are getting 1-2 hookups in the good spots. It has been really hard to fish slow and do well. Almost everyone right now is fishing Posse to Anderson but I have been switching it up a little bit and doing Bonny to Anderson and RV to Balls. Going out there expect to land right around 20 fish + or - a 2-3 fish. One thing you really have to watch out for is how fast the fish are eating your flies. If you are not right on that indicator as its going under the water then you miss them every time. The hot flies have been rubberlegs, tan pupahs, mercers pmd, flashback pt, and a red copper john.

Yuba: I haven't been on the Yuba for the last couple of weeks since it went to 8,000+ but the first of June the Yuba was fishing really well. Before this spring I thought that the Yuba was unfishable over 4,000cfs. But I went out there several times between 5,000-7,000 cfs. The river was crazy high but the fish were still there. They we stacked up in the drop offs, behind bushes, and the slow flats. To be honest it really felt like fishing in Idaho. The only different thing that you had to do was do the drift twice. So I was fishing from 20 to Sycamore twice in a day and hooking 20+ rainbows each day. Which is great for the spring time on that river and especially good given the conditions. Now it did take me a couple of trips trying to figure things out but it worked out really well. Hot flies were rubberlegs, red copper johns, tan birds nest, and san juans.

Well that is it. Just wanted to keep you guys in the loop. Right now really pay attention to the flows as they are going to be changing at any time. Be careful out there and have a great summer. See you guys when I get back the first week of September.

Tight Lines!

Finally Fishing!

2011-04-08T20:47:00.000-07:00

Well............it has been an interesting month. If you haven't noticed Northern California has been getting pounded with rain and snow. Needless to say it has been a tough month. Because of all the weather and Bonnie being on the edge of going into labor I didn't guide one day in March. I had to reschedule 21 days for the month. I started to think of my break as a sabbatical from the oars. It came as good timing though with the birth of our first child Maggie on March 21. So I have had a couple of weeks to help Bonnie out and bond with the baby. To be honest I think the baby has taken more out of me then working. LOL. But even with the restless nights of feedings and trying to sleep I am over joyed with the new addition to our family.

Okay............I know get on to the Fishing! The good news is that the Lower Sac is back in shape and fishing well. So there are going to be some lips ripped in the next couple of weeks.

In this post you will find reports from the Lower Sac, Forecasts on conditions for the Yuba/Feather, Openings, and a couple discounted trips! For all discounted trips I will offer a full day at the half day cost of $275.

Dates Available:

April: 12 ($275), 17, 25-26 ($275), May 3, 6, 17-20, June 7-10

Lower Sac:

As of yesterday we have a couple rivers (Lower Sac/Feather) in the valley that is fishable. The Lower Sac is currently at 15,000 cfs and the clarity is about 6-7 feet. The fishing has been really good all week as those fish plow down on anything that lands in front of them. They finally get some rest and time to eat after the high flows. Both trips I have done this week have resulted in 30+ fish days with many others lost. With the high water the key is to find those soft edges where the fish can settle in and get out of the heavy current. It wasn't hard to find some hungry fish as they tried up to eat the yellow brain fly, the famous bead, and a rubberleg. Around 1PM there was a solid hatch of pmds and as soon as the bugs came out a flashback pt and mercers pmd caught a handful of fish. The quality of fish on the river yesterday was awesome with lots of 17-19" rainbows crushing our bugs.

Yuba River:

Well there haven't been any reports from the Yuba as it has been unfishable for several weeks now. The flows on the Yuba have been bouncing around between 5,000-6,000 cfs. Currently the flows on the Yuba are 5,200+ cfs. So this is still to high to fish the river effectively. In my opinion the river needs to be below 4,000 cfs but is even better when it drops to 3,000 cfs. Now with all of that said that doesn't mean one cant catch fish over there at this flow. With this much flow you have to focus on the slower deeper runs and plan on doing 2 floats as you will be flying down the river.

The forecast for the Yuba is still a couple of weeks out but the last couple of days they have been flirting with that 4,000 cfs mark. We are probably looking to the middle or later parts of April to get out on the river. When things finally get fishable watch out because it is going to be lights out on this river for several weeks. Lots of fish looking to eat after all of the high water conditions. Expect the Yuba to fish really well through June this year. Stay tuned for reports on my blog.

Feather River:

The Feather dropped into shape on Wednesday. I guided the Low Flow section today and found decent success. With two rookies who had never fly fished before we hooked 7 spring steelhead that were all of good size. These were not your typical 16" fish that you see over there during March/April. All of the fish were between 19-22" fat footballs. There was a little pressure on the river with 2 other drift boats and about 3 guys wading the upper parts of the drift. We had to cover a lot of water to find the fish but they were pretty evenly spread out throughout the entire low flow. The hot flies were a prince nymph and lightning bug. But try san juans, microspawn, birds nest, king princes, pts, Hogan's S&M, etc. if you plan on going over there. Expect things to get really good on the Feather in a couple of weeks once some more fish move into the system.

Well that is it. We are finally back to fishing in the valley. Expect the next three weeks to be really good.

Tight Lines!

Water! Water! Water!

2011-03-20T17:31:00.000-07:00

Well not much to report on as all of the valley rivers are currently blown out. Right now the Lower Sac is at 40K cfs, the Yuba is 15K, and Low Flow on the Feather is 18K. Needless to say all of this water has finally caught up with the reservoirs. So it looks like I wont be guiding for the next couple of weeks. It does come at good timing as Bonnie is expecting our first child on March 31. Right now we need a couple solid weeks of dry weather for everything to drop back into shape. I will keep you posted as things progress. For those of you interested in what are good levels for the flow then here you go.

Lower Sac: Needs to be 30K or less. 30K is still really big but it can fish really well from 20-25K. So if it drops into that range then we are back into the game.

Yuba: Needs to be 4K or less with deer creek in the 100-200 range. The Yuba has had a tough spring thus far. I cant wait for things to settle over there.

Feather: Needs to be 3K of less. I haven't seen the Feather this big since 2004. Dont even try to fish it right now. This is dangerous flows and could be hazardous to your life.

Well............thats about it. Just praying for some stable weather so I don't lose my entire spring season. I hope all of you are doing well.

Tight Lines & Dry Weather!

February Big Fish Report

2011-03-02T13:37:00.000-08:00

I hope you are all having a great week. Well winter is still here in the North Valley. Hopefully you guys are not frozen blocks of ice from the cold last week. I think that my fingers are just now defrosting. The last couple of weeks have been some of the coldest that I have ever seen. One client of mine was not so lucky 2 weeks ago when we sat in 1.5 hours of snow in Redding. Yes I said snow in Redding. But even with the snow flakes we were able to find a few fish to bite. Things are starting to look warmer for the week to come but even with that there is more rain in the forecast. Well you ready for the good news...............cold weather means the hatches are going to be huge when it gets warm again. So expect the fishing from the mid March - mid April to be excellent. That means there will still be March Browns on the Yuba and Caddis on the Lower Sac. So get excited because there is really good fishing to come. Check out my latest fishing report and openings below. I look forward to spending some time with you guys this spring.

Openings:
March: 3-4, 8, 12-17, 20-24

April: 3-6, 11-13, 15, 20-22, 25-26

May: 2-7, 9-10, 17-20, 28-31

Weekend Dates Still Open: March 12-13, March 20, April 3, May 7, May 28-29

Lower Sac:

Well it has been an interesting month on the Lower Sac. The conditions have been all over the board. Warm early in the month and freezing temperatures of late. Needless to say the hatches on the Sac have also been bouncing around. We have seen some huge caddis hatches under the sunny weather and really big blue wing hatches with the rain. The hatches have been impressive for the last month. I had clients last week that were lucky enough to be in the biggest caddis hatch of the year thus far. There were so many caddis out that we grabbed a dry fly rod. In one tail out we hooked 2 fish on caddis dries. Now I know that doesn't seem like a big deal but that is more rare than hooking a steelhead on the Sac. The middle stretches of the Sac continue to fish the best with most of my time being spent on either Bonnyview to Anderson or Anderson to Balls Ferry. The hot flies of late have been prince nymphs, Hogan's S&M, Brown Micro Mays, Small Flashback PTs, and rubberlegs. Currently the river is fishing pretty normal with most days resulting in 25+ rainbows landed. Expect things to blow up on the Lower Sac when we finally get some sunny weather in the high 60s. When that happens the fishing is going to be SILLY!

Yuba River:

The Yuba has been having a rough go for the last couple of weeks. There have been small windows to fish the Yuba with major fluctuating flows on the river. Currently the river is fishable and flowing at 2,000 CFS. However with more rain coming tomorrow I expect Deer Creek to blow the Yuba out for a couple more days. Probably by next weekend the Yuba will be good to go again. It just depends on how much water we get in the next couple of days. With all of the changing conditions I have not been on the Yuba for the last couple of weeks. But if I were to go out there I would try rubberlegs, San Juans, Hogans S&M, Hogans Clinger, Copper Johns, and even some eggs. Expect things to get really good hear as well when we get some warm weather. Hopefully the flows will not be up when that happens. To be honest I am bitting at the bit to get out there.

Feather River:

Well................It is not spring time on the Feather! The only reason is there are very few fish in there right now. I talked to a guy who guided the Feather last week and they only hooked a couple of fish. So it is still to early for the Feather to start fishing. But get pumped because we are about 2-3 weeks away from this place blowing up as well. If you want to go out there scouting then throw all of your favorite green caddis patterns, Hogans S&Ms, San Juans, Birds Nest, Alevins, Etc. The Spring is by far my favorite time of year to fish the Feather. If you fish it enough then you will have one of those magical days out there where everything seems to align and there are tons of fish in the system that want to eat your fly. Hang on and don't screw up when you hit the big one. Expect the Feather to peak from mid March through April.

February's Big Fish of the Month!

The big fish award for February is going to Jesus Cardenas. Jesus has been fishing with me for about 3 years now. He lucked into this great 23" clipped steelhead on the Lower Sac the second week of February. The best part of this fish is that it absolutely hammered his fly. This fish was moving so fast that I saw it under the boat by the time he was setting the hook. The crazy part is this fish passed up the Rubberlegs to eat a small prince nymph. Dumb fish! In the end Jesus did everything right and we netted this fish right above Deschutes Bridge. Jesus will get $50 off his next trip with me. I hope there are more steelhead to come this spring! It seems like there are always a few it just depends if you are lucky enough to land one. Maybe you will be the next big fish winner.

Last Minute Cancellation

2011-02-19T19:14:00.001-08:00

To anyone interested I had a last minute cancellation for Monday. I will offer a full day of fishing at the half day cost of 275. The trip will have to be on the Lower Sac as the Yuba is currently blown out. Right now we are landing between 20-25 rainbows a day on the Sac. Plus it looks like the weather on Monday is going to be awesome. Email me at ryan@rjsflytrips.com if you want to get in on the deal.

Hope everyone is staying warm.

Tight Lines!

Lower Sac Snow

2011-02-17T19:26:00.000-08:00

Well today is the second day ever that I have guided in the snow. Pretty crazy weather for Redding. We started fishing about 9AM and the first 1.5 hours there was a steady snow/sleet coming down. Needless to say there wer not lots of bugs coming off in the cold. However right about 11AM the fish started to eat. We landed 5 fish in the hour on Red Headed Step Childs, Olive Gidgets, adnd Micromays. The only issue was that my client threw in the towel a little after noon. I guess all of the rain/snow/sleet got to him. Once you start shivering I guess there is nothing that you can really do except get out of the cold. I can tell you though he was more excited about the car heater than a kid on Christmas morning!!! Hindsight we should have started around 10:30 but I guess you never know. Things are looking up for the weekend if you want to fish in Redding. Looks like Saturday and Sunday the weather is going to hold up for us.

Just as a note the Yuba is currently blown out. So check the flows before heading out toward Marysville.

Tight Lines!

Spring Fishing Awaits.

2011-02-15T19:49:00.000-08:00

Fly Guys & Gals,

I hope you are all having a great week. It looks like we are finally getting a real taste of winter again. Rain is forecasted for the next week. For awhile there I was thinking spring was here to stay. The big news is that all of our valley rivers are already starting to fish good. Big caddis hatches on the Sac and even the March Browns are starting to pop their heads up on the Yuba. It is a little scary that we started catching fish on our spring patterns in the end of January. The weather this winter is setting up for a great spring on all of our valley rivers. Low flows and lots of bugs! Check out the fishing reports and my openings below. I look forward to spending some time with you this spring.

It is that time of year again when the Sac, Yuba, and Feather blow up. So make sure to get in on the bite. You dont want to miss the caddis hatch on the Sac, the March Brown/PMD hatch on the Yuba, or the run of Spring Steelhead on the Feather. Prime weekend dates are already filling up. Check out my openings below.

March: 3-4, 8, 12-13, 15-18, 20-24, 30-31

April: 2-6, 9, 11-13, 15, 20-22, 24-26

Lower Sac:

Caddis Hatch in January & February? YES, the Sac is already in its spring time trends. The middle parts of the river from Anderson down to Balls Ferry have been fishing LIGHTS OUT for average sized fish. Currently most days we are landing 30+ rainbows. If you are into lots of grabs then from now until April the Lower Sac is going to be the place to be. We are not seeing lots of big fish as most of the rainbows we are catching are going from 12-14". However every day we are getting a handful of great quality trout. This last week one of my clients found and landed a late 23" clipped hen on this drift. So there are some great fish still to be caught. This cold weather will slow things down for a bit but come March time the Sac is going to be blow up! Hot flies have been prince nymphs, king prince, zug bug, micromay, and Hogan's S&M.

Yuba River:

Is the same thing happening on the Yuba? Well yes. Spring Time has hit the Yuba as well. There are Skwalas flying around, March Browns starting to hatch, and a crazy early PMD here and there. The Skwala hatch has not been quite as good this year. The word on the street is that the high flows in December probably knocked these bugs around as they started their crawling migration. However I have been seeing a few on the water. Currently most days we are hooking 15-20 rainbows. However watch out for the next set of warm weather. With this little bit of cold those bugs will be itching to do their thing when it gets back to 70. WATCH OUT BECAUSE THE YUBA IS GOING TO BE GOOD! The hot bugs of late have been rubberlegs, red copper johns, skwala stone, Hogan's Clinger, Hogan's S&M, and of course San Juans!

Feather River:

Well................It is not spring time on the Feather! The only reason is there are very few fish in there right now. Get pumped because we are about 1 month away from this place blowing up as well. For those of you that dont know this is by far my favorite time of year to fish on the Feather. There is not a hotter fish in the valley. If you are lucky enough to hook one of those Feather River Adult steelhead then that fish will keep you coming back year after year. I literally have clients that only want to fish this river with me. Typical days on the Feather result in 10-12 hookups on steelhead between 16-24". If you are lucky enough then sometimes you can find that fish that is pushing the high 20's mark. Prime time is Mid March to Mid May!

Tight Lines,
Ryan Johnston

January Lower Sac, Yuba, & Feather Report

2011-01-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

In this post you will find discounted trips in February and an up-to-date fishing report from our valley rivers. I will give you the hot bugs and techniques so that you can go out on your own and be successful. Hope to see you on the water this spring. Get in contact with me if you want to book any trips for the spring CADDIS HATCH on the Lower Sac, DRY FLY fishing on the Yuba, or to chase some SPRING STEELHEAD on the Feather.

Now for the Nor Cal Valley Fishing Report:

Lower Sac:

The Lower Sac has had an interesting winter. Typically this is the time of year where we target those big rainbows up by the Posse Grounds. But usually we are fishing in prime cloudy and rainy conditions. This spring weather we are getting in January is affecting the fishing adversely. We want the clouds because it gets that second egg bite going. Yesterday on the river is was 70 degrees and there were summer caddis coming off. We still caught some great fish under the sun with the best going 21.5 inches. My clients and I ended up hooking 21 trout but only landing 10 fish. So needless to say that we had to work for them. It was the first time ever that I have caught a fish in the winter on a summer tan caddis pattern. The hot flies have been eggs, tan poopahs, Hogan's S&M, and olive micro mays.

There are things to get excited for with this warm weather. That means the spring caddis hatch is just around the corner. So get excited for some awesome fishing in late February through March. If you want to fish the Lower Sac during prime time then March is hard to beat. In 2010 this was the best month of the year.

Yuba:

The Yuba is in a similar trend to the Lower Sac. Lots of sun, minimal bugs, and higher flows makes for some tough fishing. I was out there yesterday guiding a buddy of mine and he hooked 6 fish in about 5 hours of fishing. Pretty tough for the Yuba but it would have been better if we had a second rod in the boat. The river is at higher flows and is currently at 3,000 cfs. It is definitely at the point where you need to fish it out of the boat. Not lots of wading opportunities at these flows. With the increased flows there are a few steelhead being caught. Even though they are rare this is the time of year this is when the majority of those ocean going fish show up. Look to find the majority of the fish in the flats and off the edges of the faster currents. At these flows fish really like to pod up. So where you catch one there should be another willing fish waiting. If the weather stays warm like this expect to start seeing some major skwalas in the next couple of weeks. I actually had a couple land on me in the boat yesterday. So it is getting close to that time. The hot bugs have been eggs, san juans, rubberlegs, skwala stones, and Hogans S&M.

Feather:

The Feather is in its winter dull drums. The next 6 weeks there is nothing to be done on the feather. There will be a random fish or two out there for the die hard fisherman. But this time of year you might as well go fish the American river. The American is a much more winter viable fishery as compared to the Feather.

Get excited though. Because those spring fish are on the way. Those springers will be in the river in good numbers by mid March. These are the hottest fish in the valley. Most days we hook 10+ springers between 14-24". If you want to catch some hot fish under the sunny conditions of March and April then this is your game. This is by far my favorite time of year to fish the Feather. There are two specials for you to take advantage of this winter:

In February I will be offering some discounted trips on days that I am having a hard time booking. The cost of a full day trip for the selected dates below is going to be $275. You get a full day trip at the half day cost. This is a savings of $125.

February 9-10, 14-15, 23

Looking forward if you are interested in doing any trips this winter or spring then my openings are below. For those of you that want to get prime weekend dates for spring fishing then now is the time to start looking at your schedules.

March 1-3, 5, 8, 12-13, 18-25, 28-31

April 1-6, 9-22, 24-29

Well......I think that is it. I want to thank all of you for a great 2010. We caught some great fish and made some awesome stories. To big fish that got away, a few beers being drunk, sitting in hail storms, breaking rods, falling in the river, and spending time with friends. I look forward to all of our future trips and memories.

Hope to see you this Spring.

Tight Lines!

Lower Sac Update

2010-12-30T09:08:00.000-08:00

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

2010-12-23T15:25:00.000-08:00

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!

