What's Hot and What's Not™(THE Northern California Fly Fishing Report)

What's Hot and What's Not™
(THE Northern California Flyfishing Report) from

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View the latest flow updates and reservoir release information. NCDAG page number(s) in the comments section of the report refer to the Northern California DeLorme Atlas and Gazetter.

24 February 2010
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Fishery	H2O Conditions	Fishing conditions, Techniques, and Hatches	Flies	Comments
American River (below Nimbus Dam)	Tainted, high 40’s to low 50’s. 1430 cfs.	Fishing is fair. Overcast days is the best fishing with steelhead active in riffles around Sunrise and Rossmoor. Cover water with a caddis and an egg under an indicator, or with a spey or switch rod swinging steelhead patterns or caddis nymphs. Also try swinging streamers on sink tips. Barbless hooks only. Warm weather will bring on the spring caddis.	Egg patterns Sucker spawn oregon cheese, glow-bug (peach, pink, champagne, light yellow, cheese, chartreuse), micro egg (flo fire orange, flo orange, flo red, shell pink), Leeson's crystal egg (chartreuse, orange) Pettis’ Unreal egg clusters (gold nugget, burnt orange, dark roe, light row), clown egg, Pettis’ unreal single egg (#8-16). Salmon sac-fry (Alevin) patterns and Caddis pupa (listed elsewhere in report)	Heavy fishing pressure. Please do not target spawning fish and please stay off the redds. Report snaggers to DFG. NCDAG pg 86, 87.
Baum Lake	Clear, mid 40s, lake level is normal.	Fishing is good. Best fishing is on overcast days, but sunny days are pretty decent too. BWO’s start hatching around 11am. Pre-hatch, use two BWO nymphs under an indicator. As the hatch begins, switch to a dry dropper with a BWO dry with a midge or BWO emerger dropper. Streamers are also producing. Some large trout are hanging in the main current coming out of Crystal Lake.	Lake woolly buggers/streamers J Fair wiggle tail (olive, brown, burnt orange) BH woolly bugger (black, olive, brown), crystal bugger, mini bugger black/olive, seal bugger (rust, olive, black), hale bopp leach (brown, olive), Mack’s bugger, bunny leach (white), chub minnow (#6-12). BWO/Baetis emerger/dries (Listed elsewhere in report). BWO nymphs (Listed elsewhere in report). Midge pupa (Listed elsewhere in report).	Light fishing pressure. NCDAG pg 48
Feather River (Hwy 70 bridge to Gridley)	Clear, low 50s F, good flow in low flow (600 cfs), high flow below the Afterbay (1300 cfs) at Gridley.	Fishing is fair. Best fishing is in the low flow section on overcast days. An attractor beadhead nymph with a green caddis pupa dropper fished under an indicator is the standard method. Swinging a pond smelt on a sink tip line will represent a salmon or steelhead smolt. Not a lot of fish in the system so be sure to cover water to find fish. Spring fish should start making their way up the river soon. Please do not tread on steelhead redds.	BWO/Baetis nymphs Hogan’s S&M nymph, Hogan’s better baetis, berry nymph in gooseberry, Burk’s crystal hunchback, Hogan’s olive military may, Mercer's BWO trigger nymph, Kyle's beerhead baetis, tailwater tiny, flashy pheasant tail, Sloan’s mighty may, Burk’s olive hunchback two-tone, Mercer’s micro mayfly (#16-22). Salmon sac-fry (Alevin) patterns Gummy fry, Hogan’s central valley alevin, Simmons’ salmon fry, Sloan’s American Alevin (#10-12) Attractor beadhead nymphs (listed elsewhere). Caddis pupa/emergers (listed elsewhere).	No salmon fishing. Access from Oroville State Wildlife Area. The stretch above Hwy 70 is open from Jan 1 to July 15th. Bring your steelhead card. NCDAG pg 68, 78.
