RIP Bob Quigly

I have been fortunate enough to meet some great fly tiers and fly fishermen in my years as as a guide and commercial fly tier. I believe even more fortunate enough to have my name attached to the same company that ties Bob's Flies. I always felt it would be like getting pulled up to Play on the Giants with my idols when I was a kid...I never felt like I belonged on the same team or level as bob. He is and was one of my idols as a tier. I learned more from brief conversations with him then any book, dvd, or other person in the industry.

His ideas were so simple yet so revolutionary. His ideas were the ones that you looked at and totally made sense but never even remotely thought of your self...then there was the patterns bob tied that I was lucky enough to fish that never made it into production...many of these were beautifully tied but looked like a fly exploded and then was assembled back on the hook by a blind man...Then he would explain it and i would kinda see the idea or bug...but oh god did they catch fish. I still tie an emu based hex pattern of his that literally looks like cat puke but catches more fish then any pattern I have ever tried...and people and other guides look at it in disgust and disbelief.

He gave me once when I was a young tier two of the best pieces of advice and two things that I live by today as a tier.

1) Bugs are thinner, trimmer, and smaller then you think. Don't over dress your flies
2) With regards to fly design...get the silhouette and movement of the fly right first, then add the fish attractive elements like flash, color, beads, what ever...but nail the silhouette and the movement of the bug.

I can't over state his influence on me as a tier he had. I would not consider myself one of his close friends or even really a friend at all...more an acquaintance. He will live on for as long as people fish with flies in the smiles of the faces of people hooked up on his bugs. What a great way to live on once you are gone.

Lets do this thing...

...called summer fishing.

 First off checkout hgb fly fishing on Facebook. Just created this page and am pretty good about adding statuses regarding fishing and what is going on...just search hgb fly fishing and that should get you to it...

Wow it is here, so many places to go fishing right now. The weather is absolutely gourgeous with mid 80's to low 90's with a nice cool breeze. I haven't had my air conditioner on in my car or truck in weeks and that is NOT normal for June in Chico. Here is what I have been doing and what I know...

Lower Sac:
Herring Report - It is prime shad time right now.  They are spread all over the place in the Lower Sac outside of chico. Ryan Johnston and I have been having 20-40+ fish nights. The river is low so there is many wade fishing spots for the non boat angler.
Small mouth and Large mouth - fishing has been good as well with good top water bites in the evening and a few fish up sitting on beds.
Striper - I have heard of a few being caught but I fished an evening this week trying out some new lines and didn't get a bump. With so many shad in the river it is tough to interest them in a clouser. 

Wading for smallies on the L. Sac...one of my favorite things

Nice Mama shad

Lower Yuba is fishing well. I floated the river this week and we did well. The river is holding steady around 1800cfs and is gin clear. This is a tough flow to wade fish the river but I did see some guys crossed the river at Hamanond Grove/Sycamore. There was a bit of wind so the caddis, PMD's, and Yellow Sallies had a tough time getting going. Most of our fish came on stonefly nymphs and attractor bugs. While I love the nice breeze we have been getting it makes it tough for dry fly fishing as it seems it is just enough to cause the bugs to struggle. I did start to see some hoppers so that was a good sign as well.


I am hoping to get out on the North Fork Feather this coming week and do some trout fishing so I will post some info for up there once I do. Today I gotta joint birthday party for my boys then back on the L. Yuba and Lower Sac.

Re filling my Carp box

So I bought a new boat…This involves many things that fall in the category of a pain in the butt, granted Sutter Marine in Yuba City, CA made all the DMV oriented stuff pretty easy. The pain in the butt stuff is cleaning out the old boat, getting all my gear swapped over, and selling the old boat on Craigs List. That said, when ever I clean out an old boat, my truck, or any vehicle or vessel I own I find some interesting stuff…while cleaning out my old boat I found my “water proof” Design Concepts box that I keep my carp flies in (I had been missing this for a few months). 

