May/Early Summer 2024 Fishing Report

Hello Fellow Anglers

Its been a little while since my last fishing report, but I am hoping with the help from the guides that work with me, that we can collaborate a few more repots through out the year. My goal would be 3 to 4 fishing reports each year with a more social media reports posted more regularly. Make sure to follow NCFG's social media and the NCFG blogger to see current reports and pics from recent trips.  

Current fishing conditions have been all over the map, From good days to tough days, to cant fish days due to wind and huge yoyo bump/drop in flows to some of the best fishing we've seen all season long. Currently waters are extremely high throughout the state making some rivers unfishable, some rivers only fishable with indicators and other rivers waiting on the infamous shad run. The Cottonwood Blooms have been out in full force and it should go down any day now. With peak snowmelt coming down over the next week or two, we should start seeing our river flows come down. This will make swinging for trout and steelhead much easier, and just in time for the half pounder run on the Feather and some trout spey work on the Yuba and Lower Sac. Plenty of days left to book shad trips on or local waters as well as later season steelhead, trout and striper trips. 

Here is your current up to date Nor Cal Fishing Report

Feather River 

Low Flow Channel 700cfs
Clarity 8ft clear
Fishing is good to great
High Flow Channel 8500kcfs
Clarity 8ft with slight green tint
Fishing is good to great

While we have been battling YOYO flows in the high flow from 4k all the way up to 11k, we are still finding some decent fishing in the high flow. At this point we should see an increase in the Low Flow at some point which will make for even better fishing in the LF.  With the current flows in the HF there aren’t many souls fishing it at 10k and personally I love it. There are some sweet slow water drop offs and back eddys that cant be fished unless flows are above 8k. The fish stack up in these areas and its gang busters. The HF is not recommended for wading at 8500, boat only.

The Feather River has been our go to river since the start of 2024 and it will continue to be one of our main rivers to guide well into mid/late summer. We are seeing good numbers of steelhead from 18-22" with some pushing 6-8lbs, and fish pushing 30” have been hooked but not many to hand. Indicator fishing has been producing good to great numbers of fish and swinging up to 7k in the high flow has been really good as well. We are still waiting for the main push of spring run steelhead to show up, which should be any day now, and we still have some suckers spawning. All in all, its been a great spring fishery and will continue to fish good too great for the next month or 2.

If you have never hooked into a Feather River Spring Run steelhead, do yourself a favor and give it a go.
We still have availability to fish this awesome year-round steelhead fishery. 
Nymphing: Prince nymphs, sucker spawns, copper johns, caddis, mayflies, PTs, worms
Swinging: Sculpins, olive woolybuggers, small olive or rusty colored trout speys, euphoria's, fry/crayfish patters

Yuba River
Above Daguerre 5000cfs
Below Daguerre 4500cfs
Fishing above Daguerre not happening anytime soon
Fishing below is fair 

Flows have been up and down then way back up again. We are seeing higher flows due to snowmelt and with only 3300 coming out of Englebright, the rest is coming over the top. While fishing before this big spike was extremely good, its gonna be a while till we are able to get back on it and fish again. Keep an eye on this fishery during the summer months, its going to be one for the record books. Until this last big bump in flows, we were having some great dry fly activity throwing anything stonefly-ish even skwalas. The bobber fishing was awesome between the storms. All the reservoirs are all full and lots of cold water for months to come. I feel with the higher-than-normal flows this year, these fish will be more reluctant to look up at dries, so bust out those dry fly rods and let's get some epic dry fly eats. I have been doing some recon in the Lower “Lower” Yuba for shad and striper and been hooking some decent stripers but the shad are slow to show. But in addition, we are seeing a decent Cottonwood Bloom on these warmer days and that only means one thing:
SHAD SEASON is short to follow. More about this below.
Nymphs: rubberlegs, caddis, mayflies, worms, eggs, sucker spawns, pmds, March browns, skwalas and wingless stones.
Swinging: alevins, sculpins, small leech style patterns, woolybuggers in olive, brown, or fry colored 
Drys: skwalas, stonefly patterns, stimulators, hoppers, phat alberts, mays, caddis
Stripers below Daguerre: Anything Adachi clousers, white/chartreuse, white/gray, rainbow/shad colors


Eagle Lake:  Opens May 25th

Lake Almanor:

Rating: ON FIRE
Level: 4490 ft.
Water Temps: 53° F
Water Clarity:  6ft. - 8ft

The Chironomid hatch has been Amazing this year. Lots of eager rainbows and browns feeding heavily on the midge right now! This is one you do not want to miss. Most of our action has been under the indicator. However, we have managed some smallies and browns on intermediate lines. This last cold snap slowed the fish down a little, but there are still some cooperative fish to be had. Now is the time to come up and fish. Make sure you layer up warm in the morning and scale down for a warmer afternoon. Also, the Hex Hatch is a little over a month away. We are expecting a good hatch this year. Do not wait to book your Hex trip, spots are filling quickly, and you might miss out if you delay.

