Like a trout I eased into my prime lie today and got back
onto the water sharing the knowledge with my special guests. After being on the
7 Club Tour in Los Angeles (Thanks Jeff Pill!) and the Pleasanton Fly Fishing
Show for the past two weeks, today was magic. Being on the water does just
that. The Lower Yuba River is in grand shape, flows are at about 725 cfs, and
the water has a slight stain to it with about 3 of visibility –
Perfect! The weather was warm today, so nice, yet the morning wind had a
little bite to it that waned as the day progressed. It was absolutely beautiful
out.
Fishing was decent today, and finally I saw the biggest
skwala hatch so far this year. So many bugs you had to be careful where you
stepped, they were everywhere. Females with big egg sacks hanging off their
butts were so focused on getting to the water and perpetuating the species – All
business. Risers were here and there from slow bank water to the faster main
flow. One tip I’d like to share is if you do see a rising fish, an active
feeder, stop what you’re doing and be aggressive and go hunt that trout down
and make your presentation immediately. One of my guests did just that today
and got into two fish in a very short time. Some March Brown mayflies were
observed as well, but no big numbers yet. I did an entomology sampling today
and Baetis nymphs and free living caddis dominated. Spring is definitely here
on the valley floor, California poppies are staring in, and the Pipevine
Swallowtail butterfly is out, a sure sign of the seasons changing.
Effective flies on the Lower Yuba have been Hogan’s S&M
nymphs, and his Red Headed Step Child nymph in sizes 16 and 18 are money. Lance’s
X-may #18 has been producing as well. Think small dark and flashy for fly
selection sub surface. The Skwala Unit delivered today with no refusals; those
trout are looking up in the afternoon for the skwalas and they are definitely
keyed in on them.
Lance Gray and I had our first Yuba River Tour today with
the San Jose Fly Casters and it was a huge success. We have three more tours scheduled,
sessions 2 and 3 are full, but session 4 has three spots remaining (as of 2/26 tour #4 now full!). If you are
interested, please contact Lance or myself to book your spot.
The Lower Yuba River, what an awesome place, big water, and
the opportunity to hook into some red hot rainbows! Are you ready? Please join me;
the goods are waiting for you…
2 comments:
Looks great, thanks for the updates.
Your welcome!
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