The Lower Sac 10/5 - 10/7

THE LOWER SAC EGG BITE HAS BEGUN!

I had the opportunity to go chase after some steelhead from Red Bluff down to Los Molinos on Friday. The wind down there was a little nasty with gusts up to the high teens throughout the entire day. In some sections it was hard to get natural drifts but it didn't seem to effect the fishing. We didn't hook any steelhead but we did manage to hook about 25 trout. The trout fishing last year consisted of lots of small guys (8-10 inches) but it seems as though those fish fattened up and most of the ones we caught on Friday were 16-17 inches. Any day now the steelhead will start showing up in good numbers. I have an availability on November 1 if you are interested in trying your luck with some of these extremely large pissed off steelies. Another option on November 1 is to go hit the end of the egg bite up in Redding. Give me a call if you are interested in either opportunity. This is truly a special time of year on the Sac.

On Saturday and Sunday I fished the Sac from Posse Grounds down to Sac RV. Saturday the egg bite was decent and we boated 30+ rainbows on beads and nymphs. Sunday was considerably better and we boated 40+ rainbows on beads. Traditionally the last weekend of September and the first of October is a transitional phase on the Sac where the trout go from eating bugs to eggs. On Saturday we caught about 8 fish on nymphs and Sunday we only got 4 using bugs. So as you can see the egg is becoming more of the focus point for the trout and it is only going to get stronger as more salmon show up. For those of you guys coming up in the next couple of weeks expect good things. You gotta love the EGG BITE! If you haven't experienced it then it should be on your list of things to do. Tight Lines & Painted Beads!!!!

The Lower Sac on 9/29

I had a half day guide trip on the Lower Sac this last Saturady. My clients and I fished from 1:00PM to 6:00PM. I took a gamble and decided to fish from Posse grounds down to Bonnyview. The gamble payed off because the fish on the top end of the river are already eating eggs. However I must admit that the river is still in that transition period where fish are starting to eat eggs and at the same time focusing on the nymph. For the first couple of hours the fish absolutely munched the eggs. As it got closer to the evening time they all switched to eating tan caddis pupahs. The afternoon proved to be very productive with 16 trout landed and several more lost. These Lower Sac rainbows sure did fatten up this summer. All of the fish were big and thick!

I had a couple of cancellations this week for Thursday and Friday if you want to get on the first of the egg bite on the Lower Sac or Yuba. Both should be good options for the next month. Get time off because this is the month that you want to fish Northern California!!!!! Just about any river turns on this time of year. Tight Lines!

The Yuba River on 9/27 & 28

I had the opportunity to guide the Yuba on Thursday and Friday last week. It was nice to be back on the Yuba. I wish all of the trout that I guided were as strong as those Yuba River rainbows. The Yuba bows are hands down the strongest fighting trout that I have ever seen caught. Every fish you hook fights until the very end and they make huge screaming runs. The Yuba rainbows fight just like juvenile steelhead.

The fishing on both days was good. Thursday we hooked 17 trout. Friday we hooked 21 trout. On both days the afternoon proved to be more effective. The fish were all over the board on what they wanted to eat. It seemed as though eggs and caddis were the best two options. However my clients caught fish on a size 16 Hogan's S&M nymph, 14 tan fox pupah, 18 olive fox pupah, 8 Kaufman Stone, 18 black micromay, and 14 tan birdsnest.

If you want to get a chance to fish this awesome river then you need to give me a call ASAP because my fall is running out of room. I hope you are ready for the egg bite because it is only days away from blowing up!!!!!!

Putah Creek 9/21-22/2007

I had the opportunity to fish Putah Creek on Friday and Saturday this week. Friday I went down early to pre-fish the creek to check out the current conditions and water flows. The creek fished extremely well! I hooked 30+ rainbows in about 8 hours of fishing. I only hooked on good fish around 17''. The majority of the fish were between 8''-10''. I had a lot of fun experimenting with flies and exploring some new water. Some of the best flies were Hogan's PMD nymph, Bernie's Wonderbra, and a black/olive zebra midge. Even with the fishing being great, the best part of the day was when I took about 30 minutes in the afternoon and just relaxed on the edge of the river bank. The weather was beautiful and the river tranquil. I could really feel God's presence around me. I love those God moments.

