North Fork Feather River

Deep Pocket Punching the North Fork of the Feather River

NFFR Bow

The North Fork of the Feather River that runs along HWY 70 often goes ignored throughout the season in favor of other streams, creeks, and rivers. The North Fork is most frequently fished during the spring and winter seasons.

On the drive back to the valley on Tuesday, I fished the North Fork.


The fishing on the North Fork has its good days and bad days. One day you’ll be catching fish left and right, the next day your lucky if you get one take.
The trout on the North Fork like to hang out in very specific parts of the river making them somewhat of a challenge to catch. Fishing fast oxygenated water or walking pace runs between 5ft – 10ft are your best bets in finding a fish. Adding extra splitshots to ensure your flies are getting down is a common tactic when fishing the deep pocket pools of the North Fork.

White Water Is Good Here

The North Fork bows can be VERY strong due to their nature of holding in faster water. The bows in the Feather River canyon average anywhere from 8” – 20″. 2x and 3x tippet are the norm here. Fighting these bows can be pretty tough. Once you set the hook these fish will sprint towards boulders to try and break you off or run downstream where you’ll have to chase them. While fighting the fish, plan on where you are going to try and land it; a lot of the water on the North Fork is too fast and deep to attempt a safe net dip. Keep safety first.

Deep Pocket Boulder Pools

This was my first time fishing the North Fork near Tobin and Storrie where the river is made up of deep pocket pools and giant boulders.
It was one of those tough days on the North Fork. Although the weather was ideal, cloudy and humid, I had a tough time finding fish. I managed to get four hook ups: two broke me off, one I set the hook too late, and one landed.

Although not a super productive day, the fish I was able to land was a great fighter. During the fight, I thought I had lost it several times when it cramped itself in between cover. The fish also ran downstream a few times causing me to chase it. Hopping from boulder to boulder as quickly as I could, I finally had it in an area where it was okay to attempt a net dip. Gotcha!

North Fork Bow
Middle Fork Feather River

Feather River Middle Fork: Fall In Full Effect

Majestic Middle Fork

In the Sierras the transition between summer and fall happens much quicker than it does in the valley, one day you’re in indian summer the next day you’re in what feels like early winter. It was truly fall in Quincy, California and on Monday I took the opportunity to fish the Feather River Middle Fork.

I started at Nelson Creek and made my way downstream. The flows were much lower than they were when I last visited in the spring.  The water was also much colder. I opted out of bringing my waders because I wasn’t planning on fishing the Middle Fork. Impulse trip! Each step into the water was mind numbing.

As the day progressed the air temperature went up a few degrees which helped warm up some of the areas in the Middle Fork canyon. This little bit of warmth kept me from getting hypothermia this trip.

Pretty First Fish of the Day

I had a lot of fun throwing streamers my last trip on the Middle Fork so I used the same tactics. My Hero Sculpin and Zonker Buddy caught several nice 10″ – 14″ aggressive, wild, and native rainbows. These fish really commit to their strikes which makes fishing streamers fun and effective.

16” of Steamer Eater

Most of the fish I caught were holding in runs and riffles about 2-3ft deep. I didn’t find very many fish in the deeper pools or shallower water.
Once I figured out where the fish were, I had to hike, boulder hop, bushwhack, and wade to get to the right spots. Easier said than done! Fly fishing is definitely keeping me in shape.

The hike back to my car was a killer. Up and down on narrow trails and across frigid waters, I timed the hike back to my car at 1hr 20mins.

Can You Find The Trail?

If you want to plan a day trip fishing the Middle Fork definitely make time for the hike back. There is still more to explore on the Middle Fork but it may be necessary to make it a backpacking trip if I want to go deeper into the canyon. Tough access but well worth it.

MFFR
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