I had a few afternoon striper trips last week and while the flows are LOW fishing was pretty good. Not great but good. Caught a fair number of dinks with some nice 6-15lbs fish mixed in. Really changed up flies, lines, and spots with the lower flows and later season to get fish though. I want to get a few personal days of striper fishing in before salmon season opens Oct. 9th as I know there are still some big fish around but we'll have to see. I know guys are still catching nice fish down lower as well around Colusa and Grimes.
This week I make the mover over to the Lower Yuba for the month of October. From what I hear the egg bit is slowly getting under way but not going off yet. Good numbers of salmon are pairing up though so any day now. Check back for some up to date reports soon.
In sporting news....This weekend after I pelted my neighbor "The Standford graduate's" house with eggs and profanities I nearly threw myself across the train tracks down town. Yes Notre Dame is rebuilding...new coach, new system, new quarterback....but god Saturday was shameful. The only bright spot in all of this is that the giants may just win the west...Seriously I am on pins and needles this week. I can't take a giants implosion here at the end that may lead me to the tracks for good. We need to pound AZ into the ground and then move onto the Padres...
In other news... the new Idylwilde fly Catalog is in the hands of most Idylwilde dealers. Go into your local fly shop and hit em up. It is by far the best catalog out there when it comes to fly companies. Soon all the new bugs and updated photos will be on the web site but get into your fly shop early while they are writing fly orders and tell them what you want after looking through the catalog.
Over and Out.
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Busy Saturday...
So September is not a terribly busy month for guiding and I ended up having this saturday off The wife and kids took off for the day, so I had some free time. With some striper trips next week I decided to go check out the river and see what I was in for. The clouds started to clear and the sun came out right as I was driving out to the river. Perfect.
Spent most of the time fishing about a 300 yard bank that had carp, stripers, salmon, and pike minnows all rolling, rising, or smashing bait...it was cool. Caught a few small stripers and had one big mo follow me all the way to the boat fishing an I line...Heart about beat out my chest I saw this thing follow my fly for like 70 feet and turn off right at the boat. Fishing wasn't great but it was a gorgeous day and I did catch some fish. Still some big fish around and eating. Here is a pic from a buddy of mine this last week with a nice fish
Got home in time to watch the Notre Dame vs. Michigan State game....holy crap...talk about an epic game. Yes we lost in over time on a fake field goal but I have to continue to remind myself that this is a rebuilding year with a new coach, new system, and a first year quarterback. I knew that it was gonna be the kind of game that who ever had the ball last was gonna win and that was what happened. Big thing I see as I look back on was to many 3rd down conversions and big plays in the 2nd half allowed by our defense and in the first half we turned the ball over in the red zone 2 times...can't do that on the road and expect to win.
In other news check out Kevin Prices new Mice patterns for bass and trout. These things are simple genius and I have been fishing them for about a year now. GREAT top water patterns.
Spent most of the time fishing about a 300 yard bank that had carp, stripers, salmon, and pike minnows all rolling, rising, or smashing bait...it was cool. Caught a few small stripers and had one big mo follow me all the way to the boat fishing an I line...Heart about beat out my chest I saw this thing follow my fly for like 70 feet and turn off right at the boat. Fishing wasn't great but it was a gorgeous day and I did catch some fish. Still some big fish around and eating. Here is a pic from a buddy of mine this last week with a nice fish
Got home in time to watch the Notre Dame vs. Michigan State game....holy crap...talk about an epic game. Yes we lost in over time on a fake field goal but I have to continue to remind myself that this is a rebuilding year with a new coach, new system, and a first year quarterback. I knew that it was gonna be the kind of game that who ever had the ball last was gonna win and that was what happened. Big thing I see as I look back on was to many 3rd down conversions and big plays in the 2nd half allowed by our defense and in the first half we turned the ball over in the red zone 2 times...can't do that on the road and expect to win.
