I was able to put a couple of hours on the Middle Fork of the Feather River this summer and the fishing was fantastic. From my experience the Middle Fork fishes exceptionally well during high water years after the spring run-off and will continue to do so until the water becomes too warm in the summer. The Middle Fork is on my top five favorite rivers to fish and is truly one of the best fly fishing waters in Northern California.
I wasn’t originally planning on fishing the Middle Fork during this visit but some plans fell through which allowed me to sneak in a few hours in the afternoon. I didn’t pack my fly rod for this trip so I had to improvise and fish with some spinning gear that I happened to pack. I was using a TFO Panfish II rod rigged with a Thill clip-on bobber and some nymphs tied to a fluorocarbon leader. This was the first time I’ve ever dedicated an outing trying to nymph with a spinning rod.
Last year in the early part of June the Middle Fork was still raging with spring run-off. I didn’t know what to expect considering that this was another high-water year but as soon as I saw the river I was relieved to find that the flows were perfect.
As I had predicted the river was full of fish and I didn’t have to go very far to catch a whole lot of them. I fished a prince nymph with a rubberleg stone and used the thill bobber for casting weight. A lighter or smaller bobber would’ve been better as the flies and splitshot weren’t heavy enough to straighten out my line during the drift. It didn’t take long before I netted my first fish on a spinning rod with this rig. After netting a few fish I which to a streamer to see if I could get any good grabs. It was awesome to see my streamer get absolutely nailed in the crystal clear water.
At around 3pm there was an amazing egg laying event of caddis, yellow sally stoneflies, and even salmon flies. I tried to rise some fish on a dry fly with the spinning rod but I couldn’t get a good enough presentation. The fish were rising all over and I just watched daydreaming about how many fish I could’ve rose if I had packed my fly rod. I ended the handful of hours I had on the Middle Fork of the Feather River with over a dozen fish to the net and a lot more missed or lost.
Matt, good to see you getting some fishing in. I haven’t even bought a license this year. Too many things beyond my control but things might change in a couple weeks and I can maybe get some fishing in. Quick question, did you fish above Milton or below? As always, your detailed reports are much appreciated.
Kevin
This is around Nelson Creek about 10 minutes outside Quincy.
Sorry for the confusion. For some reason when I read this post, my brain locked in on the middle fork of the Yuba, not the Feather. I have driven the dirt/gravel road from Milton down to Hywy. 49 and often wondered if it would be worth it to take one of the side roads down to the river. It seemed very remote so little to no fishing pressure but it also had the vibe of getting on the wrong side of an illegal grow or mining claim. Maybe some day I’ll explore it and hopefully not get on the wrong side of a grower or miner.
Kevin
I believe the Middle Fork of the Yuba from Milton upstream to Jackson Meadows can be good. It’s on my list of places to check out someday. I don’t think there is much below Milton and the access looks super difficult.
Hi Matt,
I got to your website to see the Simple Shrimp pattern. Then I saw the Middle Fork post. I used to fish the Middle Fork in the mid 70s when I lived in Tahoe City. On days off when I needed to get away from the ‘crowds’ I’d head north on 89 to Graeagle and then drop down the Middle Fork a ways to catch cutthroat. Fishing was good then. Glad to hear it’s still good!