Frank’s Tract & San Joaquin Delta (including Mildred, San Joaquin River, and nearby sloughs)	Off color to dirty, mid to low 50s F.	Fishing is fair. Water is off color due to an influx of dirty water. Best fishing is on the Mokelumne, Sycamore, Beaver, Whiskey and Discovery Bay. Use a 1/0 clouser in chartreuse and white with T-14 custom line. Give stripers plenty of opportunity to grab your fly with a slow/erratic retrieve with lots of pauses. Look for fishing to improve in coming weeks as water temps climb.	Striper patterns Flashtail clousers and whistlers in chartreuse/white, pink/white, all white, and black (2/0-3/0), pearly poppers (red/yellow, green/yellow), gurglers, crease fly.	Boat needed - rentals are available at Sugar Barge Marina on Bethel Island. Moderate to heavy fishing pressure. NCDAG pg 96 and 106. New CDAG pg. 72, 73.
Hot Creek	Clear, low to mid 50s F, low flow (15 cfs).	Fishing is good. Best dry fly action is during the warmest part of the day. Fish are rising to midges and BWO’s during the magical hour of feeding frenzy. Cripples and emergers are your best bet. Pre-hatch, fish a dry with a BWO or midge dropper. Drifts are not to difficult with the lack of weeds. Small streamers stripped along the bank with a floating line is getting good action. Check weather conditions before fishing.	BWO/Baetis emerger/dries Brook's KD dun, Mercers emerging poxyback bwo, fluttering mayfly cripple BWO, Harrop captive dun, BWO extended body, Brooks CDC dun baetis, hackle stacker BWO, loopwing paradun, olive hatch master, parachute BWO, twilight baetis dun day-glo, BWO CDC transitional dun, Brook's sprout baetis, quill body baetis cripple, Harrop's CDC BWO emerger, Quigley’s loopy cripple stacker, Burk’s silhouette dun (#16-20). River woolly buggers/streamers (listed elsewhere). BWO/Baetis nymphs (listed elsewhere).	Moderate fishing pressure on weekends. The gate is closed for the season so there is a 1/4 mile walk in to the creek. Access at upper parking lot and fish to the hot springs. NCDAG pg 112.
Mokelumne, Lower (below Comanche reservoir)	Slight tint, low to mid 50’s, moderate flow 329 cfs	Fishing is good. Good numbers of hatchery fish have been released in the last week. Nymphing with a beadhead nymph with a small BWO dropper is hooking lots of fish from 10-12 inches. This is a good spot to perfect the dead drift and get young and new anglers into a lot of fish. Some larger steelhead fish are in the river but it’s not easy to get flies past the hatchery fish.	Attractor beadhead nymphs royal flush, Hogan’s Steelie Caddis, hare’s ear, twenty incher, Hart’s dark lord, copper john (red, black, lime, copper) Hogan’s amber wing attractor, Tungsten Hotwire prince (olive/copper & Green/Yellow), Queen prince, bird’s nest, black AP, prince of darkness, king prince, dirty bird (tan, olive), Hogan’s drifter, biotic nymph, Hogan’s Red Headed Step Child (#10-18). BWO/Baetis nymphs (listed elsewhere in report).	Moderate fishing pressure. Access along highway 12 and 88. CDAG pg. 65
Putah Creek (below Lake Berryessa)	Off color to murky, low 50s F, low flow (52 cfs below lake Berryessa).	Fishing is poor to fair. 10am to 2pm is primetime with active fish feeding on midges and BWO’s. Best tactic is fishing small midge or BWO nymphs under an indicator. Be sure to use light tippet to fool these educated fish. Best fishing is the first mile below the dam where water clarity is best. Storms will muddy the river but clarity will improve with a few dry days. Do not fish over actively spawning trout.	BWO nymphs Hogan’s S&M nymph, Hogan’s better baetis, berry nymph in gooseberry, Burk’s crystal hunchback, Hogan’s olive military may, Mercer's BWO trigger nymph, Kyle's beerhead baetis, tailwater tiny, flashy pheasant tail, Sloan’s mighty may, Burk’s olive hunchback two-tone, Mercer’s micro mayfly (#16-22). BWO dries and Midge pupa (Listed elsewhere in report).	Moderate fishing pressure. NOTE: Take precautions not to transport New Zealand mud snail. Zero limit after Nov 15 NCDAG pg 85, 95.