In other news check out Kevin Prices new Mice patterns for bass and trout. These things are simple genius and I have been fishing them for about a year now. GREAT top water patterns.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Lower Sac, Giants making a push, and Kenny Powers week is coming
Guided the Lower Sac a few days this week and last weekend. Floated from Redbluff to Los Molinos looking for steelhead and trout. Found some nice trout and the trout grab was good during the mornings and kinda tailed off in the afternoon. Trout were eating stones, caddis, and princes in all the standard spots. We did not hook one adult steelhead, which is really why you go down there. We didn't even see a salmon, not that they are not there just didn't see any in the riffles yet or up in the shallows. My thoughts were that it is still a little early down low. This weekends coming rain and maybe another week or so and I will make this run again. Usually October is the month to be down low looking for these large steelhead before they enter the tribs.
In other news there was an article in the Chico paper saying they just opened the fish ladder at the feather river hatchery and they are expecting 15,000 fish to make their way in over the next month. So hopes are high for a good return this year...Hopefully some steelhead show up as well this year.
In sports news the Giants are legit. Dodgers fans deal with it, your playing for pride at this point. We are making a legitimate run for the pennant and the wild card. It is gonna be nerve racking as we go into the final weeks of the season and a season ending series with the Padres, but so good to have somthing to play for in September. Also Notre Dame at Michigan State this weekend is scary...I read Blue and Gold (ND football weekly news letter) cover to cover last night and I am nervous about this match up.
In meaningless pop culture news....Kenny Powers week starts next week. The season premier is Sept 26 and all next week will be dedicated to Kenny Powers. If you don't know Kenny get to know him by going to your local best buy and buying season one of Eastbound and Down for $19.99
In other news there was an article in the Chico paper saying they just opened the fish ladder at the feather river hatchery and they are expecting 15,000 fish to make their way in over the next month. So hopes are high for a good return this year...Hopefully some steelhead show up as well this year.
In sports news the Giants are legit. Dodgers fans deal with it, your playing for pride at this point. We are making a legitimate run for the pennant and the wild card. It is gonna be nerve racking as we go into the final weeks of the season and a season ending series with the Padres, but so good to have somthing to play for in September. Also Notre Dame at Michigan State this weekend is scary...I read Blue and Gold (ND football weekly news letter) cover to cover last night and I am nervous about this match up.
In meaningless pop culture news....Kenny Powers week starts next week. The season premier is Sept 26 and all next week will be dedicated to Kenny Powers. If you don't know Kenny get to know him by going to your local best buy and buying season one of Eastbound and Down for $19.99
Monday, September 6, 2010
Isonychia and the Irish
I am not a big hatch chaser. I am more of the mind set that I am gonna fish when I have time to fish and if there is a hatch going on then great, if not I will fish what ever I need to to catch fish. That said one hatch that I plan on fishing and chase is the late summer/early fall Isonychia hatch on a few local rivers. I Love this hatch as it comes off at a time when most trout anglers think trout fishing is firmly rooted in the summer douldrums and many are staying home bidding their fishing time for the fall.
Isonychia are a mayfly, and not of the BWO/PMD variety, these things are big. Most of the nymphs in my local waters are #8-10 and the adults are an easy #10 if not an #8 early on in the hatch. The nymphs began to get active right around labor day weekend and the hatch begans usually a few days or weeks later, peaking around mid september, all depending on the weather. A heat spell can shift things a bit as can a cold spell. When the fish are keyed in on the hatch they will eat the nymph all day and hit the adults with oportunistic vengence. Leading up to and during the hatch fish will key on swung adults in the riffles and runs.
The nymphs are swimmers and found usually in rocky freestone streams with some mud bottoms in places. When it is getting time to hatch the nymphs began migrating towards the bank and actually crawl up on rocks and emerge out of their nymphal schuk like a stonefly on the rocks. On bigger rivers though they can be seen emerging like a standard mayfly as well, bottom line is you can't miss them on the water and you can't miss the schucks on the rocks.
The Nymphs are a blackish/purple color with a long slender swimmer nymph profile and the adult is a dark purplish/gray. I have developed a few patterns to fish this hatch. The most successful pattern I have come up with is "Hogan's Isonychia nymph". I fish this pattern under an indicator with plenty of split shot and then if I know the hatch has been coming off I will swing this bug through runs and tail outs prior to the hatch starting. Once the hatch starts I fish a parachute adams or a few emerger patterns that I am still tweaking a bit. The big thing to remember during the hatch is that these bugs emerge on the rocks and are only on the water to lay eggs for the most part.