Mind you the box was in a bit of water in a not so dry “dry box.” I wasn’t worried as the box was water proof, so I thought…Not so much…(see picture). The whole box was toast. Totally rusted out and all my carp flies were ruined …So I have to tie all new carp flies and order some flies of my own design from Idylwilde (lets be honest if someone else will tie my own flies… I am buying them). So facing the task of re-filling my entire carp box I have taken some time to re-think my theories on carp flies, look at some new materials, and drop some knowledge about carp fly design. 

Toast...time to re fill the box

Never have I met such a finicky, inconsistent (from location to location), and down right mysterious fish then the carp. Flies that nail fish in one body of water spook fish to hell in the other and vice versa. I guide/fish about 3 different bodies of water for carp and realisticly need a box for each body of water as there is not a lot of cross over. That said the conditions at each place are pretty similar so one would think the same flies would work…not so.

What I am going to eat...

The first thing with carp flies I do is make sure the fly has lead eyes so the hook point rides up, just like any permit or bone fish fly, as carp are usually caught while foraging for food on the bottom. Now I do very weight of the eyes a lot based on the situation. When fish are rooting around or mudding completely focused on feeding a heavier set of eyes that gets right down and infront of the fish is necessary and the splash created by such a fly is usually ignored based on the singular focus of the fish. If the fish are in clearer water cruising the shallows occasionally exhibiting short burst to chase or inspect a possible meal a lighter fly that still gets down but does not make a big splash is important. The weight of the eyes will dictate how far an angler will have to lead the fish as the weight of the fly and distance from the fish that the fly needs to be cast are linked. Ideally that fly needs to be on the bottom and cross the fishes field of vision or run right infront of it without spooking the fish. Because of these things I tie many of my patterns in 4 different “weights” lead eyes with a lead wrap around hook shank, lead eyes, barbell bead chain eyes, and large mono eyes for the super clear water spooky or laid up fish. Many times carp anglers assume a fly doesn’t work, is to big, or spooks the fish and the real problem is not the fly but the way the fly enters the fishes environment.

Next I focus on movement. The days when carp just blindly assault my fly are not very common and many times I feel that I have to entice them to eat. This requires the angler to keep the fly in the carps field of vision as long as possible. Now this usually requires the fly to move slowly or with quick bursts and pauses. This type of retrieve requires the fly to look alive and move with minimal movement applied to the fly by the angler. I always find myself telling my clients to let the fly dance. With this presentation materials that “dance” or move in the water with out the angler applying motion to the fly are key. Marabou, schlappen, small diameter rubber legs, and synthetics that are of a fine diameter or very supple are my favorites. Flash can be nice to catch a fishes eye in clear water from a far distance but usually is over applied. When I think flash I think like 2 strands of krystal flash, no more.

Other things I take into account are main food sources and size of those food sources. Look around and see what the carp have available to eat…rocky banks equal cray fish and bait fish usually. If you see dragon flies flying around there is usually some dragon fly nymphs available. Also look in the shallows to look for bait fish or other forage…like worms, damsel flies, or other creepy crawlers. Then match your fly to the size of the forage. I also look at water clarity and apply the darker the water the bigger the fly, the clearer the water the smaller the fly…might even be smaller than the naturals. Then it is all about trial and error. Watch how the fish respond to the fly, you can learn a lot about what they think about your offering and presentation by how they react when it is in the water.

With June 3 weeks away summer is nearly officially and un-officially here. Many rivers are coming into shape as run off subsides but with reservoirs feet from being filled I imagine there maybe a second wave of run off when we get some consistent HOT weather and the night time temps stay hot as well. Here is what is happening and what is coming up.

Lower Yuba has dropped into shape and is stable at 2337 cfs with good clarity. Fishing has been good. Hatches should pick up over the next few weeks as the river settles into the new flow. We are entering prime time on the Lower Yuba for spring/early summer hatches. The weeks following run off see PMD, caddis, stoneflies, and all sorts of mixed hatches kicking into gear. Fish will be on the grab coming off high and off color flows and fishing will only get better as we move through June and July.