Thanksgiving Fishing Report

2010-11-17T17:06:00.000-08:00

November has been a fun month. Chasing big fish on both the Lower Sac and the Feather has been keeping me quite busy. Check out my report on all of the valley rivers that I guide. It has been another great fall. For those of you looking for a deal I am offering a discount on a few select dates.

I have had some last minute canceallations and days that I have been unable to fill. So I am offering discounted trips at the price of $275. This is $125 dollars off the regular full day price. What do you get? You get a full day of guided fly fishing at the half day cost. I provide all the gear and you bring your own lunch/drinks.

I have had some last minute canceallations and days that I have been unable to fill. So I am offering discounted trips at the price of $275. This is $125 dollars off the regular full day price. What do you get? You get a full day of guided fly fishing at the half day cost. I provide all the gear and you bring your own lunch/drinks.

Discounted Days: November 20-23, 28-30 & December 1-5

Regular Availabilities: December 17-23, 29-31 & January 1-6, 10-16, 18-31

Lower Sac: Best Big Fish Month Ever on Lower Sac!!!

The Lower Sac has had an interesting month. I have never seen this many big fish on the Lower Sac since I have been guiding the river. The upper stretches of the river by Sundial Bridge has been giving up some true trophies. Literally everyday we are catching multiple 20" fish!! The key to the fishing has been to do multiple short floats and then go up to Market Street in the afternoon. It is crazy when you are thinking the small ones are 18". Right now the river is fishing the best from 10AM until about 3PM. So there is no rush to be on the river. Hot flies are tan pupahs, olive micro mays, and birds nest.

Expect the fishing to remain solid on the river for the next few weeks. With this Indian Summer that we are having those rainbows are still chowing down on caddis. When the rain and winter finally decide to show up then it will be time to start throwing those eggs and baetis nymphs. Once we get to January then things will really start turning up.

Feather: This has been an excellent year on the Feather. We had huge returns of salmon this year and that led to lots of steelhead sitting behind them feasting on eggs. Most days we are hooking between 10-12 fish. All of the fish have been cookie cutter 3-5lb fish in the 20-23" range. These are some hot pissed off fish that like to run and jump as soon as you hook them. As of last week the river was fishing really well but all of this 75 degree weather in November has tightened up the fishing. Last day out there only hooked 5 fish. Seems like the majority of the fish have pushed up to the hatchery. However this should change as we get some nasty weather coming in for this weekend. If we get some bad weather for a while expect the Feather to fish decently all the way through the first part of December. It might not be lights out but there are going to be some great fish to be caught. The good news is that there are fresh salmon starting to spawn in high flow so eggs and bad weather for the next week could mean some really good fishing. If you go the hot flies have been eggs and red san juan worms.

Yuba: This time of year the Yuba can be a tough fishery as those fish have been gorging on eggs and have been caught multiple times. However there is good fishing to come. Not many people know that the Yuba fishes really well in December and January. If you are lucky enough to get out there on an overcast day then watch out. Those fish love to eat eggs and baetis nymphs under the clouds. Check out this fish that Bob Quinn caught from the Yuba last January on an egg pattern. If you don't mind a little cold then some great fishing can be had. If you are going out there try fishing eggs, small pheasant tails, Hogan's S&M, Hogan's Read Headed Step Child, and Skwala Nymphs.

I hope all of you are getting some good fishing in. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.

Tight Lines!

Fall Fishing Update

2010-10-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

This has been an interesting month. Typically it is easy to figure out the best fishing this time of year. Do you want tons of grabs or roll the dice and try to find some steelhead? This is the question that typically answers itself in October. However this month it has been some what of a head scratcher. Read my thoughts and outlooks below. Hope this helps you to figure out where to go next week.

Lower Sac: The fishing on the Sac has been good but not great. This fall our numbers on trout have been down. Most days right now we are landing 20-25 trout. The egg bite is slowly still progressing and is usually better on overcast/rainy days. However the one bright spot for the Sac has been the size of the rainbows. Take yesterday for example. Just in the afternoon we landed 3 20" fish, 4 19" fish, and 3 18" fish. For the pure size of the trout it really doesn't get any better. So the name of the game has been doing a short float in the morning when the fishing is tight and then heading back up river to Posse grounds once the fishing picks up in the afternoon. The last three weeks the afternoon has been much better than the morning. Hot flies have been eggs, tan pupahs, tan birds nest, micro mays, and Hogan's S&M. I would expect the Lower Sac to stay status quo for the next couple of weeks. However those of you looking to do some steelhead fishing things should improve on the lower stretches of the river. Expect the pressure on the river to start decreasing as people move over to the Trinity.

Feather: The Feather is continuing to progress nicely. There are still tons of salmon spawning in the river. But even more exciting than that is there are still salmon in the deep water moving up. The next month on the Feather should be really good. I guided 2 half day trips on the river this week and each day we saw a mix of half pounders and adults. Monday we hooked 8 fish and Thursday we hooked 7 in about 5hours of fishing. Most of the steelhead that are in the system are between 18-23". However there are a few big fish still being caught. I have yet to go down to High Flow but will venture down there this week. The hot flies have been eggs and eggs. Every fish that I have hooked in the last four trips on the river has been on an egg pattern.

Yuba: I don't have the best information on the Yuba as I have not been over in three weeks. I keep hearing rumors that there are salmon in the lower stretches of the river by Hammond Grove. If you go over there try eggs and small may fly nymphs. This river is going to stop fishing once we get into the dull drums of November. So don't have huge expectations if you head out to the Yuba. Things will pick up again in December once the winter run of Salmon start and there is less pressure on the water.

Well........that is about everything that I have seen. Hope this info helps you out. Get excited because the first good steelhead fishing of the year is just around the corner. If you are looking for some last minute openings I have November 9,17,22-23, and 28-30 available. See you out there.

Fish Hard!

Cancellation this Saturday

2010-09-21T07:51:00.000-07:00

For anyone interested I just had a cancellation for this Saturday. Right now the Yuba is fishing really good for trout. So that is probably where you will want to go. The last couple of days out there have been impressive with 30+ hookups on great fish. Actually yesterday is the best trip I have ever had out there. If you want to go out email me ASAP at ryan@rjsflytrips.com.

Tight Lines!

Yuba & Lower Sac Report

2010-09-18T17:18:00.000-07:00

Well I am finally back on the river. It has been a nice three weeks off of catching up on overdue Cast Hope work and sleeping in. It is nice being able to get up around 8AM each morning. Not to many more days of that left until Thanksgiving. The good news is that the fall is quickly approaching and the signs of the first salmon have been spotted on both the Yuba and Lower Sac. I was on each river once this last week. Here is a detailed report of what I saw on each.

The Yuba fished well.......my clients hooked 20+ rainbows and landed about 15 for the boat. Pretty typical day on the Yuba. It seemed like the morning and the middle of the day fished the best. The fishing seemed to tighten up in the afternoon around 3PM. What was crazy is that one of my clients had two fish on the same nymph rig twice during the day. We never landed both trout. It seems like this happens periodically throughout the year but rarely do we land both fish. In 7 years of guiding have only landed both twice. The good news is that I saw about 30 salmon swimming around in the deeper water. So in about 1-2 weeks we should start to see our first salmon on redds. The hot flies were eggs, fox pupah, small pheasant tails, and copper johns.

The Lower Sac was a different story as compared to the Yuba. I had a Cast Hope trip there on Thursday and I decided to do a short float from Posse Grounds down to Aqua Golf. We fished from 10AM till 3PM. The morning was brutal!!!! We didn't even hook our first fish until noon. The fishing was so tough we pulled over underneath the Sundial bridge to pick some blackberries. I thought this would keep the youngster entertained for a while. After some blackberry picking and eating lunch the fishing turned on. The fish started to eat around 1PM and for the rest of the day it was pretty typical Lower Sac. The hot flies were tan birds nest, fox pupah, and Hogans S&M.

I will be on the water 6-7 days a week through the end of October so I will try to update my blog once a week to keep everyone in touch of current conditions.

For those of you looking to do some fishing my October is completely booked. However now is the time to book prime steelhead dates for the Feather and Lower Sac. I currently have Nov. 1-6 and 8-11 available. These are the two best weeks for steelhead fishing on both of these rivers.

Tight Lines!

Last South Fork Update

2010-08-19T19:11:00.000-07:00

The South Fork has finally hit the dull-drums of summer. This typically hits about the first week of August but like everything else this summer we are about 3 weeks behind schedule on our hatches and weather patterns. The PMD hatch is pooping out and the hoppers have not started yet so the fish don't have a lot to be excited about. Needless to say we are really having to work for the grabs and those fish are becoming little picky snobs.

Currently there are no hot drifts in the river. All of the sections are fishing about the same. The upper and canyon stretches have small windows of PMD fishing in the afternoon. While the lower still has a few golden stones and the random hopper to entice the fish. I saw my first hopper two days ago. So that should reignite the river for a couple of weeks once we see enough of them. The last week I have been bouncing back and forth between the upper canyon, lower canyon, and lower sections of the river. Lots of fish between 12-18" being caught but no real big dogs of late. The hot bugs have been para-hoppers, Lawsons Pink PMD cripple, rusty spinner, and the lightning bug.

Last Sunday I got the chance to go fish with a couple of guide buddies of mine from the Lodge. We took my friends jet boat down to Tilden on the main snake. This is the land of big fish. Not lots of grabs but the ones you get are good. Between three of us we hooked 10 trout and landed 6 of them. We had 4 rainbows between 20-21". No monsters that day but the video on my blog says it all.

The good news is that I am coming home in 7 days. I am excited to take a couple of weeks off before the grind of the fall starts. For those of you interested in fishing the Lower Sac, Yuba, and Feather this fall contact me ASAP for prime dates. I still have October 25-28, 31 (Sunday) and November 6-7 (Saturday & Sunday) available. These are prime dates for either the Lower Sac or Feather.

I hope you are all doing well.

Tight Lines!

South Fork Snake (ID) Report & August Hoppers

2010-07-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

Well......Once again it has been a slow start to our fishing on the South Fork of the Snake here in Irwin, Idaho. Currently the river is still high at 16,000 CFS and a frigid 52 degrees. With the high and cold water our hatches have been delayed by a couple of weeks. That means no dry flies yet. The name of the game has been nymphing. The fishing has been fairly average the first couple of weeks with most days landing 25-30 trout per boat. The hot flies have been rubberlegs, San Juans (pink & red), and any small baetis nymph. The last week there have been lots of rainbows and browns caught. Not to many cuttys yet as they are starting to finish their spawning season. Right now the best fishing has been on the Lower Stretches of the river (ie: Cottonwood to Byington & Byington to Lorenzo).

The good news is that yesterday I saw my first Salmon Fly of the season. So get ready because the S. Fork is days away from blowing up. Big Dry Flies are on the horizon. In addition to the big bugs we are starting to see more Green Drakes each day on the river. So I have to assume by the middle of next week it will be time to put the indicators away and string up those dry fly rods.

I also wanted to mention that the word out here in the Rockies is that there is going to be a huge infestation of hoppers this summer. Fish & Game are calling for one of the largest hopper hatches that they have seen in years. If that forecast holds up we could have some ridiculous fishing this August. So get excited any of you that are making your way to Idaho, Montana, or Wyoming this summer. Gotta love throwing hoppers against undercut banks.

Lastly I wanted to finish my post with an awesome fishing story. Last week I guided Daniele and her husband Bart for 6 days on the S. Fork. All week Daniele was catching the largest fish of the trip. So naturally Bart was excited and frustrated all at the same time. Well the last day of the trip Daniele laid it on thick with some great big fish mojo. Her last day of fishing on the upper resulted in her catching a 19" rainbow, 20" brown, 21" brown, and 22.5" brown. It was awesome watching her pull in big fish after big fish. What a way to end the trip! Check out the two photos!

For those of you that want to come out here check out the Lodge at Palisades Creek. Also people are starting to call about CA dates in the fall so you will want to start figuring out those calendars to get in on prime dates!

Tight Lines!

I'm Still Alive

2010-06-07T14:00:00.000-07:00

Well.......It has been a while since my last post. Life has been really busy with Cast Hope, Guiding, and Planning for my 4th Season on the South Fork. The good news is that life is back to normal. Cast Hope had an awesome 1st Annual Benefit and Auction on May 22, 2010. There was a great turnout with over 100 people showing up at Lelands for a great cause. Plus we made some money as well. All of the money raised is going to help get youth on the water fly fishing. If you were unable to make it to the 1st annual hopefully we will see you out there next year.

Now I am looking forward to taking off to guide my fourth season on the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho. In one week I will be leaving those deared indicators of the Sac, Yuba, and Feather and trading them in for big Salmonfly dries. But before I do that there is more guiding to be done here in CA.

Alright enough about me you say..........What is going on with our local rivers? Well here is what I saw this week:

Lower Sac: The Sac continues to fish well even with the high water. Currently the river is at 15,000 CFS. It took the fish a couple of days to adjust to the high water but now they are back on the feed again. This last week it seems like the majority of the guides out have been focusing on the river from Bonnyview down to Balls Ferry. It is really easy to do these longer drifts now because there is current everywhere and you get pushed down river much faster. The key to finding fish has been fishing the softer water on the edge of the riffles. I have been getting very few fish in the flats. Most of the fish seemed to be grouped up in the slower tailouts and runs. The hot bugs have been rubberlegs (8), king princes (16), tan birds nest (16), flashback pheasant tail (14), and mercers epoxyback pmd (16).

Yuba: Well currently the Yuba has BIG water with the flows at 6,000 CFS. I was lucky enough to guide it this week when the water was still at 3,200 CFS. The fishing was really good with the spring like conditions that are continuing to hold on. Like the Lower Sac most of the fish we caught came in the softer edges of the riffles. It seems like the fish were trying to hold up in the softer water just outside of the major current. I found fish in all of my regular spots. The hot bugs were the Foxy Stone (12), Red Copper John (16), and Olive Fox Pupah (16). The dry fly fishing was almost non-existent. But then again I missed the prime caddis time as we were off the water by 4PM.

Feather: I have not been on the Feather for over a month now. But I am hearing rumors that there are still some spring steelhead to be caught. Talking to another guide who fished it last week he said that they hooked 11 fish and three of them were over 20 inches. Now this is second hand information so take it in stride. So the Feather sounds like an option as well. It might be a roll of the dice this late in the season but it sounds like fish are still moving into the system with this late rain we are getting. Plus if you get a big boy then it was well worth your time.

That is all of the info I got. Still some good fishing to be had in the valley as long as temperatures stay in the 80's and 90's. Once we start hitting those 100 degree days then time to start hitting your favorite mountain streams (assuming they are not blown out from the snow).

Hope this helps.

Tight Lines!

Hot Spring Fishing Continues

2010-04-25T21:07:00.000-07:00

Well we are getting to the end of April and there is more rain coming this week. Can you believe that it is going to be in the high 50s? At least we are getting some water for the years to come. Since we have been having a cooler year this means that our spring fishing is going to persist through the middle of May. Those more typical summer fishing will not start showing up for another month. This is great news because right now the fish are still really grabby. The last couple of weeks I have been primarily on the Lower Sac with a handful of day on the Yuba. Below you can find what I have been seeing on these rivers.

The Lower Sac has been fishing really good if you don't get stuck on the river during a major flow change of 1,000+ cfs. Currently the river is at 6,500 cfs. I have been living on the Anderson sections of the river from Sac RV/Anderson River Park to Balls Ferry. Most days right now we are boating 30+ rainbows. A lot of the fish we are getting are between 14-16" with a handful of shots at bows 18" or larger. Actually today we hooked and lost about a 5-6lb steelhead. Another big fish gets away. I'M PRETTY SURE THAT IS THE STORY OF MY GUIDING CAREER! LOL! The hot bugs have been rubberlegs, yellow microspawn, king prince, and prince nymphs. Over the next 2-3 weeks expect the fishing to remain consistent. As the flows increase the fish are going to start moving. I'm getting excited because this means soon we can start fishing more of the clay down on the lower drifts.

The Yuba is starting to get back to its normal self. Most days we are hooking 15-20 rainbows. The dry fly fishing has tightened up this last week. Not as many fish rising in the flats. Currently the bug life has been some sporadic hatches of pmds, march browns, baetis, and yellow sallies. But it seems to me that the transition to caddis as the main food source has begun. I saw a lot more caddis this week than I have all spring. So as the weather gets warmer the later part of next week the caddis fishing should start to get really good. For those of you wanting to stay late in the day you should be rewarded with some decent dry fly fishing. The hot bugs this last week has been San Juan Worms, Copper Johns, Hogan's S&M, and Olive Pupah.

Well for those of you that want to get out the first couple weeks of May I have some prime openings. May 3, 4, 5, 11, 13, 17, & 18. All of these dates should be great for some fishing on the Lower Sac or Yuba. Let me know if you want to get out.

Tight Lines!

Lower Sac, Feather, and Yuba Reports.

2010-04-05T16:01:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks I have been bouncing around to all three rivers. All of the rivers are fishing really well right now. This is the time of the year where the fish are hungry and the weather is forecasted to be really nice for the next couple of weeks. Check out the reports for each fishery below.

Lower Sac: The Sac is continuing to fish well. Those rainbows are continuing to gorge themselves on olive caddis. The pmd hatch is steadily increasing and will soon become the food of choice. Three days on the river last week all resulted in trips with 30+ rainbows to hand. I have been concentrating on the river between Anderson and Balls Ferry. For those of you who are looking to pull on a bunch of fish this is the time to go. Bring out the kids, friends, or loved one to catch a bunch of feisty rainbows. The Lower Sac should continue to fish really well for the next month. Hot bugs have been rubberlegs, king prince (16), olive dirty bird (16), prince nymph (16), and yellow sucker spawn.

Feather: The SPRINGERS ARE HERE! I guided the Lower Feather three times the last week and those half pound steelhead are in the system. This is a great option for those of you looking for fish that really pull hard. If you think the Yuba fish pull hard then you will be even more impressed with the Feather half pounders. Lately it has been more like trout fishing with each day resulting in 15+ hook-ups with fish between 15-20". However yesterday some of the larger fish started to show up. Two guys yesterday landed three 20" bucks, one 22" hen, and one 23" hen. The next three weeks on the Feather are going to be prime as the weather gets warmer and more fish move into the system. Hot bugs have been prince nymphs, Hogan's S&M, Hogan's Red Headed Step Child, and San Juan Worms.

Yuba: Over the last month I have been on the Yuba more than any of the other rivers. All I can say is that the river is back to its normal self. Right now most days are resulting in approximately 20 hook-ups. However the dry fly fishing has been really good. Most days right now we are getting 4-5 dry fly eats on each trip. The dry fly fishing is really technical but if you can get the fly to come down first to the fish they eat it almost every time. Currently there are lots of March Browns and the PMD's are just starting to hatch. So the fishing will remain solid for the next month. For you dry fly guys now is the time to go! Hot bugs have been copper johns, flashback pheasant tails, olive dirty bird, and Hogan's Clinger Nymph.

