Middle Fork Feather River Fly Fishing Report

Jon Baiocchi reports on 3.24.19

Middle Fork Feather River: 

Last season on the MFFR was the best in a long time, and with an abundance of water again, look for conditions to be even better. Trout migrate heavily in this river. During the higher flows of spring, bigger fish will be spread out in the upper watershed. Streamer tactics often entice the 18-24” fish, but you’ll have to work hard for them. As the flows drop most trout will go with the flow and head downstream to the canyons, especially when water temperatures have spiked upwards, but then the bass and carp games reveal themselves with a different and unique option. Spring and fall on the MFFR offer something that most rivers in California can’t – Solitude, especially if an angler is willing to hike away from the major access areas.

The Middle Fork Feather River is managed by the US Forest Service as stated in the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act by Congress in 1967. The people own the river, and there is no private water. Being a navigable river, any person that is fishing, hiking, or recreating can move up and down the river as long as they have entered on public land, or by a Cal Trans easement, and staying within the high water mark. If you’re hiring a guide for the MFFR, make sure they have proof of a US Forest Service Special Use Permit to commercially operate there. I look forward to sharing my decade’s long experience with fly anglers new to the Middle Fork Feather River.