PS – Write your local supervisor to let them know how important fishing is to you!

Sorry its been a while for an updated report, but with steelhead season in full swing and hatches happening all over the Sac Valley its been tough to get away to do a nice report for all to enjoy. So here ya go and hope you the report.

American River:

We have seen and had a great steelhead season up to this point, and with some rain in the forecast it will get even better. Right now we are still seeing some winter fish up to about 12lbs, but what you will see is that the average fish is around 20-24”, and with it getting closer to spring the bluebacks are starting to show up. These are feisty, bright chrome, streamline torpedoes up to about 6lbs and mostly wild, and when you hook one you will know. Most of the fish are still keying in on egg patterns, but steelhead and trout sizes as well as princes (standard or psycho), caddis, dark stones (just trust me) and alevins. If swinging is your thing, try some alevins, as well as rusty colored wooly buggers, with an egg trailer or guides choice. Time to get out enjoy the lovely weather and stick some chrome.

Yuba River:

All I can say is get out and fish it. The Yuba has been on fire and will continue to do so, this is due to the lower water compared to last year and very little run off to blow the river out. The fish have been looking up almost all winter long, and with the warmer temps outside, this is bringing out all the bugs. Skwalas, western browns, march browns, caddis, yellow sallies, pmds, bwos and midges. With the warmer days throwing a skwala dry with a pmd dry trailer or micro may is deadly. If nymphing is your cup of tea, skwala followed by a caddis or brown mayfly pattern, with a small olive beatis is the ticket right now. If swinging is your thing, bring along stones, alevins, olive streamers, but what seems to be the trick lately is brown or olive soft hackle patterns. Plan and simple it’s YUBA TIME!!!

Feather River:

With lack of boats and people it looked like a ghost town, but it’s not lack of fish, its cuz everyone else is fishing the American and Yuba. The fish are in and taken flies like they are going out of style. Average fish is 18-22” but fish pushing 10lbs have been hooked, but they don’t come easily. Swinging alevins and soft hackles can produce some nice fishy tugs and even a fish or two to hand. You can get a few rises on caddis with the warmer temps, but this has been pretty spotty and with that I haven’t pushed it yet. Nymphing has really been the way to go, and almost all the fish have come under and indicator. The fish are still taking eggs, so make sure to have them in your box, but also sucker spawns, copper johns, caddis and darker stones, (again trust me). With spring just around the corner, this is going to bring up the very sought after Feather River Springers, 4-6lb fish with some over 10lbs and all full of spunk. Heart pounding runs and aerial leaps that will leave you breathless and shaking your head on what just happened, it’s called getting the middle fin. These are the best fighting steelhead around, it’s as close to a coastal steelhead as you will get. Check out the Feather River you will not be disappointed.

Putah Creek:

I have nothing but great things to say about putah. Small flies, small tippet, light rods and big fish. What more can you ask for. Now that the spawning is over you will have to watch were you walk, but these fish are feeding like mad and taking all types of flies. Small caddis, midges, pmds, bwos, midges midges and more midges. If creekin is your thing then Putah is where you want to go. The flows will stay pretty consistent up until May when they hit the summer flows of around 600cfs. But don’t let the high flows scare ya, these higher flows don’t put the fish down, they still have to eat, you just gotta know where to find them. If you want some of the best trout fishing within 45mins of Sac, Putah is where it’s at.

Truckee River:

WOW………What a winter, even though I haven’t guided the Truckee since Nov, this doesn’t mean I haven’t been fishing it. Some of my biggest fish have come during the winter months, and with the mild winter that we have had, this was one exceptional yr on the Big T. If you are heading up that way, bring some eggs, dark stones, pmds, bwos and some midge, even a San Juan Worm or two. Winter time means BIG FISH TIME, the fish aren’t as active, but for some reason everything that you do hook is going to be big. You want to find the warmer water, so the higher up you go the better, but remember you must stay below Trout Creek as above it is close till the opener. Oh ya and don’t forget your streamers. Find 4-7ft of water and fish it hard, as this is where you will find most of your fish. Get up there and enjoy some of the best winter fishing the Big T has seen in yrs.

So if you are looking to book a trip on any of these rivers give me a call and check for available dates. I will also offer a $25 off half day and $50 off a full day, if you contact me via this report.

