Lost Coast Outfitters Fishing Report 12/14/22

Upper Sacramento: It’s winter, who knew?! Access is tough on upper river just due to snow. If you’re sniffing around the Upper Sac, stay below Conant for less snow and easier parking/walking. Anglers fishing the McCartle area have reported decent catching. Stick to small mayfly nymphs #16-18, Rubber Legs #8-10 and small yellow egg patterns to boot. Nothing unusual to report, fair fishing if you are willing to put in some time. The water is a little lower than normal, but that’s largely due to the cold temps and no snowmelt/rain.

Pop in or Call Ted Fay Fly Shop for up to the minute reports. 

Lower Sacramento: Fishing well, as it often does in winter. Strong BWO hatches and good nymphing, S&M, Psycho May. Small Pheasant Tails #16-18 mayflies, anything olive baetis looking. Attach a bobber, and just add water. While strong hatches don’t always translate to good dry fly fishing on the Lower Sac, it’s certainly possible and it pays to keep an eye out for heads sipping adult mayflies. Releases out of the dam are on the low side for this time of year hover around 3000cfs.

Call Dustin Revel for a day on the Lower Sac: 530-921-1563

Putah Creek: We are under a voluntary spawning closure right now. It runs December 1 st through March 1 st every year. Yes, the creek is technically open to fish, but please give these wild trout a break and venture elsewhere. If you want to watch some spawning activity, take a walk along the trails next to the creek and look for big fish in pairs or pods over clean gravel in moving water. Super cool and educational.

The Delta: Beautiful conditions post storm. Clean water through much of the Delta, but a fairly tough bite. It’s between season out there, and the fishing is marginal as expected. Water temperatures are below 50 degrees and fish are in their winter pattern. Look for flats where the water will warm a bit through the day. Sometimes it only takes a couple degrees to turn on the bite. 10-20 fish/day for the boat is a good day right now and you need work for them. This isn’t big fish time, but still some decent fish reported, in the 5 pound range. Nothing to get super excited about currently, but well worth fishing on decent weather days. Not much pressure out there either, so if you want to have a pleasant day without any competition winter is where it’s at!

Call Bryce Tedford for trips on the Delta year-round: 206-696-2437

The Bay/Beach: It’s perch time on the Bay Area beaches. In between storms, look for calm days without a big swell. Sinking lines with an array of small brown/tan/orange crab patterns will net you a few of our palm sized native beach dwellers. Stop by the shop and pick up a couple of our custom perch patterns and we’ll line you out on a good stretch of beach to check out.

Eastern Sierra:

The East Walker is closed for the season. Opens again on the last Saturday in April.

Upper Owens: Snow and more snow on the upper river. This is good, but makes access tough. The river is accessible by snowmobile, skis or walking in on snow machine tracks. The water and conditions are COLD. However, it’s worth the effort, because trophy trout swim up from Crowley Lake in winter and hang in the river. The drought has affected the river as it enters the lake and made it tough for fish to get up into the river, but the fish want to get out of the lake as it freezes over and they will make it up eventually. The big fish are parked in the deeper pools and cut banks. To find them you need to be systematic and fish each spot thoroughly. They won’t move far to eat a fly. They are lethargic due to cold temps, but just keep casting and you’ll find them. San Juan worm in pink and red is the number one pattern. Eggs, tiny Pheasant Tails and other small mayfly nymphs under a small indicator are the way to go. Be patient, fish hard.

Lower Owens: The lower river, near Bishop, is much warmer and fishing well. Bonus: no snow on the ground. Air temps are in the 50’s and water temps only a little lower. BWO’s are showing in the late morning and the window is short, but if you want to get fish on dry flies in December, this is one of your best opportunities. Fish a #18 parachute BWO, Quigley Cripple or Sparkle Flag on a long leader. Drift the foam lines, the fish are there. On the nymphing side, fish the deeper buckets with #16-20 Pheasant Tails, midges, Hares Ears and other standard nymphs under a bobber or tightline.

Report From Jim Stimson

Truckee:

As expected, the water is low and cold. Anywhere on the California side is hard to access right now just due to snow. Much-needed recent storms have dumped feet of powder on the Tahoe region and most of the locals are skiing. However, if you cruise on down to the NV side, east past Sparks, you’ll find no snow and some decent fishing (remember to buy a Nevada fishing license). The Nature Conservancy section is a good option, with more flow and access. Not much in the dry fly category right now, but streamers and nymphs will put you in the money. If you’re chucking streamers, concentrate on the slower water and pools and throw standard patterns, like black leeches and various Bugger patterns. Nymphing with Zebra Midges and egg patterns under a bobber is the ticket if you want to go that route. Or, do both, and fish all the water. Find yourself a two-footer for Christmas.

