Prime Time Spring Dates - Book Now

Prime Time Spring Dates - Book Now

Well it seems like it has been raining for a month now and most of our Northern California Rivers are blown out. Finally it looks like we have some dry weather coming this next week to let things calm down and get back into fishable shape. So expect things to get going again here in the next ten days or so. I know that I have had a lot of time off recently to catch up on Cast Hope and daddy duties around the house. The great news is that we don't have drought conditions anymore in California. Of course that is till next year. LOL. We definitely live in an interesting state when it comes to water. I have just opened up my spring calendar and a few of you have been asking about prime time dates for spring time fishing. So my openings and descriptions of what is to come this spring are below. Plus there is some other fun news down below if you keep reading. Check out my open dates below: March 1-4, 11, 13-18, 20, 22-25, 27-29 March Saturdays - 4, 11, 18, 25 April 3-8, 11-13, 15, 17, 20-22, 24-29 April Saturdays - 8, 15, 22, 29

Feather River - Spring steelhead are just around the corner on the Feather. By the middle parts of March there is a good number of fish in the system. This is my absolute favorite time of year on the Feather. The crowds are significantly less and the fish are bright, hot, and amazing. These are one of my favorite fish in the Northern California Valley. I expect a good return of fish this year with the amount of water we will be having coming out of Lake Oroville. The water should bring them up in good numbers. Prime time is mid March through April.

Lower Sac -  Everyone talks about the fall egg bite on the Lower Sac but my favorite Month of the year is March. There are bugs everywhere and the fish start chowing down on the first significant hatches of the year. Generally speaking the crowds in March are small and the fishing is incredible. If you haven't tried the spring time fishing on the Sac then this is an absolute must. Lots of bugs makes for happy fish and smiling clients. Prime time on the Sac is March and April with my preference to March when there are less people on the water.

 

Yuba - The Yuba is going to be interesting this spring. With all of the high water that we have had the last month I don't know where the bug life is going to be. I assume that the Skwala hatch is going to be smaller with some of the bugs getting washed away. The March Brown hatch in March will be the bugs to look for. I'm hoping that we get another significant March Brown Hatch but only time will tell. All the extra water helps the Feather but hurts the bugs on the Yuba. Keeping my fingers crossed for some good dry fly fishing this spring.

 

Hot New Article - For those of you that are into reading fly fishing magazines pick up the latest issue of California Fly Fisher. I have written a piece for them about 'Being Analytical' in your fishing technique. Many of you have heard these tips from me for years but now you get to read it. There is some fun stuff in there if you are so inclined to read. Plus my good friend Hogan Brown has an article about swinging our Nor Cal Valley Rivers. This is a great local California Magazine that has some great information for all anglers.

Lots of Water

36,000 cfs is a lot of WATER!!!!

Northern California has been dumped on with water as of recently. Hooray, no more drought! If you have been paying attention almost every river in NorCal is currently blown out. However if you really watch there are still some fishing to be had amongst all the high conditions. The Lower Sac is at 36,000 cfs and one river that you can fish when the water gets really high. As long as the water clarity is fishable then you can go out there and find some willing rainbows to eat eggs, legs, and worms. Sounds like a Denny's breakfast option if you are asking me. The Lower Sac is big and green. I fished it yesterday for a half day and had decent success fishing the soft edges of the river. Expect things to get really good once the river gets down to about 25,000 cfs. Until then there are fish to be had if you want a fun adventure.

Open Dates: January 18, 20-21, 23-24, 26-27, 30-31

Phil with a  beautiful 24" Lower Sac Rainbow the week after Christmas.

Hey all. It has been a long time since I have had the time to update my blog. My goal in 2017 is that I will get in the habit of doing this more often so that you guys have current updates of what is going on out there. Send me an email if you want to get out on the river soon.