Time to get out and fish folks
TIGHT LINES
Brian Clemens
Nor Cal Fly Guides
530-354-3740
bclemens81@hotmail.com
http://www.norcalflyguides.com

The Valley Rivers are finally back in play and fishing great. I have been on the water a lot, with to many fish to count, and clients with grins ear to ear. It has been steelhead time for my clients and I, and even Joel from the shop found his way out with me on the Feather and landed some really nice steelhead on 4/11. The Feather is on FIRE and will continue to do so even as the weather warms up. It won’t see run off like the Yuba or American, so right now that’s the place to be. The Steelhead are in, and they are HOT HOT HOT. Try Prince Nymphs, Caddis, Pink San Juans, Micro Spawns, Glo Bugs and some Mayflies.

The Lower Sac is finally down to 6000 cfs, and with those flows, the fishing is just stupid. Look for caddis on your sunny days, baetis, pmds and midges on your cloudy days, with a mix of all on every other day. Like I said it’s just stupid. And with it being April, the sucker fish are spawning, and the trout are keying in on micro spawns (sucker fish spawned eggs). They aren’t just keying in on them, they are gorging themselves on them. There are trout spawning too, so glo bugs will be something to try as well. Try Prince Nymphs, Caddis, Mayflies, Micro Spawns, Glo Bugs, March Browns.

The Yuba is still high, but fishable along its edges and out of a boat. These fish haven’t seen much pressure these last few months, so that means they are eating and pretty much don’t have a care in the world. Try Rubber Leg Stones, March Browns, Mayflies and Caddis. Don’t be afraid to throw some San Juan Worms, Micro Spawns, Glo Bugs and some small Red Copper Johns too. The fish are hungry and they will eat.

As far as the mountains go, I was hoping the warmer weather would lag just a little bit longer for the opener, but it looks like it won’t. Be careful where you fish on the opener cuz most of the Sierra streams will be high. But I bet if you do some work, you can find some areas all to yourself, that will be fishing great.

GOOD LUCK TO ALL ON THE OPENER,
and always remember
KEEP THOSE LINES TIGHT

Thanks
Brian Clemens
Nor Cal Fly Guides
530-354-3740
bclemens81@hotmail.com

With the trout season opener just around the corner and winter still nipping at our heels, it looks to be an interesting one. The good thing is that even though there is much snow still in the hills, I don’t think the opener will be greatly affected by snow run off, but a few weeks after the opener most of the high sierra streams will be blow out, so enjoy the fishing while you can. I honestly think the high sierra fishing won’t start getting good until late June maybe even mid July do to all the snow we will have in the mountains. So hit it while it’s hot, or should I say cold, before it all blows out.

Your Central Valley Rivers for the most part are high and water clarity isn’t the greatest, this includes the American, Feather and Lower Sac, the fishing was epic until our last big storm that really filled up our lakes and reservoirs, which is now dumping into our Central Valley Rivers and streams. But we all can’t complain this rain was well needed. There are a few areas that are fishable one being the Yuba, the flows are high, but fishable. If you decide to wade please watch your step, I would suggest not even getting in the water, stay out of it and fish the edges. My personal opinion is if you want to hit the Yuba do so from a boat, this will be your best bet. Even though the flows are up, the fish need to eat, so fish the edges and you will be pleasantly surprised. 2) Putah Creek, this is where I have been spending most of my time fishing or guiding, flows are perfect, water clarity is perfect and being that the fish are post spawn they are eating like crazy. Many fishing in the upper teens to mid 20s have seen the net and camera. FYI the regs on this creek are: Artificial barbless, no bait, 0 take year round. The other river that has been fishing well is the Trinity River. A drive for most, but well worth the trip. There are a lot of steelhead smolts in the river from 10-16″ and the big browns are keying in on them. The fly only water recently opened April 1st and a lot of bigger browns are being taken up there. It’s towards the end of the steelhead run, but there are a few still in the system, fresh and down runners. Bring your 10ft 6wt for the big boys and your 3wts for the smolts and be ready to have a blast.

For those that read this, I stated earlier that I will be guiding in Alaska this summer. That has been postponed until next summer. So I will be guiding full time until then. I will still be offering a $50 dollar discount on full day guided trips and $25 dollar discount on half day guided trips if you contact me through M.C.O. I offer a basic or premium package trips for full or half day on both drift trips and walk and wade trips. Check out my website to see where I guide and info about those areas, pricing, about me as well as pictures . Now is the time to book your next walk and wade or drift trip for a great on the water experience.

Thanks
Brian Clemens
Nor Cal Fly Guides
530-354-3740
bclemens81@hotmail.com