Feather Report Monday, March 12

I guided the Lower Feather for the first time this spring on Monday with good success. I had one angler in the boat and we hooked 10 springers in the low flow area. Here is what I took away from the trip. It didn't feel like there were a ton of fish in the system yet. We caught some really bright fresh fish but they were really spread out. Most of the fish were your typical springers in the 16-20" class. No true monsters hooked Monday. If we had nicer conditions then possibly there would have been a few more grabs but I think things should improve in the next couple of weeks. Hot flies were all over the place from small prince nymphs, Hogans SM, and sucker spawn.

Anyone looking to get in on a trip last minute I still have March 21, 24 (Sat.), 26 still open.

Hope you are all well.

Tight Lines!

Sac Continues to Fish STRONG!

The fishing on the Lower Sac continues to be really good. This last week I have fished from Anderson to Balls and from Posse to Bonnyview. Both drifts resulted in good fishing. I would say the overall fishing is better on the Lower Drifts but the big fish are eating on the Upper as well. Most days on the Anderson drift has been resulting in 30+ fish days with most of the fish between 12-14". While Posse has been a little less with 20+ fish days being the average but most of the fish going between 16-18". On Sunday we boated 1 21", 2 20", 2 19", and 4 18" rainbows.

Expect the best fishing right now to be on sunny days. When the sun comes out so do the bugs. Currently you have caddis, baetis, and pmds all hatching on the Lower Sac. If you are lucky enough to catch it there has been some solid dry fly fishing down below the Deschutes Bridge. Not big fish eating dries but its still throwing dries on the Sac. That is a pretty rare experience.

The best bugs on the Sac have been prince nymphs, hogans spring fling, olive micro may, and the rubberlegs.


This next week I will be on the Yuba trying to find some fish looking for Skwalas.

If you are interested in fishing this spring then things are starting to fill up. Only 1 weekend (March 17-18) left until mid May. All of my current openings are below:

March 15-18, 21-22, 26-28

April 9, 11-12, 17-18, 20, 23-24, 27, 30

Tight Lines!

Lower Sac was EPIC!

I took 2 of my regular clients out on the Lower Sac and the fishing was absolutely ridiculous. It was seriously the best February day of fishing that I have ever had in 9 years of guiding. Today was one of those days that seemed like nothing could go wrong. We boated over 50+ rainbows, 3 steelhead in the 20-22" range, and caught 2 fish on dry flies. I think I had a little taste of heaven today.

SPRING CADDIS have already started. Today fished like the first of March. There was caddis hatching throughout the day and the fish were on the grab. I think as long as the warm weather holds then there is going to be great fishing on the Lower Sac in the next couple of weeks. If you are into lots of action and pulling on a bunch of fish then you need to get out there. Now all of the trips might not be 50 fish days but there a lot of hungry fish willing to eat your fly.

I still have Feb. 9, 11-12, 14-17 open in the next couple of weeks. They are forecasting a 70 degree day on Thursday and those caddis are going to come off strong with that warm weather. Let me know if you want to get in some last minute fishing for a screaming deal of $295.

Tight Lines!

Yuba Feb. 2, 2012

I fished the Yuba today with 2 of my regular clients. Fishing was solid. Really slow in the morning. By the time we were fishing it was around 9:30AM and we didn't even hook a fish until 11ish. Rough start but after that things started to pick up. We ended up hooking 20+ rainbows and landed 2 hatchery steelhead. There was no real hot fly as we caught fish on 8 different bugs from stoneflies, san juans, may flies, etc. Very litte bugs on the river today. I think the cooler evening mixed with a windy day kept the bugs away. The Skwala Hatch is going to happen really soon.

One absolute crazy thing that happened today is that one of those hatchery steelhead ate a Skwala dry against the bank. That is definitely the first steelhead I have ever had eat a dry on that River. I have caughten them on caddis during the spring time on the Feather but never on the Yuba. Really cool that you never know what is going to happen each time you go out there.

If you want to do one of my discounted days then I still have Feb. 7, 9, 11-12 (Sat/Sun), 14-17, 22, 28 still available.

Take Care & Tight Lines!

Discounted Fishing & Spring Valley Preveiw

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
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Big Fish & BIGGER SMILES Report

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!

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