Feather River

Good Morning On The Feather

Feather River Fall-Run?

Steelhead can be found in the Feather River all year around from below the hatchery to the end of the Oroville Wildlife Area. These anadromous fish aren’t too picky about what they eat and can be pretty grabby depending on the time of the day and the weather. However as most anglers who pursue these magnificent fish know, the most difficult aspect of fishing for these elusive fish is finding where they hold in the river. Fact: 90% of the steelhead hold in 10% of the river.

The fall-run salmon are currently very limited in this section as of now and it’s getting pretty sad to see less and less fish return each year due to the drought. No salmon equals no egg-bite. Today I fished a lot of productive runs and riffles in the low-flow section but only one run had fish in it. The fish were literally stacked in this particular run and I hooked four before they stopped biting. Most of the fish were bright and looked like spring-run holdovers with the exception of one fallish looking fish.

Pretty Water

At around 10am the sun was up and it was game over. There were a number of anglers out trying their luck as well but, in my opinion, they arrived on the water too late. I sense an increase in fishing pressure coming…

Unreal Egg

Unfortunately, no takes on the egg pattern yet. Usually the fish start taking eggs in early September but since there are very few salmon this year, a lot of steelhead have decided not to follow. Let’s cross our fingers for a halfway decent egg-bite this year!

It is illegal to fish for salmon in the low-flow section. The game wardens are on patrol and ready to catch some snaggers. Please be respectful and let these spawners do their thing.

Feather River

Checking In On The Feather

Empty Outlet!

The water is cold and the salmon are in, but where are the steelhead? I took some time to scout out the Feather and what I found wasn’t too exciting. Usually about this time of the year I start finding fall-run steelhead on the Feather, however after fishing the entire day with several different flies and methods I didn’t get any takes. Although I was fishing 92 degree sunny and clear skies in the afternoon, I’m sure if there was a fish around they would have taken my flies right?

My day began in the high-flow section where I tried targeting salmon for the first time. After a few hours of swinging and covering water I finally gave up and decided to switch to a target that would be more willing to bite, steelhead. From about 12pm – 5pm, I literally covered the entire river and didn’t get a single hit! Again, where the hell are all the steelhead?

Good Fishing Weather In The Morning

The weather was pretty good in the morning with overcasts here and there but once the sun came out it started to get really bright and hot. I don’t have very much luck fishing for steelhead during a bright sunny afternoon and it totally showed today. For some reason it’s always a morning or overcast thing with these fish.

Hangin Out With The Salmon

There are a few salmon holding in the Outlet Hole but other than that the high-flow section is barren. Most of the salmon have made their way to the low-flow section where they have been competing for mates and digging redds. There are significantly less returning fish than last year so be mindful of where you step.

Guides and anglers are predicting that this Feather River steelhead season will be late again and possibly short. We need a good rain to get the season started because as of right now nothing is really happening. Maybe I’ll try again soon in the morning to see if that makes any difference. If that doesn’t work then I’ll have to wait until Mother Nature stirs up some weather. I’m sure they are in there somewhere…

Didn’t Get Skunked Though, Yellow Steelhead Action
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