Fish Talk

2015 End Of The Year Reflection

Chunky Yuba Bows

My trip to the Yuba River today was my last outing for 2015. The river is fishing well and has a great olive tint with about 2ft of clarity. San Juan worms, midges, and mayfly patterns were getting it done. I went 5/8, easy pezy. Lots of folks out on the Yuba so be prepared to share.

The past couple months have been rough. My car got wrecked, our family dog passed away, and my future is a bit clouded right now. However life is short so instead of focusing on the bad times we  reflect on the good times.

First Trophy Bass

The trophy bass I landed at Horseshoe Lake was by far the best fish I caught this year. Totally unexpected and fantastic. I’m looking forward to hooking into another one of these big mamas in the spring.

First Mirror Carp

My carping this year was a bit tough but I did manage to land an awesome magic mirror carp. I hope in 2016 I can find some new carping spots and hook into more of these freshwater bruisers.

First Freshwater Drum

The family summer road trip across the country was a good last trip with the family dog. Although her passing was sudden and unexpected, she lived a great life.
I was able to do some spin fishing in Indiana where I hooked and landed my first walleye and freshwater drum. Catching a different species outside California was a neat experience.

First Putah Creek Beastie

My streamer fishing skills have leveled up this year. With a few big fish landed this year, I am now confident in my abilities to fish a streamer for big aggressive fish.

First Brook Trout

My first spring creek experience at Yellow Creek this summer was amazing. Brookies, browns, and rainbows, my first grand slam! Dry fly fishing at its finest.

New Spot For A Smallie Fix

Now that I’m back home in Marysville/Yuba City I’ve been able to explore a few new fishing spots as well as revisit some of my favorites. Full circle and it’s great.

Striped Bass Success

Striped bass are my least pursued species because they are difficult to catch with a fly rod from the bank. This year I managed to target these anadromous bruisers with some success giving me more confidence in pursing them in the future.

Here’s to 2016!

Yuba River

Shhh… Don’t Tell Santa

Breaking In My New TFO Rod

With a good flush from a winter storm the Yuba is fishing pretty good. I managed to sneak out with my Christmas present, a TFO Finesse 5WT, and tested it out on some fatty Yuba bows above the bridge. The river is sitting at 590 CFS and the conditions were bright and cold.

Parks Bar

The TFO Finesse casts like butter. With very little effort, my presentations were super smooth and delicate. How can it get better than this? I’ve been looking for a good dry fly rod for rivers and wider streams and this is it. Not only does the rod cast extremely well, it is also pure fun to have a fish bend it in half. I am ecstatic to add this rod to my arsenal.

Nymphs that worked this trip were primarily San Juan worms, BWOs, and midges. There was a nice hatch of BWOs at around 1-3pm but I couldn’t find any risers. From what I observed this trip, the recent storm was able to trickle in some fresh salmon. Eggs anyone?

If landing one fish on the Yuba is considered a good day by most anglers by that logic I had an awesome day.
The fish were still pretty concentrated in certain areas but the bigger fish were active. Quality over quantity this trip. Cover water and don’t stay in one spot too long.

18” Fatty

I was able to find some risers at last light the following day. They looked like they were eating on top but they ignored every drift that I threw at them. With less than ten minutes left of sunlight, I switched to a smaller pattern in hopes of hooking up. I couldn’t even see the damn size 20 fly and I had a feeling that it wasn’t floating. After a few casts with no luck, I slightly delayed my recast and a fish hit it. Emergers!
I swung my dry fly like a wet fly and got two strikes with one landed. I love it when I figure something out by pure accident!

Last Light Fatty
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