Captain Steve Santucci Reports on 2.11.2020
Delta Striper fishing dropped off last week with the sudden cold snap and violent North Winds. The fishing is improving with the warmer days and a stable weather pattern. The Striper's that we are catching are super fat and strong. Medium and Large size Clousers are catching the bulk of the fish.
Continue readingMatt "Gilligan" Koles Reports on 2.10.2020
Mild weather on the Truckee River.
Looks like this month may stay dry and mild. Hopefully, we can get some storms in March. Reno hit 70 last week. Most ski resorts are at about 80 percent of average on the upper mountains. We will need a good end of this month, or March to get back somewhat closer to average. There is water stored in the lakes and reservoirs, but it would be nice to top them off.
Why do I talk so much about the weather? Well, this time of year the fishing is greatly influenced by how warm, or cold it is. Last week I saw skwallas out on the lower river. That’s pretty early. I didn’t see them until April last year, but it did snow almost every day last February.
So the good news is you will see fish looking up. Flows are down and there are bugs out. Much different than our last 3 springs. Not only was last winter/ spring cold, flows were way up from release out of Lake Tahoe. They were the in ’17, and 18′ too. That won’t be the case this year. We will have dependable good spring fishing.
Continue reading
Ben Engle Reports on 2.7.2020
It's a great time of year to be perch fishing. Big fish have pushed up on the beach and are starting to spawn so the large females and males are extremely aggressive. A couple of the grabs I had out there made me think it was striper season all over again.
I found that fish weren't everywhere but when we found them we really found them. One of the approaches I try to always teach is that you NEED to cover water out there. If you have gotten 5 solid retrieves through a bucket or trough without a grab you probably should move (whether that's 200 feet or 2 steps is up to you).
We have a great selection of perch flies here in the shop at LCO. My personal favorites are the LCO Perch Shrimp, the FM Sand Flea, and the LCO Mole Crab
Use a wingspan (around 5-6 feet) of 25lb tippet for a leader. These fish aren't tippet shy at all and this is a great size for striper as well in case you do luck into one of the resident Stripers. Always remember that anything can happen out in the surf so throwing heavier tippet can help to potentially land a fish of a lifetime.
Remember to look at tides, wind, and waves before you get out there but conditions this weekend look pretty solid! I've been doing the best fishing around high tide and particularly the fall right after high tide. Low light also is beneficial out there so if you can get out in the morning or late afternoon I highly recommend it.
Continue reading
Matt "Gilligan" Koles Reports on 2.6.2020
Record weekend temps and now single digits.
We set some records over the weekend for daytime temps. Today, it’s in the single digits with an East wind, brrrr.
We had a great streamer clinic, still some spots for this Saturday’s clinic.
The fishing has been good out on the East side on the lower Truckee River in Nevada. I haven’t really been messing with the river around here. Getting a decent streamer bite, and the dry fly fishing has been good too. The 2 funnest ways to fish in my opinion. Streamer first, dry fly second. Some days are better than others on the bug front. If you have some overcast and not too much wind it will go off. If you have sunny, no wind, it will kinda go off. Super fun if you time it right. It seems like every day the timing of the bugs have been different.
Of course if you want to catch big fish, you streamer fish. The biggest fish don’t eat bugs, they eat fish.
If you just want to catch fish then you should be nymphing. Baetis nymphs will be the go to from here on out through spring.
Continue reading
Jim Stinson Reports on 2.6.2020
Brrr…… 2º on the thermometer this morning! This will make driving out to the Upper Owens considerably easier with the frozen ground BUT, beware of the afternoons. That deep muck will eventually thaw. I would recommend at the minimum using a high clearance truck, preferably with 4WD. With these frigid temps, make sure your fishing line has been cleaned with one of the many line cleaning solutions from Loon, Rio, Umpqua. A clean, slick line not only makes casting and mending easier, but also helps with the buildup of ice on your fly line. Also, you should put a smear of Loon ice off paste on your guides. Then as always, check and clear your guides of ice buildup with your fingers. It may be cold, but the trout are still in the stream waiting to eat. Be persistent, keep casting, and exercise some patience. They are there but sometimes it takes a drift that lands right in their face before they commit to a grab.
If the cold temps are something you don’t care for, drive down the hill and fish the Lower Owens. It is the “banana belt” down there and the fishing for brown trout is fabulous.
Enjoy!
The East Walker is still flat lining and dribbling below 20 cfs. Until the river flows pick up, I recommend giving this fishery a rest…..
The creek is flowing through the canyon at roughly 43 cfs. Target your casts to the feeding lanes between the weeds and rocks, plus the overhanging grasses along the margins. You may not see fish, but they are there. Try a dry-dropper setup with a caddis above and a midge or small mayfly below. Hot Creek is always a fun place to fish especially now that the crowds have gone home.
The flows are dropping and sit at about 102 cfs high in the river system. Once Hot Creek dumps into the mid-section the flows are closer to 150 cfs. More and more trout are pushing up into the river system from the reservoir. There are some really nice fish to be had with SJ worms, small baetis, and balanced leeches. Work the deeper buckets relentlessly…. they are in there. Currently, the driving approaches to the river are doable, though muddy, with only a few icy puddles to worry about. Beware of any new snow or precipitation.
