Putah Creek Fly Fishing Report
Rob Russell Reports on 3.10.2020
What an incredible opening week! Putah fished well for my guests last week and should continue to provide great fishing into the spring. Flows have more than doubled since the opener, with a perfect 200ish cfs of clear, cold water creating ideal conditions for fish and flyfishers alike. Dam releases will continue to fluctuate with the weather as the first warm spell will usually see the first big increases, slowly rising to the 500-600 cfs high flows of July.
We have seen some early mayfly hatches with fish feeding on top during record warmth early last week. These conditions don't last long at Putah, but the observant may have seen large pods of big fish, lazily slurping bugs throughout the day... Midges, present subsurface, are extremely important all year at Putah. Although extremely small, sizes 22-26, prolific hatches occur every month of the season providing a huge amount of readily available calories and protein for these unusually chunky trout.
Nymphing will get you tight to some beautiful fish now, however don't be afraid to mix it up and most of all fish the technique you enjoy most! I cannot think of a technique that will not occasionally work at Putah, although I have not tried mousing, yet.
The basic two-fly indicator rig, dead drifted through the runs and riffles will catch fish. Small and dark flies on light tippet nearly always gets some attention. Mend, mend, mend. A completely "dead" presentation is important as the trout will track your fly in the gin clear water, looking for any movement added to them by a less than perfect drift.
With perfect weather and ideal flows, spring is amazing at Putah Creek. Give a call or email for guided trip details. Hope to hear from you soon to take advantage of some great fishing. Dates available in March, April, May... November. Thanks and Cheers!
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