Yuba River

The Yuba River: First-Person Action Survival Game Edition

by Matt
Rapids Riffle

Who would have thought that a simple afternoon of fly fishing would become a close encounter to danger? Today I took some time to check out the Yuba River. The river is currently sitting at 2,900 CFS which is twice the regular flow at this time of year. The river is clear and looks great but the flows made it very difficult to find fish.

So Much Water

The last storm event in March that blew out the Yuba at 25,000 CFS has changed many parts of the river. Although it is a bit hard to read right now with the current flows, there have been changes to some contours of the river, primarily the banks. Many of the runs that I’ve enjoyed fishing before the big storm have turned into deep holes and many of the deep holes that I’ve never fished have turned into runs. It will probably take some time before the fish acclimatize to these new areas therefore fishing will probably be tough for a while. Time to learn the Yuba all over again.

Flowers, Flowers, Flowers

I was able to find two takes in a spot where the river was not too deep and not too fast. Both these fish were over 16” which was good, however they were the only fish I caught the entire time I was there. Not good…

Nice Spring Yuba Bow

As I was hiking upstream to my next spot about a mile above HWY 20 bridge I heard something rustling in the willows. For some reason I thought it was a turkey but I took a few seconds check out my surroundings. Oh crap…. a deer carcass. I made myself big, grabbed a good stick, began making noise, and started to back out. No thank you.

Well that was an interesting experience. Every fly angler probably experiences a mountain lion at least once in their lifetime though right? How about thugs?
After I decided to call it quits because of the high flows, I started walking towards my car and notice that there was a white van parked behind my vehicle. As I kept walking I notice that there were people going back forward from my car to theirs. Oh crap… these guys are going to break into my car. I started to speed up my pace and went over a hill where I lost visual of the suspicious group. The next thing I hear is a crack. “No, no, no, no….” As I came up the hill again, I looked and found that there were two individuals throwing rocks at an aluminum pipe. Thankfully another vehicle came down the road giving me a few extra seconds to catch up. Once I got about halfway to my vehicle, the group started getting into their white van. After I had finally got to my car they made a U-turn and drove off. Bastards…

Keep safe out there and don’t leave valuables in your car.

Yuba goldfields, Yuba River

Tough Luck On The Yuba

by Matt
Singular Sunset

After spending a few days on the Yuba this week it’s official, the river is fishing tough. Crowds continue to flock the river despite the poor fishing conditions. Every angler I came across shared the same results; skunked.

Why is the fishing so difficult? The river was fishing great when there was a murky tint to it but now that it’s cleared up a bit the fishing has been very tough.

Here is my hypothesis:

The Yuba was flushed about a month ago and we are finally seeing the aftermath of it. The trout were having a full-on feeding frenzy when the murky water was flushing around a buffet of bugs but now with three weeks of clearer green water, the buffet is closed and there isn’t a whole lot of food going around.

Before the blowout the rocks on the bottom of the river were clean and full of insect life. After the blowout the majority of the river is now covered with slimy slippery brown algae. After fishing a run without a single bump, I went over to the riffle above it and flipped over a few brown algae covered rocks. Each rock I flipped had zero bug life. Eager to confirm my hypothesis, I waded to an area were the rocks were cleaner and there they were… bugs!
So not only is the algae a pain to wade through, it is also life-less like the gross slimy crap that it is.

The water is also colder than usual which slows down the trout. It’ll take awhile for the river to regain its strength so we need to adapt and make the best of the cards were dealt with.

Lil Chrome Yuba

I enjoy the challenge and low numbers means every fish counts. The skwala dry fly fishing is as it always is, not a lot of numbers but if your dedicated and enjoy blind casting in attempts to rise a fish then go for it. Nymphing is producing for those who figure it out.

I’ve come to the conclusion that when I am on the water I need to try and be as productive as I can. Learning how to adapt to different conditions makes you a better angler, sticking to one technique when you know it won’t be as effective doesn’t. You don’t throw emergers when nothing is emerging right? Why throw dries when nothing is rising?

Every Inch Counts

I am currently reading Dynamic Nymphing by George Daniels in efforts to try and advance my nymphing knowledge. Nymphing is the most productive way to fish due to a trout’s diet of subsurface insects therefore it is essential to have good knowledge of different nymphing techniques.

I’ve been perfecting my tight-line/Czech nymphing techniques on the Yuba with great results. Tight-line nymphing is productive, active, and fun.
The ponds haven’t turned on yet but I did find a bunch of dry fly bluegills and a bass.

Bluegill Beetle All Day
Basstastic
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Keep Calm and Fly Fish™