For those of you interested in doing some fishing during the next month I have listed my availabilities below. All of these April dates are prime for the valley fishing.I still have a couple weekend dates open.

April 12, 15, 18 (Sunday), 19, 26-29

May 2 (Sunday)

Good Luck & Tight Lines!

Lower Sac, Yuba, Feather Trifecta in 3 Days

2010-03-13T19:53:00.000-08:00

I just got done guiding the Lower Sac, Yuba, and Feather in three days with the same guys. It was a great trip as all of the rivers were on FIRE. This is truly a special time right now in the North Valley. Bruce and his son Kevin had never fished any of the rivers and by the end of the weekend I think they had a new appreciation for their home fisheries. Below you can find a report from what I saw out there.

Lower Sac (Day 1): Fished the Lower Sac from Anderson down to Balls Ferry. River was incredible. Boated over 40 rainbows. But lots of little fish that day. The majority of the fish were between 10"-14". However we were lucky enough to find a big guy that went 22". The hot bugs were the normal spring flies with rubber legs, yellow eggs, prince nymphs, pheasant tail, etc. Expect the Lower Sac to fish well through the end of April. For those of you waiting for good reports: NOW IS THE TIME!

Lower Yuba (Day 2): Well the Yuba doesn't get much better than it has been the last week. I have been floating from Highway 20 down to the Rod/Gun Club. Lots of numbers and quality fish. The nymphing has been crazy good. Every standard spot has been holding fish. Currently most days we are hooking 20-25 rainbows. Plus each day we are getting shots at 20" fish. The hot flies have been SJWs, flashback pt, copper john, Hogan's S&M, and Hogan's Clinger. I have not been getting that much love on caddis yet. The dry fly fishing has been hit and miss depending on the pmd hatch in the middle of the day. Check out the nice double Bruce and Kevin pulled off.

Lower Feather (Day 3): Went and checked out the Feather with my clients to see if those springers were in there yet. Had a good day catching trout sized quarter pounders. Hooked 18 little guys between 10"-15". The biggest fish we found was only 18". No adults hooked. The hot flies were SJWs, olive birds nest, prince nymph, and Hogan's S&M. The Feather should get better and better over the next two weeks. Expect those big fish to start showing up real soon.

All in all we had a great three days of fishing. The trifecta was good to us.

For those of you interested in doing some fishing I just had a cancellation for March 17 and 18. These are the only two days I have left in March. Email ASAP if you want to get in on the great fishing.

Tight Lines!

Lower Yuba Fishing Good

2010-03-03T17:54:00.000-08:00

I guided the Lower Yuba today. It was supposed to be a full day trip but it ended up more like 2/3 of a day. The water looked awesome this morning. Great green color. Fish were super grabby from the start on egg patterns. Then as the day progressed our 4 feet of visibility turned into about 1 foot of visibility by three o'clock. It didn't help that they increased the flow to 2,300 cfs right in the middle of the day. But that is part of the game.

All in all it was a good day. Hooked 16 hot rainbows between 16"-19" in about 5.5 hours of fishing. It could have been a banner day if the water clarity would have stayed good.

Should be fishable again by Friday. Assuming the weather man is correct and everything is going to be dry tomorrow.

Tight Lines!

Lower Sac gets SILLY Good

2010-02-16T09:36:00.000-08:00

Get Excited! This warm week of February has started our spring fishing. Yesterday I was fishing in shorts. Gotta love California. This means that in the next month things are going to be getting silly on the Lower Sac. If you want to fish the caddis hatch on the Sac then plan on it happening for the fourth year in row during the month of March. I know that there will be more cold weather to come but once those caddis start moving every warm day from here on out is going to be banner.

The last three days on the Lower Sac have been really good. Each of those days we boated 30+ rainbows and lost many others. The reason that the fish have gotten so grabby is due to the spring caddis hatch that is coming off in the middle of the day. The hatch actually doesn't start until about 1PM, but it seems that those fish really start to turn on about 10AM. The fishing is really consistent during the hours of 10AM-3PM. Yesterday for instance we boated 19 rainbows by lunch and 18 rainbows after lunch. The hot bugs have been various prince nymphs in size 16, rubberlegs, and yellow micro spawn. I have floated from Bonnyview to Anderson and Anderson to Balls Ferry and it seems that both sections are fishing equally as well.

For those of you looking for dates in March I only have 6 availabilities still open. March 2, 19 (Friday), 20 (Saturday), 23, 30-31. Let me know if you would like to book one of these prime time dates.

I hope you are all doing well.

Tight Lines!

Lower Sac & Yuba Rivers Fishable by the Weekend

2010-01-26T10:14:00.000-08:00

I'm writing to tell everyone that the Yuba and Lower Sac should be fishable by this weekend. Flows spiked a little last night but it looks like the next three days are going to be dry. The rivers might not necessarily be clear by this weekend but they should be fishable. Remember you only need a couple feet of visibility to catch those rainbows. When the conditions are off color like that then the name of the game is large and bright flies. Fish eggs, rubberlegs, san juans, and larger nymphs. Hope this helps for those of you itching to get out there.

If anyone is interested in doing some last minute fishing then I have some more days that I am offering at a discount. Once again you get a full day of fishing at the half day cost of $275. This is a savings of $125. The days that I am trying to fill are Jan. 31 (Sun.), Feb. 10 (Wed.), Feb. 12 (Fri.), and Feb. 14 (Sun.). Let me know ASAP if you want one of these discounted days.

Tight Lines!

Special Guide Deal

2010-01-05T09:08:00.000-08:00

For those of you interested I am once again offering my discounted rate on a guided fly fishing trip for the Lower Sac or Yuba Rivers. Pay the half day rate of $275 and get a full day of guided fly fishing. This is a savings of $125.

The days that I have available at this special rate are below:

January 8 (Fri.), 10 (Sun.), 12-13, and 18-19

There are lots of big rainbows to be caught on the Lower Sac. Fishing from Posse Grounds down to Bonnyview has been really good as fish fill up on eggs and baetis. The Yuba has been good as well. Most days hooking 15+ rainbows and getting about an hour of solid dry fly fishing in.

Let me know asap if you want to book any of these last minute dates.

New Year Special and Lower Sac/Yuba Report

2009-12-29T14:22:00.000-08:00

Well our winter fishing is finally here. Rain, low water conditions, and big fish make for an interesting equation. Over the last three weeks I have been bouncing back and forth between the Lower Sac and Yuba Rivers. The fishing overall has been good. I wouldn't classify the fishing as great but plenty of action to keep one interested. Typically this time of year we get less shots at fish but the ones that are willing to play are usually big.

The Lower Sac has been fishing good on the upper drift from Posse Grounds down to Bonnyview. Typically this time of year I fish the upper drifts on the Lower Sac as the crowds are light and those big rainbows like winter conditions. So I don't have any recent reports on the lower river. Over the last three weeks we have been averaging about 20 rainbows to the boat. But what has been cool about the fishing is that almost every fish is 17"+. The last trip I did on the Lower Sac we boated 23 rainbows and only 4 of them were under 17". I often times forget how fat those fish get on the upper drift. The hot flies have been eggs, Hogan's S&M (16), Hogan's Red Headed Step Child (16), King Prince (16), and Micro May (18). The best fishing on the Lower Sac has been between 10AM and 3PM. With a consistent baetis hatch coming off in the middle of the day between noon and 2PM.

The Lower Yuba is back to its typical winter self. Most days right now I am averaging about 15+ hookups on the river. There have been lots of people wading above the bridge and as well by Hammond Grove. If you get lucky enough there have been some big hatches in the middle of the day. Yesterday there was a big hatch of baetis and a creamy yellow PMD. There were fish all over the flats and tail outs feeding on both duns and emergers. Be wary though fishing small dries on the flats is not an easy game. It can become very frustrating so take your time and make every presentation count. The hot bugs on the Yuba have been eggs, Flashback PT (16), Hogan's S&M (16), and Hogan's Military May (16). It seems like the majority of the feeding fish are in the faster more riffle looking water. Cover lots of water to find those handful of feeding fish. Expect to start seeing the first Skwalas on the Yuba by the 2nd or 3rd week of January.

This winter I am offering my normal special. If you book 2 trips by March 15th you get a third trip free. The only catch is that all three trips must be completed by March 15th. So you can fish the Lower Sac in January for those big rainbows, the Yuba in February during the Skwala hatch, and then the caddis hatch in March on the Lower Sac. Or you can spend three days in a row on any of the rivers I guide. Its completely up to you. Hook up with a friend and split the special. Or take all three days for yourself!!!

Contact me ASAP to get prime dates.

Fish Hard.

Lower Sac, Yuba, and Feather Report

2009-12-01T12:12:00.000-08:00

Well..... it has been awhile since my last fishing report. So I thought that I would get you guys some good info on what is going on in some of our valley rivers. Needless to say the fishing the last couple of weeks has been extremely inconsistent. You get one good day of fishing mixed in with a couple of hard days. Which is really typical of the fishing during the post egg bite in the middle to the end of November. I have to admit though that after six weeks of really good fishing it felt like I was getting beat up out there. Guess that is part of the game. So what is going on exactly?

Lower Sac: The Lower Sac has been up and down over the last couple of weeks. It seems like good days right now on the Lower Sac you are catching 25+ trout and the bad ones you are barely scratching double digits. There have been several days in the last week where we have only landed 10-15 rainbows. Pretty darn tough for the Lower Sac. It doesn't seem like one drift is doing any better than another. I have floated from Posse to Bonny, Anderson to Balls, Barge to Bend, and Red Bluff to Los Molinos in the last couple of weeks and all of the drifts are fishing about the same. Of course the upper drifts have bigger trout on average but the lower drifts are giving shots at steelhead. The hot bugs of late have been Hogan's S&M (16), Black Micro May (18), King Prince (16), and the Rubberlegs on lower drifts. Expect the fishing to improve about the middle of December when the winter salmon show up and the baetis start to hatch. This time of year the more clouds and even a little sprinkle is the best. Stay away Sunshine!!!

Yuba: I have not been on the Yuba over the last three weeks because of trips on the Lower Sac and Feather. So I dont have tons of current info for you guys. Talking to other guides it sounds like the fishing on the Yuba has gotten tough as well. Sounds like small bugs (Hogan's Military May, Hogan's S&M, PT's, Gidgets, etc.) in the flats have been the ticket. Still a handful of fish eating eggs behind any late salmon. Expect lots of people there in the next week as the river opens up above highway 20 bridge. Fishing should start to improve on the Yuba in the next couple of weeks. If you get lucky to have a rainy day watch for huge hatches of baetis getting those fish working on the surface. Gotta love trying to find small dries admist the falling rain.

Feather: The Feather has had a dismal year. I did about 5 trips over there during the middle of November and the fish we just not there. It seems like this year the fishing in the spring time (March & April) was better than the fall fishing. I the 5 trips I did there we only caught a handful of adults. Most days we ended up catching between 4-6 half pounders and a stray adult here and there. But none of the adults that we got were really big fish. There should be some fish continuing to trickle in for those of you who really are searching out some steelhead. The best bugs are going to be eggs, pts, Hogan's S&M, Olive Dirty Bird/Birds Nest, Hogan's Red Headed Step Child, etc. I am pretty much done with the Feather until the upper stretches open on January 1.

For those of you interested I am once again offering my $100 off guide special on Dec. 4th, 7-10th, and 13th. You get a full day trip at the half day cost of $275.Email me ASAP to get in on one of these winter specials.

I think that is about all of the info that I have. Hope this helps some of you find some fish that are willing to eat. The goal is to work together to find those grabby fish.

Fish Hard!

$100 off Guide Special

2009-11-12T18:22:00.000-08:00

I am looking to book Monday, November 16th and Wednesday, November 18th. For anyone who is up for a last minute discounted trip on the Lower Sac or Yuba I will do a full day trip for $275. This is $100 off the regular price for the trip. You pay the half day rate and get an extra 4-5 hours of fishing for free!!! Email me ASAP at ryan@rjsflytrips.com if you are interested. Hope you guys are getting some fishing in.

The fishing on the Lower Sac has been pretty good. Most days on the lower drifts we are landing 20-25 trout and hooking one steelhead. The last week the fishing has been best on rubberlegs and egg patterns. It is an exciting time of year because when that indicator goes under you dont know if it is a 16" trout or a 7-8lb steelhead. Gotta love the mystery behind it.

I hope everyone is well!

Tight Lines!

Special $100 off Guide Deal

2009-11-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

I am looking to book Thursday, November 5th. For anyone who is up for a last minute discounted trip on the Lower Sac or Yuba I will do a full day trip for $275. This is $100 off the regular price for the trip. You pay the half day rate and get an extra 4-5 hours of fishing for free!!! Email me ASAP at ryan@rjsflytrips.com if you are interested. Hope you guys are getting some fishing in.

Tight Lines!

October Lower Sac, Yuba, & Feather Report

2009-10-25T16:18:00.001-07:00

Well......it has been a while since my last post. Lots of days on the water has been keeping me extremely busy. So I thought that I would give you a quick update on what is going on in the rivers that I guide here in Northern California. Hopefully you can find this information helpful on your next adventure. All that I can say is this has been a very interesting October.

Lower Sac: This week I was finally able to get back on the Lower Sac after a week and half of blown out conditions. This is the first time that I have seen the Lower Sac blow out for more than a day during the month of October since I have been guiding the Sac. I have been spending my time on the lower river between the Balls Ferry and Bend Bridges. The trout fishing has been good on egg patterns, rubberlegs, and red copper johns. Not lots of steelhead to speak of yet but there are some swimming around. I had a client catch a beautiful 26" buck on the river yesterday on a egg pattern. But you I am not consistently hooking into one every day yet. Expect the steelhead fishing on the Lower Sac to continue to improve into November as long as the water clarity stays fishable.

Yuba: With the Lower Sac being blown out for more than a week I have been on the Yuba a lot. I fished the Yuba 8 out of the last 11 days. There are quite a few salmon on the Yuba right now. I would actually say that there are more salmon on the Yuba than the Lower Sac. Haven't been able to say that for a few years. It has been a lot of fun to fish out there lately. Most days I have been throwing two different egg patterns below an indicator. The fishing has been really good with every day resulting in 25+ hookups. The majority of the fish that I have been catching have been in water between 1-3 feet of water. Those rainbows are in those shallow riffles looking for eggs. I kept trying all different kinds of nymphs without much success. Seems like they would always go for the egg first.

Feather: There have been rumors of fish in the Feather. Seems like most of the fish being caught are in the Low Flow section. I guided out there last weekend to find an extremely busy river. Needless to say we got our butts kicked. Only landed 4 half pounders. We did lose a couple smaller fish but there didn't seem to be that many fish in the river. The ones that we did catch came on a small green caddis nymphs. Currently there are not lots of salmon in the river. Expect this fishery to start peaking in a couple weeks. Typically more fish will start to move into the system during the first couple weeks of November. I am excited for what this season is going to hold on the Feather.

Anyways.......that is what I have seen and heard. Hopefully this helps some of you figure out where your next fishing should be. For anyone interested I have a couple prime time availabilities during the next month (Nov. 16-18 & Dec. 4th & 6th). Call me ASAP if you want to get in on these dates.

Tight Lines!!

Back on the Lower Sac

2009-09-27T17:06:00.000-07:00

I have been on the Lower Sac three times this week. I have forgotten how different the guiding aspect is out here in California as compared to Idaho. A lot different when you are fishing with indicators as compared to little dry flies floating down the bank. The other thing that I had forgotten was how hot these Lower Sac rainbows are. We are so lucky to have such a huge resource and such a phenomenal fishery as the Lower Sac. I am positive if you tied a line between a Lower Sac rainbow and a South Fork of the Snake fish then the Lower Sac fish would drag the Snake trout up and down the river.

Anyhow.....back to the fishing. The upper part of the Lower Sac from Posse down to Anderson was really good. Each of the days we were hooking 40+ rainbows. The first day they were all over rubberlegs and caddis. While the other couple of days the hot bugs were pheasant tails, caddis pupahs, and micro mays. These fish on the upper drift have gotten fat and strong this summer. All of those Lower Sac bows look like little fat footballs. Pretty darn impressive.

The word on the Lower Drifts is that the fishing has been pretty tough. Most days as of this week guys were catching between 15-20 trout. A few steelhead are starting to show up but not in any great numbers yet.

Expect the fishing on the Lower Sac to just keeping improving over the next six weeks. For those of you looking to get some dates in for prime steelhead/trout fishing on the Lower Sac then the days are getting limited. I have November 4-5, 9-10, 12, & 21 (Saturday) still available.

I hope you are all getting some fishing in.

Tight Lines!

Back in California

2009-09-15T14:13:00.001-07:00

Well........I am finally back home from Idaho. I had another great season with the Lodge at Palisades Creek. After three years of guiding on the South Fork I have really started to fall in love with that river. I often find my mind wandering to fish rising to pmd's in the foam holes on the banks. I am thankful that I have the opportunity to guide out there and plan on going back for my fourth season in 2010.

Now that I am back home life is somewhat getting back to normal. Lots of work to be done on Cast Hope. We had a successful fundraiser that was hosted by my parents down in San Diego this last weekend. The Cast Hope organization continues to put one foot forward at a time as we strive to meet our budgets and goals to get Northern California's youth out fly fishing on the river.

I had the opportunity to guide Putah Creek last week for a half day in the morning. We were able to find plenty of fish but nothing of great size. My client landed 10 rainbows in about four hours but all of them were about 8 inches long. Nothing to exciting. The hot bugs were a small tan caddis pupah and a size 18 black zebra midge.

I will be back to rowing the boat again this next week on the Lower Sac. As we get prepared for the famous egg bite coming up in a matter of weeks I can feel the anticipation already starting inside of me. Really look for things to start picking up near the end of the month.

For anyone interested I have some prime dates that I still have available are September 30 and October 6-8.

I hope you all are getting some fishing in.

Tight Lines!

Late Summer South Fork Fishing

2009-08-21T10:15:00.000-07:00

The South Fork is starting to get a little tough. The hopper fishing has not been that good as of late and the fish have wised up to the big bugs. Just not enough big bugs flying around to get those fish to look up. Pretty crazy for the South Fork where the big bug is dominant. Lately the ticket has been throwing small PMD patterns on the riffles, banks, and foam holes throughout the entire day. If you get lucky enough to have some decent rods in your boat then you can have some stellar days throwing these small flies. But this is much easier said than done. Trying to cast two size 18 PMD's on the bank and find them, get a decent mend in, and not sink them is tough on any angler. However if you can get a decent drift these fish will eat them every time. Forty fish days are not that uncommon if the PMD hatch comes off.

