North Fork Yuba River Fishing Report 7/19/2014

Plunge pool after plunge pool, lush green forest, native grasses, monkey flowers, fascinating rock formations, crystal clear water, blue skies, and wild rainbow trout. Do I have your attention now? The North Fork Yuba is all that and more. It's the total fly fishing experience that will surely have you smiling while keeping the stoke alive. I'm so lucky to be able to share this with my special guests, and all of them are so appreciative of such gorgeous surroundings - That in return makes me smile for days on end!

Fishing conditions are in the dog days of summer already, and getting to your spot around 7am, and on the water by 8am is crucial. Water temps are ranging from 59 degrees in the morning, and topping out around 70 by the afternoon. Evenings and the last two hours of light bring some great fishing for the evening hatch. Fishing pressure is heavy in some areas and much lighter in others. If solitude is your quest, hiking into remote and hard to reach places will help you find it. It's there.

Rainbows are running 4-12", and just look at this specimen above! Purple parr marks, a crimson stripe, robust dots, and white tipped orange fins. These rainbows are the jewel of the Northern Sierra. To hold something this beautiful from the great creator is so moving, and part of the North Fork Yuba experience - A must have for the fly angler. If you're a "big fish" angler only and cannot appreciate true wilderness and adventure, do not come here, you'll be bummed.

Short line high sticking a dry or dry/dropper rig is producing. Obtaining a drag free drift gets the grabs, but also try twitching, skating, and swinging your flies. 5x for low light conditions, and 6x during the bright mid day sunshine is recommended. Dry flies; X-Caddis #14-18, Stimis in yellow and orange #12-16, Yellow Humpies #14-16, Foam hoppers in tan/brown combos #10-12, and Parachute Adams #12-16. Nymphs; The Mangy Prince #14-16 (only available from Reel Anglers Fly Shop), Spitfires #14-16, Copper Johns #14-18, Psycho Prince #12-16, and Prince of Diamonds #14-16 are working extremely well.

If you're looking for a short easy walk to some spectacular sights, try the PCT trail off Hwy. 49 to Loves Falls. Though the water levels are really low now, it's still quite impressive. The time to view the spectacular Loves Falls is in Spring on a normal snow pack year, the sound can be deafening, and the mist will soak you to the bone if you get too close. A must see.

Dark water is the prime habitat for these rainbows when the sun is shining and it's bright out. Look for vertical walls of boulders in the water with shade against them. Presenting your fly right next to these areas will lure out some nice trout. Hit every pocket you can, some of the bigger rainbows in the system come from small hidden lies that most anglers just walk on by. Don't be pulled into the big pools, fish it all.

Be a criminal and go pick some pockets on the North Fork Yuba River, you just might get rich!

The rare Lewis's Monkey Flower calls the NFYR home.

Seek out some color for your soul.

Big Water Fall Primer Symposium 8/25/14

Big Water Fall Season Primer – presented by Lance Gray & Jon Baiocchi

Fall is just around the corner and all of Northern California’s major river systems will come alive with the arrival of the Salmon, along with the Steelhead which means high protein diet for local rainbows. The Yuba, American, Feather, Sacramento, Klamath and the Trinity Rivers will once again see many anglers that aren't prepared for the “Big Water”.

The “Big Water Fall Season Primer” is simply a Fall fly fishing symposium that is based on what anglers will be facing in the next upcoming months. Lance and I have had many people ask us about what gear we use during the Fall season. Others, ask how we approach the rivers we fish. With all these questions, Lance and I felt that having this on the water clinic would help many of our day to day guest get primed and ready to go for the Fall.

The blueprint for the symposium is basic – we want you to bring your single or double hand rods, lines and all your cold weather gear and let us help you tune it up. We will have our own personal gear for you to see; rods, reels, lines, waders, boots, jackets, rigs and flies. To assist you, we will have all the Rio’s Short Skagit lines, Versileaders, MOWs for fine tuning double hand rods, single handed lines like the Rio Indicator Line and everything in between for you to try out. We want you to walk away with the knowledge and the equipment list that you need to make the upcoming season the best.

During the clinic Lance and I will cover the following subjects – Tactics for “Big Water” success.

Wading Big Water – wading safety.

Entomology - matching the bugs to the flies that will be on the menu for Fall

Egg Protein – rigging single beads and matching the egg drop throughout the season.

Indicator Rigging – rigging the indicator system to fish in different depths of water.

Swinging - using double handed rods and matching the right line to the right rod.

Selective Trout – stalking selective trout and steelhead. 