For anyone looking to get out I have the following days open over the next couple of weeks:

January 9-14, 16, 19-21, 23-24, 26-27

Lower Sac - The Sac continues to fish average for winter conditions. Most days we are hooking 20ish rainbows from Redding down to Anderson. As typical we have been catching some true slugs out of the river this winter. Winter time we might not catch as many fish as the spring or the fall but if you are into hunting for big rainbows then it doesn't really get any better. With the majority of other rivers being blown out right now the Lower Sac is a good safe place to fall back onto. Hot flies recently have been beads and small mayflies. Flies like Hogan's SM, Lance's X-May, PTs, and Flatulators have all been catching fish. The best fishing is from Noon-3PM. So make sure that when you are out there that you fish smarter by being there during the prime hours.

Luk Lake has been putting out some fun trout fishing in the mornings!

Luk Lake - Luk Lake continues to fish well in the mornings. The trout fishing on Luk Lake this fall and winter has been the best that I have seen there in a long time. The key is to finding the school of fish in the Lake. Once you find them then you can stay connected to fish most of the morning. The bass fishing has been nonexistent since the cold weather has set in but the trout remain happy to eat most small streamers that go by them.

Feather - The Feather River opener happened on January 1st. So there is going to be some decent fishing to be had on the upper river near the hatchery over the next week. There isn't a ton of water to fish up there but if you spend a half day one can expect to hook 5-7 steelhead per morning. Eggs, Alevins, and small Mayflies will all do the ticket in fooling a few fish.

Fly Fishing Update & Openings

 

 

Great Fishing Continues & Shad Season Soon!

I hope this note finds all of you doing well and enjoying this beautiful weather we are having this weekend. With this being Earth Week I thought that it was time I send you guys an update on what is happening to the fishing in the valley. Needless to say it has been a busy month with lots of fishing on the Lower Sac and Feather Rivers. Both rivers continue to fish well. The Lower Sac is still have good days with 40-50 fish hookups being common. The Feather has lots of half pounders throughout the entire system with a few adults mixed in throughout the day.   I am offering a $100 discount on half day trips for the Lower Sac on May 6 and May 27. So that is a half day trip for $275! I have shad trips planned that evening and I'm trying to fill in the mornings. Email me ASAP to score one of these dates!   The Sac will continue to fish well through June. As we get into May we will start fishing the lower parts of the river near cottonwood. May and June is an awesome time of year to go fish the "Rocks" and the "Swirls". So come out and see the part of the Sac that many have never experienced.   The Feather season will be wrapping up in the middle part of May. With the amount of fish in High Flow right now then we should have good fishing on the Feather for the next several weeks. As those fish move up the river then there will be lots of fish stacking up in the Low Flow section. There are still a few openings if you want to get in on a last minute Feather trip. See dates below.     Richard with a great 25" Feather Springer. Beautiful Hen!   With May around the corner it is also time to start thinking about getting some shad dates on the calendar. I have heard a few rumors that the very first couple fish have been seen in the river. Expect the first wave of fish to show up the first part of May. Shad fishing should be good through June 10ish. For those of you that are planners then its not to far out to start thinking about PRIME TIME striper fishing in July as well. The striper fishing keeps getting better and better and something that I will have limited openings for during prime time season in July. If you are into striper fishing or just want to give it a try then now is the time to book those trips.   I look forward to seeing many of you in the next couple months. I'm excited about the thought of starting to throw some lines for bass, shad, and stripers. Hope you are well and have the chance to get some fishing in. Send me an email if you are interested in dates.   Open Dates:   May: 6 (Half Day Only), 12, 24-25, 27 (Half Day Only), 30 (Memorial Day), 31   June: 1, 6-7, 15-16, 22, 24, 30   July: 1, 3-4, 11-12, 14, 18-21, 23-24, 29

Egg Bite Report & Dates

Egg Bite is Here!!!

