Russian River Fly Fishing Report

Rob Russell reports on 5.24.18

Russian River

A shady riverbank is a great place to be this time of year.  Just an hour North of San Francisco, the Russian River provides ample opportunity for river recreation of all kinds.  The warm, tranquil waters are extremely popular with fishermen, campers, canoers, kayakers, and swimmers.  Fishing has always been extremely popular.  In recent years, the use of bait and barbed hooks has been prohibited by the CADFW.  This was implemented in an effort to protect endangered, juvenile salmon and steelhead. 

 A fortunate byproduct of this regulation being the creation of a bass fishery perfect for most modern flyfishers.     By Memorial Day weekend, Russian River Smallmouth bass are active.  Water temps near 70 degrees, along with the end of spawning, usually has fish feeding aggressively.  However, a cooler than average Spring has the bass fishing slightly behind schedule.  Fishing has been o.k. on warmer days, however, the recent cold front has slowed them down, and put them off the bite.  Fishing will improve and should be great as soon as the weather warms.  The best time for bass fishing on the Russian River is right around the corner.  

Flyfishing for bass is extremely fun.  Topwater action can be awesome with explosive grabs at your floating fly.     For more information about the Russian River Smallmouth bass fishing, or to book a trip, feel free to call or email -

 Rob Russell 707-888-2571, russellrob5@gmail.com, Instagram @robrussellflyfishing, #robrussellflyfishing