Memorial Day Fishing Report

Dry Dropper Rig Diagram

Okay, so I haven’t been on the North Yuba for over a month but I’ve got a good guess as to what’s happening.

If  you’re just fishing with kids or pressed for time and want to land a fish- there will be planters in the big pool below the courthouse bridge in Downieville.  Deliver them something down deep.

If you’re fly fishing…Here’s my recommendation: Nymphs will be productive. Look for some deeper water behind boulders or in plunge pools. Use heavy flys on a tight line rig for best results.  If tight line nymphing is not your game or you see any fish feeding at the surface, go to a dry-dropper: a larger dry fly with 24 inches of tippet tied to the dry flys hook bend that has a nymph tied to the end of the tippet. See the diagram below. Be ready to remove the nymph in the late afternoon if the surface feeding picks up.  A Stimulator or Elk Hair Caddis will work for your dry.  For a nymph, use A black AP Nymph, Pheasant Tail, or Hare’s Ear in size 14 or 16.  If the trout start hitting a hatch and you’re not sure what fly to use, go with a Parachute Adams in size 14 or 16.

The areas above and below Downieville should be good. The flows are high and the water is cold, be very careful.  Think carefully about what will happen if you fall in.  There’s no cell service outside of Downieville.  Be safe and have a great time.

Dry Dropper Rig Diagram

Get outside

Martin Cleary California Fly Fishing

It’s early spring in The Sierra Mountains.  In most cases, it’s too early to fish unless you’re on a tail water.  The daytime temperatures are up and comfortable.  Get out there!  The photo below was taken at Upper Sardine Lake.  It’s a 20 minute hike from a trailhead.  When I was there, there wasn’t another person in sight and the view was stunning.  The only gear that I brought was my phone and a water bottle.  We’re so lucky to have free access to amazing places.  Enjoy it and respect it.

Martin Cleary California Fly Fishing

Plan your Summer trip

Wild Trout

When the heat shuts down the other rivers, head to the North Fork Yuba

The upper reaches of the North Fork Yuba are where you want to be on those hot Summer days.  The water is cooled by springs and will stay well below the Hoot Owl Closure temperatures that we see on the Truckee and Upper Sac.

cools spring water

As the flows drop, the fish will concentrate in the deeper plunge pools.  Mid-day they will seek the shade of the giant boulders that make up the upper section on the North Yuba.

What to look for when approaching smaller water

North Fork Yuba upper section

As the flows get lower and the temperatures get higher, head upstream if you’re on a freestone river like the North Yuba.

The upper reaches of the North Yuba are rough.  To fish here, you need to be in good physical condition to navigate the steep and loose terrain or to climb over the huge boulders.  I’m pushing 60 but I make an effort to keep in shape.  My daily active calorie goal is 740- I rarely do less.

As Summer takes up residence, you’ll find your best fishing is spots like the one below.  I stuck a GoPro in here and saw 25+ fish.  Some saw me..  Look for oxegen, some depth, and some shade.  This one had all three.

I carry two rods and will work the pool from the back (down stream side) first.  I’ll throw a dry over the back of the pool, working left to right.  I’ll follow that with a nymph in the same area since I won’t have put any fish down with my line.  Alternatively, if the pool is not very deep, I’ll go with a dry-dropper.  I’ll move my casts forward by 10 feet, all the way to the inlet.

North Fork Yuba upper section

Lake Fly Fishing Tips

Far Bank Learning Center Video Lake Fly Fishing

If this year rolls out as expected, the river fishing will be cut short due to high water temperatures and low flows.  An alternative to fishing our beloved rivers is to fly fish on a lake.  Some of the higher elevation lakes have excellent fly fishing for trout.  Lower elevation lakes may have some planted trout and bass.

For some reason, fly fishers refer to lake fly fishing as ‘Stillwater’.  Stillwater is more technical than river fly fishing.  It also requires more patients.  

I have little experience with stillwater, so I’ve been seeking some education.

For someone that may have very little experience with stillwater Far Bank has put together a learning center that includes an excellent video on finding success with stillwaters.

The presenter is probably the best teacher in the fly fishing industry: Simon Gaweworth.  The guy knows his stuff lays it out to make it easily understood. 

One of the current grand masters of stillwater fly fishing is Phil Rowley.  I took a 20 hour virtual class that was put on by Phil.  It was comprehensive and a bit overwhelming.  Phil is a bit of a fire hose when it comes to presenting on a topic that he’s clearly so passionate about.  The presentation was based on an Orvis book that came out later on.  The book is excellent.  I’m not smart enough to figure out how to get a fee for linking to Amazon, so here’s a no-commission link to Phil’s excellent book. 

The Orvis Guide to Fly Fishing

Orvis Guide to Stillwater Trout Fishin

What do Redds (trout egg beds) look like

Redd image rainbow trout eggs

Spring has sprung on the calendar, and the rainbows are doing their thing at this time of year. That means some ornery trout, and with the water temps creeping up, feisty browns, as well.

When you’re out on the water, PLEASE be mindful of redds (trout spawning beds). You’ll find them in shallow, gravelly areas with a nice, steady current flowing over them. A redd looks like a shallow, scooped out bowl of cleaned gravel that stands out from the surrounding darker, weedier gravel. (See the photo above.) You may or may not see trout on the redds, but either way, just admire the trout’s innate desire to perpetuate the species and leave those areas alone. Whatever you do, do not walk through redds. Be careful where you wade.

 

Redd image rainbow trout eggs

Image from the Orvis blog

Get your fishing license online, before you travel

Fishing License Tool

Use the tool below to sort out your fishing license for any state, including California.  Check out the cost of CA vs other states…We should expect more from our Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The tool is hosted by my friends at Angling Trade Media.

Fishing License Tool

Casting a nymphing rig easily

casting a nymph rig image

Take a look at the video of Pete Kutzer and Tom Rosenbauer of Orvis demonstrate how to easily cast and fish a nymph rig.  We all learn to cast dry flys first, but in reality, we’re going to catch more fish with flys that sink.  Subsurface nymphs imitate what trout eat most often.

More lessons can be found at Orvis here

Report: it’s cold. Spring is going to be late.

North Yuba Rainbow Trout
North Yuba Rainbow Trout

As expected, the water is cold and the fish are on the bottom.  I landed this 17″ yesterday below GoodYears Bar.  It was hanging near the bottom.  It and a neighbor took a heavily weighted jig fly that I came up with last year.  I  call it the Money Fly.

I fished for an hour (2-3).  The water is cold and the fish are cold too.  You’ll have better luck on the Lower Yuba.  You may get a chance to throw some dry flys on the LY. 

The snowpack around the Yuba Pass is light.  When the heat comes, that snow will melt off quickly.   At this point, it seems like we’re going to have another low-flow year.  Plan on fishing May and part of June on the NFY.    Unless we get a surprise storm, plan on fishing tail waters (rivers coming from the bottom of dams).

The Money Flyly

The Money Fly gets down fast and is buggy.  This fly has been a consistent success on the North Yuba and other free stone rivers