 

Egg Bite has had a decent start on the Lower Sac. The fish over there have been happy to have some salmon in the river. Most days right now on the upper river we are hooking 50+ fish. The salmon run this year has been slower to start as compared to historic averages. It seems like every couple of days we get a handful of new salmon in the runs. So this sets up well for November assuming we have the same thing keep happening. This trickle effect we are getting for the Salmon Run hopefully means it could be a great November and even early December Egg Bite. Only time will tell but I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed that we keep getting little groups of salmon for the next 6 weeks. For those of you looking for dates I still have a handful of openings in November. Also start looking at your December calendars to get in on the winter egg and alevan bite on the Lower Sac. The biggest fish of the year are caught in December and January on the Lower Sac.   Also starting Thanksgiving Weekend I will once again be guiding weekends for those of you that cant get off during the week.   Hope all of you are well and enjoying some much needed family time this weekend. Open Dates:   November 13, 19-20, 23-24, 28 (Saturday)   December 1, 3-23, 27-31

Incredible Spring Fishing Coming Soon!

- Spring Fishing -

Literally best fishing of the year

 

 

 

I hope this note finds all of you well. It is that time of year where the fishing is about to go off in Northern California. From March to mid May some of the best fishing of the year is going to be found in the North Valley. I hope you will find some time to come hang out on the water and catch some great fish and a few memories. My openings are below:

 

Open Dates:

 

March 1, 3, 7-15, 17, 19-20, 22-23, 27-28, 30

 

April 1, 3-4, 9, 14, 18-23, 25-28, 30

 

May 2-15

 

 

 

Feather River - As most of you know the Feather is really special in the spring time. This is hands down my favorite time to fish the Feather. Hot pissed off valley steelhead make this an awesome time to be on the water. If you haven't done this type of fishing then this is the year to get out there and give it a try. Mid March to early May is pretty impressive out there.

Lower Sac - The spring on the Lower Sac the last 3 years has been absolutely insane. March and April has been some of the best fishing that we have seen on the river all year long. If you are looking for big rainbows then these two months are the best of the year. Fish like the one at the top of the email are becoming normal on the Lower Sac.

Yuba - If you are into throwing dry flies then this is the time of year for you. The largest hatches of the year come off in March and April. With that comes really great opportunities to throw dry flies during the March brown and PMD hatches. The March Brown hatch is really impressive and a blast to fish as we try to fool those smart Yuba Rainbows.

 

Bass Fishing - Spring is also prime time for the bass fishing on the Sacramento River and Luk Lake. I have been guiding Luk Lake now for 3 years and it is still some of the best bass fishing that I have ever seen. Totally worth and evening of popper fishing to get you all excited about these bucket mouths.

 

 

Great Start to Fall Fishing

It seems like these days I'm having a hard time trying to find the space to update my blog. Between the kids, wife, guiding, and Cast Hope I don't find much time for writing anymore. Here I sit at the computer with all 3 of my girls sleeping at the same time so I thought I would give you guys an update of what I am seeing out on the water. I hope all of you are doing well and I will be seeing you around the river. Cheers and Go Chargers!

Lower Sac: The Sac has been good for egg fishing lately. I wouldn't say it is great but there are lots of big fish to be caught right now. Currently most days we are hooking 40-50 fish throughout the entire river. There are a decent amount of salmon throughout the river. However fish are still eating nymphs as they look for those eggs. Currently about 25% of my fish are coming on bugs. Hot flies are eggs, tan fox poopah, and Hogans S&M.

Lower Feather: The Feather is having a slower start to the season this year as compared to the last couple. There are good numbers of salmon in low flow but none in high flow. So right now there are not many steelhead to be had past the outlet. With the larger number of salmon in the Low Flow section I have been fishing 1 single egg as not to snag salmon on every cast. Currently the majority of the fish that we are catching are wild fish. So expect the major push of hatchery fish to show up at their normal time near the first part of November.

Lower Yuba: I haven't been over there yet this October to do any egg fishing. But it sounds like fishing has been fair to good. I will be over there on Tuesday and should have some better reports at the end of the week.