Lower Sacramento River is still fishing consistent for trout up through redding but I have began to turn my attention to the lower river looking for shad, stripers, bass, and carp. Shad fishing is picking up as people are starting to catch a few here and a few there down around Princeton up through chico. Flows have been  hovering around 10,000cfs coming out of Keswick but drop down to around 7000cfs around Ord Bend as we are in the middle of Rice Irrigation season. Once that is over here shortly the river down by Chico/Ord Bend should jump up moving fish up the river. This will also help move the migratory stripers up river and give the resident fish a bit more water making them a bit more comfortable. Smallies and Big mouth bass are waking up in the sloughs and I have seen a few fish up on beds and cruising the shallows. It is going to be getting really good really soon out there.

North Fork Feather River is still a bit high on various stretches but fishing should be turning on with in the next few weeks as the flows began to drop. I am going to make a trip up there this week to scope out some new Raft Drop ins. Soon this will have some of the best trout fishing around…also smallies.

Coming Up…

Small and Big Mouth Bass Fishing on the Lower Sac and various waters around Chico

Carp Fishing on the Lower Sac and various waters around Chico

raft trips down the North Fork Feather for trout and small mouth

Shad/Striper fishing on the Lower Sac

Almanor/Butt Lake Hex hatch

Davis Lake Damsels

Small Stream Fishing East of Chico

Top water bass fishing outside of chico

If any of this sounds interesting feel free to shoot me an email or phone call for more info. June is almost booked so hurry to get one of the last remaining dates or look towards July and mid summer striper, bass, or trout fishing.

June: 3, 6, 12, 17, 26, 30

July: 1-3, 9, 17-22, 25-27, 30, 31

Aug: 1-3, 6-9

Nor Cal Report – General Trout season opener…the myth, the legend

Just because the California Department of fish game marks every year the last Saturday in april as the “opener of general trout season” making most non-tailwater trout rivers of the sierras and foothills open to fishing does not mean they “open”  to fishing. Like most things in nature you can’t just put a day on the calendar and declare something happens. It is like the first day of summer being around the end of June every year. Most things in nature gradually take place…Summer begins slowly and by all means has usually arrived by late june. Slowly pants are replaced by shorts, my flip flop tan turns from a burn to a legitimate discoloration of my feet, and heavy beers and brown water are replaced with light beer and lime juice and tequila, oh and I stop wearing shirts around the house cause it is dam hot. So goes the beginning of trout season.  

Opening day means a few things in my world none of which are drive to a trout river…here is how my opening day goes.

I start looking at the flows on various rivers. The North Fork of the Yuba River, North Fork of the Feather River, Deer Creek, Upper Sacramento River, and various other creeks. Checking flows means I get an idea of how long it is going to be before I might go fish these rivers/creeks…and when I say fish, I mean chuck lead and big stoneflies or pull streamers for the occasional fish. Usually I am looking at like 2-5 weeks.

It also means I need to get my shad rods set up and ready, a new batch of shad flies tied, and make sure everything in my boat is working as shad season is about 3 weeks away. Also make sure to tie a good batch of clousers for the stripers and make sure my 9wts and lead core are all set up and ready to go.

On the Lower Yuba it means that run off is usually in full effect and if I get lucky a day that I have a guide date the river will come into shape, atleast for a day or two until the next wave of snow melt or rain shows up, and my clients and I can pillage the river with stoneflies, san juan worms, and big attractor bugs. I can also start to think about PMD, PED, Golden Stonefly, and caddis hatches…yes while tying shad flies, striper flies, and big run off bugs I gotta get working on some small mayflies and caddis cause it will be dry fly time on the Lower Yuba soon.

