Feather RiverJul 8, 20193 min read

Middle Fork Feather River Fly Fishing Report

I hope everyone had a good 4^th of July! I took the week off and got to fish with a special friend that I use to race motocross against from 2001 to 2006. Just like racing moto, she is equally talented at fly fishing. On one of those days off, we revisited a very secret and rugged creek in the foothills I found several years ago that is not on any map, yet full of wild bows. What an awesome adventure that was! With summer in full swing, I must say that it has been unseasonably cool for the most part, and the weather has been as perfect as it gets. Flows are finally coming down for the most part, yet some watersheds are still a little high, but hey, that just means the dog days of summer may only be with us for a very short time. Lots of fly anglers out on the water and my phone has been ringing nonstop for late trip requests. You’ll see many guides like me advertising “Book Early” in February and March, and there is a good reason for that – I’m booked up for the next 4 weeks straight with limited days after that. Keep in mind I am a true ambassador for fly fishing and will always take the time to answer your questions, “Sharing the Knowledge” has been a part of my family’s mantra since the early 70’s – Like father, like son. Email is best to get a hold of me. So let’s get on with a report from the Northern Sierra and the waters I have been guiding, fishing, and executing missions of recon.

Middle Fork Feather River – Flows are perfect in the Graeagle area, and a tad high downstream of the Jamison Creek confluence. Water temps have been in the high 50’s to low 60’s. Downstream of snow melt feeder creeks the water temps will be bit colder for a ways, and vice versa, stretches of water downstream of long pools stringed together will have warmer temps due to solar radiation. There are lots of smaller rainbows which is great news for the future of the MFFR as long as they are not harvested. Active hatches include Golden Stones, midges (mostly in the early morning), caddis, crane flies, Yellow Sallies, little green stones, and any day now Sulpher mayflies in the evening. An angler will want to nymph in the early morning, and then switch to a dry dropper just before noon until evening, at which point the beautiful marriage of dry fly dreamin and the magic hour of last light end the day. Most of the larger trout are likely headed down to the canyon stretches but there may be a few around in the deeper pools, so don’t put away those streamers away quite yet. I have some upcoming trips in the next week so look for new intel on California’s first adopted Wild & Scenic river in the next report.

Jon Baiocchi

578 Sutton Way #255

Grass Valley, CA 95945

(530) 228-0487

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Middle Fork Feather River Fly Fishing Report