Fish Story: I had a really crazy experience happen to me in late September. I had a client land a 40lb striper on a rubber leg while fishing for trout below Red Bluff. Cant believe that we landed this fish on 2X with a size 8 stone fly nymph. Must have just hit the fish on the nose. The fish was 44.5" long with a 29" girth. It was an amazing experience holding this fish and reviving it to let it swim back into the depths.

Finally - Another Post

Hey guys. It has been a long time since my last post. All I can say is that life has not been the same since my last post in December. We now are a family of 4 with the new addition of our second girl Ava Rose in April. She has been an absolute joy and everyone is doing great. Her mom and myself are still trying to learn how to be parents to 2 kids but we are figuring it out little by little. Now on to the fishing. Lower Sac -

The Lower Sac has been having some decent fishing this summer. It really depends on what drift you are on but one can expect good to great fishing all the way throughout the entire river. The hot bugs have been pmds in the morning and caddis in the afternoon.

Lower Yuba - The Yuba has had some average fishing over the last couple of weeks. However the Hopper fishing is starting. So get those 4 and 5 weights out and go throw some dry flies toward the banks. Imagine you are in Montana and try to rise some fish in the valley. A great time of year to go spend a half day.

Stripers - The striper fishing has been really good this last week. Lots of fish to be had in the river right now. If you are looking to do a striper trip then from now until the middle parts of August is prime time. Time to grab the big rods and get out there to do some fishing.

For those of you that are looking to do some fishing in the fall my dates are booking up. So start looking at those calendars and send me an email ASAP. I currently only have 4 openings for the month of October. Got to love the egg bite.

Hope all of you are well. I will try to keep more up to date posts on what is going on in the valley.

Discounted Trips on Select Dates in December

Save $100 on Select Dates The fishing this last week has been good despite the frigid weather. The good news is the weather is going to warm up the rest of the week. Early next week the weather man is calling for temps in the high 60s. It is going to be a beautiful time to be on the river. Don't miss out on probably the last warm weather of the year. Lower Sac: I have been spending the majority of my time on the Lower Sac the last couple of weeks. Fishing has been really solid on the upper drifts. We are hooking 30-40 rainbows a day on eggs and small may fly nymphs. Expect really good fishing on the Sac for the rest of December and January as we have the winter egg bite. Yuba: I spent a couple of days on the Yuba this last week and had good fishing as well. Most days we were hooking 20ish fish on eggs. The great news is that the fish quality is finally back up and we are seeing lots of 16-17" rainbows again. Gone are those days where you catch a bunch of small trout. The best part of the day was that we had a great blue wing olive hatch come off that brought quite a few rainbows to the surface. We ended up throwing dries for over an hour to rising fish. If you are looking to save a little cash then here is your chance. Book a trip during the select dates below and receive $100 off my normal rate. It is a great time to get that family member on the water for Christmas. My discounted openings are Dec. 16-18, 20-21 (Friday/Saturday), 28-29 (Saturday/Sunday). For those of you looking more in advance on your calendars then I have Jan 1-11, 14-19, 21-31 still open as well. Email or Call ASAP to get in the last spots of the year. Tight Lines, Ryan Johnston www.rjsflytrips.com ryan.Johnston@Hotmail.com 619-540-9259

Fall and Winter Fishing

Great Winter Fishing is Coming! The fishing this fall has been simply amazing. For those of you lucky enough to get in on the Lower Sac or the Feather River this October and November it didn't disappoint. This year there have been lots of big steelhead in the Lower Sacramento River System. Here is the great news....Supposedly we have a really good late fall /early winter run of salmon coming up the river. This should prolong some good trout and steelhead fishing for us way into December. For those of you that missed out on the action then there are lots of opportunities to get out in December.

Lower Sac Trout & Steelhead: Things are setting up nicely for the Lower Sac this winter. December is a great time of year to escape the crowds and go hunt for some big fish. With winter salmon making their way up the system then we should see some monster trout being caught during the second egg bite. Not to mention the large amount of steelhead in the system this year should produce some chances at some big fish like the one above. Here steelie, here steelie! Come help me find the elusive 10lber.

