Putah Creek

Green Light On The Green River

Putah Creek is finally fishable! The creek dropped to 500 CFS a few days ago and is currently sitting at a stable 480 CFS. The flow trend shows the creek dropping but it may rise soon to meet its summer flows. The summer flows are tough but I’ll take 600 CFS on Putah Creek over 900 CFS any day. The fishing was exceptional however it was very technical.

As soon as put on my waders and grabbed my rod I opened the door and was pushed by a gust of wind. I checked the weather app on my phone and it read 12mph winds for the entire day. Fighting the wind with a fly rod can be a real pain but I didn’t care, Putah Creek was finally ready.

Once I arrived on the creek I was pleasantly pleased to find myself blessed with a beautiful windless day. My game plan at these flows were to find the fishy spots and get my flies down to the fish. Easier said then done. The already technical creek becomes much more challenging when the flows are above 300 CFS. The fish could be anywhere…

Big Chunky Bow
Small Chunky Bow

It took a lot of adjusting but I found the magic formula. The fish were being very cooperative and I must have hooked over ten trout before I left in the late afternoon. If you were looking forward to fishing Putah Creek now is the time to get out there. Just remember to take it easy on the wading, we’re still looking at high summer flows here.

Green River
Deer Creek (Nevada County)

Deer Creek (Nevada Co) Fishmas Day

Deer Creek in Tehama County is traditionally were I spend Fishmas Day however because of high flows I decided to spend the day at the other Deer Creek up in Nevada County. The creek was lower than the first time I visited but I opted out on waders this trip because of the missus. Despite not being able to get in the water, I still caught a few fish and managed not to fall into the creek.

Bugs were hatching throughout the day but I couldn’t entice any fish to come up; nymphs were the only flies that got the job done. I explored the creek further downstream this visit but couldn’t find any fish. Hopefully they will begin spreading out once the flows stabilize and the weather gets warmer.

I’m still waiting for the day when I can fish the creek with dries at summer flows. Overall it was a good opener for me.

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