This one day clinic will be held August 25, 2014 from 7am – 2pm at Hammon Grove located on the banks of the Yuba River. The symposium will be limited to 10 guests. Rigging and entomology handouts, a river side lunch and drinks are all included. We will also have maps for guest that wish to fish after the clinic on their own. Cost per person is just $85.00. Please contact Lance (lancegrayandcompany.com) or myself (baiocchistroutfitters.com) if you're interested in attending. Thanks - J.

North Fork Yuba River Fishing Report 7/8/14

Fly fishing the most beautiful watershed in California has been excellent, and the North Fork Yuba River is a must destination if you have never been there. Crystal clear water, plunge pools, and pocket water await your presentations, and one of the most beautiful rainbow trout to be found in the world is there waiting for your offerings. 

Current drought conditions have the river levels way below normal, but really it’s not all that bad, thanks to the many feeder creeks and springs that flow into it. These inflows also help maintain colder water temperatures that trout thrive in. Researching topo maps and finding where the tributaries and abundant springs enter the system can greatly increase your chance at hooking up and having a memorable day. 

The best fishing is located between Downieville and Sierra City right now. With miles upon miles of river next to the highway there are so many spots to fish whether it is a short walk from the road, down a no name road, or hiking into one of the many gorges. The views alone will make you stop in your tracks!  

Fishing a Dry / Dropper rig is best right now, and if you want big numbers, cover vast amounts of water. If you are proficient at the craft of fly fishing, you can expect 50 fish days in a 5 hour session. Reading water is everything, fishing the seams of fast and slow water, along with major foam and bubble lines is of vast importance. Effective dry flies have been Yellow Stimulators #10-16, E/C Caddis in pale olive #12-18, Royal Wullfs #10-16, and Club Sandwich Hoppers in Brown/Tan/Yellow #10-12. For your dropper fly, Spitfire rubber legs #14-16, Psycho Prince nymphs #14-18, and Fox's Pupa in amber #12-16 has been super productive. The wild rainbows are running 6-12", with the occasional trophy. Please take note that there have been Rattlesnake sightings with close encounters near the river, like a 4 footer that my guest and I came upon.

Now is the time to fish the North Fork Yuba River before conditions get too low, it also offers some of the best public campgrounds out there, stellar hikes, and the most unbound beauty to be found. Summer is far from over, so get the family together and make a plan to fly fish, and explore the wonders of the North Fork Yuba River, you will not be disappointed!

    Crimson Columbine near a spring on the North Fork Yuba River.

Busy June at Lake Davis

It seems like it's been only a matter of days since my big run at Lake Davis started, but in reality it was 26 days on the water guiding, 18 of those in a row. The details of being an independent guide and the large amount of work that is done behind the scenes is monumental at times. But when a guest finally gets a grab from an educated rainbow and practices what we taught them, it all makes it worth while. Yeah, it's all about the look on their face as they radiate the simple glow of happiness. So awesome!

The Lake Davis Advanced Still Water Outings were once again a big hit with our guests, many of them returning because it is such a fun time! It's always a good laugh to see first timers as they sit down to Rob Anderson's cooking, then get up and hurry over for seconds! Both our groups hit it right with a pretty good damselfly hatch, and awesome conditions for sight fishing off the bank. They also got a new appreciation when they got a hook up as this game of cat and mouse is so challenging. Big fish were caught, many broke off by the violent first runs, and the Hex hatch in the evening did not disappoint. The only bummer really was a few days of big wind that hampered our catch rates. I can't stress how much fun the outings are, the friendships made, and the gut busting laughter that echoed into the evenings. Rob and I will be hosting another Outing in Fall on September 12th, 13th, and 14th, we hope your able to join us and the good times. Contact either one of us as soon as possible as these outings fill up extremely quickly.

Reno Fly Fishing Outfitters

This June was also the first Lake Davis Fly Fishing Tours put together by Lance Gray of Lance Gray & Co. and myself. It's a really unique tour as we combine both my boat and vehicle to tour around the lake, while explaining productive access areas and the nuances of them. The two day tour provided plenty of time to fish, learn new techniques, the go to flies, and inside knowledge that can only be gained from putting in over a thousand days on the lake. The amount of information shared is so vast! Lance and I will have another Tour this fall on September 16th and 17th, it's limited to just two anglers so if you want to go, act now.

Lance Gray & Co.

Once again it's time to switch gears as Lake Davis will be getting to warm for good fishing and the fish's health. Colder spring fed streams, creeks, and tail water fisheries is where you can find my guests and I until early Fall. I want to thank all of our guests who engaged on our trips, and my fellow guides who have allowed me to participate in some very special tours and outings. 

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