Feather River Steelhead: The Feather has once again been ridiculous this year. Lots of fish in the system and there have been many more big fish than normal. Daily we are seeing fish in the 24-25" class. It literally has been the year of the 6-7lb fish. Things are slowly winding down on the Feather. But here is what I can tell you there are still plenty of fish there to be caught. Most days right now we are hooking between 12-15 fish. I would expect the Feather to continue to fish through early December. If we get a second push of winter Salmon then things could potentially even go longer. Generally this is the time of year where we start to see the big boys trying to make their way through the system.

Yuba Rainbows & Steelhead: I Personally haven't been on the Yuba much lately as the Feather has been so good. But I have been hearing some good reports. Typically the winter time on the Yuba is pretty special. Decent trout fishing, a handful of steelhead, and potential for some blue wing olive dry fly fishing makes for a fun day. December and January are two great months to get on the Yuba and have the river to yourself.

Fishing Report - Lower Sac Trout and Stripers Fishing Great

I have decided that I am going to continue my summer discount through the Labor Day weekend. I will take $125 off on any full day guide trip. I have several openings coming up in the next month if you want to check out some solid fishing and save a few bucks. These will be the last discounted trips through the fall. Check out this email to see your fishing options. There is some really good fishing to be had right now. Check out the report below.

Lower Sac: The trout fishing on the Lower Sac is starting to ramp back up. The lower drifts from Balls Ferry to Los Molinos are all fishing well. This time of year it is all about fishing structure. Fish those rocks, clay, and anything else that will break up that current. If you are into a different style of nymphing on the Lower Sac then the next month is time of year to come check out all the structure fishing that we do. Currently the best flies have been rubberlegs and larger birds nest. Most days right now we are boating between 25-30 rainbows. If you fish below Red Bluff then there is the chance at the first couple steelhead of the year. Actually 1st steelhead of the season for my clients hit the net yesterday. Cant wait for some more chrome. Expect the Sac to fish well through the middle of September.

Yuba River: The Yuba has had a solid summer. The hopper fishing has been decent but not great. If you want to go out there and throw dries then it is reasonable to expect about 10 rises on hopper patterns. You combine dry fly fishing with nymphing and you can have a solid day on the river. Hands down the best fishing is from Noon until 6PM. That is prime hopper hours and the best nymphing has been towards the middle parts of the day. Right now we are hooking about 20-25 rainbows per day. Hot flies have been birds nest, red copper johns, and Hogans SM.

Lower Lower Sac Stripers: The striper fishing has been REALLY GOOD the last three weeks. If you want to come check out some striper fishing outside of Chico then NOW IS THE TIME to do that. There is about 3 more weeks left to this season and the sooner you can get out the better. There are lots of fish in the system. Most of the fish are in the 2-3lb range with most days having multiple shots at fish in the 5-7lb range. If you have experience throwing shooting heads it is reasonable to find fish in nearly every run. Throw in a handful of smallmouth into the mix and this year has been awesome on Lower Lower Sac. Like usual the hot color this year has been chart over white. Meet in Chico at 6:30AM and fish till 3PM. You get to eat dinner with the family and fish all morning. Egg Bite: The EGG BITE is just around the corner. You want to start thinking about what dates are going to work the best for you this year. Right now my calendar is starting to fill up for late September through Thanksgiving. Starting with the Yuba in late September, then onto the Lower Sac in mid October, and then finishing on the Feather in November it is hard to go wrong during those two months. Check out my dates if you want to reserve one of these prime time dates. It literally could be the best 8 weeks of fishing all year long. Openings: Discounted Trips ($125 off full day): Aug 8-12, 14, 18-23, 29, 31, and Sept 2-5 Egg Bite: Yuba: September 23-27, 29-30, and Oct. 2-3 Lower Sac: Oct. 8-9, 15-16, 20-21 Feather: 24-25, 29, 31 and Nov. 4, 6, 8-10, 13-15, 17-20 Hope all of you are doing well. Looking forward to doing some fishing with you guys this fall. Thanks for everything and for supporting me these last 10 years. Email me to book dates. Tight Lines, Ryan Johnston www.casthope.org www.rjsflytrips.com ryan.johnston@hotmail.com

Trout, Steelhead, Bass, Shad - To Many Choices Report!