Nymphs: Midge patterns, Balanced Leech
Streamers: Hex nymphs, pond smelt, Balanced leeches
Dries: Spotlight Caddis emerger
Guide Tip: Check the weather before you head up, the cold snaps will slow the bite a little bit.

Open Dates: Booking Chironomid hatch in May and the Hex Hatch in June. We have a handful of Hex Hatch dates left. Call or email for availability


American River

4000cfs
Clarity is perfect 8ft slight green tinge
Fishing is good to great

We are finally getting into those flows that really rock on the American River. With a good amount of tweener 18-22" steelhead throughout the system it makes for a great day on the water. We are seeing a few Bluebacks (springers) on the AR but again we are waiting for that big push. Even without the usual numbers of springers, we are having some sweet days hooking some really nice steelhead. Great place to play for a day from the Bay. We are starting to see signs of Stripers and Shad in the lower river and with the temps warming up this week and the cottonwood blooms falling that only means 1 thing: SHAD TIME!!! More about that down below.
Nymphs: Prince nymphs, eggs, copper johns, PTs, poxyback hares ears, hares ears, worms, sucker spawn, caddis, mayflies
Swinging: hobo speys, euphorias, sculpins, alevins, fry patterns
Stripers: Anything Adachi clousers, white/chartreuse, white/gray, rainbow or shad colors


Lower Sac

Flows: 6k cfs by 5/14
Clarity 6-8ft typical lower sac green
Fishing is good one day tough the next, more tougher days than better days right now

The fishing remains tough. Flow drops and bumps are continuing to be extreme, creating unhappy fish. With Shasta Lake being 5ft from full pool and a huge amount of snow melt still left to fill the lake, flows will exceed 15k here soon if we were betting men. Current flows on 5/9/24 are 12k with an upcoming bump to 15k. Good days are still few and far between, and with minimal hatches happening day to day, the fish have been very selective to which flys they want to eat. Waiting on warmer weather to spark the caddis hatches. After another big winter, a lot of guides have been saying that the hatches are so poor because of the 40k flows we saw in February, washing a lot of bug life downstream(Information and thoughts from a lot of guides in the area).
However, if flows stay steady with the scheduled release forecast of 6k by 5/14, look for this rivers fishing to heat up and be a more consistent fishery with more stable flows. We will start seeing better hatches, more bugs means less selective fish and maybe even some dry fly fishing/hopper dropper action. Cant wait. If it keeps fluctuating up and down like a yoyo, fishing will stay tough till snowmelt is almost done. Lets keep um crossed.

Nymphs: Coffee, black, brown rubber legs(beaded and non-beaded), light olive Weiss nymph, Chile Verde perdigon, PMD perdigon. Egg patterns have been working here and there, but still inconsistent.
Guide Tip: Patients pays off, we are fishing much harder to get our fish than usual, but put the work in and you will be rewarded. Remember August 1^st is the upper river opener and for those that have never fished this crazy day, its pretty cool to fish. So if you want to fish that upper stretch on the opener, give us a jingle.
Stripers: Anything Adachi clousers, white/chartreuse, white/gray, rainbow or shad colors


Putah Creek
300cfs
Clarity 6-8ft steelhead green
Fishing is good to great

Yes, you read that right 300cfs and this is the absolute perfect flow to fish Putah Creek. Its been fishing extremely well due to these flows and you can access almost every foot of the 5 miles of fishable water. This is the perfect place to fish close to the Bay area and if you want to learn how to unlock the secrets of Putah Creek give us a ring. Its also a great place to hone your skills due to its technical fishing. When it comes to this fishery, with us, its all about teaching and showing you the ins and outs. We have been hitting this river a few times a week as some of our Sac Valley rivers have been a tad too high to fish some days. 
Nymphs: small midges, small mayflies, small caddis, small hares ears. small small and small.


Fall River

Hatches on the Fall have been inconsistent with intermittent weather and cold overnight low temps. Our NCFG Fall River Guided worked his first 2 days of the season on 5/7 and 5/8 and saw very different days as far as hatches and fish to the net. The first day(5/7) the peak hatch started around 11am and only lasted an hour and half to two hours. Much better-quality fish the first day with all fish being over 17” and a total of 8 to the net. The second day(5/8), the peak hatch started at 11am and lasted all day until we got off the water around 3pm, with easy double digits to the net and all the little fish you could catch 12” and under. Both days using mostly nymphs under an indicator, and stripping olive leaches on intermediate sink lines is always successful especially after the winds pick up. Dry fly fishing really depends on how strong the wind is and how good the hatch is for the day, but finding wind breaks and fish feeding on the surface is proving to still be successful with the proper selection of fly and a good dead drift presentation. Midges are hatching early morning before peak mayfly hatch at 11am, but the Fall continues to give an average hatch period for mayflies from 11am-3pm depending on overnight lows and how warm the high temps get during the day. The majority of bigger fish are definitely up closer to Spring Creek coming and going for the spawn, but there seems to be a good number of little fish mixed in with a few dandy’s spread out through the rest of the system to Circle 7 Ranch.
Nymphs: olive nymphs in the morning(Chile Verde perdigon with a silver or copper bead), black, brown, and tan nymphs in the afternoon(Sweat Pea, 2-bit-hooker, PMD perdigon).
Guide Tips for the Fall: - having a proper dead drift presentation feeding line from anchor is really what the fish want, and at the end of each drift make sure you let the flys swing through the column for 5-10 seconds before retrieving your drift for another round.

