Jan/Feb Northwest Fly Fishing Magazine

Everyone check out the new Northwest Fly Fishing magazine. I wrote an article on the Lower, Lower Sacramento and all the striper, shad, and warm water fishing I have been doing out there. I know I have talked to alot a people about it over the years but now everyone can read a more formal article about it. Let me know if anyone has any questions or wants to fish out there this year. It is a pretty amazing fishery 15miles from chico.

Christmas and the last few days on the Lower Yuba

Hopefully everyone had a great Xmas. We had both our families over to our new house for xmas eve and xmas morning. While it was a lot of work it was nice to have family around Oliver and not have to travel all over the state to see everybody. Oliver got tons of gifts and was pretty over whelmed with everything.

Fishing has been off and on. I have spent most of the last few days on the Lower Yuba. The last few winters have been very good for me on the lower yuba, but this winter the river seems to be behaving a bit differently. It isn't fishing an worse or better just different. The river in reality is fishing much like a winter tailwater fishery should fish. The bite has been tough in the morning and once the air temps warm a bit the baetis and midges get active and fish start to feed. Yesterday we found good numbers of fish rising in the flats eating mayfly dries and emergers. We had good luck fishing a hackle stacker with a SIM Mayfly emerger off the back. We rose a few fish but these fish get pretty selective and are tough to fool. The afternoon/evening bite can get tough again but by changing nymphs out we have been scrapping a few fish. Finding a consistent bite on any one nymph has been tough but mayfly nymphs seem to be the most consistent in sizes 16-18. Have some family stuff to do the next two days then I will be back on the water thursday. Hope everyone had a great Xmas and has a happy new year. Over and Out

you know on your on vacation when...

You can have a Pabst and fried hot dog and cheese sandwich for lunch

Lower Yuba the last few days...

Well the weather for December and fishing on the Lower Yuba has been great...the fish though have only marginally cooperated.

Sunday we had great cloud cover, a light drizzle, but like ten degree temperature swings every 20-30 minutes. It was crazy it would get warm, get cold, rain...all over the place. bugs would hatch then the cold wind would come up and no bugs. We managed about 10 hook ups with the biggest fish landed just under 20". Switched flies every run and never really found a fly that the fish were on with any regularity. PT's, rubber legs, eggs, and san jaun's all caught fish.

Monday was about the same with a bit more consistancy to the bite as temperatures were a bit more stable. Fish got on a mayfly grab midday and hate Military mays in olive and PMD pretty good for about an hour or two and then it was back to switching flies every run until we found what the fish wanted.

One thing I will say about the Yuba is the flows are gin clear and the water is as low as I can remember. I am not sure what the mandated flows are but it is probably damn close to those. Over and Out.

Idylwilde on Face Book

Idylwilde Flies is now on facebook check it out. make sure to add them as a fan as you will get notified in the next few weeks when our new website launches. I have had a few sneak peaks on this thing and it is amazing. By far the best fly company website in the biz...tons of info on all the flies...oh and tons of hummor.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Idylwilde-Flies/200386215282?ref=mf

Skagit Master Trailer

This movie looks Sick - nice to see some inovative movies out there - not the same rehash fish porn
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2w-3cteRoY

Serious fly tying knowledge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OeaN-QospwE

CA Fly Shop Fly Tying Day in review

Want to thank everyone that came down to the California Fly Shop for their Idylwilde Fly Tying Day. It was really well attended and was a ton of fun interacting with people, seeing some clients, and helping people of all tying levels with questions. I have only been to the CA fly Shop a few times but every time I am blown away with the shop (and I am not on their pay role...this is totally unbiased). Their fly selection is probably one of the best i have ever seen, lay out is amazing, tons of merchandise, and probably one of the best selections of rods around. If you live in the bay area it is worth going to check out.

With regards to fishing I have been off the water for two weeks. So no recent reports. It has rained a bunch all over nor cal the last few days and more rain is forcasted for tuesday and wednesday. The Lower Yuba flows didn't move much over the last storm, 50cfs at most, but Deer Creek peaked at 462 cfs and is now down to 150 cfs (normally at like 10cfs) so their should be some color to the river. This is a good thing.

Other than that is finals week at school so I hand out tests, read the paper and watch them sweat. I'll be back on the river saturday for a few days before christmas...report to follow.

Serious knowledge and football

First of all check out Clay Hash's blog "fly fishing traditions" Serious Yuba Knowledge here, cool pics, and good insight on fishing the Lower Yuba.

http://www.flyfishingtraditions.com

Also what a great day of football yesterday...My trip got canceled and at first I was kinda bummed as I drove home from red bluff - meeting clients at the fly shop - but once I sat down and watched the first quarter of the AL v FL game and looked out side and saw the trees blowing side ways I was totally Ok with how things worked out. Full Moon winter ale, safeway sandwiches, and a roast in the oven...good day.

CA Fly Shop Fly Tying Day

Just wanted to let everyone Know me and the Idylwilde Crew (Kevin Price, Mikey Weir, Jason Hartwick) will be tying and giving presentations at the California Fly Shop in San Carlos on Dec. 12 from 11am to 3pm. We will be giving out some free stuff, kicking down some knowledge, giving out some free beer while it lasts, and hanging out talking fly tying and fishing. Come by and check it out.

California Fly Shop
985 Industrial Road, Suite 106
San Carlos, CA 94070