Yuba River

Yuba River Streamer Dreamer

Oh How I’ve Miss You

It’s official, I’m back in Yuba City! Chico has truly been a great 5 years of my life. A lot has happened within those five years: college life, meeting new friends, meeting my future wife, figuring out what I want to do in life, and the list goes on. Now that I am back though, I am looking forward to contributing back to the community I grew up in as well as exploring and getting to know my local waters.
My first trip back home was to the Yuba River.

Yuba River
This is my favorite river to fish and I’m very fortunate to be living close to it again. The Yuba can be extremely frustrating and challenging but with time and dedication, it can reap nice rewards.

Yuba River Love

July is the beginning of the finicky months of fly fishing the Yuba. Summer is now in full force with hot weather, warming waters, and long daylight hours. The majority of the bugs are pretty much done hatching and activity will remain dormant until the weather cools down in the fall.
This will mark California’s fourth year of the drought which isn’t helping with the river conditions this summer. The fishing can still be good, just don’t hold your breath on catching a lot of fish.

Here’s an oxymoron for you. The Yuba River and streamers.
What an absolutely absurd idea! Well it turns out it was probably the best idea ever.

Streamers Going To Work

My recent introduction to fly fishing streamers has produced amazing results. Throwing streamers invokes a fish’s fight or flight response. More often than not, the big fish will attack the fly in attempts to kill and eat it,
while the smaller fish will leave it alone. If the fish aren’t eating, make them
mad and the Hero Sculpin does it.
The Yuba has been sitting at a good 1000 CFS since June
making the water cool and fishable. The higher water is keeping the fish happy
with more places to hide during the day and more feed to go around. With that
being said, the fish aren’t really eating nymphs. The first day I fished the Yuba, I
had four takes on nymphs which is incredibly slow. The first one I landed was a
dink and the next three I lost.

Yuba Dink

Now that I’m living closer to the Yuba I can experiment
some more without the feeling of skunk on the long drive home. Since
nothing was eating, this was my chance to try fishing a streamer to see if it was an effective tactic out on the Yuba. To my amazement, my heart about stopped
when my line went tight. Using this strategy, I lost four nice bows that immediately threw the hook
by leaping in to the air. They were smashing the fly hard but because they were
super jumpy they all threw the hook.

After losing a couple of fish the heat was beginning to set in. I had covered as much water as I could for the day. For my last few casts I threw
my streamer into a nice hole. As I retrieved it I got a bite. It felt big but
it didn’t grab the hook. I threw my fly upstream again in attempts to entice it
to bite again. Bam! I set the hook and could see the fish’s big silvery sides
as it shook its head into deeper water. But this fish had a black stripe
running through the middle of it. Could it be?

Epic Pike-Minnow

The following day I went out to the Yuba again to try and
redeem myself. Of course the bugs weren’t working like I wanted them to so I tied on the streamer. The
day ended with me going 3 – 4.

18 Inches of Yuba Bow

I also did some trash picking on Parks Bar Road after I finished fishing. Pack out what you pack in people!

Yuba River Trashman
Fishing Tips

Debunking The Trash Fish of California

Typical Trash Fish

They’re ugly, they stink, and they make for poor table fare. Trash fish. We all catch them.

California is home to a rich-diverse ecosystem unlike any other state on the West Coast. From the state’s rocky northern coast to it’s sub-tropic beaches, each ecosystem hosts its own unique native fauna. California’s trash fish are part of this native fauna and share a biological relationship with other species since before their scientific identification.

So why do we consider them trash fish?

Despite the way US culture values them, trash fish have had their significance throughout history. These fish continue to play both a positive and negative role in the local ecosystem and in other parts of the world.

It is important to notice that pike minnow, suckerfish, and hardhead are native to California therefore it is illegal to kill and waste them. The common carp is an invasive species however it is still unlawful to “Cause the deterioration or waste of any fish taken in the waters of this state” (CCR T-14 Section 1.87).

Most trash fish come from the same genus, Cyprinidae or the minnow family and Catostomidae or suckerfish family.

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Formerly known as the Sacramento squawfish, the Sacramento pike minnow is native to the Sacramento River watershed. The Sacramento pike minnow is considered to be the number one predator to salmonoids. Sacramento pike minnow are voracious feeders that take advantage of the salmon spawn by eating both their eggs and fry. Juvenile salmon and steelhead are also preyed upon by these fish. Many locals claim that California operates a bounty program targeting Sacramento pike minnow however this is incorrect.