Shasta Lake:

The Lake is nearing full pool creating a lot of floating debris hazards for boats, but it is also in peak form with numbers exceeding 50 fish a day. "Float and fly” is the preferred method winter through spring, but with warm weather on the horizon, the fish have been eating streamers well and they have started to eat topwater flys more consistently as the weather gets warmer. Currently the lake is slipping out of "pre spawn" and into “spawn” with fish moving into shallow water and making beds. Current Water temps are mid 60’s, but with warm weather coming in, we expect to see the main body heating up quickly. The Pit arm is still very dingy with water clarity fluctuating between 3ft-6ft. All other arms and creek inlets are starting to clear up all the way to 20ft visibility. A lot of fish have been suspended in the 10-15ft range in 30-40ft of water, but still our best success is float and fly up against the bank in the first 10ft of water. Still haven’t seen the big groups of threadfin shad moving around or getting busted by fish, but its only a matter of time before we can hunt bait balls away from the bank chasing the groups of shad and bass around in deeper water. Here very soon the main body is going to heat up and the spots and smallmouth are going to move down into the depths for cooler conditions, or they will push up into the tributaries where the water is cooler. Come July, Im targeting the tributary water for the remainder of the summer until water temps start to recede in the main body.

Flies: olive and brownish/red crawdads and thread fin shad patterns in the water with better clarity, low visibility, purple crawdads have been the best fly for the past 2 months with Float-and-Fly, or a black or purple leach.
Guide Tips for Shasta: - Using rattles in your flys, especially in dingy water, has proven to get more grabs throughout the day vs a fly without a rattle(mainly crawdads, but also works with baitfish).


Other Local Lakes

Lake Oroville, Rollins, and many others are fishing extremely well right now and are definitely worth the drive if you want to try something a bit different than what your Nor Cal Rivers offer.

SHAD

GOT SHAD!!!!

We offer shad trips on rivers throughout Northern California, from beginners to experienced anglers as well as with 2 handed rods Single handed rods for swinging and with Single handed rods fishing indicators. 
The Cottonwood blooms are falling, we are going to see low 90* temps in the next week and that only means one thing, SHAD SEASON is almost here!!!

Nor Cal Fly Guides and Fly Fishing Specialties has a phenomenal guide crew that cover our main Nor Cal Rivers for shad that include:
Yuba and American (main rivers)
Feather and Sacramento Rivers (back up rivers)


NCFG & FFS are offering a 2024 SHAD SEASON special
Details:
American River ONLY
Morning or Evening (evening is best)
$375 3hr SHAD Fishing Session

Full day and half day trips available on the Yuba, Feather, American and Sacramento
Details:
$600 full day
$475 half day

My 2024 Shad season full days are all booked up, but I am available for evenings trips on the Yuba River for the 2024 season. (reserve your 2025 dates NOW)

We have several guides that will have you covered for all your shad fishing needs. Book now while prime dates still remain.

Don’t forget about the Striper season. We are already seeing good numbers on the Sac with stripers slowly trickling on our colder rivers like the American and Yuba with a few on the Feather too.

There you have it folks, your Northern California fishing report hot off the press. We hope you are able to get out in the next few weeks and enjoy some of the best fishing we will see all season long. Time to get out and get bent. 

Here's my personal calendar and availability 

Local Waters - Yuba, Feather, American, Lower SacAugust 12, 21
Oct 21 22 24 25 28 29 30
Nov 23 24 26
Dec 20 21 22 28 29 30
Evenings: May June July for 2024 Shad season

Northern Waters Trinity & Lower Sac
Sept 3 4 10 11
Oct 12 13 
Nov 22 23
Dec 1 2 3 4 5 6 9-17

My 2025 dates available for Local or Northern Waters upon request

I'm suggesting to everyone who would like to book with me, booking at a minimum of 6-8 months in advance for prime-time dates is highly recommended. 

