Lower Yuba River Fly Fishing Report ~ 1/13/2021

It’s been a while since my last Lower Yuba River Fly Fishing report, I’ve been extremely busy guiding, writing, attending to my yearly reports and logs to the US Forest Service for Plumas, Tahoe, and Lassen forests, and perfecting the details of my latest power point “Skwalas on the Yuba”, which you must check out when you get a chance. We are in another dry spell, though we did have a little drizzle and clouds yesterday which is what you want for good mayfly hatches. 

The flows on the Yuba have been low and clear and are currently right around 740 cubes, although Yuba Water Agency did bump it up a tad this morning to 755, then back down. We’ve had some wimpy storms, some stronger than others, but still the river has barely risen because the ground is so parched. The extended forecast into the fantasy range calls for a possible change from the 20^th to the 25^th allowing the storm door to open. We shall see…

Fishing pressure has been heavy at times, and other times it’s just my guests and I, and that all depends on where I choose to go, be it the weekends or the week days. Local inside knowledge is a big part of my guide service. The fishing has been good some days, and others pretty slow where you really got to work harder to see results. Typical Yuba, every day is different. For example last Friday was super slow, Saturday was on fire, Sunday was a little better than fair, and Monday’s trip was on fire where dreams are made – 8 grabs on the Skwala dry including stalking side water Skwala eaters in 8 inches of water. The best game ever.

The Skwala numbers are increasing every week, I’m seeing more nymphs in the idle side water pre staging for emergence, and more shucks on terra firma which equals to more adults. Also I’m seeing more adults in the foam lines, and fish eating them off the surface. The Skwala adults are incredibly hard to see in the drift, and for those whose eyes are not in tune with the full spectrum of analyzing real time conditions as they happen, it can be frustrating. Look for little dark colored twigs floating down the currents. 

Skwalas do not flap there wings while drifting like a golden, and there is very little movement on the surface, they placidly float down with only their little legs twitching about. Prime time for fishing the adult is in the afternoon, and they love warm sunny days. I’ve seen PMDs from about 10:30am to noon, and then the BWOs come out to play. The length of each hatch varies, so when you start to see either mayfly in the drift, change quickly and be ready before the great creator turns the switch off.

Also, the Brown Duns are out, not quite a size 10, but not a 12. They look a lot like a March Brown, but it is an entirely different mayfly, and much bigger. They are swimmers, and hatch on the shoreline just like a stone fly. Best presentation for this bug during the nymph stage is swinging soft hackles into the side water, and for the adult, an Adams parachute in dark gray has done well for me.

It was interesting last weekend as I observed 3 newer salmon digging out a redd. I was a little surprised to see that, but that’s why you don’t put rules on Mother Nature. She will break them time and time again.

For fly selection we’ll start with sub surface offerings. Hogan Brown’s S&M and Military May in PMD (#14, 16) and BWO (#16, 18, 20) schemes, worms (red, natural, brown), Red Copper Johns (#14, 16, 18), Zebra Midge (#16, 18), plain old pheasant tails with no flash (#14, 16, 18) though I do tie some with hot spots in floro orange, and of course Skwala Nymphs (#10, 12, 2xl) which are way smaller and more slender than you think. 

Here is my extended body all-rounder Skwala nymph which has been working extremely well. I copied a Pat’s Rubber Leg and tied the main portion of this jig fly on a Togens #8 60 degree jig hook, then added a nub of a #12 TMC 101 dry fly hook with the bend cut off. I attach it with a small loop of 3X tied in at the rear of the jig hook. The movement is incredible and is a strike trigger for hungry Yuba bows.

On the surface, let’s start with the main attraction for the next 2 months, Skwalas. My go to pattern has been Bitterroot River guide John Cook’s Unit Skwala, though the original pattern I got from a long time client and friend 12 years ago is not the same as shown above. I’ve tweaked the pattern to my own specs over the years while using important materials that are needed for the educated trout of the Yuba River. I’ll tie them in a size 10 2xl for the female, some with egg sacks, and some without. Size 12 2xl for the male and those males are pretty small. There are other patterns I use that I will not share on this blog, some from my mentor, and most tiers would laugh at those flies. They are super simple, that’s all I can say. Spending time on the river and observing the reaction to different patterns is a whole different world than sitting at a tying bench for hours cranking out flies.

This fly tied by my buddy Bud Heintz is designed for rough water, like really rough water! It’s fully dressed and you do not want to clip the hackle on the bottom to make it flush in the surface. I’ve been clipping the hackle short on dry flies for over three decades now, another lesson learned by my mentor on the McCloud River with the October Caddis hatch. No, you want this fly to be high and dry with maximum floating properties incorporated into it for the rough stuff.

http://wildstreamfishing.com/

We are long line Euro Nymphing (yeah whatever you want to call it, tight line, high sticking, direct contact nymphing) in the mornings until we start seeing aquatics on the surface and rising fish, then it’s time to switch over to your dry fly rod. I will say this, fishing dry flies from the bank on the Yuba is not a “make the cast”, mend, and hang on type of scenario, especially with the Skwala game. There is so much more to it. Remember, you are hunting a wild animal with a very high sense of alertness. You must assess the situation, the type of water you will be fishing, what your approach will be (fly first, or an upstream presentation), and lastly, careful observation before you even make the cast. It makes a huge difference. Observe more...Cast less.

You can get a really clear idea on how to do this by reading my article “Skwala Primer 2021 ~ Lessons Learned” in the December issue of California Fly Fisher, or attending one of my Zoom presentations that I will be presenting to many fly clubs in the next few months. You can check my schedule HERE. Some fly clubs will open my Zoom presentations to the public like Gold Country Fly Fishers did on the 5^th. After checking my schedule, it can’t hurt contacting the club and seeing if you can get permission to tune in.   

There you have it, an honest and reliable report for the Lower Yuba River. If you really want to learn how to approach fishing off the bank as a walk and wade angler, look no further and shoot me an email at baiocchistroutfitters@yahoo.com for the most extensive guide trip you’ll ever have. My trips are next level guided fly fishing, where it is very important to me to share the knowledge so you can be more successful on your own. I only have 3 days left in January, and 2 left in February. A busy schedule ahead for the Skwala Man LOL!

See you on the water…