Pyramid Lake (outside of Reno)	Clear, good lake level.	Fishing is fair to good. Recent warmer weather has improved fishing. The current storm may slow the bite a little but it will bounce back after the system. A 7 wt rod with a 250 grain shooting head is necessary for these big Lahontans. Switch between light and dark Pyramid buggers with a snail or pollywog dropper. New hot fly: King fisher spoon fly. Access at Separator and Wino beaches.	Pyramid Flies woolly worms, pyramid buggers (black/purple, chartreuse/white, olive, black), Pyramid snail (black/purple, chartreuse/white, olive, black) (#8-12)	Expect light to moderate fishing pressure. Fishing from a float tube or pontoon boat is an option. Note: Day permit required.
Sacramento River, Lower (below Keswick Reservoir)	Off color below Bonneyview, low to mid 50s, low flow (3,370 cfs below Keswick).	Fishing is fair to good. Best fishing is on warmer days with fish feeding subsurface on stoneflies, caddis, eggs and BWO. On overcast and rainy days, fish the top section above Anderson where water clarity will be better. Trout hang out in the deep runs and move into the shallow riffles during a hatch. Be sure to use enough weight to get your fly down. Before the recent storms the spring caddis hatch was starting.	Attractor beadhead nymphs royal flush, Hogan’s Steelie Caddis, hare’s ear, twenty incher, Hart’s dark lord, copper john (red, black, lime, copper) Hogan’s amber wing attractor, Tungsten Hotwire prince (olive/copper & Green/Yellow), Queen prince, bird’s nest, black AP, prince of darkness, king prince, dirty bird (tan, olive), Hogan’s drifter, biotic nymph, Hogan’s Red Headed Step Child (#10-18). BWO/Baetis nymphs (listed elsewhere in report).	Drift boat fishing is provides best access. No drifting under the Cypress St Bridge above 7000 cfs. NCDAG pg 46, 57. New CDAG pg. 41
Trinity River (near Lewiston)	Clear, mid 40s F, low flow (971 cfs) at Douglas City.	Fishing is fair. Some fresh steelhead are around Junction City. Nymphing with a big rubberleg stone and a copper john nymph will get the best action. Cover water to find these chrome fish. Best numbers of steelhead are around Lewiston. Most fish have been in the river a while and are not great fighters. Fish the deep slots and pools. Steelhead in shallow riffles and slower water are spawning. Please leave these fish alone.	Golden stonefly nymphs (listed elsewhere). Attractor beadhead nymphs (listed elsewhere). Egg patterns (listed elsewhere).	Moderate to heavy fishing pressure in the Lewiston to Douglas City area. Fly only section below Lewiston Lake is closed. NCDAG pg 45. New CDAG pg. 31, 32, 40.
Yuba River, Lower (from Englebright dam to Marysville)	Off color, low 50s, moderate flow, 1132 cfs near Smartville.	Fishing is fair. Best fishing is on sunny days when fish are actively rising to skwalas, caddis and PMD's. On sunny days, hatches start around 11am and continue until 4pm. Fish feed on skwalas from 1pm to 3pm. Best fishing with skwalas is in the riffles where fish can’t get a good look and are less likely to refuse them. On cloudy days, fish are rising to BWO’s and midges. Fish the flats with a long leader and delicate downstream drift. Nymphing is producing the best numbers. A rubberleg stone with a caddis pupa is a good setup to prospect sub-surface. Clarity is currently bad due to recent storms but will improve with a break from the rain.	Midge pupa glass bead midge (red, black), crystal dip, disco midge, brassie, desert storm, zebra midge (rust, black), WD40 (olive, chocolate) WD50 tungsten (olive/wine), skinny nelson, biot midge, crystal HBI (#18-22). Skwala Stonefly Adults/Nymphs Hogan’s split wing skwala, Hogan’s skwala, Bullethead Skwala, poxy-back Skwala nymph, Mercer’s tungsten skwala nymph, tungsten bead skwala, flush floater skwala (#8-12). BWO/Baetis nymphs (listed elsewhere). Golden stonefly nymphs (listed elsewhere). Attractor beadhead nymphs (listed elsewhere). BWO/Baetis emerger/dries (listed elsewhere).	Water above Hwy 20 bridge is open from December 1^st until August 31^st. Access at the Hwy 20 bridge and Sycamore Ranch campground. NCDAG pg 78,79.