The other option is to use the infamous lightning bug under an indicator. There have been some really nice 20-22" fish caught this week while nymphing with the lightning bug. But then who really wants to nymph when they come to the South Fork. I personally have been leaning to throwing the smaller flies. That is probably because I stare at indicators so much back home.

Just to keep all of you informed I will not be out here on the South Fork that much longer. The first of September I will be coming home to California and resuming guiding back on the Lower Sac, Yuba, Feather, and Putah Creek. For those of you that want dates for the fall then you need to contact me ASAP as they are almost gone.

I hope that you guys are getting some good late summer dry fly fishing in.

Fish Hard!

South Fork Update

2009-08-07T19:13:00.000-07:00

The South Fork of the Snake is in its mid-summer trend. Big bugs in the morning and lots of PMDs in the afternoon. The big bug fishing of late has been marginal. If you get a sunny day expect the big bug fishing to be about average. However if you find yourself out on the river with cloudy conditions then the fishing can be awesome. The exciting part is that the hopper fishing is just getting started. So the big bug fishing over the next week should improve.

The PMD fishing from about 1PM until 5PM has been awesome. Every riffle and dump is loaded with fish. This is the time of year where sight fishing can be deadly. Most of the PMD fishing we are doing is using sparkle dun emergers and small nymphs trailing behind. The fish are really starting to wise up to lots of the small bugs. If you get the right drift they will eat your bug every time, but as soon as you miss a fish then they won't come back for seconds. One shot and you are done. So make sure to bring your "A" game on your first several casts.

Most days the fishing in the mornings has been average to slow. But the fishing in the afternoon is making up for the whole thing. Usually at lunch we have boated somewhere between 7-10 trout but by the end of the day we are around 30 to the boat. I have been telling most guys that the morning is just a waiting period for the PMD hatch.

Recently the canyon fishing has been the best. Fishing from Conant down to Byington has been the most consistent. The upper is fishing well in the afternoon but really bad in the morning. While the lower from Byington to Lorenzo has been fishing great for small fish between 8-14". On the lower it is really difficult to find a fish over 18".

For those of you that are interested in fishing this fall in California need to contact me asap to get dates. I hope everyone is getting some great summer fishing in.

Tight Lines!

South Fork Looking Up

2009-07-04T08:53:00.000-07:00

Well the flows on the South Fork are slowly decreasing. There is still lots of water coming out of Palisades Reservoir with the current flow at 21,000 cfs. The upper part of the river has a nice emerald color to it with about 4-5 feet of visibility. While the lower river has about 2 feet of visibility. The visibility at this point in time is not a problem. What is exciting is that the bug life is starting to pop. We are seeing more Salmon Flies each day. There are PMDS and Sallies everywhere and the Green Drakes are just starting. Things are getting really exciting out here.

I was able to get in 6 days of guiding this last week and the entire river is fishing fairly well. Things are not on fire yet but we are days away from things blowing up. Most days we are boating around 25+ trout. Big fish this week was a great 22.5 Inch Brown caught by Craig Brummell from South Bend, Indiana. I guess you could say that he has the luck of the Irish. We are doing lots of nymphing on the banks and in the riffles. But Yesterday we hooked around 15 fish on dries. Caught a few fish on pmd emergers, salmon fly adults, and some golden patterns. The hot bugs have been pink pmds, lightning bugs, chernobyl ant, and the salmonfly club sandwich. Probably by next week we will be throwing dries all day. Well at least I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

South Fork of the Snake

2009-06-23T09:23:00.000-07:00

Things have been put on hold out here on the South Fork. As of Sunday we had 19 straight days of rain and there is no more room for the water in Palisades Reservoir. Yesterday the Reservoir hit 100% of its capacity. So the water resource guys were forced to match the inflow and outflow. Currently the South Fork is flowing at 23,500 cfs. Needless to say that this is a lot of water. Making the fishing a little difficult. All of the trips for the Lodge have been cancelled or rescheduled this week. Things should start to look better next week with clear weather in the forecast. I think summer has finally made its way to southweast Idaho.

Prior to the large dose of water things were progressing nicely. Lots of fish eating rubberlegs and cobberbobs. Most days we were boating around 20 trout with a mixed bag of rainbows, cuttys, and browns depending on what stretch of river you were fishing.

For those of you looking to do some fishing out here in Idaho I would wait about another week. By that time things should start settling down in southeast idaho and western wyoming. Keep your fingers crossed as dry flies are just around the corner.

I do have several availabilities through the month of August for those of you that want to come out and give the South Fork a try. Big Dry Flies are the name of the game out here.

Tight Lines!

Back in Idaho for the Summer

2009-06-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

Last week the wife and I took a nice 15 hour drive to our home for the summer in Idaho. I will once again be guiding on the South Fork of the Snake in Swan Valley through the month of August. I am excited for all of the dry fly fishing that awaits in the next couple of weeks. But at this point in time the dry fly fishing is going to be a while. It is really wet and cold out here. It has been raining for the last week and we have been stuck doing some nymphing. Haven't done any of that before in California:) We have been able to pull a couple decent days of throwing streamers but as a guide I get nervous of big hooks flying over my head. Wednesday I took a size 2 out of my neck. Gotta love the dangers of being a guide. That hard hat is starting to sound better each day I am on the water.

Right now the word on the street is that the Salmon Fly Hatch is about a week and a half away. That means by the first week of July things are going to be on fire. So for those of you coming out to Southeast Idaho get excited for what is to come. For those of you heading to the freestones expect some muddy water. Most of the rivers around here are high and brown. The tailwaters are fine but everything is probably not going to be fishable until the first part of July.

I will be back in the middle of September to start guiding our home waters for the famous egg bites for trout and steelhead on the Sac, Yuba, and Feather.

Lower Sac Back on Fire

2009-05-14T11:19:00.001-07:00

The Lower Sac this last week has been really good. The flows have stabilized around 8000 cfs and the fish are on the grab. This is a beautiful time on the river. Good weather, lots of fish, and consistent hatches. Lately the river has been fishing the best from the morning until about 4PM. It seems like the whole river really starts to shut down in the afternoon. The later you fish in the day the harder it is to get those fish to eat. Most days I have been focusing on the water between Bonnyview and the Barge Hole. The upper parts of the river continue to fish well so there have not been a whole lot of reasons to go down river. Probably by next week we will start checking out the lower stretches down by Bend.

This last week there have been good PMD hatches from about Noon until 2PM. I had two days this week where we boated 35+ fish. Pretty darn good for the middle of May. These are more numbers that you would expect in March and April. The hot bugs of late have been the rubberlegs, yellow microspawn, Mercer's PMD, and the tan Fox's Pupah. In the middle of the day they want that PMD and they switch to the caddis later in the day.

One really cool thing that happened to me yesterday is that I had a client named Linda hook and land a 23" wild steelhead on the Sac. This is the latest that I have ever seen a steelhead on the Sac. Prior to this fish I had caught one on May 3 of last year. Even though the fish was a little snaky looking it really fired me up. It is good to see that the Lower Sac steelhead population is holding strong.

For those of you looking for another discount I have a couple of days in the next three weeks that I am trying to fill. So I will take a $100 off anyone wanting to fish May 19, 26-27, and June 4. These are my last days open before I leave to guide on the South Fork of the Snake for the summertime.

I hope everyone is getting some fishing in. Get ready for some dry fly stories.

Tight Lines!

Big Dose of the Lower Sac

2009-05-04T18:42:00.000-07:00

I have been on the Lower Sac a whole lot the last couple of weeks. Prior to this recent storm things were getting back to normal. The water clarity was looking good, the hatches of pmds were thick, and the fish were feeding. Most days during the last ten days we were boating 25+ rainbows. Lately I have really been bouncing around on different drifts from Bonny to Anderson, Anderson to Barge, and Jellys to Bend. It doesn't seem like there is one drift that is fishing better than the others. It definitely seems like the fish are bigger on average on the upper drifts. The hot flies lately have been mercers pmd, rubberlegs, yellow micro spawn, black micromay, and mercers gidget.

The recent storm on the Lower Sac has added a lot of color to the river. The river yesterday afternoon only had a couple of feet of visibility. Both Clear, Cow, and Cottonwood were all pumping mud as of last night. This should improve quickly as soon as this recent rain lets up.

The cool thing about last week is that 6 out of my last 7 days I only had one client in the boat. Gotta love how the boat weighs a couple hundred pounds lighter on those days. Actually my back is feeling pretty good after 7 days of rowing. I can't say that to often. Wish I could do that more.

To keep everyone posted I will once again be leaving to guide on the South Fork of the Snake river in Idaho for the summer. I am excited for another summer of throwing big dries on the banks of the Snake. I do have some availabilities still open for the Lower Sac and Yuba for those of you looking to do some fishing in May.

Fish Hard!

The Tale of Two Rivers: One Nice & The Other Can Kick Your Butt

2009-04-22T12:25:00.000-07:00

I have spent the last seven days on the river. Equally spent between the Lower Sac and the Yuba. This last week I have been on the Lower Sac four days and the Yuba three. Needless to say that we are having some wacky weather for this time of year. Start of the week I was layering in fleece but by the end the sun was frying the the legs as the shorts came out. Looks like this next week things are going back to normal. I guess global warming isn't here to stay just yet. To be honest I'm not ready for those 100+ degree days.

So whats the word on the fishing?

The Lower Sac continues to fish well even with the off color water. Most days we are boating 25+ rainbows. Every time they increase the flow there has been some major fluctuation in the clarity of the water. The first 2-3 days after a flow bump the clarity has been going down to 2-3 feet of visibility. Currently there is about 3.5 feet of visibility on the river. With the off color water those fish are really wanting the rubberlegs and the yellow eggs. It has been really hard to get those fish dialed into one specific small bug. Some small bugs to try are amberwing princes, pheasant tails, and tan pupahs. It seems like to me that you just have to get the flies in the trouts face to get a grab. If you bump them in the nose they want to eat it!

The Yuba has been hit and miss this week. I had two solid days in a row on Wednesday and Thursday with about 20 fish hooked each day. Then the Yuba did its great humbling trick on my clients Monday with only 9 fish hooked. Just like everyone else sometimes I have a love hate relationship with this place. I guess everyone once in a while gets their butt kicked on the river. The cool thing is that on Monday we were able to raise a couple of rainbows on caddis dries. Throwing dries gets me pumped up for my summer in Idaho.

The fishing should remain good for the next month before the real hot weather of June shows up. Expect the lower stretches of the Lower Sac from Barge down to Bend to start fishing really well with the warm weather and the higher flows. This is the time of year when the lower river really starts to turn on. Also expect some great caddis action on the Lower Yuba in the evenings. This is the time of year where you can have epic days with the dry fly rod.

For those of you looking for some open dates I have May 7, 12-14, 18-21 still open before I leave for another summer of throwing dries on the South Fork of the Snake.

I hope everyone is getting some good fishing in!

Tight Lines.

Bouncing Between Rivers

2009-03-24T09:34:00.003-07:00

This last week I have been bouncing back and forth between the Yuba and Lower Sac Rivers.

The Yuba has been fishing really well. I have been on the river a couple of times in the last week and both days we did really well nymphing. The dry fly fishing has been really spotty with limited hatches on the lower river. One of those days that I was out there with my clients was magical. It was one of those days that you live for on the Yuba. We hooked 35+ fish and two of those fish were fresh spring steelhead. We landed one clipped steelhead that was 18" and then lost a HUGE hen that was estimated at 8-9 lbs. I was so bummed when we lost that fish. Up to this date this is hands down the biggest fish I have had a client hook on this river. I guess that is what keeps you coming back. The other day we had was really solid with 20 rainbows hooked. The hot bugs have been stones, march browns, pmds, and small baetis patterns. Like most Yuba days if you are patient and methodical it seems like you can force feed them.

The Lower Sac has had some major changes in the last couple of weeks. There have been two major flow changes on the Lower Sac. Each flow change has dramatically changed the color of the water. The clarity on the Lower Sac before the flow changes was about 4-5 feet in the upper river. Now the clarity of the water is back to 2 feet. The water looks like it did back in the late part of February. Needless to say the off color water has been affecting the fishing. Most days right now we are landing around 20 rainbows. So the fishing is still solid but it should be better than that in April. You know we have a special river when a tough day out there we are working hard to land 20 fish. You gotta love the Lower Sac. If the flow of the river stabilizes this week expect the clarity to improve and the fishing to pick up again. Right now the hot bugs are the rubberleg and yellow micro spawn. The last three days on the Lower Sac there has not been a hot small bug.

For those of you looking for a discounted guide trip I will take a $100 off a trip on April 27, 28, & 29.

Fish Hard!

Lower Sac Continues to fish Well

2009-03-24T09:34:00.002-07:00

I have had quite a few half day trips this week. Four days this week I started at 8AM and was off the water before 2PM. I have come to the decision that I love doing half day trips. Get some great fishing in but still get home in time to have a nice dinner with the wife. There is something nice about getting home at a decent hour. For those of you interested on the latest news of the Lower Sac is that the river is still fishing good. Again this week I have been focusing on the river below Anderson. Most days I have been floating from Anderson to Balls Ferry. On Saturday I was able to get down on the Jellys to Bend drift. Right now it seems like the best fishing is between 8AM to about 1PM. The fishing in the morning has been really good. You can still catch fish in the afternoon but it takes a little more work. The best flies have been the rubberlegs (8), cdc princes (16), and tan birds nest (16). In the mornings they have been all over the rubberleg and the middle of the day the fish start turning on the caddis imitations.

I have a couple of really special stories from this week on the river. The first one is a great memory with my family. My parents flew up for the weekend and I was able to take my dad, mom, and wife fishing for the day. What really made this special is that this was the first time ever that my mom had been in my boat. I couldn't convince her to fish but she had a great time going for the boat ride. It was really special for me to have all of my close loved ones in the boat at the same time. In about 4 hours of fishing my dad and wife were able to land a dozen trout. My wife once again outfished my dad. Bonnie is starting to get some fly fishing game out there on the water.

The second story is that I donated a day to take out a pastor and his two sons (ages 9 & 11). Ben, one of the sons, for his birthday wanted to catch a fish. So I thought that this would be a great way to give back and for these two kids to have some fun. Well needless to say Ben and Dan both had a great first time fly fishing experience. We put the birthday boy in the front of the boat and he landed 5 rainbows and his brother Dan was able to land 2. They only got in one or two tangles all day long. I was so impressed with both of them. Hopefully this leads them to get hooked on fly fishing so that one day this sport can really bless their lives like it has mine.

For those of you looking to do some guided fishing I have several availabilities in the later part of April and middle of May. Expect the fishing on the Lower Sac, Yuba, and Feather to remain consistently good through the middle of May.

Tight Lines!

The Lower Sac in Full Swing

2009-03-24T09:34:00.001-07:00

The Lower Sac is blowing up. The caddis hatch is in full swing and the fish are chowing down on various prince nymphs and rubberlegs. The last week I have really been focusing on the Anderson to Balls Ferry section of the river. This is one of my favorite sections during the early spring. I am excited for this week coming up with all of the warm sunshine in the forecast. This week there should be great caddis and pmd hatches on the river. Get excited because I think the nice weather of April is finally here.

On Monday I had two newbies on the water on a half day trip. Both of these guys caught on to the techniques of indicator nymphing very quickly. These two newbies blew me away when in 5 hours of fishing they had landed 20 rainbows and only lost 1. I don't think I have every experienced this landing ratio even with the most veteran of anglers. Needless to say I was very impressed. I guess the hook setting techniques that I teach actually do work.

Another memorbale time I had on the boat this week is when I was able to take out Ted and his grandfather Stacey. I think it is so cool how generations can bond together through the sport of fly fishing. There was some major joy between these two guys when Ted landed a 23" rainbow. This is his biggest rainbow ever on a fly rod. Needless to say after this fish was landed there was a celebratory drink of whiskey between grandfather and grandson. One thing I love as a guide is the ability to bring people together in a memborable experience in the boat.

For those of you guys interested in doing some short notice fishing I will take $100 off March 31, April 1, and April 12-14. Hope you guys are getting some fishing in!

Tight Lines!

Early Spring Time Fishing

2009-03-16T17:34:00.000-07:00

The last seven days on the water have been divided between the Lower Sac and the Feather. It was really great to get out on the Feather and chase some early spring steelhead. It seems like the first major push of fish is in the Feather. As we get closer to April more fish should start coming in. Those spring fish on the Feather are some of the coolest specimens in the Central Valley. One of my clients landed a 20" fish that took ten yards of backing off his reel. The great surprise this week on the Feather was when one of my clients hooked and landed a wild 27" hen. This is a huge fish during the spring on the Feather. In three days of fishing we were averaging between 10-12 hookups per day.

The Lower Sac was fishing great with the warm weather. The fish were really grabby and we boasted some huge numbers on Thursday and Friday. The story was a little different when the cold weather front moved in. It seemed like the fish really tightened up when the temperature dropped down into the 50s. This weekend was much more difficult to get the fish to eat. Expect great things this week with the 70 degree weather in the near forecast.

One cool story from the weekend on the Lower Sac was that I guided Marjory on her first ever fly fishing trip. We took a few minutes and taught her the ins and outs of fly fishing. She caught on quickly and had a great day. The first rainbow she landed was a nice 20". Second rainbow landed by Marjory was a great 21". Third rainbow goes 20" again. Fourth one she hooks and loses was close to 23". It is absolutely crazy that this lady on her first day of fly fishing ended up landing four rainbows all over 20". I can't even remember the last time that one person in my boat landed that many big fish. I guess there is something to that beginner luck thing.

For anyone interested I will take a $100 off any trip done on the Feather or Lower Sac on March 22, 24, 31 or April 1. Contact me asap if you want to reserve one of those or any other days.

Fish Hard!

Yuba Clarity

2009-03-08T11:34:00.000-07:00

Here is a quick report on the clarity of the Yuba. I fished the Yuba on Saturday and there was about one foot of clarity. The water was definitely brown. It was not even close to green. The odd thing was the edges of the river were clearer than the middle. On the edges there was about a foot and a half of visibility. There were definitely some bugs coming off though with a handful of PMDs, March Browns, and even a few Skwalas. Needless to say with the tough water clarity the fishing wasn't good. In total we got three rainbows. I guess three is better than none. At least there was no skunk left in the boat. As deer creek gets lower the clarity on the Yuba should start improving. I would expect the Yuba to be in prime shape by Tuesday or Wednesday.

Hopefully someone can add some input on the clarity today. I will be back out there tomorrow.

