Keep Calm and Fly Fish

It’s been a while since I’ve done any good fishing and the last time I made a big trip was in the fall up to the Eastern Sierras. Unfortunately that trip was a was a bit of a bust and the window before the winter storms came sooner than expected. Mother nature did her job this winter with all the snowpack so it looks like we’re in for another high-water year.

The flows on both my home waters, the Yuba River and Feather River, have been high since the end of December along with many other tailwaters in Northern California so it doesn’t seem like I’ve been missing out on much. Blowouts and high flows tend to kill the Yuba’s good late winter and early spring hatches of skwala and march brown. Dry fly fishing is either extremely tough or non-existent making nymphing the name of the game. The new road closures on Hammonton-Smartsville and most recently Parks Bar Road is another reason the Yuba River isn’t worth trekking out to fish anymore. The fish there are still as feisty and beautiful as ever but you have to do a lot more work to find them.

Public access to the Yuba River is now limited to walk-ins below HWY 20 bridge and Hammon Grove. I’ve been anticipating public access closures on rivers and streams for several years now (because when does public land ever become more accessible?) and bought an Alpacka Raft that I could easily pack and carry. I feel like a raft or kayak is now essential for covering water on the Yuba unless you’re game for the hike. A mountain bike could work too but the large cobblestone rocks are a pain and potentially dangerous to bike on. At 6,000 CFS the Yuba River isn’t very accessible however I did find it somewhat fishable.

I fished around HYW 20 bridge as it was the easiest to access. The higher flows created a lot of good structure with different types of water to fish. The fish I found were closer to the banks of waist deep runs below the riffles. All of my fish came off of the rubberlegs stones which made perfect sense as I observed a lot of stonefly shucks in the water and adult golden stoneflies along the bank. I fished about three hours and went 2/3 which was pretty good considering the high flows. Flows on the Yuba will probably stay high until the fall so I won’t be returning anytime soon.

My time is now very limited. It definitely feels like my previous chapter of being a child-free trout bum has come to an end but with that comes a new chapter of father who takes his kids fishing. I’m still figuring it all out and hopefully all the kinks will be worked out this year so me and the kiddos can start catching some fish.

There was never a day where I thought I would see the road that follows the Yuba River below HWY 20 bridge to be gated. Hammonton-Smartsville road has been blocked off to the public due to illegal off-roading and other criminal activities. Here is a link of all the incidents that have occurred which prompted the county to gate the road. Although public access on foot is still allowed this is a sad year for the Yuba River.

The biggest pro to the road being gated is that there will be significantly less pressure on the river. Less pressure from the public is a catalyst to many different positives such as undisturbed habitat, less trash and dumping, and ideally better fishing.

The biggest con is that the only access is by foot, private access above the bridge for launching drift boats, and hand-carried boat. The best method to access the Yuba is by boat as the Yuba in my opinion is one of the worst rivers on foot due to the loose stones that are an absolute pain to walk on. Although the section most people fish between HWY 20 bridge and the takeout at Sycamore Ranch is only about four miles long many of the runs, pools, and holes are spread apart which can quickly wear you down as the Yuba is a cover water type of fishery. Unless you have the ability to put a boat into the river a lot of anglers are going to be second guessing whether or not hitting the Yuba will be worth the effort fishing from here on out.

The record high snow pack this spring rose the Yuba’s flows to a peak 30,000 CFS. Huge and consistent flows have an incredible influence on how the Yuba fishes the rest of the year. In my personal experience I have found that the river doesn’t fish well until the following year. I believe that years of established bug life are washed away during high flow events due to the river being made up of mostly loose stones. This results in skinner fish that are more difficult to find. The structure of the river also changes which can be both exciting and frustrating. Holes and hides that have been productive for years get flatten out and flats that have never held fish turn into new hot spots. It’s a mixed bag that’s worth the exploration but don’t hold your breath on hooking up with your typical Yuba rainbow for a while.

The flows on the Yuba have been lowered for the fall and the river has been sitting at 1000 CFS for a couple of weeks now. I thought I would make a quick trip in the afternoon to check it out. The section below the bridge is looking pretty good as it has deepen a bit near the willows. I have a feeling this area is going to get hammered in the future due to how close it is to the entrance. I know there are a ton of fish that hold in this section but I’ve never had a lot of good luck unless there’s a good hatch happening. After throwing my flies around a bit I inflated by packraft and made way down the river.

I hadn’t plan on fishing very long so I didn’t go too far past the first bend. I hooked and landed a small rainbow and beat the skunk but the rest of my time was spent fishless. I fished familiar holes that looked super fishy but didn’t get a single bump. The stubwing stones are out as usual this time of year but I didn’t get any grabs on my rubberleg stone. Usually this time of year there’s a decent caddis hatch in the evening so I decided to wait until sunset to see if the magic hour would produce. As I waited I watched as hundreds of dragonflies gathered above the river. Usually when there are this many dragonflies around the fish can’t help but try and chase them but I didn’t a single rise or jump. As the light of the sun started to fade I had a gut feeling that the bugs weren’t going to show up. The Yuba typically fishes much better in the morning to afternoon but I guess you go fishing when you can go fishing. I hopped in my raft, crossed the river, packed my stuff, and started the hike back to the car. It took about 15-20mins from the first bend to get back to the car.

I plan on experimenting and figuring out the most effective way of getting around the Yuba in the future. Bikerafting the river to hit the holes further down is on the very top of the list. For those that are interested in fishing the Yuba at this time my recommendation is to go fish a different river. Whatever the Yuba has in store this year is not worth the effort now that the road is gated.