Call Matt “Gilligan” Koles to fish the Truckee, year-round: 775-351-6665

Lower Yuba: The last storm blew out Deer Creek, and therefore most of the lower river. Good news is it’s already clearing up and fishable. It will keep dropping and clearing as conditions dry out. Anytime you see a high water event, strap on a Rubberlegs and a worm and throw it under a bobber. That’s a foolproof recipe. You may still see a few salmon spawning and various egg patterns are still in the mix. Mostly the trout are keyed on small baetis and midges, as is standard for winter. Small Pheasant Tails, Zebra Midges, S&M BWO or anything small and olive/brown will take fish. Anglers are catching a few steelhead here and there so stay cool if you set the hook on something substantial that rips some line off your reel. Dry fly action is possible 365 days a year on the Lower Yuba. It’s a little inconsistent right now but if you’re patient and keep your eyes open you’ll find fish sipping BWO’s here and there. Tie on a #18 Parachute Adams on a long leader and make an accurate cast. Streamer fishing produces throughout the winter too. Buggers, Zonkers, soft hackles will all produce, stripped or swung.

Call Ben Thompson to get out on the Lower Yuba: 916-743-8290

Trinity River: Good days and tough days mixed in. When a good rain storm hits and freshens up the water, anglers are getting good numbers of fish, but when it’s cold and dry most folks are only getting a handful of hook-ups a day. Still, 2-4 fish a day doesn’t suck and if you play your calendar right with the water conditions, you can hook triple that number. Still a few spawning salmon around so a glo bug or bead will take fish. Most folks have been fishing smaller nymphs like Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns, Dark Lord and of course stoneflies like black/brown Rubber Legs. Flows out of the dam are spot on normal for this time of year at 297cfs.

Call Dustin Revel for year-round trips on the Trinity: 530-921-1563

Klamath River: Fishing is fair to good depending on the day and time of day. The upper 30 miles are sporting excellent water conditions, albeit a bit low compared to the long-term median flow. All the recent precipitation has come in the form of snow, so the water clarity is good and stable. Water temps are solid, in the high 40s to low 50s. The bite is kind of tough mid-day just because of cold weather. Both swinging and nymphing are producing fish. If you’re swinging think sink tip and smaller wet flies. If you’re nymphing stick to stoneflies and egg patterns. Fish the water appropriately, meaning, swing the riffles and runs and nymph the seams and pockets. Cover all the holding water you can find and you’ll find fish.

Call Chuck at Wild Waters Fly Fishing for Klamath River trips: 530-859-3474

Napa River: Clean water mid 50s temps with good fishing before the before the rain blew it out and muddied up the water. The Napa is often off-color, but if it’s too brown it can be unfishable. As soon as we get a few dry days in a row it will be game on. Watch the tides and don’t get stuck in the mud.

Call Patrick Mackinzie year-round for guided trips on the Napa River: 707-721-6700

Evan Praskin Reports on 10.6.20

Hey my salty surf charging fanatics! Fresh report from the Monterey Bay Area. The mass of salty bass have definitely made their way north from MB to SF Bay, though we always have some lingering around because let’s face it, our water is beautiful!

We have been getting out all over this past week catching halibut and Stripers toward SF and handfuls of perch down in MB. Plenty of action to be had this time of year and now is the time to connect with some of our awesome local surf species. As we climb further into winter, the perch should become more frequent and larger fish will start showing up(MB area). If your closer to SF bay you have great fishing all the way until thanksgiving, so dust off those rods, tie on your favorite Adachi clouser, and go get em. We’ll see you on the beach!

Ben Engle Reports 9.18.2020

STRIPERS ARE BACK IN THE BAY!!! 

Join Us for a Surf Clinic

Fishing has been picking up the last month in the bay.  From as far north as San Pablo bay to the south bay more and more people are hooking into striped bass, halibut, and in some cases closer to the gate even surf perch.  For most of you Crissy field is the best option as far as either honing your skills in an area with some fish around.  Whether you are just learning the cast or a skilled caster Crissy Field is a great option right in our backyard!

As far as tides go I tend to like the hour before and the hour after BOTH low and high tide.  Keep in mind that the wind in the mornings and the evenings is significantly less. Any time you have less wind out there casting is always a little more "Fun". For the next couple of days and into next week our mornings are looking pretty prime.  Low tide at first light tomorrow and similar times through the weekend should add up to some fish

What you'll need to be successful out there:

Rod: any 5-8 wt rod (Switch or Single Hand)

most of the fish we find off crissy tend to be in the "schoolie" size and come in between 16 and 24 inches.  While these fish pack a punch crissy can be a great option for either throwing your traditional 8wt or even lining down to a rod that makes the smaller fish a little more fun (like a 9' 6wt or even 9' 5 wt) Hit us up at the shop if you have any questions about converting one of your favorite trout rods into a potential surf stick!