For anyone interested in booking March 16 or 22 for the Yuba, Lower Sac, or Feather I will take $100 off.

Tight Lines!

Water Clarity Report

2009-02-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

Amidst all of the rain we have had in the last couple of weeks I am sure you all are wondering about clarity on the local rivers. I guided the Yuba on Friday and was only expecting about 3-4 feet of visibility with deer creek flowing around 100cfs. When I showed up at the river it was like last weeks storm never even happened. The Yuba was extremely clear and there was about 6 feet of visibility. With all of the rain I am sure that deer creek has to be pumping quite a bit of color into the water but it probably is fishable. Friday the fishing was good but not excellent. We hooked 17 rainbows and landed 10 of them. The hot flies were rubberlegs, copper johns, and small olive caddis patterns. The morning was pretty slow with hardly any bugs on the water. We hooked the majority of our fish after 1PM. The cool thing is that we landed two big yuba rainbows with one going 23" and the other 21". Those big fish really pull on that river.

The clarity on the Lower Sac on Saturday was about 4 feet up in Posse Grounds. The fishing was good and we boated 30+ rainbows on a variety of nymphs from rubberlegs, red copper johns, red headed step child, and flashback pt's. Sunday the story was a whole lot different on the upper drift between Posse and Bonnyview. The water clarity this morning was about 3 feet above Sundial Bridge but only about 1 foot at the 44 bridge. Needless to say the fishing above sundial was awesome. We landed 8 fish from the boat launch to the bridge but after that only 3 more fish were hooked. I ended up rowing off because the water was brown brown! It could have been an epic day if we would have kept the 3 feet of clarity. Oh well. We all know that the rain is much needed. The clarity on the Lower Sac should be back to fishable by the middle of the week.

For anyone interested in fishing I will take $100 off anyone wanting to get guided on the Lower Sac or Yuba on March 1, 2, 4, or 6. A great price for some late winter fishing.

Fish Hard even in the Rain!

Lower Sac Spring Caddis Hatch Around the Corner

2009-02-08T15:59:00.000-08:00

With all of the warm weather the north state is getting those fish on the Lower Sac are starting to look for caddis. I was on the river three times last week and each trip the hot fly of the day was some caddis variation. So this means that the caddis hatch is getting close. Each time on the river I would see a handful of caddis fluttering about but not anything a fly fisherman would call a hatch. All I can say is that you want to be on the Lower Sac when that hatch comes off. Last year it was arguably some of the best fishing during the entire year. When the fish start gorging themselves on caddis the fishing can get pretty silly on the river. Currently things are just getting going. Currently we are boating 25+ rainbows on the middle drifts of the river. But when that caddis hatch starts those numbers are going to go way up. The spring caddis hatch should last for about 3-4 weeks. So make sure you plan accordingly to get some time on the water.

The last couple of weeks on the middle part of the river, between Anderson and Jellys Ferry, we have been hooking a stray steelhead about every other day. Actually one of my clients had a treat last week when he hooked two adult steelies in the same day. This doesn't happen very often on the Sac. Especially in the middle of winter. But it looks like it is going to set up like last spring where we hook steelhead all the way through May. It is exciting when you have a chance of hooking a random steelie in the midst of a massive caddis hatch.

Contact me ASAP if you want prime dates for the Sac or the Yuba.

Fish Hard!

Lower Sac Report 1/24 & 1/25

2009-01-26T10:19:00.000-08:00

I had a couple of great days on the Lower Sac this weekend. On Saturday I was lucky enough to get out there with my dad and Bonnie (wife) for a half day. We floated from Posse Grounds down to Bonnyview. We did this float in about 4 hours time and the fishing was consistent all the way down the float. I didn't work to hard trying to backrow stuff. We managed to land a dozen fish on eggs and small mayfly nymphs. The quality of the fish was awesome. Almost all of the fish we landed were between 16-19''. It is a special thing when you can row for your wife and dad. I still love watching how excited Bonnie gets when she hooks a fish. It is awesome fishing with her because she knows what she is doing and most of the time out fishes the other person in the boat. As she did again with my dad. It must be that womans touch. I guess I taght her enough of the right fly fishing technique.

Sunday I guided the Lower Sac and we floated from Posse Grounds down to Sac RV. The fishing was really good. We hooked 40+ rainbows on this drift. This has been one of my better winter days out on the Sac so far this year. We landed four fish that went 19'' and we got several others that were all 18''. I think that we might have hooked a steelhead above Sac RV because whatever we hooked took about 25 yards of backing off my clients reel in about 10 seconds. We never saw the fish because he ended up wrapping us around something on the bottom of the river. Bummer. Steelhead on that drift are pretty rare! Another Lower Sac steelhead that gets the better of us!

For anyone interested I will take $100 off if you want to book a trip for the Lower Sac or the Yuba on January 27, 28, 29, or February 1. Both of these fisheries are doing well so take advantage of this last minute discount.

Tight Lines!

Another Day on the Yuba

2009-01-17T11:12:00.001-08:00

The Skwalas have started coming off. I saw a little more than a dozen of them yesterday. Didn't see tons of fish eating them on the surface but there were a couple toilet flush grabs in a couple of the riffles. There is no doubt when a fish takes a stone fly on the surface.

I had one client with me yesterday and it was a pretty average day on the Yuba. We hooked a dozen fish and landed seven of them. Almost every fish ate a stone pattern. No surprise with the amount of skwalas around. Those rainbows yesterday were slamming our bugs. There was nothing subtle about the takes. The indicator was slamming under the water when a fish took. I tried all kinds of small bugs and got a couple fish on small mayfly patterns but it seems to me like they were focused on the stones. Yesterday you could call those Yuba rainbows stoners!

Lots of fish in the 15-17" range. With one nice rainbow right at the 20" mark. Those rainbows still blow me away on how well they fight. Its like a miniature steelie at the end of your line.

I have a few days open through Jan 21. So if anyone wants to do a trip in that time frame I will take off $100. Contact me asap if you want to go.

Fish Hard!

One of those Special Yuba days

2009-01-13T10:49:00.000-08:00

I guided the Yuba last Wednesday and the fishing was great. It was one of those days were it seems like everything was going right. To be honest I think we got a little lucky with the weather. With a little patience and quite a bit of bug changing we were able to pull a fish in about every dependable spot. In total my clients hooked 24 rainbows and landed 19 of them. We were lucky enough to get two fish on baetis dries. Most of the fish we caught came on stones, eggs, and small mayfly nymphs. The hot bugs were Hogans S&M, small FB Pheasant tails, Rubberlegs, and orange egg patterns.

What was crazy is that we hooked and landed a 25'' rainbow about a mile or so above Sycamore. When I netted the fish I thought that it was around 21'' because of the size of the rainbow. I put it up to the tape to get an accurate measurement and it stretched all the way to the 25'' mark. The rainbow probably only weighed three pounds when it should have gone 5 or 6 lbs. The fish was really snaky looking. It was an awesome fish but to be honest a little disappointing.

For anyone who wants to fish the Yuba or the Lower Sac this week I will take $100 off any trip booked

Fish Hard!

Yuba River on 12/30/08 & Holiday Special

2008-12-31T11:19:00.000-08:00

I got the chance to go fish the Yuba with one of my good buddies on Tuesday. It was great to get back out on the water after all of the Christmas madness. The weather and the river were both nice and clear. We floated from the Highway 20 bridge down to the rod and gun club access a couple of mile past the Sycamore campground. The fishing was about average on the Yuba for a single rod fishing out of the boat. We managed to hook thirteen fish and land 8 of them. We probably would have gotten a handful more if we had some more flies in the water with a second rod. The bugs that were the most productive were a Red Copper John (16), Hogans S&M (16), and Flashback PT (16). I tried eggs throughout the day but I think that the clear day and high sun really killed the egg bite. If you get out there under some dark rainy conditions then make sure to try throwing your favorite egg patterns.

In the warmest part of the day there were some bugs coming off. There was a decent baetis hatch and a handful of PMD's coming off. The baetis were about a size 18 and the PMD's a 16. I was surprised by the PMD's since it is in the middle of winter. Needeless to say there were a handful of fish feeding on them. We were able to rise one rainbow on a dry. However we just pricked him.

For those of you interested in a holiday special. If you book two trips between January 1 & March 15 then I will give you a third trip free during the same time period. This is a cool deal because it will give you the opportunity to fish the second egg bite on the Lower Sac in January, the Skwala Hatch on the Yuba in February, and then finally the caddis hatch on the Lower Sac in March. Three trips for the price of two. Get together with a buddy each pay for a trip then the two of you get a thid trip to hang out.

Hope you all have a safe and wonderful New Year.

Tight Lines!

Putah Creek and Lower Sac

2008-11-25T11:25:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to guide both Putah Creek and the Lower Sac twice this week. All I can say is that Putah Creek is starting to fish really tough. Putah is flowing between 40-50 cfs and it is hard to find water that has enough depth and current to hold lots of fish. It seems as though you can find a random fish here and there but not multiple fish in single spots. Most days it seems as though a guys can hook between 4-6 rainbows in about 5 hours of fishing. You really have to put your time in and focus on the deeper slots. It has been cool to hook some larger fish on the creek. This week clients of mine hooked two different fish that were between 20-24''. The hot bugs have been black/red zebra midges (18), biot baetis (18), Hogans S&M (18), flashback pheasant tails (20).

The Lower Sac continues to fish well below Red Bluff. The trout fishing has been consistent with about 20 rainbows being boated on a daily basis. We are seeing some big steelhead continuing to move through the system. The Lower Sac steelhead are some of the most pissed off big fish in all of Northern California. I wish all steelhead acted like those on the Sac. The hot bugs on the Lower Sac have been Rubberlegs, Red Copper Johns, Tan Birds Nest, and Hogans S&M.

If you are interested I will take $100 off anyone who is interested in booking Sunday, November 30 for a day on the Lower Sac or Feather River.

Tight Lines!

The Last Two Weeks of Valley River Steelhead Fishing

2008-11-18T17:30:00.000-08:00

The last two weeks I have had some tough steelhead fishing on the Feather River. There are not lots of fish in the system. Most days with clients in the last two weeks has resulted in hooking 1-2 adult fish with another 4-5 half pounders on top of that. I did have one really good day during the first week of November where my clients hooked 14 steelies. However only two of those fish hooked were considered adult sized fish (22''+). The most productive flies have been eggs, san juan worms, and any small baetis nymphs. Usually caddis patterns are effective on the Feather but I have not been seeing many of them on the water. I would try some caddis stuff only after you have fished a slot effectively with all of the other bugs mentioned.

What I started doing my last three days on the water was switch my clients over to the Lower Sac to do some trout and steelhead fishing. My thinking is we can get 1-2 adult steelhead on the Lower Sac but at the same time catch an additional 15-20 rainbows. It is a no brainer because you are hooking the same number of adults as the Feather with more action on the trout. This last week one of my clients hooked an absolute monster steelhead below Red Bluff. This fish was easily 30''+. We fought the big hen for a solid 5 minutes before she found a stray log on the bottom of the river. When we lost this fish I was seriously depressed for a solid two hours. Not to often do you get shots at fish this size on the Lower Sac. Another missed opportunity.

So what is the outlook for the Feather and Lower Sac Steelhead fishing? I think the Feather needs a serious dosage of water to get those fish to move in large groups. It seems as though the fish that the Feather is getting are trickling in as solos or pairs of fish. I think that the fishing will start improving whenever the first big storms come in. So there is quite a possibility that the Feather might start fishing really well in December. Or the river might be having a small run of fish? Who knows!

I think that the Lower Sac steelhead fishing is going to improve over the next couple of weeks. The majority of the fish we are getting are big wild fish. With the river having relatively lower flows (5,000 cfs) it is going to be easier to get to these fish. It seems as though the steelhead are on the move and are staging up in the deeper runs. With all of the other steelhead fisheries struggling the Lower Sac is a viable option right now. As long as the lower sections of the river don't blow out they should get better and better later in the year.

For those of you interested I will take off $100 to anyone who wants to book this Saturday, November 22 for a day of guided steelhead/trout fishing on the Lower Sac.

Hope everybody has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Fish Hard!

Three Rivers in a Week

2008-11-01T20:36:00.000-07:00

It has been a whirlwind of a week. I have been guiding all over the state from Putah Creek, Lower Sac, and Feather Rivers. It has been a challenge to get in the groove for each of the rivers. Here is a little piece on all of the rivers.

The Lower Sac is near the end of its egg bite. I fished in the upper part of the river twice this week from the Posse Grounds down to Anderson. Eggs are still catching the majority of the fish with a handful of nymphs starting to work. Nymphs that have proved effective are red copper johns, gidgets, and micromays. Most days are seeing between 20-30 fish being boated. For those of you planning on a trip up there you should try to go in the next week because the egg bite is going to stall out here for about a month. Those fish have seen and eaten a lot of egg patterns in the last month so they are starting to get a little picky on egg patterns. For those of you that cant make it up in the next week dont worry because the second egg bite will start back up between the middle of December through the end of January.

Putah Creek has seem some major flow fluctuations in the last week. The creek has been as high as 200cfs and as low as 40 cfs this week. You gotta love it when the state messes with flows that much. So before you go out there make sure to check the flows out. The fishing was a little difficult this week. My client hooked 6 fish in a full day of fishing. The hardest part about fishing the creek at low flows is finding water that has depth and current. So find some depth and current and from there you should find a handful of fish. Make sure to throw small midge and mayfly patterns between sizes 18-20 in the fall and winter. Most of the fish we got this week fell to a zebra midge.

I was excited to finally get on the Feather because I love to steelhead fish. I was out there this last Friday and all that I can tell you is that there is not many fish in the system. There are some fresh salmon that are starting to bed up. So when the fish move in there should be just enough salmon to keep them interested in eggs. I think that the Feather is going to fish better this year during the later part of November. The clients that I had out there the other day only hooked 2 halfpounders and 1 adult. We got lucky to land the adult and in went a HUGE 27.5'' BUCK. For those of you that dont fish the Feather that is a monster fish for the river. This buck that my client landed was bigger than any fish that I landed on this river all of last year. Get excited because the Feather is going to blow up in the next two weeks.

Steelhead Fishing is just around the Corner!

Fish Hard!

Lower Sac Egg Bite in Full Swing

2008-10-14T13:08:00.000-07:00

The Lower Sac has hit its October peak. In my opinion this is hands down one of the best times of year to be on the Lower Sac. The rainbows are ready for their steady dose of egg nutrition and we are there waiting for them with egg patterns. Fishing is pretty amazing because when you find some salmon you find the rainbows right behind them. The whole key to fishing the river this time of year are to find those salmon redds. When you are out on the river just watch the other guides and they will get you keyed in to the spawning beds. This is not to say that you wont catch fish in your typical riffle and run kind of water, but you have a much higher probability of catching multiple fish in the redds. When I drift the river this time of year there is a lot of flat water that I row over trying to get to the next redd. Water that holds fish in the spring and the summer doesn't necessarily hold fish now.

The majority of the last week 95% of the fish that I have caught have come using egg patterns. The colors that seem to be more productive are peach and orange. These are generally the two go to colors during the October egg bite. To be honest the fishing has been pretty awesome. You know when a guide gets excited about the fishing then it must be good. Most days during this last week we were hooking 40+ rainbows between the Posse Grounds and Anderson.

The outlook for the river is good for the next couple of weeks and the egg bite should remain through the end of the month. If the river gets another push of salmon then it could remain longer than that but don't get your hopes up. For sure you have a two week window to get in some great egg fishing on the Lower Sac.

Love Those Salmon!

L:ower Sac Report 9/25-9/30

2008-09-30T11:40:00.000-07:00

The Lower Sac egg bite is about a week from blowing up. There is a nice push of salmon rolling around on the lower sections of the river. So all of these fish will be cutting redds in the next couple of weeks. It looks like there will be about a two week period where the Sac will go off and you are going to want and make sure you're in the game. This is one of the coolest times of year on the Sac.

The last five days on the river have been a little unusual on the river. It seems as though you get two goods days of fishing and then there is a big drop off on the third day. The majority of last week I fished the lower river from Balls Ferry down to Bend Bridge. The cool thing is that I have hooked a steelhead each day that I have been on the river. The bad thing is that we are 0 for 5 on our land ratio for these big fish. Oh...the joys of steelhead fishing! Most of the steelies we have hooked have been between 23-26''. Its addicting watching a big fish fly three feet out of the air when it is hooked.

The trout fishing has been decent on rubber legs, birds nest, and amber wing princes. It seems as though one day all they want is the birds nest and then the next the amber wing. At this point on the lower drifts the rubberleg should never come off. Its catching lots of fish and its a great steelie fly.

Starting next week I will be bouncing back and forth between the Posse Grounds trying to get in on the egg bite and the lower drifts looking for steelhead. If you are interested I have a couple openings for October if you want to try out the Lower Sac in the middle of its glory.

Tight Lines!

The Lower Sac 9/19 - 9/20

2008-09-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

I had the chance to guide the Lower Sac two days this last weekend. After throwing dries on the South Fork of the Snake all summer it was pretty tough going back to watching indicators on the Sac. Throughout the day I found myself thinking if this was Idaho there would be cuttys rising all over this riffle. I guess I will have to wait until next summer to get back out there. Those fish eating PMDs in the riffles during the afternoons are still haunting my thoughts.

The news on the Lower Sac is that it is fishing a little tough. Friday we decided to float from Anderson down to Balls Ferry. While Saturday we did the Bonnyview to Anderson drift. Both days it seemed like the afternoon bite was better than the morning. To be frankly honest the morning was just bad. There were spots in the morning that are always dependable for a couple of fish but as we floated through them the indicator didn't even move. Needless to say the mornings were a lot of indicator watching. Both days we ended up in the mid teens with boated fish but as most of you know those are slow days on the Sac. I think the reason that the fishing was hard was due to the lack of bugs on the water. There was absolutely zilch of a hatch the two days I was on the water. The only thing that I could get them to eat on somewhat of a regular basis was a size 6 rubberlegs.

One cool thing that did happen in those two days of guiding was that I was able to take my father-in-law fly fishing for his second time. This was his first true day since the first time only lasted about an hour. My father-in-law did great for his first time nymphing. He figure out the Lower Sac Lob and set the hook every time that indicator started moving. It took a couple of fish to figure out how to fight them properly with things like rod tip up, let the fish run, strip as the fish comes to you, etc, etc. For his first time he landed 7 and hooked 10. Those are good percentages even for dedicated anglers. All in all the two of us had a great time out there and I think it was a bonding experience for both of us.