I am still shaking my head in disbelieft of how great the fishing was this spring and how this warm weather continues to put out great fishing in the valley. I hope that you were one of the lucky few that got to experience this springs epic trips. Here is the good news - The fishing is holding strong and there are lots of opportunities to do more fishing in the upcoming months. If you are into trout, bass, shad, or steelhead then we can find a trip for you. Check out my email to see what the next 8 weeks is going to hold. Dont miss out on some awesome early summer fishing. Openings: May 28-30 June 2, 3-5, 7, 10-12, 16, 17-18, 26, 28-30 July 1, 4-7,8-9, 11-12, 15-25, 29-31 Shad Dates June 2, 3-5, 7, 10-12, 17-18 Lower Sac: Currently the Lower Sac is fishing really solid. Most days right now we are hooking 40-50 fish. The higher flows have really made the fish happy. Currently the river is holding at 12,000 cfs. This is perfect for fishing the lower river from Barge Hole down to Bend. This is one of my favorite times of year as we get to fish the Swirls, the Rocks, Clay Ledges, and all kinds of other weird water. Watch out because as the flows increase the lower river is going to go off. Want to get off the standard Posse Grounds to Anderson float then the summertime is for you. The big fish on the upper river are still an option but its a blast to fish the lower river. Currently the best fishing is from 10AM - 3PM and the hot flies have been eng things, sucker spawn, tan birds nest, etc. Feather: The Feather still has plenty of fish in it. I would say this year the Feather is going to be fishable all the way till the early parts of June. This last week I was having some great luck hooking 15-20 fish per day. Not to often do you get to fish in 90 degree weather and do some steelhead fishing. I have been focusing my efforts on the Low Flow as it seems most of the fish are in the upper parts of the system now. Hot flies have been caddis, caddis, and caddis. Literally anything tan should catch them. I only have a few more days open before the Feather season is going to be over. Bass: I know that most of you don't get excited about bass fishing. You think of the typical angler at the Bass Master Classic decked out in all kind of sponsor patches and holding up two big bucketmouths. Well lets say that fly fishing for bass is nothing like that. I have quickly gained the ability to take you to some incredible bass fishing spots whether that is private water or on the Sacramento River itself. This is seriously one of my favorite game fish to chase with a fly rod locally. The top water fishing is insane and if you want to sight fish then we have that opportunity as well. Come give it a try this summer and see if you don't leave wanting more! I have started guiding Luk Lake. For those of you who dont know about Luk Lake it is the best topwater bass fishing that I have ever seen. Come on out and do and evening topwater trip to check out this special place. Luk Lake space is Limited. Shad: The Shad are making their way up the Sacramento River as we speak. Typically this run is very short every year. There is about 5 prime weeks of shad fishing near Chico. So if you want to catch a bunch of fish in a very short period of time then this is the trip for you. This is the perfect half day trip. Meet in Chico at 4PM and fish till dark for $250. Reserve your spot ASAP for the migration as last year was epic. If this year is half the run of last year then I will be one happy guide. Hope all of you are well and getting some fishing. Thanks for the support over the last several years. I am lucky to be able to take people out on the water and show them the ins and outs of fishing in the north valley. Email me with questions or to inquire about availabilities. Tight Lines. Ryan Johnston ryan.johnston@hotmail.com

