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