Middle Fork Feather River Opener Report 4/7/2015

What I thought was going to be an epic opener on the MFFR turned out to be a bust. Water temperatures will always dictate whether the fishing the first weekend of April will be successful, or not here. When the thermometer barked out 45 degrees in the water, I knew it would be fruitless. I still probed the many runs and pools with a hope for a bent rod. I could have cared less really. A light snow fell from the sky, while solitude cloaked me with only the sound of the river reverberating in my ears. It was glorious. It's times like these I feel the great creator's presence, a humbling state of mind that sets a rhythm of peace and calmness.

The Middle Fork Feather River is extremely low, like the flows of the fall season. I was not shocked by any means, but it does put everything into perspective; how the ecosystem relies on a snowpack that gives life to the land. I expect the river to become fishable by May 1st, or when the water temps bump up above 50 degrees. Nymph rigs will dominate early with San Juan worms, and small mayfly nymphs like Copper Johns, and bead head Pheasant Tail flashbacks. Forget about dry fly fishing until the water warms up near the upper 50's. A good strategy during the early season on the MFFR is to fish above where feeder creeks come in, these inflows will be carrying the colder water from the upper elevations cooling down the river below it. Side sloughs are another venue to seek out, and if they are deep enough stripping streamers is an option to hook into the bigger trout in the system.

It will be a short lived season on the MFFR, and it could be done by the middle of June. Sure, there will be some evening opportunities with dry flies, but that will wane as well. The only good thing I see from the river being low is that the carp and bass fishing in the upper watershed will be good. The warm water species will be more concentrated, and sight fishing will be easier. Let's pray we get a few more pulses of precipitation in the months to come before the faucet is turned off. It's really all we can do at this point.