Friday Eve Post...waste some time on friday reading.

So, I haven't been fishing or guiding much lately...I usually take the end of September and first part of October off to travel a bit and do some fun stuff with my family. I got out yesterday for a few hours and will be back on the water guiding this weekend…

Fishing Reports – 

I will be guiding stripers through October and maybe even in November depending on how the river holds. Water temps are down to 57-60 degrees depending on where and when one is on the river. Flows are stable and clarity is normal/good. Fishing yesterday was good hooked plenty of stripers in the 3-5lb class had a bigger 10+lber follow a fish to the boat and hooked 10-15lbs fish and lost it at the boat. Also landed a nice King Salmon that slammed a fly and a smallmouth so pretty darn good fishing for a few hours on the water. Fall is traditionally pretty damn good on the river but pressure fronts and big changes in weather can mess with the fishing a bit.

Nice King that crushed a clouser on the Sac while striper fishing

Guiding

I have a few open dates left this fall/winter and will be focusing on Striper fishing on the Sac as long as flows hold and then trout/steelhead on the Feather River, Lower Yuba River, and the Lower Sacramento River.

Open Dates:

Nov 22

Dec 2, 21, 22, 23, 27, 28,

Jan 2-5, 13, 15, 20, 27

Feb 3, 10, 12, 17, 19

Other Reports…

My band Royals Oaks did a string of shows through Northern California with a great band called Sex Hogs II. Played some really cool venues and played with some great bands as well. If you are in the Reno area and ever stop by the Reno Fly Shop check out Pignic right behind it...a great old Victorian house converted to a bar with a great patio, fire pit, and a variety of BBQ for "Bring your own BBQing". Great live music venue and a just cool hang out spot. Also, Coopers Ale House in Down town Nevada City is a great place for a pint and a cocktail and if you are hungry the Crazy Horse Salon across the street has great food or at the bottom of the hill there is awesome Mexican place...like "California valley" good Mexican. Plus, it has a serve yourself chips and salsa bar which is awesome. In terms of bands we played with a few really good ones...check out the Western Spectres from Reno a great traditional country 3 piece and if you have not check out our good buddy Chuck Ragan check him out as well as we played a few with him. 

da boys... 

Rocking Coopers in NC

I also took my boys back for their first trip to Notre Dame...been a season ticket holder for a while and multi-generational fan so it was time for the youngest brown boys to visit South bend. My dad and I went and it couldn't have been a more perfect trip...ND is an incredibly special place for my father and I and to share it with my boys was a truly special if not bucket list experience. Plus, they won...which hasn't happened the last few trips I have made. Probably get out for the Navy and maybe the USC game this year and then will catch them in Palo Alto for the Stanford game.  

The Golden Dome 

Watching Pre Game

On the field after the game...pretty cool!!!!

Music News…

Just got the new Raquet Club album on pretty much every version possible – digital, CD, Vinyl. Raquet Club is Blair Shehans new band from Knapsack and Jealous Sound fame…I have never thought that any of Blair’s bands sound to different from each other it is almost like each one is an evolved form of his own sound and song writing. There is no better song writer in the muted chords with sparse jangles over them with loud blasting choruses genre then Blair.

Raquet Club

Also was lucky enough to go see Jason Isbell and Frank Turner at the Fox Theater a few weeks ago as I mentioned in my last post…It was amazing Frank Turner is a good buddy of a friend of mine so my wife and I got spend meet him before the show and he is about as cool and down to earth a guy as I have ever met. Also one hell of a performer man. He is prolific when it comes to albums and his set was very well represented of his catalog…A good intro to Frank would be his newest album “positive songs for negative people” and “England Keep my Bones”…Then came Jason Isbell who lets be honest is one of my favorite song writters and musicians period. His performance could best be described as “Polished Nashville” … One thing that most people don’t realize is that he is not only an amazing song writer but an amazing guitar player. All the slide work and solos are him, he tears it up on the guitar.  Pretty damn special show and performance.

Fox Theater Oakland

Frank Turner, Me, and Steph

Podcast…

 I am turning into a pod cast junkie. Obviously check out the Barbless Podcast if you are Northern California or other areas around that neighborhood. It is produced here in Chico, CA by long time friend and chico river bum Nick Hanah and his partner Chad Alderson. I am on an episode as well as many local Nor Cal guides, shop owners, reps, tiers, DFG wardens…all sorts of cool people.