Please don't be discouraged that I am more booked up this year than ever before, we can get you booked up with me for future dates if needed. If you would like to book now or in the near future, I am proud to announce that I have hand selected some of the finest guides in Northern California to assist me in the higher demand of bookings for Nor Cal Fly Guides. These guides work "with me" not for me, and I couldn't be happier with the team of guides that lend a helping hand to NCFG clients. From ex-teachers, to full time guides, ex-fly shop owners, shop workers/guides to part time guides that have been fly fishing all their lives, these guides are the best. The biggest asset these guides have is they all have the same "teaching" mentality as I do.

Thank you for viewing.

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2023 Nor Cal Summer Fishing Report

Hello Fellow Anglers,

What a spring and into summer we have been having on our local and northern waters. We actually have water, a bit to much at one point, water temps have been great and the weather, wow how can you complain to actually having springtime temps. Despite the water being on the high side for most of spring, flows are slowly coming down but fishing has not slowed down one bit. With that being said, we are seeing some great fishing opportunities right now and we are even getting into multi-species on any given day. 

Brian's Yuba River Report below Daguerre
7500cfs
Clarity - 15ft clear
This is where I have been spending most of my time chasing the "poor mans tarpon" aka SHAD!!!!! We are getting into great numbers despite the water being high and on the colder side. We still havent hit peak run yet, which we should see in the next week or two and will make fishing only that much better. 6 and 7wt Spey rods have been the trick for wade fishing, fishing in the boat we have been using 7wt single handed rods. Any given day we are swinging up shad, striper, trout and even steelhead while swinging for shad, how cool is that. Currently my full day trips are fully
booked up, but I am booking a few half day evening trips here and there for those still looking to get out. If you arent able to get out with me this shad season, Im already booking dates for the 2024 season. Hwy20 down is still extremely high to successfully fish, wait for this to get under 4k before heading out.
Swinging for shad is the name of the game and striping for stripers has been producing as well.

Brian and Jon's Feather River Report:

Low Flow 2200cfs
High Flow 4000cfs
Clarity - 8-12ft steelhead green
If we arent chasing shad on the Yuba or American we are on the Feather chasing more of our anadromous friends. The Feather has finally come into shape after a long period of sub par fishing. BIG fish are throughout the system with a few fish in the mid 20s being hooked every day, but landing these fish is another story. Pound for pound they are the hottest fish in the valley putting even the most experienced anglers to the test. The feather is one of the only valley tailwaters where you can chase spring and summer steelhead with confidence from May, June and beyond and right now we are seeing both spring and summer run steelhead. With the higher flows the fish have come running back and we are picking up healthy hatchery and wild fish throughout the system. If you haven't fished the Feather in a while or want to feel the strength of some reel steel while everyone else is shad fishing then give us a ring! The Feather does not disappoint and will continue to fish great well into late summer and fall. Swinging and bobber fishing has been producing great numbers of steelhead and occasionally a few shad. There are areas to anchor up and target shad as well, including a few wading spots too. If you are lucky you could even strip clousers for striper as well. 

Jon's American River Report
8000cfs
Clarity -  8-12ft steelhead green
Flows are on the high side, but the river is finally full of big schools of shad! Find the soft water and find the fish! Swinging from the boat anchored up as well as indicator fishing are bringing good numbers of shad to the boat. There's also a good chance at some stripers during the drift if you like to strip clousers on 7/8wt rods. Shad should fish well throughout June and even into July and stripers well into Sept maybe even Oct. Not only can you get into shad and stripers, but there are some steelhead around as well. Half, full and split days available.

Jon's Putah Creek Report:

400cfs PERFECT
Clarity - 8ft steelhead green
As a guide who loves technical nymphing, I love the challenge of Putah Creek. This scenic tailwater is full of big, picky trout that love to refuse presentations that aren't just right. She's a tad overgrown right now, but with a little bushwacking you can get to some great runs and tailouts and sight fish to exceptional rainbows. This is the perfect time to explore the creek as the fish are hungry after a long winter, the weather is great, and all of the accesses are fishing well. If you're new to Putah or just want to find one of those 20+ inch bows and hone your technical nymphing skills this is the place to be. A day out with Nor Cal Fly Guides will give you the tips and tricks to build your confidence when fishing this little gem of a tailwater. Half and full days available.
Bobber fishing as well as high stick/euro nymphing is what we do on Putah Creek. 

Brian's Lower Sac Report
9000cfs on 6/6
Clarity 8-12ft steelhead green
Fishing is off the charts and thats all we have to say about that. If you are looking to do some trout fishing, this is the trout factory for you. Lots of hatches going on giving these fish a plethora of choices like pmds, beatis and caddis, oh so many caddis, of all sorts even the hydropsyche caddis.
Bobber fishing from the boat is best, if you are lucky maybe some dry fly or dry dropper fishing. Swinging has been producing some fish as well. Lots to do and lots of willing fish to eat your well presented fly. Dont forget about the upper opener on August 1st

I hope you enjoyed this short and sweet Nor Cal summer fishing report. Fishing is on fire right now and if you are looking to get out in the near future just choose your species, choose your location, or let us choose, either way we have you covered for the rest. 