On Saturday I had the opportunity to guide Mark and Jeff from San Diego. I need to thank Off the Hook Destination Travel for the business over the last year and for directing Mark and Jeff my direction. If you are interested in booking a trip to some of the best fly fishing water in the world then you need to check out their link on my website. The fishing on Saturday was solid, but not quite as good as the day prior. We hooked 22 rainbows in about 7 hours of fishing. Like Friday most of the rainbows were little guys. Actually the best fish we landed on Saturday was 13''. However, there were a couple of big fish that we hooked that managed to get off of those little bugs. The hot bug today was again Bernie's Wonderbra, Hogan's PMD nymph, and black/olive zebra midge.

Give me a call if you are interested in fishing this diamond in the ruff. If you are a big fish hunter or want to refine your nymphing technique then Putah Creek is the place for you. I have a few availabilities left next week and in the middle of November.

Putah Creek 9/13/2007

I had the opportunity to fish Putah Creek this afternoon with Jarrett Black. The flows on the creek were at 400 cfs and this made for lots of roll casting opportunities. Putah Creek sure does test your fly fishing game with difficult casting and small flies. The hot bugs today were a size 18 zebra midge, 18 biot baetis, and 20 pheasant tail. The fishing was good and we hooked around 20 rainbows. We hooked 4 pigs on the creek, but due to the small flies were only able to land 1 nice 18'' bow. The fishing on the creek should remain good for the next couple of months. We are coming into prime time for Putah. Give me a call if you want the challenge of catching big rainbows on small flies.

The South Fork 8/10 - 8/16

The South Fork continues to be on and off. For the most part of this week I have focused on the Canyon. The Canyon has been fishing fairly consistent with a hopper dropper setup. The Franken hopper has been catching some large fish, and the Lightning Bug has been getting the average fish. Each day we have had opportunities at some big fish. Actually almost every day this week we hooked a 20'' fish. It seems as though the trout are more willing to rise in the morning, and then the afternoon sees more success from the dropper. At this point I will take them anyway we can get them. The weather this week did not help either. Most of the week saw strong winds between 15-30 mph. All of us fly fisherman of course love the wind.

I fished the upper one time this week. It was the first time I have fished the upper river since the first week the lodge opened. The fishing in the morning was good, but the afternoon was warm and we were forced to do some nymphing. I could feel my blood boil when I tied on the indicator. I kept thinking, I cannot believe that I am nyphing in Idaho. But to tell you the truth we caught several nice rainbows on a size 14 copper bob.

I am getting excited to go home. Only two more days of guiding in Idaho, and then my wife and I go back to Chico to start school and guiding on all of those California rivers. Give me a call if you want to get in on the Lower Sac this October, because the space is already filling up.

The South Fork 8/2 - 8/8

The South Fork was hit and miss this week depending on the day you were on the water. We saw the end of the golden stone fly hatch, and the beginning of hopper season. The lower sections of the river are getting extremely warm and the fish are getting sluggish and not responding to our flies. Most of the action this week was in the canyon and upper sections of the river. Most days saw about and average of 30 fish caught each day.

I had a few exciting events that happened in the last seven days on the water. The first was when a guide bet was put up by the clients. The Walker group put up $150 for grabs between three different guides for the biggest fish landed. I was lucky enough to have the fish landed in my boat. The winning fish was a nice 18'' rainbow. The other exciting event happened on the same day as I won the $150. One of my clients caught a tagged fish, but unlucky for me the tag was not worth any money.

I am only going to be out here in Idaho for the next week and a half, so if you want to get a shot to get in on some insane hopper fishing on the South Fork then you need to give me a call. For all of you guys out in California I will be doing trips on the Sac, Yuba, and Putah starting the first of September. I look forward to seeing all of you soon. TIGHT LINES!