I have also been listening to Fly Fishing After Dark which is out of south florida but the episodes are like 2-3 hours in length so I can only chop through one every so often as it takes for ever…lots of just random BS in them to which is always funny but can get old after the first hour. When I just want to laugh at some dudes drinking beer and talking shit with fly fishing interspersed it is the call.

Also the Drake Podcast is good nice quick episodes…clocking in at about 30mins so great for short drives, runs, workouts, or anything that is quick. Cool part is they always have good interviews and stories and pretty well rounded content.

Music wise my favorite has been Chris Shiflett’s Walking the Floor. Chris plays guitar in Foo Fighters and has his own Americana/Country solo career. He interviews ALL sorts of great musicians from AFI to Sturgill Simpson and a lot of people in-between. Pod cast are about an hour and pretty easy to digest.

Upcoming…Mark your calendar I will tying on “Loon Live” November 15 with the LEGEND Matt Callies https://loonoutdoors.com/loon-live/

Barbless Podcast

https://podcast.barbless.co/

Hey everyone I did an episode of the Barbless Podcast this last week and the boys put it up this week. I talk striper fishing, Yuba River fishing, the history of stripers in Northern California, and of course Cast Hope. You can download it at all the normal podcast locations...online via the link below, I tunes store, and where ever you get amazing podcasts....AND while you are there listen to all the episodes of the barbless podcast Nick and Chad have had some great guests and are putting together a great podcast full of good fishing content from Northern California and beyond. 

Friday goodness...fishing, sports, music...all the stuff any self respecting person files under "interests"

So every time I think Fall is here it goes back to apocalyptic temperatures here in Chico, CA. That said the days are getting shorter and the mornings and evenings are cooling down a bit. The heat comes and goes but in reality it is only really hot for a few hours a day if that. I have been on the water a bit fishing on my own and guiding, but really getting ready for the Cast Hope Big Night Out and working on Royal Oaks stuff has taken up most of my free time.

Lower Sac Striper Fishing – I have been getting out to fish on my own in the afternoons a bit and running into plenty of fish. Been getting some really nice 10-15lbs fish that were absent most of the summer from the bags we were catching. As always good numbers of 3-5lb fish and a few trophies that have followed my fly to the boat. Guiding wise I have had good fishing that really mirrors my own recreational fishing as well. I will be guiding striper through October and into November as long as the river holds. September/October are usually really good months to be on the water as we catch some of our biggest fish of the year out there as the big fish start putting on the feed bags for the winter.

Awesome when someones 

Lower Yuba and Feather – I know my buddies are CRUSHING salmon at the outlet area on the feather putting limits in the boat daily. So salmon returns on the feather should be good this year. I got out this week with Captain Darrin Deel to fill the fish box myself and watch the chaos from the comfort of a jet boat. At $25 a pound for wild salmon I have no problem mixing it up at the outlet for a few hours to put some meat in the fridge. If you are looking to get some fresh BBQ quality salmon for the grill, smoker, or other preferred methods of preparation give him a call.

forage from the garden...

Key to the fish market...

tools...

the result...

I saw on social media a few chico locals are going out swinging some flies up in the low flow for early steelhead which can be fun this time of year but be ware of hooking into or snagging a king. I usually am not a fan as loosing a bunch of flies on kings sucks…

I haven’t heard anything on the Lower Yuba. I know it has dropped an is down to about 1000cfs which is a great flow for wade fishing and fishing from the drift boat….at least it use to be. Usually the last two weeks of September see the egg drop on the Lower Yuba (first in the valley usually) but that has gotten later every year and I am sure will be later even this year. I wouldn’t hesitate to throw some beads and fall caddis (usually black or really dark pupa) this time of year.

Open Dates for this Fall/Winter –

Oct 21, 28

Nov 22

Dec 2, 9, 19, 21, 22, 27-30

Jan 2-6, 13, 15, 20, 27

Feb 3, 10, 12, 17, 19

Sports News…Well the Irish don’t look to bad. A STRONG showing against temple and a 1 pt loss late in the came to SEC Georgia. I won’t like the Georgia loss was gut wrenching as I really think we could of won the game if we could of hung on to the ball better. I can’t forget though that this year is a total rebuild coming off a 4 win season last year. All new coordinators…and for the most part a whole new coaching staff outside Kelly…and a new QB. That said Georgia would of blown us off the field last year and we had a chance to win the game this year with 2 minutes left so improvement is improvement.

