Keep Calm and Fly Fish

This fall so far as been quite amazing. The weather has been nice and cool and the fish are eating flies. The only problem I have this fall is that gas prices in California are too damn high. At $4 a gallon it’s been a bit of a hard sell to get me to travel to do any fishing.

I haven’t been fishing too much recently since I started my new regular 8am – 5pm job. It totally beats working nights but has limited me to becoming a weekend warrior. I was able to get out to the Lower Yuba and it’s been fishing pretty fair. The salmon are in and the fish are behind them in the riffles and it’s easy game once you locate them. Catching a few egg eaters is fun for a bit but once you hook a few it gets old since it’s pretty much fish-in-a-barrel.

The fall/winter hatches are starting to begin but I don’t think they’ll really get going until we get our first good winter system. Fingers cross that’ll happen soon because I am looking forward for some awesome dry fly action. That is if I can find the time to get out for a few hours.

Fall appears to be on its way as temperatures during the afternoon and night have dropped by about ten degrees. The fall is every fly angler’s favorite season because it means migrating fish, low flows, and comfortable weather. I myself am a fan. My calendar for this fall is booked and I am looking forward to exploring new places.

While I waiting for time to pass I’ve been fishing the Yuba River. The fishing has been quite good with the lowered flows and cooler temperatures. Not a whole lot of people fishing the Yuba yet which means more fish for those who find them.

I feel like it’s been years since I’ve seen the Yuba at 1000CFS – 1500CFS. The low flows have opened old productive spots and a few new runs and pools that I found fish in as well. I saw one big salmon jump while fishing in the evening so they’re in system however not in high numbers yet. It’s been a while since the Yuba has fished this good and I’m loving every bit of it.

King Of The Pool

I caught fish the entire day though I had to work for them. Hiking, river crossing, boulder hopping, and adjusting my rigs several times were necessary tasks in effort to continuously find hungry fish. I noticed a lot of midge shucks, which the fish have definitely been eating, in the slower eddie-like sections. The midges are super small, about size 20, and the fish didn’t seem too interested in grabbing my midge pattern if they had the opportunity to eat the larger mayfly nymph above it. This time of year is stub-wing stonefly season which means stonefly patterns are working well and getting grabs from the larger fish. There aren’t nearly as many stonefly shucks as last year however they’re out there and the fish are keyed in on them.

The fishing on the Yuba will only get better as the salmon make their way upstream and the BWOs start hatching.

Just a friendly reminder that the section above the HWY 20 bridge is closed until December 1st.