In the Eel River system these fish are non-native. There were no Sacramento pike minnows in this watershed until they were illegally or accidentally introduced. There were efforts to try and eradicate the fish through private bounty programs but these programs were unaffiliated with the State of California.

This bounty program is often confused with the management of a different species of pike minnow, the Northern pike minnow in the Columbia and Snake River watersheds. 

Dams have created the perfect environment for these fish to reproduce and grow since they thrive in warm water. Until we can provide salmonoids with cold clean water and spawning habitat, the native Sacramento pike minnow population will continue to grow and do what they’ve been doing for centuries, eat other fish.

Egg eating pike minnow

Personal thoughts: I for one think pike minnows get a bad rap. One of the reason why I don’t particularly care for them is that they tend to stink up my hands after handling and releasing them. They aren’t the best fighters on the end of a line but they can sometimes surprise you. I hooked a gnarly pike minnow on a dry during the hex hatch and it was a wicked battle.

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The Sacramento suckerfish is by far the most abundant fish I’ve encountered. They are distinguishable by their sucker mouth, bronze back, and gold underbelly. During the spawning season the males will have a jet black stripe running through their lateral line.

These natives can be found in the Sacramento River watershed and all of its tributaries. Surprisingly algae isn’t the only thing these fish will eat. Their diet ranges from algae, aquatic insects, salmon eggs, and even small fry. You will often find these fish in shallow water in February and March performing their spawning ritual.

Big Ole Sac Sucker

Personal thoughts: The Sacramento suckerfish is often mistaken for a Sacramento pike minnow or common carp. The sucker mouth distinguishes it from a pike minnow and the streamline body distinguishes it from a common carp. These are some of the most peaceful fish I’ve ever come across. They often never spook and can be very fun to fish for when sight casting. Sacramento suckerfish can also get big and put up a great fight often taking you into your backing. The Sacramento sucker was the first fish I ever caught on a fly rod and have they’ve been a sign of good luck ever since.

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When I first landed this fish I thought it was a Sacramento pike minnow… but it didn’t look like a pike minnow. The mouth was shorter, the coloration was off, and torpedo shaped body didn’t match any thing that I’ve caught before. After doing some research on this newly discovered species, I found that this fish was called a Hardhead.

Hardheads are a goldish bronze colored fish that are commonly found in slower and warmer sections of rivers and streams. Their shorter mouth is the best way to distinguish them from a Sacramento pike minnow. These fish are a more “trout-like” version of pike minnow often taking advantage of hatches and the egg bite.
Although also native to the Sacramento River watershed, so far I’ve only caught them in the Feather River system.

Smaller Mouth Than A Pikeminnow

Personal thoughts: The Hardhead in particular taught me how to fish the caddis hatch. I remember a warm spring evening while fishing for steelhead I saw these huge splashes as hundreds of caddis began to emerge and fly off. I tried everything I knew back then and failed to hook up. After doing some research on how to fish the caddis hatch I tried another evening with no takes. On my third try I finally figured out how to swing a caddis pupa and finally hooked a fish. At first I thought I had a nice steelhead at the end of my line but it turned out to be a hardhead. That entire pool was full of them.
I was disappointed because I hadn’t yet caught a steelhead but looking back now I would totally go back and swing flies for these fish again.

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All hail the king of the trash fish or in Europe the queen of the river. The common carp can be found everywhere. Originally introduced as a food source, the reputation for their taste has been tarnished by US culture. For some reason many Americans have a thing about not eating something that feeds off the bottom of the water despite the fact that carp are opportunistic omnivores like catfish.

The common carp is considered to be one of the most invasive fish species that’s ever existed. They are quite destructive to the environment as they root around for food and reproduce by the millions. Although destructive and a bit disgusting, these fish are some of the hardest fighting fish in the world.

In the fly fishing industry the common carp is slowly making a comeback as a fish worth pursuing on a fly rod. They are challenging to catch and loads of fun to haul in.

Golden Bones!

Personal thoughts: I love fly fishing for carp. They are one of my favorite fish to fish for. It is all visual: the stalking, take, and hook set. They are smart, picky, aware, passive, and are a true test of an angler’s patience and skills. Not to mention they get huge and put up some of the best fights rocketing off as soon as you set the hook. Make sure you have the time to fight the fish and bring plenty of backing.

Trash fish are the a by-catch of every fisherman. Whether you love them or hate them, they are here to stay. What do you think of trash fish?

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