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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