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
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 2nd
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