Music News – I bought the new War on Drugs album A Deeper Understanding and I am all in on this band. I have yet to buy the first album that really got them going Lost in the Dream but I will ounce I have A Deeper… fully digested. The sound is pretty polished indie rock style with just really amazing recordings and songwriting musically. The instrumentation and writing is really good. Super layered with AMAZING guitar sounds. Each song has its own sound but enough in common to be a cohesive album and band sound.

This weekend my wife got us tickets to see Jason Isbell and Frank Turner and the Sleeping Souls at the Fox Theater…I won’t lie I am really really excited and will most likely spend a small fortune at the merch booth for both bands!!!!

Royal Oaks News – aka the band I play in…. We will be playing coming up in Nevada City at Coopers Ale House with our good buddy Chuck Ragan and the Sex Hogs II on Sept 22 and in Reno at Pignic Pub and Patio on Sept 23 with the Sex Hogs again and Western Spectres so if you are in the area come on out and get a free coozie and pin by mentioning the blog or don’t I’ll probably just give you one anyway as we have tons…. ALSO Just got back our Masters tracks from fellow fly fisher with a day job as a Mastering Machine Shawn Hatfield at Audible Oddities and they are GOOD…should have them up on bandcamp and then all the digital music purchasing venues as well as some compact discs for guys like me…no vinyl as that would take up my childrens college fund and lets be honest outside of my mom and like ten friends the other 1000copies would just sit in my garage.

Come one, come all!!!!

-->

Reports, Music, College Football...the good stuff.

There seems to have finally been a respite from the triple digits in Chico, CA. Amazing how low to mid 90s feels after straight weeks of triple digits. Low 60s in the morning is down right COLD. Overall it has been a busy last month or so and fishing has been as good as I thought it would this striper season. Fall is coming though as I was on the river yesterday and it is really obvious the angle of the sun is changing late in the day and the sun is going down earlier.

Lower Sacramento Striper Report: Fishing has been good to great depending on the day and conditions. We have been getting good numbers of 3-4lb fish and on most days finding some bigger and even trophy fish. Fall (Sept-Ocotber) is a great time to be on the water as the bigger fish get pushed to the banks by salmon anglers and salmon and we get some sight fishing shots at some true giants. With good flows and plenty of water the back waters should have fish moving around very soon. On most days fishing heavy sink lines in the morning and switching up to Intm. Lines by lunch is the best program. While I am pretty much booked up for the rest of the season I have two other captains that have open dates if anyone is looking to get out.

Fall/Fishing: This fall I will spending most of my time striper fishing but by late fall I will be focusing on the Lower Yuba, Lower Sac, and Feather depending what is fishing the best. My preference is to spend Late fall and winter on Lower Yuba River as I really love fishing and guiding over there in the late fall and winter. Winter is quickly becoming my favorite season the Lower Yuba. There are hatches, nymphing, and options to swing flies on most days. Fall and Winter will book up soon so if you would like to get out here are my open dates.

Nov 4, 22

Dec 2, 9, 18, 19, 21, 22, 27-30

Jan 2-6, 13, 15, 20, 27

Feb 3, 10, 12, 19, 17,

Other News…

The Inaugural Yuba Jubilee is in the books and I must say that John Baiocchi (http://www.baiocchistroutfitters.com) , Lance Gray (http://www.lancegrayandcompany.com) , and Lincoln Gray (http://www.stillwaterflyfishingadventures.com) did a great job organizing and putting the event on. Next years event is already scheduled for August 4^th 2018 so put it on the books if you missed this years.

Music News…Lots of good new records. I have been listening to the new Manchester Orchestra album “A Black Mile to the Surface” – It is by far the best Manchester album I think in a while. I like Simple Math and Cope but this one is better. Also been listening to the new Jason Isbell album “Nashville Sound” – To be honest I am a total Isbell homer/fan, I think this album is great but I haven’t personally connected with like I did Something More than Free. I also bought Jets to Brazil first album “Orange Ryhming Dictionary” on Itunes as I had my CD copy stole a long time ago…I forgot how good that band was. If you don’t know it is the band that the singer of Jawbreaker formed after Jawbreaker broke up.

My band Royal Oak has some shows coming up as well. We will be playing sept 2 wtih Shamans Harvest in Chico and Sept 22 with Chuck Ragan in Nevada City.

College Football – we are nearly 2 weeks from the Kick Off of Notre Dame football and a week I think from the kick off. I LOVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL so I am pretty pumped…been reading all sorts of preview and such and I am pumped. Notre Dame should improve on their 4win season and in reality I am optimistic…I just want improvement. I think 9 wins would be Amazing but as a realist I think 6-7 is probably more realistic.

-->