Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas!




With a lack of snow, people are looking for other things to do in Tahoe over the holidays. The fishing on the Little Truckee is surprisingly good right now. Ken from El Dorado Hills landed this nice rainbow yesterday on a #18 rubber leg pt fished on 6x tippet. It was a pretty nice day on the water and we had a chance at a large brown but couldn't get him to eat. I have a few days available next week before I take off on a steelhead adventure on the North Coast. Come on rain!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

A fishing report


After what seemed like an eternity I actually got out and wet a line. This semester at FRC was more demanding than I would have liked and I had to put my guide service and personal fishing on hold. I read fishing reports religiously and lived vicariously through friends posts on Facebook...and I almost went insane! While I was very happy for my buddies who were getting after it this fall, it was hell not having the time to fish or guide for that matter.




As the semester was winding down, I finally bit the bullet and went to the Trinity River to fish for steelhead. I made my way to Pidgeon Pt where I like to camp and got settled in. It was raining lightly and in the mid 50's...pretty nice steelheading weather. I rigged up my Sage Z-Axis 6110 switch rod for the next morning and drank down a couple of Steelhead Extra Pale Ales by the campfire.


The next morning I fished the camp water for no luck. It took me a bit to get my rhythm, but eventually the meditation like cast, swing , step washed away the stress of school and I felt like I was where I needed to be. I spent the day swinging flies through a few favorite runs without so much as a tap-tap. The rain was off and on throughout the day and before it got too late I decided to return to camp to dry out and warm up. Bruce showed up in camp later in the evening and we proceeded to swap lies and drink more Steelhead Ales than was necessary around the campfire. Bruce and I have been steelheading together for a few years now and each time we get together it is always a good time!

We fished the camp water in the morning where Bruce lost the only fish he hooked. We decided to head up river to fish and explore a little. Pressure on the river was light and we got into a run that I hadn't fished in a few years. A few casts in my line comes tight! After 3 jumps and 2 solid runs I get the fish into shallow water to land it. A decent 25" hatchery fish. I blow the photo op and only have this pic as proof.


I didn't have another grab and Bruce had to take off that afternoon so I fished my way back to camp and more beer and campfire.

I fished for a few hours the next morning before driving home to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with my family.

The next week would fly by and I made my way back to Pidgeon Pt to meet up with my longtime fishing partner Greg. Greg and I met at Pyramid Lake years ago and have spent lots of time on the water together. We haven't been on the Trinity together for a few years so it was a great opportunity to fish this awesome river again.

Greg was first to hook up that morning at a spot that I had explored the week before.

A colored up hatchery buck of about 25". The best part is he picked the pocket of two guide boats that had just fished through this spot!


My chance came later as I hooked and landed a nice hatchery hen at the same spot that I got one the week before.

This fish ate a green butt spey fly that I had been carrying in my box for a couple of years. Pretty sweet! It was very satisfying to get a fish on a spey fly that I tied.

Did I say it was cold? This trip was clear and cold with freezing fog and ice in the guides in the morning. So we chased the sun in the early afternoon to try and warm up.

Greg landed another nice fish at the spot he caught one the day before.



On our final morning it was so cold that my reel was frozen and I had to spend 10 minutes to get it somewhat operational. I had to continually pull line off the reel to keep it working. Unfortunately when I hooked a fish a bit later I was unable to keep it on as my reel froze on its first run. Man that sucked,but what can you do

It was great to get in a few days of fishing and now the semester is at an end and I should have a bit more time to spend on the water. Yay!!

Friday, November 11, 2011

How Time Flies!

Hard to believe that I have been so consumed by school this semester that I haven't updated this blog since September. My fishing and guiding time has come to a screeching halt as my whole focus has been on school and college football.

Fishing update...the weather here in the Sierra has taken a turn towards winter and with it the fishing has slowed on the local lakes. Davis and Frenchman's are still producing but water temps are falling quickly and I wouldn't be surprised to see ice on them in the near future. The Truckee has been very good this fall and a fellow guide landed a 30" brown last week over that way. Pyramid has been excellent as of late from a tube. A friend who lives there has had numerous 30+ fish days this fall and he caught a 12# hen last week on a midnight cowboy.

For you steelheaders the Trinity has been fishing lately with fish being caught both nymphing and swinging. I hope to get up there soon, but it may not happen this year as school nears the end of the semester and my projects and classes take all of my attention.

On the football front my Trojans have been better than I expected with a record of 7-2 crushing Notre Dame and losing to Stanford in triple overtime. It has been an exiting season to say the least!

Finally, my trusty Tacoma threw the front bearings last night and I am now without wheels for a few days. Sucky to say the least...

Enjoy the fishing options that are available and with any luck I'll see you on the water!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Feeling Like Fall


A quick update...

Fall semester is in full swing and my fishing/guiding time has taken a back seat for now. I am booking trips on the weekends in October and have a few available dates at this time. Lake Davis looks to be fishing well as water temperatures come down and the fish put on their feed bags. Simi seal leeches, small buggers, Sheeps Creeks, Rickard's Stillwater nymphs and snails are all top producers this time of year. The MF Feather is starting to pick back up.Caddis, October Caddis and Isonychia Mayflies will be on the menu.

The Truckee continues to fish well for wild browns and rainbows. Dry/droppers are working well with a Stimi or tarantula and a caddis or small baetis dropper.

Steelhead are starting to show in the Trinity and Klamath rivers and fall half-pounder fishing is in full swing in the American.

Lots of options available and don't forget that Pyramid opens on Oct 1st!

Get out and fish!

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

High Country Colors

I recently had the pleasure of guiding in a high country spot that I spent many summers at as a child. This year the wildflowers are outstanding and the fishing wasn't bad either!