The Opener also signals a farewell. The Lower Feather River is a big part of our guiding here in Nor Cal. By the trout opener the fall season is long gone, winter has come and gone, and the spring run of steelhead is thinning out usually by the end of April/early May. This means I can finally after 8months pull my bead box out of my boat bag and just drive through Oroville, not stop.

Inevitably I have to start planning to set up my raft…uhhh…Pull the frame out from the side of the house, tighten the bolts, pull the raft itself out of the rafters of the garage while dodging black widows and various other creatures of the dark, pump it up- which is an athletic event, put the raft on my ghetto Harbor Freight Trailer that I am sure will break this year…I was sure it would break last year, so definitely this year.

Lower Sac trout fishing tends to slow a bit as the March/April caddis hatches slow and the PMD hatches start to get going strong. The fish in various stretches are spawning or in post spawn and kinda can get in a funk at times. That said the Lower Sac is still a pretty consistent trout fishery even with its up and downs.

If I do get all the above mentioned work done at this time of year I usually will head to a local bass pond, lake, or river, cause lets be real bass fishing is going OFF at the end of April.

Bottom line…the last thing I do is go fish for trout on the opener.

What is coming Up.

The heat is here!!! Who knows how long it will stay though as rain is forecasted for the North State again on Thursday but Spring Weather in the mid 70’s to low 80’s is forecasted through May 8th...though this time of year that can change on a daily basis. Late spring and summer fishing will be here shortly as the general season trout opener is next weekend. With a mild wild and less then normal snow pack in most places fishing in both the mountains and the valley is going to get started early this year. Here is what I will be booking over the next few months and where I will be fishing.

Full Day of fishing for 2: $395
Includes drinks, lunch, snacks, flies, tackle, and rod/reel use

Half Day of fishing for 2: $295
Includes drinks, snacks, flies, tackle, and rod/reel use

Evening Shad/striper/bass trip for 2: $225
Includes drinks, flies, tackle, and rod/reel use

Available Dates:
May 12, 13, 22 (evening), 25 (evening), 28, 29 (evening),
June 2-7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 22, 25-27, 30
July 1-3, 9, 16-22, 26-27, 30, 31

Lower Yuba will see PMD, Caddis, Lil’Yellow Salley, and Golden Stone Fly hatches coming up. Run off this year should be much shorter then usual and May through July are going to be great this year on the Lower Yuba.

Lower Sac is fishing great right now and the lower river should fish really well this summer as less run off will allow us to get on the lower floats starting in June if not earlier.

Lower Feather has seen record returns of spring run steelhead and fish should be in the system for atleast another month. With the warm weather the caddis are popping and swinging flies and fishing dries along with nymphing are great ways to fish for these hot spring fish.

SHAD!!! It is going to be shad time very soon. I have caught shad on the Sac outside of chico as early as May 5 on low water warmer years. May through June is prime shad time. Low water years are typically great shad years as the fish get concentrated. Book now for best availability as these dates go quick

BASS - bass fishing is turning on as fish are moving into the shallows in various bodies of water around chico and on the lower Sac. Both small mouth and large mouth bass fishing should be getting really good really soon. Combo trips on the L. Sac for shad and bass are a great way to spend a day and see a new fishery.

Stripers - Striper fishing is just getting going with the first signs of the migratory run showing up around colusa and on the feather. Should be another great striper year on the L. Sac. Best time for stripers is May-August.

North Fork Feather - the North Fork opens this coming weekend and once run off subsides I will be doing float trips down various stretches. This is a raft trip and not for the faint of heart. Floating this river is the only way to access various spots and I truly believe this is one of the most under fished rivers in the state.

Chico Small Streams - there are tons of small streams directly east of chico, ca. I guide these perfect 3-4wt little guys all summer so if you are looking to get away and throw some dries on your small stream rod there is no better place.

Mountain Lakes - I will be doing some limited guiding on Lake Almanor and various lakes in that area during various hex hatches and such. All fishing is done from my new 17 foot boat. There are some amazing hex hatches and fish up in this area and over the last few summers I have gotten more and more fond of this area so it is time to share it.