So what is the outlook for the Lower Sac? At this point we are waiting for the Salmon. Hopefully a decent number of them will show up this fall. Since they are not projecting as many salmon as last year then the egg bite is probably going to be really short. The gang busters egg bite fishing will probably only last for about 10 days when that first major wave of fish start spawning. The good news is that we are seeing salmon rolling around on the lower drifts. So they are a couple weeks away from dropping eggs.

For those of you interested I still have a couple of prime weekend days open for the Lower Sac egg bite. As of today I am still available Oct. 5, Oct.19, Nov.1, and Nov.2. There is also several weekdays open in October if you are looking for a last minute booking.

Tight Lines!

San Diego Saltwater Fly Fishing

2008-09-16T10:34:00.000-07:00

Over the last three weeks I have had the opportunity to go down to San Diego twice to do some fly fishing with guide Peter Piconi. In total I was able to get three days of fishing in. Im sure some of you guys have heard of Peter. He is one of the go to saltwater guides down in Southern California and has published several articles in California Fly Fisher. Needless to say Peter is a stud on the water! I have been fishing with him for about 5 years now and every time we get into fish. The majority of the fishing I have done with him has been done in San Diego Bay. So this year I wanted a chance to fish the local kelp beds and blue water just a couple of miles off La Jolla.

The first day we went out was epic! The seas were flat and the wind calm. In the morning we set up just outside of the kelp beds and wailed on calico bass during the first two hours of light. Calico bass put up quite a fight on a 7 weight. Especially when you are trying to keep their heads up out of the kelp. Around 10AM we saw some birds starting to work just a couple miles out of the kelp so we ran out there to see what life was swimming around. We were pleasantly surprised by schools of large mackerel that were more than willing to eat your fly. For about an hour two of us must have landed over 30 fish. You didn't want to even stop and take a picture because there were so many fish busting around the boat. I know most of you think that the mackerel is a bait fish, but when this fish schools you on a 7 weight you get a different perspective. It was a great first day.

The second day proved to be a little more difficult. We went out in the blue water searching for a little bigger game. The wind was still calm but overnight about a three foot swell moved in making standing in a 20 foot boat a little tricky. We were able to find a couple of kelp paddies that had dorado swimming underneath. I was lucky enough to get two small dorado around 8-10 lbs in the first hours. Playing these fish on an 8 weight was awesome. After the two dorado we never even hooked another fish. Throughout the remainder of the day we had a couple of yellowfin chase our flies right to the boat but they were not willing to play. Overall a little tough but I guess that depends on your perspective. Dorado on the fly is still cool!!

The third day we went back to the kelp beds to find a couple of smaller bonita, lots of calicos, and more mackerel. The third day was different than the first in that we slide way up into the kelp. So every cast you made had to be accurate so not to hook the kelp and break off flies. If you could find a lane between the kelp there were plenty of hungry calicos. Once you hooked one you had to put the wood to them so that they didn't get you hung up. Thank goodness for 20lb floro. In the afternoon I had one chance at a school of barracuda but they did not commit to the fly. The whole school followed the fly all the way to the boat. Dont you hate it when they do that!

In all it was a great couple of days on the water. I highly recommend any of to go and check out this fishery.

FISH HARD!

Donner Hat Creek Ranch Report 9/8/08

2008-09-11T13:19:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to go and wail on some big fish this last Monday. A friend of mine won a couple of free day passes to the Donner Hat Creek Ranch. The ranch has a half mile of private access on Hat Creek and two private ponds. To be honest I was more excited about the stocked ponds and they did not disappoint. We arrived at the Ranch around 10AM to find out that we were the only guys fishing the property that day. What is crazy is that the first cast around 10:15 resulted in a fat 21'' bow. In about six hours of fishing I landed a little over 20 trout. But what is crazy about it is that a dozen of those fish were between 20-24 inches. Even though those fish were stocked it was still a blast. I got my big fish fill in before the busy guide season starts. All of the fish were caught stripping crystal buggers on a floating line. Even with the successful day those fish were not nearly as dumb as I thought they were going to be. It took a little bit of skill and the ability to make long casts so not to spook them. For anyone looking for a fun day of pulling on a bunch of chunky trout this is a cool place.

With the guide season around the corner I still have a handful of prime weekend days left for the Lower Sac and Feather. Two weekend days that I am open for the egg bite on the Lower Sac are October 5 & 19. To get in on some great steelhead action on the Feather I am available November 1, 2, & 9. I hope you all get some fishing in this fall!

Fish Hard!

The South Fork of the Snake 8/1 - 8/10

2008-08-10T08:31:00.000-07:00

Well the name of the game on the South Fork of the Snake the last week has been to fish the upper, the upper, and then the upper some more. Needless to say the upper river from Palisades Dam down to Conant has been really good for the last 10 days. It is pretty funny because the upper is probably my least favorite section on the entire river. But as we all know you gotta do whatever it takes to catch some fish. Most days we have been boating between 30-40 trout. This week we started to see some big fish moving around. Throughout the week I had clients catch a 21'' brown, 20'' brown, 20'' cuttbow, and lots of fish between 18''-19''. It is nice to have those big boys moving because I went through a 20'' fish draught for over a week in the end of July. The hot bugs the last week have been a small Chubby Chernobyl, Eldens Ant, Pink PMD, Pink PMD Cripple, and the Lightning Bug.

The other sections of the river have had there moments in the last 10 days but there has not been any consistency. One day you can go down in the lower sections and have a great day and then the next be scratching your head at where all of the fish went. Since there has been a little inconsistency I have really tried to stay up where the fishing is the best. I will go for consisentency every time over a gamble.

I only have one week left before I get out of Idaho for the summer. I want to thank all of you out in Idaho for another great season. Hopefully I will see you guys next year. For those of you interested in doing some fishing this fall on the Lower Sac, Yuba, and Feather start figuring out your schedules because my days are filling up. Give me a call if you are interested in doing some fishing.

Fish Hard!

South Fork of the Snake 7/10 - 7/26

2008-07-26T18:54:00.000-07:00

The South Fork of the Snake is continuing to fish well through the later part of July. Over the last several weeks the better fishing has been up in the upper parts of the river. Most of the good big bug fishing has been from Palisades Dam down to Cottonwood. On bright sunny days the fish are starting to wise up to some of the big bugs. With the high sun the fish are a little shy and not quite as willing to take a taste. If you can get lucky and get some cloudy weather the dry fly fishing has been insane. I had a couple of 60 fish days this week under dark light conditions. It is pretty crazy how the darker light gets those fish active. The hot bugs lately have been a small chubby chernobyl, eldens ant, lighting bug, pink pmds, and pheasant tails.

The riffle fishing between noon and 5PM has been really good. The canyon is the place to go if you are looking for some red hot PMD fishing. The name of the game is to throw some adult PMD with an emerger behind it. It seems like on the South Fork 8 out of 10 fish eat the emerger before the adult. Throwing the adult helps you to locate your emerger. Even though the riffles have been loaded with fish most of them are between 12''- 18''. But when you are hitting between 5 - 10 fish per riffle then who is complaining. Make sure you don't pass up the foam holes because you can pound fish during the PMD hatch on lighting bugs. Last week there was one foam hole on the upper drift that produced 20 fat healthy trout. It was plain silly. We actually left because the clients were getting bored of not being challenged.

This is turning out to be another great summer. The outlook for the next couple of weeks is that the second hatch of goldens should be just around the corner. The second hatch of goldens are immature and cant fly so make sure to put a little wiggle on that bug. There have already been a handful of bugs seen down between Byington and Lorenzo. The madness will start all over again when those goldens decide to come off in full force. Other news is that I heard 3 hoppers in the canyon this week. So if we get a couple really warm weeks then that should also help to light things up.

For those of you who are looking to do some fishing in California this fall it is time to start booking as my calendar is filling up. It is gonna be tough going back to staring at indicators on the Lower Sac. But then again who can complain when you are wacking some fish. I'm getting amped up for some early steelhead action. Make sure all of you get some dry fly action in during the next couple of months.

Tight Lines!

South Fork of the Snake 6/28-7/8

2008-07-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

The bugs are here. The last week the dry fly fishing has been insane on the lower sections of the South Fork. We are putting up some huge numbers with size 6 & 8 dry flies between Cottonwood and Lorenzo. I had a solo client the middle of last week that boated over 40 fish all on dries. Since the water has stayed cold for so long there is a multitude of bugs coming off. Everyday we are seeing Salmon flies, PMDs, and Green Drakes. What is cool is that you can pound the banks with big Salmon fly patterns and then slide up into the riffles and throw mayflies to sipping fish. There are lots of fish in this river and it seems like you cant go wrong right now. The mornings are still a little slow but as that water warms up both the bugs and the fish get really active. The only part that is a little confusing is that we aren't finding lots of big fish coming up on the Salmon Flies. It seems like we are getting a lot of fish between 12''- 16''. Most of the big fish that we have been seeing have been in the 18'' range. But for this river that is nothing to brag about. The bugs that have proved most successful are Eldens Ant, Chubby Chernobyl, Green Drake emergers, and PMD emergers.

What is awesome about this whole big bug hatch is that the Salmon Fly Hatch is not the best hatch on the river. When you really want to be here is when the Golden Stones start to come off. The Golden hatch is hands down the best hatch on the South Fork. For those of you heading out this way get excited because it is about a week away! Put some cloudy weather with a Golden Hatch and you just might have the most epic dry fly day of your LIFE.

Here are a couple of crazy stories for those of you who like to hear about some of my client stories from on the water. The first is something I have never experienced since I have started fly fishing. I had a client have two seperate fish blow up on her double dry fly rig. We were setting up on this riffle and when she laid her bugs down by this log two seperate fish flew out of the air trying to kill those things. The funny part is that she missed both of them. That is one of the coolest dry fly shots that I have ever seen.

The other story I have since my last post is a couple who are in their early 70's did over 80 guided trips last year on different watersheds throughout the world. When I guided them the first part of July they had already done over 40 guided days in 2008. Now that is a family that has their priorities straight. Can you imagine spending that much time on the water with someone you love and a guide. I think I have found my dream life. So this means about every 5 days of the year they are getting guided. Wow! Where do I sign up for this program?

Until Next Time.

Tight Lines!

South Fork 6/17-6/27

2008-06-27T20:07:00.000-07:00

Well I thought that the big bugs would be out by now. We are all still waiting. At this point it looks like all of the bugs might just have one big party and come out together. It might get a little confusing on what to cast if you have Salmonflies, Goldens, Green Drakes, and PMD's all coming off at the same time. But I guess this is a good problem to have. I did see two Salmonflies a couple of days ago but have yet to see another one. The good thing is that the fish are starting to look up for their next meal. Some of the other guides at the Lodge have been getting limited success on dries throughout the day. However the ticket is still to put an indicator on and do some nymphing. The fish in the lower river are really looking for big rubberlegs and worms. We havent seen a lot of big fish lately just a whole mess of browns in the 15''- 17'' range. I guess you could say it has been the attack of the preteen brown.

One cool thing that happened to me this week was I had a solo client catch a fish using an indicator, streamer, and a dry. I have never had a client pull a trifecta like that. We started off the day throwing a 4 inch streamer and proceeded to catch 5nice browns. Then in the middle of the day we switched to an indicator and caught about 10 more browns. Then we ended the day with 5 dry eats on an Eldens Ant. It is pretty cool to have a client skilled enough to throw all three methods of river trout fishing.

The other moment I will probably never forget is when I took my father-in-law and wife out in the canyon. This was my father-in-law's first time ever fly fishing. He was a serious prodigy and only got in one tangle the entire day. He ended up outfishing his daughter with 9 nice fish to the net. Hey I even got to catch one on a dry. This is the first fish I have caughten on a dry in a long time. It was nice to throw something that didn't have a piece of split shot on it. Overall it was a great experience. The best part was when the father-in-law got on the oars and started rowing for the two of us. You gotta love putting the in-laws to work.

Fish Hard!

The South Fork 6/14 - 6/16

2008-06-16T20:10:00.000-07:00

Still waiting on the Salmon Flies!

My first three days of guiding are done out here in Swan Valley, Idaho. The water temperatures are still very cold from snow melt. The temperatures in the upper river are about 49 degrees and the lower river is measuring in around 52 degrees. The water needs to get around 55 degrees before we start seeing those big bugs fluttering around. I have tomorrow off and then I am back on for another eight in a row. This is going to be a great summer of guiding.

The last three days we have been stuck stairing at the indicator. But this time nymphing paid off pretty huge. I had the pleasure of rowing Dave and Kim from Seattle, Washington. On the second day Kim hooked a big fish that just stayed on the bottom of the river for a good 5 minutes. She fought this fish for about 300 yards down two different runs. Kim ended up landing a 24'' Brown! This is the largest fish that she had ever caught and the second largest I have ever had a client land. All three of us were fired up. This was a pretty cool moment.

Most of the fish that we have been catching have been coming on rubberlegs, golden stones, san juans, and copper bobs. I think I have about another week of of nymphing with clients. I am just itching to start throwing some dries. I guess it will be here sooner or later.

Tight Lines!

Early Idaho Report 6/4-6/10

2008-06-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

Well for those of you planning a trip to eastern Idaho and western Wyoming you might want to postpone your trip a few weeks. They have gotten tons of snow this way and the majority of the rivers look like chocolate milk. You can find some decent water clarity if you fish some of the tailwaters, but all of the freestones are unfishable. According to some of the locals this is the most snow they have seen in over twenty years. The weather forecast is projecting more snow this evening and through tomorrow. With all of the rain and snow it is going to be a late summer for fishing. People should expect great fishing in the rockies all the way through September. There shouldn't be any river closures this year due to low warm water.

With all off the freestone rivers being unfishable I have got one day in fishing the Blackfoot and then another fishing the South Fork of the Snake. The Blackfoot in Idaho is a little gem that not to many people know about. The Blackfoot is a tributary to the Snake River. The river doesn't boast a huge population of fish but the cutts and rainbows in there grow to large unhealthy proportions. For some reason they are short and fatt. The two times that I have fished the river it has resulted in some chubby specimans that are strong and full of fight. Well last week the fishing was pretty tuff with only about two feet of clarity. A fellow guide friend and I spent the whole day throwing streamers and we only managed to hook 7 fish. But 4 of the fish hooked were all 18''-20''. The great side about it was that I was able to get some fishing in before my busy season starts here this next weekend.

Monday I went and checked out the South Fork of the Snake. It was good to get back on this river after guiding it all last summer. For those of you who have not been here it is a must see for any fly fisherman. The bugs on the South Fork traditionally come off near the end of June so for the next couple of weeks we will be stairing at indicators in the riffles and throwing streamers on the banks. The fishing was good the other day with about 30 fish landed between two of us in about 5 hours of fishing. We decided to float from Palisades Dam down to the Lodge at Palisades Creek. The streamer bite looks like it is just getting started and the fishing with eggs and San Juans was pretty silly. The big fish of the day was a 21'' cutty that had the biggest shoulders I have ever seen on a cutthroat. It was probably a 5lb fish. At first I thought that I hooked a decent brown because it just stayed on the bottom and bull dogged me for about 5 minutes. To be honest I was thoroughly impressed that it didnt do its normal cutthroat roll and give up routine.

Just for some additional information. I have heard that the Henrys Fork is fishing. It should be any day now before those Salmon Flies come off on Henrys. That means we are about 2-3 weeks from having them come off on the South Fork. Get exicted because those big bugs will drive the most seasoned fly anglers crazy. I guess you could say that it is a hatch of a lifetime.

I hope this helps for those of you coming out this way in the next couple of weeks. I will be guiding out here through August and then I will be coming back to California for all of the famous egg bites. I guess you could call that California's hatch of a lifetime.

Fish Hard!

Lower Sac and Yuba Report 5/2-5/11

2008-05-11T21:21:00.000-07:00

Check out this Yuba River FATTY!

Well it has been a while since my last post. Things up here in Chico have been crazy hectic trying to balance the responsibilities of being a guide and part time graduate student. Only a couple more weeks before the school will be out of the picture until next fall. That will be a nice break. The last week and a half I have been bouncing back and forth between the Lower Sac and the Yuba. It is pretty wild how different these two rivers are and you really have to change your style when fishing each one.

The Lower Sac has been fishing average with most days seeing 30+ rainbows being boated. I have really turned my focus onto the lower river from Balls Ferry down to the Bend Bridge. This time of year the lower river really starts to fish well. The key to the game has been mainly stones with the hot patterns being rubberlegs, golden stones, iron sallies, and twenty inchers. On average the fish in the lower river are smaller than those up by Bonnyview. However, if you are on the water enough, there are still a small chance at hooking some big late steelhead. So dont be surprised when your indicator goes under and you set up on a 24-26'' fish.

The Lower Yuba has been fishing decently as the summer caddis are starting to crawl around. This last week has seen some great caddis hatches with a handful of PMD's in the mix. The key has been to fish the river really early or late. It seems that the cooler times of the day are when the fish are feeding heavily. The morning bite is solid until about 1PM. Then from 1PM - 5PM things get a little tight and you really have to start working for them. My advice is keep changing bugs until you find something that they are willing to eat. I know on Friday my clients hooked 20 fish on 8 differnt flies throughout the day. I could get the fish to eat one bug for about and hour and then an hour later they wouldn't touch it. Just teach yourself to be methodical and you should find them. We all know that the fish are in there and it is just a matter of making them eat. You gotta love and hate the Yuba.

This week I need to commend two younger kids that I took out. Matt, who is 15 and lives in Conneticut, is hands down the best 15 year old fly fisherman I have ever seen. I sware this kid is serious prodigy level. One thing I can tell you is that he is more skilled at nymphing than probably 80% of my clientel. When he gets to be in his young twenties the fish better watch out because Matt is going to have some serious game. The other kid I took out was Kent, a 13 year old, from Sacramento. Kent had never nymphed fished in his life and he had the skill down within thirty minutes. I fished Kent and his dad on the Lower Sac on Sunday and Kent only had one tangle the entire day. If Kent would spend a little more time to enjoy fly fishing he would be a complete natural. From my perspective it is awesome to see all of these young men coming out with their fathers to enjoy a day of fly fishing. These young men are the next generation of fly fishermen and in their own time they are going to teach us a thing or two.

To keep all of you informed I will be leaving once again the first part of June to go guide in Idaho for the summer. I am looking forward to another summer of throwing dries on the South Fork of the Snake. It is going to be a nice change of pace after watching indicators day after day. I will try to throw up some reports on the blog to let you all know how it is going.

Fish Hard!

Lower Sac and Feather Report 4/24 - 4/28

2008-04-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

I found myself on the Lower Sac four out of the last five days with the fifth day taking place on the Feather.