If you are looking to book a trip in the fall, my dates are becoming a bit limited. However, my other guides have a bit more availability than I do. 

Here is my availability for the fall
Aug - 15 16 22 23
Sept fully booked
Oct - 20 21 22 23 24 25 27 28 29 - Yuba Feather Lower Sac American
Nov -  4 5 10 11 - Trinity Lower Sac
Nov - 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29 - Yuba Feather Lower Sac American
Dec - 2 3 4 5 8 9 10 11 12 15 16 - Trinity Lower Sac
Dec - 18 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 30 - Yuba Feather Lower Sac American

Fish On!
We hope to see you on the water soon
Solid Grabs
Brian and the NCFG Crew

Spring 2023 Fishing Report

Hello Fellow Anglers

First off, I want to say thank you to all that came out and supported us at the recent sportsman’s and fly fishing shows. We greatly appreciate you stopping by and saying hi, talk a bit about fishing opportunities in Nor Cal and getting to know each other at the same time. We look forward to seeing you on the water in the near future.

A few of you have asked recently if I will be sending out my Nor Cal fishing reports again as it’s been a while since my last one. Well you have asked and you shall receive.

Despite the higher water on our NorCal rivers, we have been having some stellar days all across the North State. The steelhead fishing has been top notch and the trout fishing is on fire. With some steady weather in the forecast, now’s the time to get out before we start seeing those big snowmelt flows.

Also don’t forget about the shad fishing on the Lower Lower Yuba River. With the snow and water we are seeing now and will see this season its going to be one for the records books. Big water brings big numbers and NCFG is ready to show you how cool fishing for the Poor mans tarpon on the Yuba is all about. Lets not forget about the striper fishing too. Gin clear water, spot and stalk tactics and watching these bruisers follow your fly from start to finish then eating it at the boat, now that’s what its all about. Theres no river in CA that this diverse and that has gin clear water which allows you to watch the action all day long. Come see what the Lower Lower Yuba is all about for shad and striper. More Info Below

THE FISHING REPORT

Feather River
Flows: LFC 1040cfs HFC 7000cfs (its prime time)
Clarity: 8ft with a smidgen of color, perfect
Fishing: Solidly Good to GREAT
We have been spending a bunch of time on this river recently, ever since the flows in the low flow were 4k and under. Now that its at 1k in LFC and 7K in high flow, this allows us to fish both sections efficiently. Swinging has been a tad tough with higher flows, but we have been getting fish, at 7k in the high flow that’s when it starts getting really good, 1k in the low flow, swinging is spot on. Fishing in general has been darn good, nymphing producing the majority of the fish. Fish from 18-24” has been the average, but we have landed fish up to 28” as well. Its been a mix bag of wild and hatchery fish, but the springers are in and spread all throughout the system. This is the place to be right now, and we do have availability if you are trying to stick some steelhead without having to travel way up north. With the salmon fishery closed this year, Im really looking forward to targeting the summer run steelhead this year in the summer as well as some stripers too. If you want to get out in the next 2-4 months is going to be freakin awesome. This will be your local place to be.
Flies
Nymphing: sucker spawn, caddis, cjs, redheaded stepchild, mayflies, worms, eggs, prince nymphs
Swinging: worms, sculpins, hobo speys, olive/black woolybuggers, larger birdsnest (andersons bird of prey), Euphorias, traditional spey flies

Yuba River
Flows: 4500cfs
Clarity: 4-6ft steelhead green
Fishing: Solidly GOOD
The Yuba has been a bit higher than we would like to fish it at, but its at 4500cfs now and theres plenty of places to find some willing fish. The high water this river saw, it did get a few good scourings, this isn’t always the best for the aquatic insects, but the fish are more eager to hit whatever you are throwing. We are putting a few days in here and there right now, we don’t know what mother nature will bring to this river system when snowmelt happens, so we are hitting it as much as we can right now while the fishing is good. Prime flows are 2500cfs and under, but this is a great time to teach our clients how to fish the Yuba during big flows. The usual 14-18” wild spunky Yuba bows are what we are seeing, however there are some toads in the system including some feather river steelhead strays. These guys are a treat to hook into and will give your 4/5x tippet and 5wt rod a run for your money. Can you say FREIGHTTRAIN!!!!! If you want to learn how to fish the Yuba at high flows, give us a jingle and we will show you what the Yuba can do when the river is high.
Nymphing: Stones, WORMS, eggs, caddis, pmds, march browns, did I mention worms?
Swinging: Sculpins, Euphorias, Andersons bird of prey, meat-big meat

