Keep Calm and Fly Fish

Winter Flats

After a bit of sporadic on again off again rains the Yuba is stable and sitting at 1,200 CFS. I have a bit of a tough time nymphing and swinging at flows above 1,000 CFS so I focused on catching risers instead.

BWOs were the game as they emerged through the tail-out I was standing in. Throughout my time there I stood and watched as fish rose around me. I stalked the risers for several minutes to make sure they were comfortable in their feeding lanes before I made my first attempt.

My patience payed off as I finally rose and landed one of the nicest dry fly Yuba fish I’ve ever caught. It seems like this day the smaller fish liked the duns and the big fish liked the emergers. I rose a few other fish after my first but a couple of false sets and they were gone. There were two hatch times, the first at around 9am and the second at around 1pm. The earlier hatch had a lot more fish rising than the latter.

Dry fly fishing the Yuba is spring creek levels of challenging which is both exciting and fun. Winter is good.

Small BWO Emerger

Big Yuba Dry Eater

Emerger Eatin’ Yuba Bows

Hard Fighting Winter Yuba Bows

Christmas songs are officially on the radio now which means winter is here. Fly fishing the winter means big winter steelhead, great BWO action, and layers upon layers of warm clothing. I primarily enjoy fishing the Yuba and Feather during the winter whereas they are some of the best winter fisheries that are open during this time of the year.

I went out and hooked a few on dries but couldn’t land any. Later after the hatch was over I swung an egg and nymph and hooked some goodies.

Hatchery Steelie

Winter on the Yuba means BWOs, skwalas, eggs, San Juan worms, and midges. The BWO hatch has begun and can last most of the winter. It’s a great time to test your skills at presenting small dries or emergers to rising fish in the quieter sections of the river. It can be very challenging but very fun and rewarding. I can’t wait for the salmon eggs to hatch so I can try swinging some alevin patterns.

Winter on the Feather primarily means eggs, San Juan worms, and alevins although BWOs will show up from time to time as well. Most anglers will spend their time fishing the hatchery section when it opens on January 1st but I’ve grown out of that section. Too many anglers and a bit too easy to fish. As everyone migrates to that section I’ll be swinging through all the runs below that when the time comes.

Other popular winter fly fishing destinations in Northern California are the Smith, Trinity, Eel, the Delta, American, Truckee, and the Lower Sacramento. Pyramid Lake in Nevada is also a great still-water winter destination.
Wherever you decide to fish make sure to bring warm clothing, extra clothing in case you get wet, and a clear fly fishing mindset.