Theses skunk cabbage blooms were almost 6 feet tall!

An amazing lily!


This was the best and prettiest fish of the day.

I am always happiest when I am able to share the places where I spent a lot of my childhood with my clients. This amazing place never lets me down.

I am now back in school for the fall semester so my availability is limited to weekends only and I do have a few available dates but they are going fast.

This fall should be unbelievable! Get out and fish!!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Quick update

I am in the middle of my best month ever as a guide and am loving every minute of it. I have been working mostly in the Truckee area and we are hooking fish every day...landing them is a different story! Fishing has been good, flows are perfect on most waters and there are places to go to get away from the crowds.

I'll post pics as soon as I get a moment to play catch up.

Get out and enjoy this fine summer in the Northern Sierra!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Ahhh Summer!


Finally started wet wading this past week as summer showed up in full force.Started off on a scout trip to the North Yuba with Brian Slusser(Four Seasons Fly Fishing). The water is still running high but the water temps are in the upper 50's and the fish are looking up.We caught fish on big searching patterns(Turk's Tarantula and Stimulators) as well as high sticking little golden stones in the pocket water. There are little yellow sallies, golden stones and caddis hatching on the North Yuba right now and fish are holding in the shallow riffles and pocket water.


Next up was a great session on the MF Feather where I concentrated swinging soft hackle flies in the riffles and hooked over 20 fish in a few hours of fishing. These fish were aggressively taking the swung fly and it provided for a very enjoyable afternoon of fly fishing. There weren't many bugs on the water, but the flows are perfect and water temps are ideal for wet wading.

Now for the shitty part of the day...I found this mess left by some inconsiderate people at my favorite run along the MF Feather above Two Rivers Soccer Camp.





The MF Feather was designated a Wild and Scenic River in 1968 and is considered one of the most beautiful rivers in the entire state.To willfully leave behind garbage pisses me off to no end.The fact that I cleaned up one mess left at this same site 10 days previous to the discovery of this one leads me to believe it was made by the same folks.Please carry out your garbage and respect the earth that we call our home!

Here is a message I left for the litter bugs.

Anyways, the fishing is good to great depending on the day and the river.Get out and enjoy this fine summer here in the Northern Sierra!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Butt Lake Hex Hatch





I had an opportunity to fish the Hexagenia hatch last week at Butt Lake and I was not dissapointed.








I caught this 23" brown on a nymph pattern that I tied based on one I found in an older Umpqua Feather Merchants catalogue. This fish hit like a freight train and the fight was what I have been looking for all summer.

This Hex cripple was found near shore just before the hatch started in earnest.These are BIG bugs and the fish just hammer on them. Unfortunately the hatch is short lived, but it is something to behold!



I fished for two evenings landed a total of 3 fish. One on each of the patterns tied for this trip including a foam bodied dun pattern and a foam emerger.I hooked four other fish that I lost or broke off and missed as many other grabs.I am itching to get back before the hatch ends, but I don't know if it will be possible. If not, there is always next year!

Thursday, July 7, 2011

Busy, busy, busy...




Summer has finally arrived and with it I have had a busy past few weeks guiding.I've been all over the place and have been finding some nice fish for clients.


From the Truckee to some smaller creeks and a few lakes we've been having a blast fishing high off color water with hungry fish!

Lake Davis is providing some fantastic dry fly fishing during the callibaetis hatch and as a bonus, the damsels have returned.

The MF Feather is still running high but the fish are eating and mayflies, little yellow sallies, caddis and golden stones are on the menu.A few very large browns have been caught over the past week on streamers as well.

Get out and enjoy this fine summer!

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Middle Fork Feather Report 6-20-11








After a few calls from clients about the status of the MF Feather I decided I needed to see how she looked in person as I have been concentrating my efforts elsewhere as of late. The estimated flows below Sloat (1900 cfs) were less than encouraging, but the river looked good although high as I drove over the bridge at Blairsden. The color was typical for this freestone river, tanin stained from agriculture runoff in the Sierra Valley, but visibility was about 3' and there were a few bugs out.I saw little yellow sallies, PMD's, caddis and a lot of small midges. Fishing near where a snowmelt swollen creek enters the river I found a nice pod of rainbows feeding on PMD's.

These lovely wild rainbows were in the 10-12" range with a couple pushing 14" and were confidently eating comparaduns and parachute adams fished on the surface.I also had takes fishing a PMD emerger and a Quigly's Cripple, but the fish were mostly interested in the duns.


Friend and fellow guide Jon Baiocchi, reports that the last two hours before dark have been money with fish rising in the tailouts for PMD's Golden Stones and caddis flies. This is just the start to what is shaping up to be a great summer on the MF Feather River and I expect solid fishing throughout the season as the runoff subsides and the bugs starting hatching in ernest.

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Carpenter Ant Fall


By the time you read this it may already be over with, but the annual carpenter ant fall is in full swing at Davis.The fish are looking up and if you use a stealthy approach and a hunter mentality the rewards are fantastic! I landed 2 of 6 hooked yesterday on a big ol' foam ant pattern on the surface including this chunky 3 pound fish. The fall will only last a few days or so, but these fish will remember ants for a bit longer.Get some!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Independence Lake Update


The Nature Conservancy has released its management plan for Independence Lake.http://www.nature.org/ourinitiatives/regions/northamerica/unitedstates/nevada/placesweprotect/independence-lake.xml
While it may not please everyone I feel it is a step in the right direction. I still need to work out the details, but I am offering trips to ILake to fly fish for Lahontan Cutthroat Trout in the only lake that they naturally reproduce in California. As soon as I know the availability of these trips I will let folks know.Check back here for more updates.