Lower Sac

Flows: 3300cfs
Clarity: 4-5ft steelhead green (prime)
Fishing: Off the CHARTS
The Lower Sac has been clutch for us over the past few months. While most rivers were blown out or too high to guide, our good ol faithful, the Lower Sac has taken great care of us. We’ve been seeing some epic fishing over these past few weeks in between the storms, and with steady weather in the forecast over these next few weeks, you are gonna want to get out and see what the talk is all about. EPIC fishing at its finest, lots of fish, lots of big fish and they are chowing down on almost anything you send in their feeding lane. Look for the Lower Sac to be one of our main focuses over the next few months and watch the fishing only get better. Is that even possible?
Nymphing: Rubberlegs, Xmays, birdsnest, spring caddis, sucker spawn, pmds, peaches n cream, s&m, pinkies
Dries: pmds, baetis, pinkies, salmonflies,

American River
Flows: 6600cfs
Clarity: 6-8ft steelhead green
Fishing: Fair-good
This is the time of year we start saying goodbye to the winter run steelhead on the American and say hello Bluebacks, aka our spring run steelhead. Not too many anglers out fishing the river right now, but you don’t know unless you go. Hint Hint. While I will tell most folks during winter fishing Jan-March that we typically don’t fish the Ar due to the amount of pressure it receives, we will guide it if you want to learn it. We will show you the ins and outs, wheres, whats and whys so you will be more successful on your own. However, when it comes to the bluebacks, you definitely want to book a trip and hook into some of the hottest fish around. Fish up to 8lbs are not uncommon, 3-5lbs is the norm and whether you like to nymph or swing, these fish are eager to take your presentation. Currently the flows show no sign of dropping or raising, which is a great sign if you want to get out on a local watershed and try your luck at some Ar springtime chrome. Steady flows its time to goes.
Nymphing: cjs, caddis, worms, Prince nymphs, birdnests, balance leeches
Swinging: hobos, Euphorias, sculpins, white bodied streamers (fry), Andersons bird of prey) meat in olive, black, brown

There you have it folks, short, sweet and to the point. Im hoping to get back to sending out reports on a more regular bases, my plan would be every 3-4 months or when time allows. I hope you enjoy this report and it gets you in the mood to get out and get bent. Lots of fishing action happening right now and even more so in the near future.

A few additional items Id like to add about Nor Cal Fly Guides

I am proud to announce that I have hired on several guides that guide throughout Northern California. With the added help I am able to offer not only more days throughout the season but also more available waters to fish. These waters include: American, Yuba, Feather, Lower Sac, Trinity, Klamath below Iron Gate, All Inclusive on Lower Klamath and Trinity (ask for more details), Truckee, Nor Cal Lakes like Lake Oroville, Lake Almanor, Lake Shasta for your bass n fly and many other bodies of water. Some exciting news for Nor Cal Fly Guides and those looking to book trips with us.

Id also like to add that my shad season May/June is filling up sooner each and every year. Unfortunately, this year I am 100% fully booked up for full days. But due to the popularity of the shad season on the Lower Yuba, I am opening up half day guided trips in the evening. This allows more anglers to experience the Lower Yuba, the jet boat ride and more importantly some of the best shad fishing in the state. No drift boat here, jet boat up, get out and swing from gravel bars. NCFG is currently working on getting one of our other guides into a jet boat. If this happens, those that are booked with me on those evening trips will have some available options. 1) you can stay with your trip with me in the evening, 2)opt to doing the half day with my other available guide in the morning/afternoon, 3) turn that half day into a full day with my other guide. The choice is up to you. Whats also cool is having a 2^nd guide with a jet boat so we can offer group trips for shad and it will now open up even more striper trips. Hoping to add the Mighty Delta soon.

With so many great fishing opportunities throughout Northern California right now, no matter the place no matter the day, we have you covered for your next fishy endeavor.

 

Thank you in advance for reading this fishing report.
We look forward to guiding you on a trip you will not forget.
Brian Clemens and the NCFG guiding crew


 

Late Fall Early Winter 2021 Fishing Report

Hello Fellow Anglers,

First off I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving, a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Wishing all the best to you all and your family throughout the holiday season. 

Well this report is long overdue, and I do apologize for not getting one out sooner. Between family, personal losses dear to me and other crazy business, trying to sit down and get a fishing report out just wasn't in the cards. However, I do promise to get back on the saddle after the new year and start putting fishing reports back out again.

Before we start with my fishing report, I would like to add that I recently had a publication printed in the December 2020 California Fly Fishers. Its called "Steelhead Nymphing Under an Indicator", and its focus is on winter fishing for steelhead, but can be used when fishing any river with an indicator especially in the winter. I hope you enjoy it and if you have any questions please let me know.

