Putah Creek Fly Fishing Report

Richard Loft Reports on 9.7.2015

Sept 4th flows were at 356 cfs- I fished from 1pm to 6pm at lower access 2 and moved towards the dam, then moved downriver to access 3 and 5 where I have been spending more time since the fire If you have a 3wt bring it and try at #3 where you can’t use a 9 ft rod but dont forget to bring your 5wt too. Access 5 always has small fish that love any kind of small flies; WD- 40s are my favorite because I have hooked and landed some pigs on them. If you’re using weight in the fast and shallow riffles and dont get any grabs, try going weightless- it has worked for me in the past.  I was snagging and dragging the moss and rocks, and when I removed all the weight I got a much better drift and started hooking fish plus it was after 6pm. In March I hooked and landed a huge 18/19 inch bow on a WD-40 in the deep riffle at access 5. Biggest fish I have seen landed there to date. So dont give up on access 5 thinking it only produces small fish! It may only give you one pig in a lifetime but they’re in there if you put in the time.

As for the 5th, I fished from 1pm to 6 again and did really well landing between nine and eleven fish; one 15 + all on a soft hackle I tie. A few other flies that worked were: Pink San Juans, and Zibra Midges. Stick to a few basic flies but don’t think you can’t mix it up and get some takes. I have only been fishing Putah for about 8 years but have spent many hours fishing spots I now know hold fish. My advice is check the flows before you go and bring 4x/5x tippet. Make sure your leader is long enough- you can’t put a fly in front of a fish if your leader is too short. You might make it a foot or two longer than you think you need to, then shorten it as you fish and be willing to sacrifice some flies to the river. Don’t be too shy with your weight– more than once I have added weight and the next cast– Fish-on! Lastly, be willing to hike a little and bushwack; there is nothing like finding spots that haven’t been fished recently.