The river temperature is high.  You will need to venture upstream to find water that is under 68 degrees.  This means fishing around Sierra City or higher.  

This is Wet Wading conditions, my favorite type of wading.  I wear Kuhl long pants to protect my legs from the bush and stones.  The Kuhls are really durable and dry quickly.  Be sure to wear a wide brimmed hat- the sun up on the NFY is pretty strong.

A 3 wt rod is perfect up there.  I use an Orvis Helios 3.  It’s a wonderful rod but you’ll be fine with any decent rod.  If you’re looking for value, the Orvis clearwater is a tremendous deal.  A click pawl reel is all you need- save some money here.  Get a good line.

Use a 7.5 foot 5x leader.  I replace the last 18 inches with florocarbon tippet.  It sinks slightly so the fish don’t see a weird line in the film. 

Think Caddis and Golden Stone.

The Golden Stone on the North Yuba River in Downieville

The Golden Stones are flying.   A size 12 Stimulator in yellow will imitate this insect quite well.  The Stimulator (Stimi) is a great dry fly for rigging a dry dropper.  See a previous post on how to do this.

Golden Stone North Yuba River Martin Cleary Guide 040722
Golden Stone underside yellow bottom dark top
North Fork Yuba Fly Fishing 2022