What a crazy fall this has been, we go from having one of the driest winter/spring/summers on record to seeing some of our reservoirs in the North State at historical lows, to one of the best runs up north we've seen in the last 5yrs, to the craziest Atmospheric River category 5 we have ever seen, leaving many of those low reservoirs muddy, leading to our rivers blown out for a good chunk of the egg bite. The AF5 did however bring some of those resevirous up 10-30ft over a short period of time. WOW!!!!!! What a fall it has been. But it doesn't stop there, the fishing has been pretty darn good throughout Northern California.

The Fishing Report

Trinity River

Flows: Lewiston-300cfs, DC-350, JC-450, Burnt Ranch-630, Hoopa-1600
Fishing: Good to Darn Good
Clarity: CLEAR
Well if you havent heard from all the social media posts by anglers, guides and outfitters, the trinity has been fishing pretty darn good. While I did post, it was much as I didnt want it to get over crowded like it did. We have seen the best numbers of fish both salmon and steelhead up to date than we have seen in the last 3yrs combined. This is mainly due to a great water season in 18/19 but also the result of the fire which didnt allow the illegal TishTang to go up. Thank god. What a relief that was. It goes to show you how well this fishery can flourish if we allow these fish to get past that lower death sentence section of the river. We have seen some of the biggest fish I have ever seen on the river, salmon pushing 20lbs, steelhead well over 10lbs and all in the early season. This is something that we rarely

see during the early season. The river fished epicly from early Sept on though till the big AF5 in late Oct and this is where I spent all my time from Labor Day to mid Oct. Unfortunately the AF5 caused the river to blow out quickly and have a coffee stain to it. Over time it cleared up and even more fish showed up. However, with the AF5, it completely blew out the Lower Sac, Feather and Yuba rivers, which then put way too many rods on the T. It made for some tougher conditions, but we were still able to find some fish despite some floats having 7-10 boats on it daily. Now that the other rivers are clearing up and starting to be fished, the trinity is starting to see less pressure and better fishing. We are hooking a handful or 2 of fish daily under the indicator and if you want to swing, we are working for a few grabs a day, but should get better as the winter fish show up. Fish have been much bigger

this year, so be ready to tangle with 6-10lb fish on the regular. This will continue on through the winter into early spring. If you are looking for a beautiful place to fish, there's no better scenery than the Trinity RIver. 
Current availability is limited, if you are looking to book your next winter/spring fishing adventure, check out my dates and contact me as soon as possible.  
Nymphs: rubberlegs, eggs, psycho princes, copper johns, worms, pts, hares ear, stoneflies
Swinging: Andersons Euphoria in Fall Classic and Black, hobo speys, single stage intruders, heisenbergs, obsidian johnson
Guide tip: dont hold on to fishing one spot for to long, fish are spread throughout the system, so fish a bucket for 30-45mins and move on. If the fish are in that bucket, you will know immediately, if not you will know as well.

Feather River
Flows: LFC-700cfs, HFC-1000
Fishing: Good
Clarity: LFC-3ft milky green, HFC-6ft steelhead green

As always we have spent a good amount of time on the Feather this year, but not as much as previous years. A good chunk of the egg bite was pretty brown and unfishable, and I spent Labor Day to Oct 15th all up north. The reason for the rare blowout during the fall season is due to that AF5 that came in and blew the reservoir completely out. The river at one point had less than 6" of visibility. However, the river has cleared up substantially and is now fishable once again. While we didn't see a huge run of salmon this year, but the steelhead have been eating eggs on a daily basis, this should continue for the next few weeks as we continue to see fresh salmon rolling though regularly. We aren't seeing the epic numbers hooked we have in years past, we are having to work a bit more for them and this is due to the Sac being blown out. This is bringing more boats down on the Feather so we are seeing much more pressure this year, which is making for a more pressured river system. On average you can hook a handful or 2 of fish, and they are full of the usual feather river steelhead spunk. As this river continues to clear, the fishing will only get better as other fisheries will also become fishable. Personally I love fishing the feather in the winter as you see less people and those winter run brutes show up, and they love big nymphs and swung flies. 

Nymphs: EGGS, worms, eggs, caddis, eggs, prince nymphs, worms, yes I said eggs and worms multiple times
Swinging: Sculpins, eggs, egg sucking leeches, alevins, flesh flies
Guide tip: There are fish spread throughout the system, however, due to the pressure from bank anglers and boats, I dont recommend moving around to much. Once you leave you may not have a spot to fish and will be driving/walking around to find another spot to fish. Give it a few weeks and the amount of anglers will decrease substantially and will be a pleasure to fish.
Guide tip #2: Watch where you wade

Yuba River

Flows: 700cfs
Fishing: good to great
Clarity: 8ft of perfectness
The Yuba has been on fire, fishing well from sunup to sun down. However, like the Trinity and the Feather, it has seen a huge influx of pressure, but that hasn't slowed down the fishing. The other plus is the Yuba saw a much bigger salmon run than usual and I think a good chunk of them are Feather fish, but hey that's ok with me. The egg bite has been one to remember and it still has a few more weeks before it dies down. Once the egg bite comes to a halt it will be SKWALA time. Man, I can't wait. This is a year round fishery, and I think the end of the egg bite turns a new page on the Yuba trout and they get even more grabby for the bugs swimming around under and on top of the river. This is even more important for those that like swinging, some of my best days swinging are right after the egg bite and on into the new year/early spring. Im really looking forward to the 2022 season on the Yuba, it's going to be one to remember. 