The Lower Sac is still fishing well fish with most days seeing about 25-30 rainbows being boated. I have been concentrating my efforts between Bonnyview and Barge Hole. It wont be long now until the lower river starts to fish really well. Typically as the first signs of summer start to show up it is then time to start fishing from the Balls Ferry bridge down to Bend Bridge. The Sac has been getting some decent PMD hatches happening in the middle of the day and there are a handful of golden stones flying around in some of the riffles. When you are out there you will see the occasional caddis buzzing around but still not a lot of them. It wont be long until the summer caddis hatches start. The hot ticket in the upper river has been rubberlegs, pmd nymphs, prince nymphs, and pheasant tails. One great thing about the Sac is how consistent the bugs are. Not to often is there a hot new pattern that just smacks them. Lately it seems the feeding patterns have been extremely sporadic. You will catch a handful of fish on one fly at a specific time and then the fish stop eating it. Once you start messing around with your flies and changing bugs out then you find one that they start eating again. I guess that is what you have to love about fly fishing. It is a never ending puzzle where you have to find the right piece that fits.

Got the opportunity to fish the Feather on Sunday and the fishing was pretty good. We focused all of our efforts in the Low Flow section from the Hatchery down to the afterbay. In about 5 hours of fishing a couple guys hooked 8 steelhead. What was a nice surprise was that 4 of the fish were smaller adults in the 22-24'' range. These spring fish are a lot of fun to catch. They are super hot and pissed off when you hook them. The key was to throw small mayfly patterns in the morning and then the afternoon switch to caddis stuff. If you can get away with a bigger hook then this will increase your chances at landing these spring steelhead in the faster water. Good luck with that one as it is common to drop a lot of fish this time of year.

One cool story that I had from this weekend is that I got the chance to row two younger kids down the Lower Sac. Sean was 12 and Colby was 13, and neither one of them had ever touched a fly rod. So we got them started in the morning and I taught them the ins and outs of indactor nymph fishing. After a couple of hours they had the process figured out and they started pulling on some fish. By the end of the day the two of them they had hooked over 20 rainbows and the grins on their faces were huge. I love getting the chance to row kids because they have that pure joy when they hook a 14'' rainbow. At times I think that us die hards forget to appreciate every fish we hook. Kids have a way of bringing you back to the true reason of what you are doing this sport for. Every fish should be appreciated because each one has its own beauty and fight.

For those of you looking for a deal I had two cancellations in the next couple of weeks and I need to fill the days. I will take $100 off a full day rate and $50 off a half day rate if you book either Monday, May 12 or Saturday, May 17. You get the same long day of fishing with a patient guide on either the Lower Sac, Feather, or Yuba for a great deal. I dont do this very often but I need to fill the days. So if there is anyway you can do it make sure to contact me ASAP.

Fish Hard!

The Lower Sac 4/18-4/20

2008-04-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

I found myself on the Lower Sac all weekend. The majority of the time I was around the Anderson area. This weekend was a little different from the rest in that the weather was not as stable as it has been. Friday was a beuatiful 75 degree day on the water. Then Saturday and Sunday were windy and cold with highs in the 50s. It was about a 20 degree tempertature change in a day. Sunday was the coldest it has been up in Redding for over a month. For the most part the fishing on Friday and Saturday was good but Sunday was not to great. Friday and Saturday saw pretty average days with about 30 rainbows boated. However, Sunday was a little humbling when we only landed a dozen. For the most part the bugs have not changed a whole lot in the last month. Still the hot bugs are rubberlegs, princes, sucker spawn, micromays, and golden stones. It seems as though in the riffles they are getting pretty keyed in on that golden stone.

Friday I took out one of my clients sons and his buddy. When my client booked this trip for his son Eric he really wanted me to work with him on his casting, knot tying, and figuring out easier ways to get out of tangles. It was a little wierd for me because when Eric would get into a tangle I left it up to him to figure it out. I made him tie on the majority of his own flies and re-rig when necessary. Normally I do all of that stuff but it really made Eric appreciate the abiility to try and fish without getting into as many tangles. Throughout the day I would park the boat on a riffle and make him get a drift by himself by shaking out about 40 feet of line below him. I was showing the ins and outs of mending, adding line, and hook setting. The real highlight came in the afternoon when we were parked on a riffle and Eric was just about at the end of his drift when the indicator went under. Eric swung real big and hooked what we thought was a trout. He was struggling to strip tight to the fish as it ran at him. Then about 15 feet off the boat this 7-8 chrome steelhead launches itself over three feet in the air. It was one of those slow motion moments as you are starring at the fish all of sudden you see your flies come flying back at you. I think both of our jaws dropped when we saw that steelhead. So I think we can officially say that the fish gave Eric the FIN! For those of you who don't know, you get the fin when a fish jumps and shows himself to you but then you immediately come unbuttoned. It is like having a friendly commuter give you the bird! LOL! Well I guess that will make Eric want to come back again to have another shot.

For anyone who is interested I had a cancellation for this Wednesday April 23. If you book this day I will give you $100 off. This is a deall since I will be giving you a full day at a half day rate. For those of you who dont have as free of schedules to book last minute then I still have May 2, 7, 9, and 12 available. The first couple weeks of May should be rocking on the Lower Sac and Yuba as those summer caddis start rolling around.

Tight Lines!

The Lower Sac 4/7 - 4/13

2008-04-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

I found myself on the Lower Sac five times this week with different clients from all over the Bay area. The weather was great and the fishing was just as good. This is a beautiful time of year in Redding with 80 degree days and lots of bugs on the water. This week saw solid hatches of PMD's, caddis, and the start of the Golden Stones. Heck I even saw a handful of Salmonflies this week out on the water. Seeing those big Goldens and Salmon flies is getting me excited for my summer of pounding banks with big bugs on the South Fork of the Snake. I spent the majority of my time this week in the middle part of the river between Anderson and Jellys Ferry. Most days we hooked 40-50 rainbows with the majority of them being between 12 - 16 inches. The hot bugs for the week were yellow microspawn, rubberlegs, princes, and pheasant tails.

I like to tell all of you a few of my favorite stories each week to tell you some of my personal highlights from fishing with my clients. I had two memorable moments that really made my week. The first was when Jarrett Black, a great friend and long time client, hooked and landed a great 23'' bow. Jarrett and his wife Alicia have fished with me many times and this is the biggest rainbow that either of them has caught on the Lower Sac. Jarrett finally has a picture of a rainbow that is bigger than one of his wifes. So now I guess Alicia will just have to out do him again in the future.

The second highlight of the week actually happened on Sunday. My friend who was formally known as "Steelhead Steve" hooked what we thought was a big steelhead down by Roosters Landing. When he set up on this fish it quickly came to the surface and violently head shook about five times. Then it took off for deep water peeling off line. It totally acted like a Lower Sac steelhead. We fought this fish for about 5 minutes avoiding bridges and log jams to find out that it was a 28'' squawfish. It was a monster squaw! I dont care how you look at it, a fish that big on a 6 weight is a great battle. Personally I thought it was awesome but Steve was a little disappointed. So know until he comes back out in the fall he is known as "Squawfish Steve". LOL!

I hope all of you are getting some fishing time in. For those of you interested in doing some fishing on the Feather, Lower Sac, or Yuba I still have May 7, 9, and 12 available.

Tight Lines!

Yuba and Feather Report 3/31 - 4/5

2008-04-08T20:03:00.000-07:00

I spent the whole week bouncing back and forth between the Yuba and Feather Rivers. The Yuba was in decent shape with most days hooking about 15 fish. Most of the fish were still coming on eggs patterns and mayfly nymphs. There were a handful of PMDs, March Browns, and Gray Drakes buzzing around. However there still wasn't enough bugs to get the fish to rise. Im still hoping for some of those big PMD hatches to get all of the fish looking up in the flats. Im in need of a good dry fly day. To much time staring at indactors is not good for a fly fishermans soul.

Actually this week I had a first that had never happend to me since I have been guiding for the last 4.5 years. I had a solo client for three days that absolutely refused to fish an indicator. She said that she would rather not catch any fish than have to catch one nymphing. Well to be perfectly honest she must not enjoy fishing California that much because it seems that a lot of our fishing is subsurface. The first day we spent swinging on the Feather and landed 3 nice spring steelies. The second day we spent swinging streamers and throwing dries blind on the Yuba. Then the third day we were back swinging on the Feather where we got another couple springers. I thought that after not having tons of success that she would eventually give in but I was impressed by here stubborness to stick with the more technical styles of fishing. It was awesome to watch those springers wack her bug and then fly about three feet out of the air. I must admit there is nothing better than a streamer grab especially when it is from a steelie.

The news on the Feather is that there are some fish in there. Most of the spring steelhead are in the 16-20 inch range with a few really nice adults mixed in. There were a couple fish hooked this week in the 5-8lb range. If you hook one of these spring big boys good luck in landing it. These big fish act just like fish on the coast and rip you a new one every time. It is pretty hard to land those big guys on 3X and 4X. The majority of the fish came on san juans and caddis patterns in the faster water. The Feather should keep fishing until the first week of May for those of you looking for some steelhead options.

For those of you interested in doing some fishing on the Yuba or the Feather here are a couple of my prime availabilities. My days available are April 19, April 30, May 7, and May 9.

Tight Lines!

The Lower Sac on 3/29 & 3/30

2008-03-31T21:54:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to guide a couple of my regulars from Sonoma on Friday and Saturday last weekend on the Lower Sac. Both days we decided to float from Anderson River Park down to Balls Ferry. Both days saw significant hatches of PMD's, Baetis, and March Browns. The funny part of both days was that the fishing was better when there were less bugs out. I really couldn't figure out what the fish wanted with all of the different mayflies. The river fished a little above average and we were hooking around 35 rainbows a day. The hot bug was a coffee brown rubberleg. Friday there were a few special moments that dont happen every day on the Sac. We managed to get three rainbows on PMD dry fly patterns in the middle of the day. The real big surprise was the 26.5'' steelhead that we managed to catch on the last run of the day. I have never caughten a steelhead that late in March. When I saw that fish I got really excited. It really makes me want to get the chance at some more steelies but the odds are that is going to have to wait until next fall. I guess we will have to see if there are any left in April.

For those of you who are interested in fishing the Lower Sac of the Yuba I had two cancellations for April 18 and 19.

Yuba and Lower Sac Report 3/7-3/9

2008-03-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to guide Friday, Saturday, and Sunday this past weekend. The weather was beautiful with these warm 70 degree days that we have been having in northern California. I think that spring is finally upon us. It is time to shake off those winter blues and go check out your favorite trout stream. It wont be to long now until trout opener. Those of you who are waiting to fish all of the upper streams make sure not to miss out on the good opportunities that some of our tailwaters have to offer. For those of you interested in doing a little fishing I only have a few days left. My availibiilities are March 30, April 9, April 23, April 30, and May 9. Here is a little summary of my last three days on the water.

The Yuba River on Friday was tough. Since the weather was warm I was expecting some great hatches out on the water. The entire day I only saw a handful of pmds, march browns, and skwalas. Nothing was coming off on anything of what I consider a consistent basis. Flats where there are usually lots of rising fish only had a single sporadic riser here and there. So with the lack of bug activity it was hard to get the fish to eat. In total we hooked 10 fiesty rainbows and landed 8 of them. Lucky for us we got a couple really nice ones that were in the 18'' range. I wish every fish fought as hard as those Yuba bows. They are hands down the strongest fighting trout I have ever seen.

The Lower Sac on Saturday and Sunday was good. On both days there were decent hatches of spring caddis and it really got the fish eating. Saturday was a lot of fun and I got the opportunity to guide Maggie (junior in high school) and Erin (5th grade) on their first ever fly fishing trip. Both of them did great and caught a handful of rainbows, but Erin out did everybody with her 18'' fish. When you are 11 and your first rainbow you ever catch is 18'' that means there are good things to come in this girls fishing future. I was thoroughly impressed with both of the girls willingness to learn and enthusiam to pull on some fish.

Sunday I had two of my regulars up from Sacramento and we hooked close to 50 fish. The real treat on Sunday was that we ran into two clipped half pounders. One halfpounder was 19'' and the other was 20''. That is the latest that I have ever caughten a steelhead on the Lower Sac. Prior to the ones yesterday the latest I had ever caught one was in the end of January. The Lower Sac is a great river. You truly get spoiled with nubers like the ones we have been having over the last several weeks.

Give me a call if you are interested in doing any fly fishing on the Lower Sac, Yuba, Feather, or Putah Creek.

Tight Lines!

The Lower Sac 3/1-3/3

2008-03-05T12:06:00.000-08:00

The Lower Sac was a little up and down this last weekend. I kept hoping that the spring caddis were going to pop, but the wind did play a little havoc on the hatch and our drifts. On Saturday the fishing was pretty average with 20 fish to the boat. The wind blew for about 2 hours in the middle of the day and it really turned off the flats. This time of year the flats can really hold lots of fish as they get into their spring caddis mode. So that was a little disappointing. You know the Lower Sac is a special river when an average day is 20 fish landed in the net.

Sunday was a different story all together. I had one angler who had never fished the Sac and I was excited to show him what a gem the river can be. Just be thankful that you weren't out there because it was brutal conditions and fishing. The wind was blowing 20-25 mph from the time we started until about 4PM. At 3PM my client had only landed 3 fish. With winds like that it is better to spend a day going and flying a kite. However when the wind started to die down the fish got really grabby. From 4PM until about 530PM, when we took off, my client landed 13 really nice rainbows. Getting pounded out there in the wind ended up paying off in the last two hours. All in all my client had a great time, but I am glad he had a little glimpse of what the Lower Sac can fish like.

Again Monday was another story. The weather was warm and the wind calm and we saw our first real nice hatch of caddis come off on the Sac. Lets just say that the Lower Sac went off. We hooked over 50 fish and we actually rose 4 fish on dries. The river is starting to get into its spring trend where the morning is a little slow and the afternoons the bite picks up. The hot flies for the weekend were eggs, stones, and princes.

If you are interested in doing any trips in the next month I have March 30 and March 31 available.

Tight Lines!

The Lower Sac 2/22 - 2/23

2008-02-25T09:20:00.000-08:00

Well lets just say that we did some fishing admist another winter storm. It is about time we get somewhat of a normal winter. This rain is going to be great for all of California's and Idaho's water sheeds. Both states need the rain and snow desparetly. Even with the nasty weather we had this weekend we managed to find some fish feeding. I dont know if it was the darker conditions but my last two days on the water really got those big rainbows eating. If you read my last report we were catching lots of little guys, but the last couple of days it seems like every fish was between 16''-20''. Both days we hooked over thirty fish. It has been a while since I have seen all of those larger fish eating heavily like that on a consistent basis. Who says that you can catch fish in the rain? As long as the wind stays down it seems like the fish on the sac will eat. The patterns of choice were eggs and copper johns. We caught a handful of fish on small baetis patterns with the rainy weather but it seemed like they wanted flies that were larger and brighter. The Lower Sac is still fairly low around 4500cfs and the upper river is most likely going to explode with spring caddis during our next stretch of warm weather. For those of you who dont have dates booked get ready because it is just a matter of time before the Lower Sac turns on fire. I have Feb.29, March 3, March 14, and March 30 available for those of you that want to get in on the spring caddis bite!

Tight Lines,
Ryan Johnston

The Lower Sac 2/16 - 2/19

2008-02-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Well lets just say that the Lower Sac went off the last four days. It was some of the best fishing that I have seen out there since the egg bite in October. At times there were spots that were just plain silly. The fish were being supper grabby and the majority of the time your indactor was slamming under the water. Three of the four days we hooked over 50 fish and the fourth day we managed to do 30. Most of the fish we were catching were a little bit on the small side for the lower sac with the majority of them going between 10''-14''. However Eric Roesser, a student from Chico State, got a pig rainbow that went 22''. It doesn't get much better than hooking 50 rainbows and landing a 22'' toad. Last time Eric and his dad fished with me Eric got a 23'' steelhead. I guess he has got the big fish mojo going. Im not exactly sure what turned the fish on because there were not many bugs out. My best guess is that the fish were really active due to the first true warm weather of 2008. It is pretty nice when you are out in the middle of February and it is 70 degrees on the water. The water is still pretty low on the sac with flows around 3500 cfs but at these flows most of the upper river sets up pretty nicely. The fish were on all kinds of different bugs from small caddis, small mayflies, big stones, and eggs. You just had to figure out what was on their menu for the particular day you were out there. If you are interested in doing some fishing I have February 29 and March 2 still available. Tight Lines!

The Yuba River on 2/11/08

2008-02-12T09:18:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to guide Steelhead Steve and Jarrett Black on the Yuba yesterday. The river was a little off color yesterday with about 3 feet of visibility. However it did not seem to affect the fishing because we had a fairly successful day. We boated 12 rainbows and lost about 10 others. We had a latter start time and got on the water at 10:00AM and we were off around 5:30. Most of the fish we caught came on San Juan Worms and Stones, but we did get the random fish on baetis and pmd nymphs. There were quite a few Skwala's out with a handful of March Browns. So we were able to raise 5 rainbows throwing Skwala and March Brown Dries. With this warmer weather I would expect the hatches to get better from here on out. With that said though the color of the water will probably remain the same with as much snow is still up in the mountains that will pump off color water into Deer Creek. So it looks like another early spring is upon us. Get those shorts out and get ready to throw some dries! If you want chances at nypmhing, throwing dries, and stripping streamers than the Yuba is the river for you. It is truly a special place. If you are interested I have a few prime dates left to go and hit this Northern California gem.

The Lower Sac on 1/31/08 and Feather on 2/1/08

2008-02-01T19:10:00.000-08:00

Well lets just say that the last two days on the river did not go as planned. I had Ron Lustig out to do some fishing from Nashville, TN. The plan was to do some winter trout fishing on the Lower Sac. As most of you know the Lower Sac is a fairly dependable bet during the winter months with fish eating eggs and baetis. Well it wasn't so dependable yesterday, but the main reason was due to the storm. I was planning on floating from Posse grounds down to Bonny twice, but we only managed to get down it once. We started fishing around 8:30 with about 2.5 feet of visibility. By 9:30 the visibility was down to 1.5 feet. By 10:30 the visibility was down to .5 feet. So needless to say that the river blew out. We did manage to get a single fish on an egg pattern right off the posse riffle but that was the only grab to be had. I haven't had a morning that tough on the Lower Sac for over a year. I must admit that it was quite the humbling process.

So when the two of us got to the boat launch we had to figure out our game plan for the following day. The options were to fish the Lower Sac again the following day even though it probably wouldn't clear (not a good idea), go fish the Yuba which is also blown out (not a good idea), or go fish the Feather really late into the season (also not the best idea). Well we decided on the Feather since it was the only river that I guide which is running clear. It wasn't a horrible day out there but very tough. Ron managed to hook one nice adult steelhead and one half pounder. Ron hung in there and I am sure his arm is going to be sore from all of the casting that he did. So I guess you could say that it was another humbling day. Well I think I have had all of the humbling that I need for a while. Hopefully we will get a little break from the storms to let the rivers rest. For those of you that are interested in throwing some casts this winter I still have a handful of availabilities for February.