Awesome Spring Fishing Continues

I hope this note finds all of you well. One thing I know for sure that this March Madness has been insane on the court and on the river. Now on the river my clients and I are doing really well. The Lower Sac has been en fuego for a month! Now on the other side of things my bracket is a mess. I will admit that this year I only predicted one team right for the final four. But lets be honest who picked Wichita State to go this deep. Well enough about my ramblings onto the fishing. The Lower Sac from Posse down to Balls Ferry has been really good. Most days right now we are hooking 50+ rainbows. The best fishing right now is in the afternoon so no need to get on the river early. You can get some love in the morning but it has really been an afternoon delight. From 1PM to 5PM the fishing have really been dialed into those mayfly hatches. Currently there are March Browns, PMDS, and baetis hatching in good numbers. It seems like the majority of the caddis hatch is over by this point. By far the March Browns are dominating the food source. Hot flies have been pheasant tails, eng things, dark lords, prince nymphs, yellow egg, etc. Good luck in finding the yellow egg as it seems that most shops have received an egg with a bad set of dye. So make sure the yellow egg you are buying is actually yellow and not whiteish with a touch of pink. I havent been on the Feather or the Yuba for the last three weeks so I dont have any current information for you there. But there should be a decent number of steelhead on the Feather by this point and the March Browns/PMDs should be thick on the Yuba. For those of you looking to do some fishing with me then my schedule is really booked up the next six weeks. my next openings are: May 17, 21-24, 28-31, June 2-5, 7, 9-12, 14, 16. Now remember for those of you looking to do some shad fishing the best dates for shad around Chico is the first two weeks of June. June 2-16 are prime shad dates. Tight Lines. Ryan Johnston www.rjsflytrips.com

Discounted Trip

Hey guys. I had a client cancel for Monday, March 25th. The weather is supposed to be great and the fishing is going to be awesome with that warm weather. I am offering a $100 discount off of a full day guided trip for anyone that wants to go on a short notice guide trip. Email me asap at ryan@rjsflytrips.com to book the trip. I have also filled April 5th with a good client. Thanks for everything guys. Ryan Johnston www.rjsflytrips.com www.casthope.org

Lower Sac es en Fuego!

For those of you looking to fish the Lower Sac the river has been on fire over the last week. We have been posting some huge numbers and size of fish in the last couple of weeks. Literally in the last two weeks I have been averaging between 40-50 hookups per day. The two drifts that are currently fishing the best is Posse to Anderson and Anderson to Balls Ferry. I have also been hearing some rumors of some awesome fishing below Balls Ferry as well. Right now it seems hard to go wrong on the Lower Sac. The hot flies of late have been pheasant tails, prince nymphs, eng thing, and rubberlegs. If you are looking to get out on the river my only opening from now until May is Friday, April 5th. Send me an email if you are interested in booking that date. Take Care and Tight Lines!

Skwalas - Yuba River Report

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

Lower Sac Goes Off

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

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

Lower Valley Fishing Report - Sac, Feather, Yuba

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

Discount this Week!

Hey guys. I had some cancellations for this week and wanted to see if anyone was interested in some last minute deals. Right now the only rivers that I guide that are fishable are the Yuba and Feather. Both are fishing well. If I had to choose one then I would opt for the Yuba as I think that gives us the best opportunity of having a great day. Well here is the deal. You pay $295 and get a full day of guided fishing. Right now I have this Monday - Wednesday, Dec. 17-19 open at this rate. That is 30% off the normal rate of $425. Email me asap at ryan.johnston@hotmail.com if you want to get in on some good winter fishing. Tight Lines, Ryan

Good Late Season Feather Steelhead Fishing

I had a good late season steelhead trip on the Feather today. This year the Feather is fishing much later than normal. Expect for there to be good numbers of fish in the system through the first week of December. The fishing today was really consistent. In total we hooked 15+ steelhead in the 18-24" range. The majority of the fish came on eggs. Today was a tad better than the rest of the week but most days we are hooking between 12-14 fish. Not bad for the weekend after Thanksgiving. For anyone looking for a last minute egg bite trip then I have Nov. 27-28, 30 open. Anyone interested in these last minute trips then I will do them for the specail price of $295 for a full day. Email me ASAP at ryan@rjsflytrips.com if you are interested. Take Care.