Taking your spouse fishing in stunning beauty and solitude can be the perfect date. The North Yuba is a great place to introduce your partner to the joy of fly fishing. You’ll have success in hooking a fish while being surrounded by the most amazing river scenery in California.
Be prepared to hike a bit. Bring some good snacks and something to drink. Slow down and soak it in.
Short cast to the heads of pools are sure to produce strikes.
Over the past five years, I’ve watched nature slowly reposes this front yard. That Maple tree is growing through a semi-truck that’s been sitting on the driveway for years. Across the street from this house is a beautiful section of river that holds wild trout. Looks like an opportunity.
This is a wonderful film about the town of Downieville and it’s main attraction- the epic single track trails in the area. This film focuses on the famous Downieville Downhill. I’ve been mountain biking since the early days of dirt bike parts on bikes. This is still the best riding that I’ve experienced. Get some!
The video was put together by Outsider MTB. You can check out their other videos here. The video has some sponsorship from The Carriage House Inn, a great spot to stay in town. It’s literally 100′ from the two shuttle services and sits right on the river.
It’s Fall and it’s wonderful. The color switch has been thrown. The Maples, Aspen, Dogwoods, and others are reflecting the colors of Fall. The trees took a cue from the cold air and have consumed that chlorophyll.
The fishing…it’s okay. The water is super low and the big guys have not entered the system yet.
A Waltz Worm with a hotspot has been very productive in moving water. Look for plunge pools and work the soft water at the edge of the flow.
The Forest Service is closing 9 NorCal national forest, including Plumas and Tahoe. The closure is Aug 22 through September 6. It’s a fire safety issue. Postpone that fishing trip. Be Safe!
It’s not good. Give your lungs a break and go to the coast.
The smoke seems to have put the fish down. The flows are really low. Don’t bother until the smoke clears.
This fire season has already hurt so many people- truly sad.
An AQI of 509 is really unhealthy. The ash on the hood of the jeep tells a story.
The Dog Days of Summer have arrived. The river is fishing great, but you need to know where to go. The upper reaches of the river are the place to be. Specifically, fish from Sierra City to Bassets Station. You find cooler water, hungry fish, and solitude. Bring your light gear- 2, 3, or 4 wt rods. Short leaders are fine here. You be pleased to find these fish are more than happy to take dry flys. A dry/dropper will be more productive but if you want to keep it simple, just bring your favorite dry flys. keep em floating. Be ready to cover some ground. If you don’t get an eat in the first 10 casts, move on. You’ll see some mayflys on the water in the evening and some Golden Stones during the day. A sunken ant is money. Stay hydrated and have fun.
This crazy heat and low water flows are not good for our fisheries.
It’s time for a voluntary “Hoot Owl” closure for the livelihood of wild trout within the system. You can do your part by doing the following:
With hot water temps, there are other alternatives when it comes to fishing for trout. Fish the high alpine lakes, tailwaters that provide cold water, rivers that are spring fed, or have numerous cold inflows of feeder creeks. Your actions dictate the future of wild trout in the rivers that you love to fish.
In the case of the North Fork Yuba, just head upstream to Sierra City or above. Look for side springs- they are always running cold.
Even with a double bow, they come untied!!! They don’t need to…there’s a little secret. We’ve been doing it all wrong. Change one simple step in the knot and BAM- they stay tied. Tripping over your laces is no fun, doing it with a couple of $1000 rods in your hands in rocky terrain can ruin your day. Check out this video:
Below the dramatic Sierra Buttes, rain, snowmelt, and natural spring come together, and The North Fork Yuba River is born. The upper reaches of this river are strewn with car sized granite boulders and terrain covered with Manazita, Oak, and conifers. Rainbow and Brown trout are eager to feed in the 100s of plunge pools that step their way down the canyon. The North Yuba also attracts anglers from all over the state who make their own journey to ply the waters whether it is by fly or lure. Here is a place than can offer unbound beauty, adventure, solitude, and a chance to hook into a trophy trout!
As you make your up Highway 49 from Nevada City there are numerous major access points along the way upstream after the first bridge crossing near the Canyon Creek trailhead. Other obscure access areas are mere pullouts with steep descents down to the river and only for the most adventurous souls. What sets this river apart from the many grand waters of Northern California is the type of water preferred by fly anglers; pocket water, pools and gin clear water.
The North Yuba is open year all year for fishing but with special regulations. There is a “wild trout” section from Sierra City to Ladies Canyon Creek and only barbless flies and artificial lures may be used with a two fish limit if one decides to keep their catch. Most fly anglers practice “catch and release” fishing so that the populations of wild trout may grow bigger and provide others with the enjoyment of catching the big one. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s regulation booklet provides all the information a visiting angler needs to be legal here and should be reviewed before venturing out onto the water.
Winter and spring conditions are rather tough for successful fishing, low water temperatures and high water makes it difficult for even expert anglers. The most productive fishing takes place after spring runoff has ended which normally takes place sometime in May. As summer engulfs the North Yuba so do the aquatic insects that the wild trout eagerly dine on. Hatches of mayflies, caddis, and stoneflies fill the air and offer exciting “dry fly” fishing, presenting flies that float on the surface of the water enticing a trout to rise to the occasion and devour the artificial offering. Great fishing continues through even the hottest dog days of summer as the upper river still provides cold water. Fall is a special time on the North Yuba, leaves glow showing their spectacular colors and the trout feed more aggressively knowing they have to fatten up for the long cold winter months ahead of them. There is also a special aquatic insect that hatches this time of year and even has a cult following amongst fly anglers. The October Caddis is a large specimen with a burnt orange color that brings up some of the largest trout for a floating prime rib dinner drifting down the currents.
There are no special tackle requirements to fish the North Yuba, a 3-5 weight rod matched with a floating line and leaders to 4-6x will perform nicely. A dry/dropper will land you the highest fish count. Save the dry only for the late afternoons. Sierra Hardware in Downieville is the only place in the area you can find terminal tackle and a large assortment of the “go to” flies that work best on the river. The store owner has been helping fly fishermen for the last 40 years- she knows what works.
The North Fork Yuba is a fascinating river with a surprise around every corner. This fishing has a shorter season than some of the famous tailwaters. This is an excellent place for a beginner- the fly choice is not critical and the casts tend to be short. Just don’t let them see you coming. There are some larger fish that can be taken by the more seasoned angler.
Most of the fish are small and are not suited for the pan -put em back.