Nymphs:eggs, rubberlegs, worms, mayflies, caddis, pts, copper johns
Swinging: sculpins, eggs, wooly buggers, soft hackle stones
Guide tip: move around, lots of water to fish on the Yuba, don't stick to just one spot. 
Guide tip #2: Watch where you wade

Lower Sac
I havent been on this river since the blow out, some are fishing it, while others are not. I think in about a week, it will be fishing good again. If you are looking to book, spring is just around the corner and one of the best times of the year to fish it.

American
While there are fish in the system and some nice ones at that, the flows are at 650cfs, and floating it is pretty tough. Walk and wade would be the way to go and cover some water. Fish the main runs, fish it hard and move on. Hopefully there's more water on the opener. 

PLEASE READ
For those that are fishing the rivers this time of year, PLEASE watch where you wade and drop anchor. I'm seeing bank anglers and even those in drift boats getting out and walking all over the redds where salmon just finished spawning. I'm seeing this on a daily basis and a good amount of the time it's the same people daily. For those that are in drift boats, PLEASE STOP DROPPING YOUR ANCHOR in the redds and/or dragging your anchor through the redds. Crushing redds for a few extra fish is not worth ruining our future fisheries. If you are going to wade, wade on the back side of the redds as the eggs are positioned on the upward slope of the redd, so walking on the back side where there's usually sandy deposits and bigger rocks is the best practice if you must wade through. If you are going to drop your anchor, pull over to the edge of the river, get out of the current where there are no redds and drop anchor there, a few extra strokes aren't going to kill you. Honestly, none of this is worth it, all to add a fish or two more to the net. For those wading there are many other fishable runs with fish in them where you don't have to walk across redds filled with eggs. Eggs deposited in the river are roughly 4-8" below the gravel and take between 51-65 days to hatch. These eggs are susceptible to being crushed by walking on them repeatedly, but they are at their most vulnerable state when those eggs hatch and the alevins start working their way to the surface of the redds, and can hold just an inch or 2 below, before coming out into the "river" world. Do these fish, their eggs and our future fishery a favor and PLEASE WATCH/LOOK BEFORE YOU WADE. This includes the Yuba currently and after the opener on Dec 1st, this includes the Feather river currently as well as after the opener on Jan 1st, this includes the American, Lower Sac, Trinity and even Putah Creek. Thank you in advance for reading this, its a very sensitive subject, and its up to us to educate and be stewards of our fisheries. 

Local Available Dates
Yuba Feather American Lower Sac
Dec 29
Jan 24 25 26 27 28 
Feb 1 2 21
March 2 3 4 22 23 25 26 30 31
More dates available upon request

Non Local Available Dates
Trinity Lower Sac
Jan 10 14 15 16 17
Feb 8 9 10 11 12 20
March 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
More dates available upon request

For those looking to book during the spring time as well as for Shad season, dates are already filling up. So please contact me and we can go over what dates I have available. Thanks

Well there you have it folks, your current fishing report for our Central and Northern California rivers. I hope you are able to get out before the new year and enjoy some of the good to great fishing we are seeing right now. I also hope to see you on the water in 2022.

Before this year ends I want to let everyone know that due to the cost increase of doing business over these past 2 years, there will be an increase to my rates starting Jan 1 2022. I do apologize for the inconvenience of this price increase. I wanted to let everyone know ahead of time and give you all the opportunity to book your next trip or trips before the increase on 1/1/22.
These new rates are as follows and all include shuttles
$550 Full day Local Water 
$425 Half day Local Water
$600 Full day Northern Water
$465 Half day Northern Water  


I do want to thank all of you who have booked with me over the years, especially over these past 2 crazy years. Between the "pandemic", low water, warm water, fires and sometimes poor fishing conditions, your continued support as well as our friendships that we have built over the years to me is priceless. Without you there would be no Nor Cal Fly Guides/ Brian Clemens the guide, where I have been in business, guiding full time now for 12yrs. Each and every year is only a success because of you. I look forward to many more years of guiding and guiding you all on your future fishing adventures. 

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you all and your familys.
Sincerely
Brian Clemens

ND ALWAYS REMEMBER
KEEP THOSE LINES TIGHT

Brian Clemens

NOR CAL FLY GUIDES
530-354-3740
WWW.NORCALFLYGUIDES.COM
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