Tight Lines from a humbled man!

S. Fork Eel and Matolle Rivers on 1/21 - 1/24

2008-01-25T16:27:00.000-08:00

Well how can I sum up my annual coastal steelhead trip? I think the best way to say it is that I got my butt royally handed to me. I guess that is just part of chasing the grey ghost. I went a long ways to catch a glimpse of only a ghost. Here is a little summary of how the trip went.

On Monday Greg Schuegar from Napa and myself decided to fish the S.Fork of the Eel. The clarity of the river was awesome with about 4 to 5 feet of visibiility. We started fishing around noon and got off around 5. We floated from Richardson Grove Park down to Bear Creek off of Benbow Drive. Greg hooked one fish about a mile into the drift. Take note that I was at the oars when this happened. The fish looked to be around 8lbs but she managed to throw the hook as she rolled just beneath the surface of the water.

Tuesday we once again decided to float the S.Fork of the Eel hoping to go a little higher to find some more fish. We floated from Piercy down to Bear Creek (about 8 miles). The conditions on Tuesday were even better on Monday. Once again Greg hooks a fish about a mile into our drift. This time the fish was around 6lbs and she threw the hook as she flew out of the water extremely pissed about the hook in her lip. Once again I am at the oars! After that fish we didn't manage to get another one. Can you see a trend starting to progress.

Well after two tough days of fishing on the S.Fork of the Eel we decide to go and check out the Matolle River on Wednesday hoping to run into a couple more fish. Neither Greg or I have ever fished the Matolle so we were fishing and floating completely blind. The conditions on the upper river were great, but the lower river only had about a foot of visibility. We ended up floating from Honeydew down to Lindley Road. For those of you who have never fished this river it looks like a gem. Perfect size for the fly rod. Well to keep in our trend Greg hooks and land about a 8lb hen about a mile into our drift. Once again I am on the oars. We continue down our drift working over each run diligently with no prevail. Third day in a row with our one fish routine.

So here are a couple of observations I have made from our last trip. Maybe we should have floated the first mile of each drift ten times! Im thinking ten drifts ten fish. Second observation either I am a great rower to get Greg into fish, he is a much better fisherman than me, he is a crappy rower who cant get me into fish, or I am a crappy fisherman. You know a man begins to wonder after three days of going 0 for 0.

To be directly honest I was just stoked to be out there with one of my great friends. And for those of you that fish the coast for the grey ghost you know that they always dont show themselves. I go into each coastal trip with no expectations and that is exactly what I got.

I hope this helps for those of you thinking about doing some steelhead fishing in the near future.

Ryan Johnston

The Feather on 1/16/08

2008-01-16T13:32:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to go and fish the Feather River this morning. I only had about 4 hours to fish so I focused all of my efforts on the sections of river above the highway 70 bridge. It was great to be out during the middle of week. The whole morning I only saw one other person fishing. The fishing was decent with 4 steelhead landed. Two of the fish were smaller adults around the 22-23'' mark and the other two were juvenile half pounders. I got the two adults on egg patterns and the half pounders fell victim to the san juan worm. I hate that fly but the fish on the Feather seem to eat them at certain times. I hope that all of you are getting some fishing in. If you are interested in a guided trip then there are lots of options this winter that people forget about like the Feather, Lower Sac, and Yuba. It seems as though this time of year everyone is in the steelhead mind frame and focuses on the Trinity and the Coast. Don't let the winter blues get you down. Get that fly rod out and go chase those fins that we live for.

Tight Lines!

The Feather on 1/13/08

2008-01-14T11:53:00.000-08:00

I went out and fished the Feather on Sunday. I had forgotten how much pressure that river gets during the winter months. There must have been 12 anglers in about a mile of river up by the hatchery. Needless to say the fishing suffered due to the large crowd. In about 5 hours of fishing I hooked two steelhead. This is not necessarily a bad thing, especially since I was steelhead fishing, but I was expecting the fishing to be more like it was on Thursday. The two fish I hooked both ate egg patterns even though there were no salmon to be found anywhere. It is funny how easily a steelhead will eat a big bright egg pattern when they probably haven't seen a real egg in several weeks. I guess you can call those steelies optimists and the best fighting fish in fresh water. I have a couple availabilities for those of you that want to go and fish the Feather in the next month. The fishing should remain consistent until the first part of February.

The Lower Sac on 1/12/08

2008-01-14T11:32:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to guide Tom and Kent from Sacramento this weekend on the Lower Sacramento. The trip was extremely close to being canceled due to the off color water coming out of Keswick Reservoir. The clarity on the Lower Sac was about 2.5 feet and the river fished extremely well for the winter. In total we hooked 28 rainbows with four of them going between 18''-19''. All of the fish we caught came on eggs patterns. We tried a variety of nymphs underneath our eggs but they wouldn't touch them. I think the fish were having a difficult time seeing the little nymphs and were largely eating the bright eggs because they could see them. It was a great winter day out there. For those of you that think the Lower Sac is only a fall and spring fishery you are missing out on the less popular months. Imagine fishing the Lower Sac with only a couple other boats and have the majority of the runs all to your self. For those of you interested in fishing the next couple of months I have several availabilities for those of you with the winter blues. Looking forward to seeing you out on the water.

Tight Lines!

Feather River 1/10/08

2008-01-10T20:15:00.001-08:00

Well I finally got out to fish for the first time in 2008. I hope all of you had a wonderful New Year. I am looking forward to all of the fish memmories that lie ahead of us in the next year. Well I must admit that my first trip of the year was a success. I got the chance to sneek out to the Feather with Steelhead Steve to do some fishing and filming. The day went extremely well with 16 fish hooked and released. In total we hooked 10 adults and 6 halfpounders. The largest fish was a beautiful 26'' hen. The hot flies of the day were pheasant tails, red copper johns, and a variety of eggs with peach and orange proving most successful.

All day we were trying to film our fishing session as one of us hooked and fought a steelhead. The problem with that though is that at about noon I figured out that I wasn't using the video camera correctly and that all of our morning footage was not saved on the camera. At the end of the day it worked out and we managed to get a couple really nice fish on film. The bad thing is that we didn't get to film the 26'' hen and I screwed up the filming when Steve snapped his rod in half trying to land a fish. No worries though because I am going back Monday to get some more shots. So in the next month or two start looking for a handful of videos on the rivers I guide.

For those of you interested there is lots of great winter fishing available. So if you have the winter blues book a trip to get back on the water to feel the surge of that fish on the end of your fly line. The trout fishing for the next month should be excellent so don't miss out on the action!

Tight Lines,
Ryan Johnston

San Diego Bay Fly Fishing

2008-01-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

While I was home for the holidays I got the opportunity to go on two guided trips with Peter Piconi on San Diego Bay. If any of you guys ever make it down there this is something that you need to check out. Most of the days on the bay start around 6AM and go till about Noon. For the most part you are casting 6 weight rods with shooting heads. Usually the fly of choice is a smaller sized clouser in a variety of colors. One great thing about fly fishing in San Diego Bay is that you never know what you are going to catch. The first day alone we caught 7 different species of fish (halibut, calico bass, sand bass, spotted bay bass, mackerel, lizard fish, and jack smelt). Every time you get bit you have no idea what is on the end of the line. The majority of the time we were catching some variety of bass but my father was lucky enough to catch a 7lb Halibut. Yes, it is possible to catch halibut on the fly. Just check out that fly hanging out of the Halibuts mouth. After guiding for four years now I have a special appreciation for guides who do a good job. I can honestly say that Peter Piconi is hands down the best fly fishing guide in San Diego. So next time you are heading to southern california make sure to check out some Bay fly fishing.

The Lower Sac on 12/13

2007-12-13T20:37:00.000-08:00

THERE ARE TROUT TO BE CAUGHT THIS WINTER!

I had a last minute guide trip today. I got a call at 3PM yesterday afternoon asking if I could guide the Lower Sac this morning. I agreed and was pleasantly surprised by our day out on the water. We boated close to 30 rainbows between the Posse grounds and Sac RV Park. It is safe to say that the Lower Sac is in its full winter trend with fish eating eggs and small mayflies. The hot bugs today were 10M beads,size 18 gidgets, and size 16 Hogan's Red Headed Step Child. I hope that you guys have noticed from my posts that I catch a lot of fish on Hogan's bugs. If you start trying them out on your favorite waters I am sure that you will be pleasantly surprised. I know Hogan's bugs have saved my butt more than once.

Give me a call if you get the winter blues. There is no reason to go into hibernation this winter with the ample amount of opportunities on the Lower Sac and the Yuba. For those of you interested in fishing this winter if you book 2 trips between Jan.1-March 15 then I am going to give you a third for free within the same time period. If you want weekend dates then you need to call now because there are several people taking advantage of this winter special.

Tight Lines & Merry Christmas!

The Lower Sac 11/30 & 12/1

2007-12-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

Well winter time has struck the Lower Sac. Friday and Saturday this week was clear and cold. Both days when I met my clients the temperature was in the 20s and it warmed to the high 40s. That is really chilly for the Lower Sac! It usually does not get that cold in Redding. The fish were sluggish due to the cold weather and they only wanted to eat during the warmest part of the day. Most of the fish we caught came between the hours of 11AM - 3PM. The mornings and the afternoons were slow as the sun got lower in the sky.

Friday I floated from Anderson down to Barge Hole hoping to catch some rainbows and possibly a steelhead. By the end of the day we had landed 20 rainbows and 1 small adult steelhead. Most of the fish were caught in the slower flats on a size 16 Hogan's S&M nymph. Actually 17 of the 20 rainbows we landed came on Hogan's bug. Thank God for that dude. The one steelhead we caught came right at the Deschutes Bridge in lower Anderson.

Saturday I decided to float from Bonnyview down to Balls Ferry. I was pleasantly surprised to find the fish above Anderson still looking for eggs. I wonder if that was due to the fish not seeing a lot of pressure the last 3-4 weeks? Only a handful of reds actually had any salmon on them but the trout still wanted those beads. It was a little crazy because we were catching fish in the flats on egg patterns in the morning. In total we ended up landing 25 rainbows with the biggest going 19''. One thing that did surprise me today was that we only caught a couple of fish on Hogan's S&M nymph. I guess that shows you how fast fish can change their diets over night.

For those of you interested in doing some winter fishing on the Lower Sac or Yuba give me a call. I have several availabilities for January and February. Actually this last year my best day was in February on the Lower Sac when no one else was out on the river. Tell those wives and girlfriends that for Christmas you want to go fishing with Ryan. Tight Lines and Merry Christmas!

The Lower Sac on 11/17

2007-11-27T10:02:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to take John and Eric Roesser on the Red Bluff to Los Molinos drift. The morning started out extremely slow but as the weather got warmer the fish started responding better. By the end of the day we managed to boat about 20 trout and two smaller adult steelhead. Eric definitely out-fished his father today by catching both of the steelhead and about half of the trout. I should also say congratulations to Eric for landing his first adult steelhead on a fly rod. For freshwater fly fishing there isn't much better than a steelhead on a fly. That is quite an accomplishment. For those of you interested in fishing the Lower Sac I several availabities over the next couple of months. Remind those wives that guided fly fishing trips make AWESOME Christmas presents. Tight Lines!

The Feather on 11/15 - 11/16 & 11/19

2007-11-27T09:47:00.000-08:00

I had the opportunity to guide the Feather three days last weekend. This was a cool handful of days for me because I had three first steelhead caught on flies this weekend. Catching your first steelhead on a fly rod is truely a memorable experience. I can remeber my first steelhead as though it was yesterday. My first steelhead was a 31'' buck caught out of the American River on my 5 weight. Now that was one heck of a battle.
For the Feather to improve over the next several weeks we need rain to push some new fish up into the system. Most of the days we hooked three adults and about 10 half pounders. As we get later into the month expect another push of fish with some truely large fish showing up. This is the time of year where only the die hards will be out there. The number of hookups is going to go down but the payoff with some big fish is more than worth it. Egg patterns should continue to work as long as there are a handful of salmon in the system. Along with eggs try san juan worms, olive birds nest, and flashback pheasant tails. The Feather will probably continue to fish for about another week or two. For those of you interested on doing a late trip to the Feather I am available on Thursday, November 29 and Sunday, December 2. Happy Thanksgiving and Tight Lines.

The Feather on 11/15 - 11/19

2007-11-20T16:42:00.000-08:00

I had the pleasure to guide the Feather this whole last weekend. It seemed that the river has slowed a bit from last week. Most days this weekend we were hooking between 2-3 adults with about 8-10 half pounders mixed in. One surprising thing is that there are still quite a few fresh salmon showing up in the river. It seems if you can find a couple of fresh salmon making reds then you can find a few steelhead sitting behind them. Most of the guys who guide the river think that the Feather will continue to fish for the next couple of weeks. The exciting part about having a handful of salmon still in the river this time of year is that the biggest fish of the year tend to show up in early December and they will be still eating eggs. So for those of you dedicated steelhead fishermen keep fishing and you may be rewarded with some big steelies at the end of the season. If you are interested in doing some late season steelhead fishing then give me a call. I am available November 27 and 29. Tight Lines and BIG Steelhead.

The Feather on 11/8 - 11/12

2007-11-14T09:59:00.000-08:00

I was on the Feather River this whole last weekend. The feather is starting to see a nice push of steelhead coming up. It seems as though we have been averaging about 4-6 adults a day with about 8-10 half pounders mixed in. This year is really setting up like last year where the adults we are hooking are big for the Feather. The average size of the fish this year has been about 23'' and we are hooking a couple fish from 25-27'' everyday. On Sunday my clients hooked 6 adults and 4 of them were between 26-28''. Those big fish on the Feather are pissed off and one of them took a client of mine on Friday about 30 yards into his backing. Hardly ever do you see a fish take backing on the Feather. It seems like we are catching half of our fish on eggs and the other half on bugs. So if you go up there try throwing both. I know you guys must be getting sick of seeing Steelhead Steve on the blog but the dude catches big fish that need to be showed off. So don't hate the guide who puts Steelhead Steve into the fish hate the man who gets the chance to land them. To tell you the truth I am actually jealous my self. The dude has caught more steelhead with me this fall than I have since February. I guess that is the pleasure of guiding. It is still awesome seeing those steelhead jump and rip off line. Steelhead fishing is absolutely addicting!

For those of you interested in Fishing the Feather I have two openings this coming week. I am available on Sunday November 18 and Tuesday November 20. Give me a call if you want to do some steelhead fishing. Tight Lines and BIG Fish!

Red Bluff on 11/2 & 11/3

2007-11-04T16:19:00.000-08:00

This last Friday and Saturday I decided to float from Red Bluff down to Los Molinos in hopes to get my clients some trout fishing and hopefully run into a couple steelhead. The fishing on Friday was average with about 25 rainbows hooked and no steelhead. The hot bugs down there were eggs, rubberlegs, golden stones, and amber wing princes. I am starting to grow a hate love relationship with this section of the Lower Sac. Last year this drift was extremely predictable and everyday you would expect to hook 1-2 big adult steelhead. This year has been a different story. The trout fishing has definitely improved but the steelhead have not been showing themselves very frequently.

Saturday was a very interesting day. Going into the last spot of the day we had only boated 3 rainbows!!! It was like all of the trout in the whole river went on vacation and decided that they were not going to eat. However we were able to salvage the day when in the last spot we landed a 24'' buck and a 26'' hen. Both steelhead were extremely pissed off and made screaming runs and huge jumps across the river. So I don't know to call Saturday a good day or not? I will let you be the judge. Personally I would rather catch 1 adult steelhead over 30-40 trout any day. There is something truly addicting about steelhead fishing. For you trout purists you gotta try this fish. You land a big steelhead and you will find yourself shopping for a 7 weight. Tight Lines and good luck with the steelhead season that is now upon us.

The Feather on 11/1 & 11/4

2007-11-04T15:57:00.000-08:00

I had the chance to guide the Feather on Thursday and Sunday this week. It is nice to start guiding closer to home again. Guiding the Feather cuts my commute by a good 2 hours each day. We all love a little extra time at the end of our days. Thursday I had the opportunity to guide Steelhead Steve and Bill from Napa. We had a successful day with 6 adults and 10 half pounders hooked. The two adults that we landed were 22'' and 26.5''. A couple of the adult steelhead we lost we also very large. For those of you that don't fish the Feather a lot anything over 25'' on that river is a BIG fish. I must admit that Steve definitely has the mojo with big fish on the trips he does with me. All of our fish today came on an egg, pheasant tail, or birds nest.

Sunday I guided the Feather for a half day of fishing. We started fishing around 8:30 and were off the water at 1:30. For the half day trip I decided to just float the high flow from Outlet down to Palm. The pressure down in High Flow was quite significant. We ended up boating 2 adults and 4 half pounders. So a pretty average day out on the Feather. The best part of the day was that my clients originally had booked a full day and they informed me this morning that they had to be off early. So I got paid for a full day of work but only had to work a half day.

Give me a call if you want to fish the Feather in a couple of weeks. I still have November 17 & 18 available. This should be prime time on the Feather.

The Lower Sac on 10/25 - 10/26 & 10/28

2007-10-29T10:21:00.000-07:00

The Lower Sac was up and down this weekend. On Thursday I floated from Bonnyview to Balls Ferry and EGG BITE was good in the morning. Once we got below Anderson the fish turned on to bugs. The hot bugs lately have been beads, flashback pheasant tails, amber wing princes, and big rubber legs. At the end of the day we boated 40 trout and landed two clipped steelhead. A great day on the Lower Sac. However when I went out on Friday it was not the same story.

Friday the wind was blowing 15-20 mph all day long and it was extremely hard to get a drift on some of the flats. What has been really surprising this fall is how well some of the flats have fished. Typically the flats do not hold lots of fish this time of year because all of the trout are stacked on the salmon reds. The Sac is fishing more like the spring than it is October. Friday we only boated 10 trout but had many more opportunities. I honestly feel that the wind dramatically affected the fishing.

Sunday the fishing went back to normal on the Sac. I decided to float from the RV park down to Barge Hole hoping to stay away from the crowds. The decision payed off and we never saw another boat all day long. It was nice to be able to take my time in all of the runs without having to worry about someone in the next hole. Today we ended up boating 24 rainbows. Even though this number is about average for the Sac it actually is a good day when you consider one of the anglers only fished half of the day. The fish would not touch an egg today and the hot bugs ended up being the flashback pheasant tail, amber wing prince, and Hogan's S&M.

I hope everyone is getting some fishing in. Are YOU ready for Steelhead Season?