Other Reports
*North Coast Steelhead* - (Fishing conditions change daily, to check on coastal river low flow closures call the following numbers: North Coast River Closures 707.442.4502. Central Coast River Closures 707.944.5533). Russian River- Flows are on the rise with current weather. When recent storms pass and flows recede, swing traditional steelhead patterns with a sink tip or Skagit line. Klamath River has been fishable above Orleans. When water recedes after the recent storms, swing mossbacks, silver hiltons in slower runs. Smith River-Steelhead was good before recent storms and will continue when flows recede. Swinging traditional steelhead patterns on a Skagit line will hook fish in tailouts and drop-offs. Keep an eye on river flows. This river will blow out quick but will also recover fast. Best fishing is when the river is dropping. Eel River (main stem) is open. Flows are high and the river is unfishable. After this weather system and flows recede, fish from Benbow upstream on the south fork where we have had the best reports when it was fishing. Mad River is high and off color. When it comes back into shape, swinging an egg sucking leach or traditional steelhead pattern on a sink tip line will find a few fish. Van Duzen River- Currently off color. Should fish when it clears next week. This is usually the first river to clear. Other Trout Reports Davis Lake (near Portola off hwy 70) is done for the winter. It is iced over. Pit River #3,#4, #5 (below Lake Britton to Big Bend) No reports this week. Current construction is keeping anglers off the river. Access on Pit 4 from Big Bend Road. Road construction on Pit 3. Call Barnard Construction for current road conditions. (406) 586-2206 ext. 703. Little Truckeeis difficult to access due to recent storms. When access gets better, look for midday hatches of midges and mayflies. Stanislaus River, Lower (below Tullock Reservoir) is fishing poor. Flows are high at 1170 cfs. Feather River, N.F. (Cresta powerhouse to Lake Oroville) No reports. This is usually a great time to fish with little pressure and good fishing with streamers and big nymphs when the flows are down. Current flows are unavailable. Truckee River (Trout Creek to CA Stateline) Water is cold and trout are not eager to take a fly. Best fishing is on the Nevada side where trout are feeding during the warmest part of the day on midges and BWO. On warmer days, strip streamers for big browns. Sacramento River, Upper (Lake Siskiyou to Lake Shasta) Flows are high and water is too cold for active trout.
Credits
WH&WN™ FREE flyfishing report would not be possible without the help of Craig Nielsen/Shasta Trout Guide Service, Victor Babbit/Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters/Tahoe, Jerry/The Troutfitter/Mammoth Lakes, Ted Fay Flyshop/Dunsmuir, Greg/Sweeny’s sport shop, Frank Rinella/Nevada City Anglers/Nevada City, Reno Fly Shop/Reno, Andy/Kiene's Fly Shop/Sacramento, Angler Edge fly shop, Janet & Steve/Vaughn’s Sporting Goods/Burney, Val & Randy Aubrey (www.eaglelakefishing.info), Richard Hardy-Davis report, Gary McFarland, JT, Mark Harris & Richie. Special thanks to all the WH&WN™ subscribers who have submitted their fishing reports for the fisheries listed in WH&WN, you help keep us honest, accurate, and up-to-date.