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
Ellis Lake

Why You Shouldn’t Eat Fish From Ellis Lake

by Matt
North Ellis Lake

After a long day of fishing you bring home a cooler full of a bass, bluegills, and crappie. The fish look healthy, no sores or anything unusual. You fillet the fish, batter them up, and throw them into the frying pan. The aroma of fresh fish smells absolutely amazing. You’ve invited a few local buddies over for a good ole fish fry with plenty of fried fish and beer to go around. “These fish taste great! Where did you catch them?” asks a friend. “Oh, I caught them from Ellis Lake!” Everyone immediately stops eating and stares at their plate. Their faces in shock and a tingle of terror runs down their spines as they realize what they’ve just eaten.

You sir, are an asshole.

The original purpose of Ellis Lake was to serve as an overflow area for
the Feather River. That purpose has long since been abandoned and now
Ellis Lake is pretty much a retention pond. The water diverts to
nowhere, therefore the lake becomes polluted by the structures and
things that surround it.

When Ellis Lake was in its prime, the water had less pollutants and healthier fish. I heard from Tom, one of my Ellis Lake buddies that fishes the lake often, that ten years ago someone pulled a 14-pound bass out of the lake. The picture of the bass was posted at a now closed bait shop off North Beale Road. These were the times when there were bigger fish in the lake and taking home a few smaller ones to eat was probably okay. Less contaminants were around and the water was a bit cleaner.

First Tenkara Bluegill

Flash forward ten years later, the water has become very murky with a lot of debris, mostly
feathers and litter, that float on top. Although the water is
disgusting, the fishing can be good for fish less than 10 inches. If you
catching anything bigger than that good for you! While fishing the lake a few days ago, I was catching crappie after crappie. I heard they are good tasting fish and was almost tempted to take some home but my instincts got the better of me. Don’t eat these fish! You know you’re not suppose to!

Temptingly Delicious Crappie

I understand that fishing is often a means of survival. A lot of people fish so they can feed their families. No fish, no dinner. But let me tell you something about surviving off your catch, you’re not gonna live very long if you keep eating fish from Ellis Lake!


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Here are some facts about why you shouldn’t eat fish from Ellis Lake.

E.Coli.

  • This bacteria is found in our intestines and the majority of the strains are harmless. But certain notorious strains of E. Coli can cause gastroenteritis (infectious diarrhea), urinary tract infections, and neonatal meningitis (swelling of the membrane). E.Coli is often found in contaminated water or food.
  • Fecal matter can contain E. Coli that can contaminate a water source. Ellis Lake is full of geese and ducks that leave their feces on the benches, grass, buildings, and sidewalks. When someone sprays it down or when it rains, the feces are washed into the lake as runoff. There is no freshwater coming into the lake and no water leaving the lake. You do the math.

Mercury in bigger fish

  • The bigger the fish the more mercury it has accumulated. Fish that feed off other fish such as bass are notorious for having more mercury the older and bigger they get. This reasoning is easy to follow. Small fish have a bit of mercury from eating what they eat. Big fish eat small fish and bigger fish eat big fish. The mercury food chain.



Toxin storage in fat and skin

  • When a fish eats something that is contaminated, the toxins get stored in their fat. Fat is flavor therefore I don’t think the fish from Ellis Lake would taste very good. Nevertheless you are eating fat toxins that a fish has accumulated throughout its age.
  • Ellis Lake is most likely full of toxins from all the garbage that ends up in it. The fish probably eat some it too unfortunately.

Bottom Line:
Don’t eat fish from Ellis Lake.

No Eating Please
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Keep Calm and Fly Fish™