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