The river is cruising steady at roughly 148 cfs and is fishing well with all of the traditional patterns; PT’s, Hare’s Ears, midges, Frenchies…. Thank God for Bishop. It is a nice break from winter when you need to see some dirt again and feel some warmth.
Get out there! You cannot catch fish if your line isn’t in the water.
Continue reading
Jon Baiocchi Reports on 2.6.2020
It’s been pretty good on the Lower Yuba River, but the air temperatures will greatly affect Skwala activity, and also the mayfly hatches. The last two days with the extremely cold north wind really hampered the dry fly fishing. In fact last Monday was the coldest day I can remember on the Yuba River. That north wind cuts right through you and it’s enough to give one an ear ache for days. Here is an example of how the air temperature and wind chill affect Skwala activity. On Saturday, the first of February, I was hosting group #2 from Tri Valley Fly Fishers at Hammon Grove. That day we saw dozens of stoneflies in the willows, on the rocks, and in the drift. We saw many blow ups from the trout eating them as well. This past Monday, I saw one Skwala out, with only a few rise forms. Where do they go? They simply hide out under the cobbles and wait for another day that is warmer. For the mayflies, it’s a different story. They have a 24 hour life cycle, where as a stonefly can live for a month or longer. Cold wind can affect the water temps from coming up a few degrees which is part of the trigger mechanism that mayflies use to hatch. The other aspect is that with a strong wind, the duns are not on the water as long and are simply blown off the surface, much to the trout’s dismay.
The flows have come down and Yuba Water Agency has cut the flows back a little from the lack of precipitation and is currently running at 1,093 cubes – Love it! There’s more to come too, from their website this morning: “Current snow survey data and long-range forecasts indicate dry conditions. For water conservation purposes we will decrease releases from Englebright Reservoir on Tuesday 2/4, Wednesday 2/5 and Thursday 2/6 by 50 cfs per day, from 1,000 cfs to 850 cfs. If weather conditions change we will reevaluate and look at adjustments to flows. Releases from Englebright Reservoir are managed to comply with license flow requirements.” Fishing pressure has been busy especially on the weekends. The lack of fishing etiquette has been disturbing, especially from new guide boats, and new pilots of public boats. We had three boats drift right through a foam line with rising trout that my clients were fishing last Saturday, and they didn’t even acknowledge that we were there. I’ve been in the same situation before where veteran drift boat guides would drift behind us as to not disturb the feeding lane we were fishing in front of us. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again – Communication from those behind the oars goes a long way.
So I’ve been working closely with Brian Clemens on trips where our clients do a day with him in the boat, and then a more instructional day with me on how to best approach the Yuba River on their own as a walk and wade angler. Brian has been doing really well nymphing from the boat. He’s covering the most productive water, with the right flies, and at the right depth – for miles. The best bugs for the indo rig have been Clemens’s Skwala Stone, Clemens’s Bad Ass Baetis, Jimmy Leg Stones, and the worm. The upper river has a little more color to it than down below, so switching to 5X has its advantages when the water is clearer. I’ve been on the upper part of the river a lot, and there is a ton of fish stacked up there right now. According to Brian the top and bottom sections of the Yuba down to Daguerre dam have the biggest amounts of fish in the system, while the middle section is just ok. You know how the Yuba works, the trout can be here today, and somewhere else tomorrow. If you’re not catching – Move!
For me and my trips, it’s all about the afternoons. Hunting selective trout from the bank is so much fun! It’s very challenging and technical, but when you do have some success it’s simply so rewarding. That type of situation is what I live for whether it is me fishing, or my guests. Mayflies start appearing round 1 pm or so, look for the songbirds being active to help guide you. Two PMDs are out, a size 14, and a size 16 that is a little more yellow, and the BWOs in a size 18 as well. Once the fish are keyed in on the mayflies and are looking up, it then becomes Skwala time with the best fishing from 3 to 5pm. You’ll have better results with broken water than the flat calm water. The trout have more time to inspect your fly on the flat calm water. With more fishing pressure on the river you’ll often see the fish take a natural Skwala and refuse your artificial. Try changing patterns and see if they take it, if not, move on and find another fish. I’m totally booked up for February with regular guide trips, workshops, and the Pleasanton Fly Fishing show, but have a few dates open for March as of now. If you really want to learn about the Yuba, I can teach you the ways through Jedi training and mind tricks. See you on the water…
George Revel Reports on 1.30.2020
Coastal steelhead season is well under way, and the returns have certainly been underwhelming. There have been some fish caught, but not may to speak of. On my second trip up I managed to go 1 for 2 on the swing with another couple of grabs. It was nice to run into a pod of a few fish. The rivers are on the drop and should be "fishable" by the weekend. A nice dry couple of days should have the weekday anglers primed for great conditions.
Steve Santucci Reports on 1.30.2020