Lines: Intermediate Sink (1-2 ips )or Type 3(3-4ips)

Either of these 2 lines will work but i prefer the type 3 for most days out at crissy.  The intermediate line allows you to play with the fly a little more through the retrieve with longer pauses through your retrieve due to the slower sink rate. Conversely you can throw a faster sink line out there (like a type 6 which is 6-7 ips) if you want to get deeper but make sure you are stripping quickly as you will definitely bump bottom on some areas of the beach. Learn more about fly lines for fishing the the surf. 

Leader: Wingspan (4-6feet) of 20-25lb fluorocarbon 

Flies: Adachi Clousers!!!

There are tons of flies on the market but as a fly tyer myself, I can say there are few I buy, but i buy Adachi Clousers.  As far as lifespan of a fly nothing compares to these three step epoxy coated beasts.  And they fish better than anything.  Grab a couple of both the size 2's and the 1/0's for the bay. Shop Flies

Capt. Greg Holland Reports on 5.28.20

Bass are moving through the bay on there way out to the Ocean. These images are from the last 3 weeks. Please join us to experienced the most beautiful salt fishing in the state @featherdogoutfitters

Ben Engle Reports on 12.11.2019

So I had the day off and decided to hit as many beaches as possible.  We started at Baker beach at sunrise and one person in our cohort of 3 ended up catching perch on the south end of the beach.  Fishing was ok but I wasn't quite satisfied with the numbers so I decided to push up north.  

Stinson was absolutely great.  I noticed that since this last big storm the shelf has really moved in close to the shore and the perch are easily accessible.  Also its REDTAIL SEASON! Redtail Perch are some of our favorites because we can't get them year-round.  They also tend to be one of the largest species of perch we can target from our California beaches.  

Remember perch are simple creatures.  Don't worry about what fly you're using! Throw on something orange and flashy and small and they will grab it. If you need surf perch flies get'em here.   Just make sure you cover a lot of water and don't get sedentary.  These fish tend to school up in the most food abundant areas so it's all about finding buckets and troughs.  Sometimes the best-looking spot doesn't hold the fish so if you've made 20 casts without a perch at a spot it's plain and simple, move on down the beach. Soon enough you'll find a school of them!

Ben Engle Reports on 10.17.19

North Coast Beaches

Been seeing decent stripers off a lot of the beaches I've been fishing recently.  The north coast beaches at first light have been extremely productive.  Get out there with a warm cup of coffee for that 6:45 sunrise and you will be rewarded.  Perch have been thick on the coast.  Don't take these small fish for granted.  I really enjoy targeting perch because it's an efficient way to find where groups of fish are located on the beach.  Once you find the perch, the striper are generally right behind them! Fishing a two fly rig using a twisted dropper loop is an extremely efficient way to multiply your hookups and fish a that "searching rig" while learning the topography of our local beaches.

Any time I'm on the coast it's rare that I throw anything less than a T11 sink rate (7-8 inches per second). Its important to fish a fast sinking line to get through that top turmoil of the surf so your flies get down to that strike zone. 

The Bay

The bay has been producing some solid numbers of stripers as well.  Been hearing great reports from the East, South, and North Bay. Fish an intermediate line, as most of these sand flats are shallow, with an Adachi Clouser and if the fish are around they won't be able to resist.

Crissy field has been solid when it's on. Best times I've seen numbers of fish caught have been in the evening.  If you get a falling tide right as the sun sets out there its a great recipe for success. Throw a Type 3 sinking paired with your favorite surf fly and make that commute a little more fun after work.

George Revel reports on 9.12.19

Local fishing has been awesome. Fish are moving around quite a bit and we have been seeing a lot of bait around.  The LCO crew has been out fishing and we have been finding good numbers of fish morning and evening. We have of course had the usual skunk days that come with chasing fish in the suds. These upcoming warm days usually mean the wind will be down making attacking the surf with a fly rod a hella of a lot easier. The full moon will provide some bigger tides and great night time fishing opportunities. The World Series bite will be here and gone before you know it. So get ready, get your lines dialed, flies in order, and most importantly make some room in your calendar. We have surf guides and Capt's ready to get you out on the water. 

Your tides for the weekend:

Capt. Kevin DeGulis reports on 5.30.19

The surf and Crissy field has been fishing exceptionally well, especially for California Halibut. It's funny; I initially believed that Halibut hottest month would be March or April, but this has not been the case. This entire May people have been coming into the shop, showing off butt pictures, always the same story too didn't cast far, and the halibut was 15ft out from the beach.

Smaller clousers have been the trick, next time you are out at Crissy field to make sure to have at least one or two size 2 bucktails clouser : either in chartreuse, black, pink, white, or orange.