Clearwater Lodge - as in previous years I will be working at the Clear Water Lodge out of Fall River Mills. I will guiding on all stretches of the Pit (including raft trips down #1), Fall River, Hat Creek, all the springs and lakes surrounding Fall River, and a few other secret spots. If anyone is interested in putting a trip together or just fishing for the day get in contact with me as Clear Water Lodge has some great deals right now on stays.

Thanks and I hope to hear from everyone soon.
Hogan
hoganbrown@hotmail.com

Up Date

Been a while...I have been teaching all week along and coaching varsity baseball and then guiding on the weekends. Doesn’t leave much time for things like sitting around and writing blog posts, seeing your off spring, fishing for fun, tying flies....the list goes on.

Fishing wise here is a few reports...

Lower Yuba: has been coming and going with the recent spring storms as of late. Presently it is blown out and deer creek is raging as well. There is nice weather forecasted over the next week so it might come back into shape by mid to late week. Those that have caught the river when it has been fishable over the last few weeks have done well. Big attractor bugs like jimmy legs, Yuba stones, and Chubby cousins paired with dark colored caddis and PMD patterns has been catching the most fish. Look for fishing to get good to really good once the flows stabilize.

Lower Feather: There are a good number of spring steelhead in the lower feather river. Many are the traditional half pounders we see in the central valley this time of year but there are adults mixed in and most anglers are hooking at least one adult a day while out on the river. Fish are podded up between the hatchery down through Palm ave. Most fish are coming on caddis patterns, small olive mayfly nymphs, and attractor patterns nymphed under and indicator. A few fish are coming on swung flies when weather is warmer and the caddis start hatching. Once the weather gets around 75-80 the caddis should get going pretty good and swinging princes and caddis patterns will be GOOD.swinging flies on the feather for spring steel

Lower Sacramento River: I have not been on the lower sac for a while as it has been blown out then OK then blown out again pretty frequently. The upper float is clear down to the first trib on most days but the tribs will dump mud into the river with any significant rain. That said the river clears pretty quick even with the color. Flows are still low and afternoon PMD hatches have been pretty good if you hit it right in the upper stretches.

Trout Opener: Trout Season in the great bankrupt state of California opens the last Saturday in April. The only place that I know that ever fishes good on the opener is some of the states spring creeks, and they are packed! Most other bodies of water are blown out, to cold, or snowed in. I would recommend going to one of the various parking lot fairs held at various fly shops through out the state on the opener and save the gas money for cold, blown out, river fishing.

Striper and Herring (aka the shad) report: a few scattered reports of stripers being caught but nothing of significance. The Herring are still a few weeks away but I have caught them on the Sac outside Chico as early as May 5Th so they are coming.

IN OTHER NEWS....
I dropped my old Lowe motor boat off at Sutter Marine to get my Motor and electronics switched over to my new Lowe 1756 SC I got and will be rolling home with my new boat shortly. Right in time for the upcoming striper, shad, bass, and carp season.

Upcoming guiding opportunities:

- All the great Spring tail water fishing on the L. Sac, L.Yuba, and L. Feather is going on and if we can get a break from these springs storms fishing and hatches should be getting going.

- Trout season opens up soon and while nothing really fishes that great on the opener by Mid May to early June most rivers and creeks are going to be fishing well. I will be doing float trips and walk and wades on the North Fork of the Feather River, Pit River, Fall River, North Fork of the Yuba River, and many local Chico creeks.

- I will also be guiding on Lake Almanor and other Trout lakes in the Plumas Forrest area this summer.

- Of course I will spending a ton of time guiding for stripers, shad, carp, and big and small mouth bass all over the north state.

Available Dates:
May 12, 13.
June 2-7, 10, 12, 14, 15, 17, 27, 30
July 1-3, 9-12, 16-21, 25-27, 30, 31

hoganbrown@hotmail.com
www.hgbflyfishing.com