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!

The Dog Days Of Summer

August is upon us and the dog days of summer are starting to appear.Normally this would make for challenging fishing conditions but because of the tremendous winter this year water conditions are near perfect.

This past week my office was Nelson Creek and the Middle Fork of the Feather River.Nelson Creek is a rough and tumble spring fed creek that flows into the Middle Fork Feather. Wild rainbows abound averaging 10-12" with a few larger 14"+ thrown in for good measure. The fishing isn't easy but there was enough top water action to keep my clients busy all day.



Most attractor patterns work here, with a red humpy being the most productive.There were a number of very small golden stoneflies hatching and a few mayflies as well.Caddis hatches in the evening are getting the fish to be a little less selective.

The Middle Fork Feather has been the biggest surprise this August as water temps are still in the low to mid 60's and the fish are crushing Little Yellow Sallies with great fervor.Tom from Newark Ca had a great morning recently moving over 30 fish and hooking about 15 in a short 4 hour half day. We didn't change the fly once as we were getting crushed on almost every cast in some of the riffles!

I have also been spending time guiding on the Truckee and Little Truckee Rivers in the past month. Brian Slusser of Four Seasons Fly Fishing(www.flyfishingtruckee-tahoe.com) has had me helping him teach his 2 day fly fishing schools.These schools are a great introduction to the sport of fly fishing and give us time to delve into the nuances a little deeper.Brian is a great guide and all around great dude!If you are interested in fishing the Truckee area I highly recommend Brian!

With only 2 weeks before classes start I am enjoying this fine summer that we are having.Soon my focus will shift to my continuing education and guiding will be restricted to weekends.As fall returns and water temps fall we should experience some great fly fishing!

MF Feather Report 7-3-10

Picked up a last minute trip for the MF Feather and the river didn't disappoint.Fish were looking up all day and we had action on dries from start to finish. Elk Hair Caddis and Little Yellow Sallies were the hot ticket,but fish also smashed small stimulators. Wire body caddis nymphs caught fish in the deeper pockets when the action on top slowed down.



Water levels are perfect right now and the fish,while small, are very agressive and a ton of fun to catch.

We fished from Graeagle down to the Two Rivers area and found active fish in the riffles. From 2-4pm a very solid Little Golden Stonefly hatch took place with fish hammering Little Yellow Sallie dries.To fun!!