Chasing hatches is not my bag as most of the time an angler finds more people on the water than bugs (remember I live in California). The Iso hatch is not that way. I have been fishing a few local rivers lately chasing these bugs and have yet to see a sole. Mind you these are waters that would be PACKED in the spring and are just not associated with doldrum fishing.
I love this hatch is it reminds me of the big bugs of spring right before the small bugs of fall and the even smaller bugs of winter become the norm.
In other news...A great victory for the Irish this past saturday against a pretty tough Purdue team. The Kelly era is looking good as the team played with an intensity I hadn't seen under Charlie. Running game looked great and Christ spread the ball around and played a conservative game at QB which is nice to see after Clausen. I think the Defense needs some work but looked much improved against a quality Purdue team. Next week we have Michigan...and I hate Michigan and Rich Rodriquez...but I have to give them credit they looked good against UConn (who beat us up last year). Mich's new QB looked solid and it looks like Rodriquez finally has the athletes at Mich to run his spread offense. Either way it is gonna be a hell of a match up.
Other than that Go IRISH, Giants keep it together and get in the playoffs, fish - start eating eggs soon
Isonychia are a mayfly, and not of the BWO/PMD variety, these things are big. Most of the nymphs in my local waters are #8-10 and the adults are an easy #10 if not an #8 early on in the hatch. The nymphs began to get active right around labor day weekend and the hatch begans usually a few days or weeks later, peaking around mid september, all depending on the weather. A heat spell can shift things a bit as can a cold spell. When the fish are keyed in on the hatch they will eat the nymph all day and hit the adults with oportunistic vengence. Leading up to and during the hatch fish will key on swung adults in the riffles and runs.
The nymphs are swimmers and found usually in rocky freestone streams with some mud bottoms in places. When it is getting time to hatch the nymphs began migrating towards the bank and actually crawl up on rocks and emerge out of their nymphal schuk like a stonefly on the rocks. On bigger rivers though they can be seen emerging like a standard mayfly as well, bottom line is you can't miss them on the water and you can't miss the schucks on the rocks.
The Nymphs are a blackish/purple color with a long slender swimmer nymph profile and the adult is a dark purplish/gray. I have developed a few patterns to fish this hatch. The most successful pattern I have come up with is "Hogan's Isonychia nymph". I fish this pattern under an indicator with plenty of split shot and then if I know the hatch has been coming off I will swing this bug through runs and tail outs prior to the hatch starting. Once the hatch starts I fish a parachute adams or a few emerger patterns that I am still tweaking a bit. The big thing to remember during the hatch is that these bugs emerge on the rocks and are only on the water to lay eggs for the most part.
Chasing hatches is not my bag as most of the time an angler finds more people on the water than bugs (remember I live in California). The Iso hatch is not that way. I have been fishing a few local rivers lately chasing these bugs and have yet to see a sole. Mind you these are waters that would be PACKED in the spring and are just not associated with doldrum fishing.
I love this hatch is it reminds me of the big bugs of spring right before the small bugs of fall and the even smaller bugs of winter become the norm.
In other news...A great victory for the Irish this past saturday against a pretty tough Purdue team. The Kelly era is looking good as the team played with an intensity I hadn't seen under Charlie. Running game looked great and Christ spread the ball around and played a conservative game at QB which is nice to see after Clausen. I think the Defense needs some work but looked much improved against a quality Purdue team. Next week we have Michigan...and I hate Michigan and Rich Rodriquez...but I have to give them credit they looked good against UConn (who beat us up last year). Mich's new QB looked solid and it looks like Rodriquez finally has the athletes at Mich to run his spread offense. Either way it is gonna be a hell of a match up.
Other than that Go IRISH, Giants keep it together and get in the playoffs, fish - start eating eggs soon
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
A few days on the Lower Sac...
Guided the Lower Sac the last few days and found it to be a ghost town for the most part. August/september are always slow months on the river but I didn't see a soul. Floated from Anderson River Park down to Jelly's Ferry and fishing was pretty good. Good action on caddis patterns through out the float and rubber legs once we got below Balls Ferry. Boated a ton of fish high 30's but nothing really big most fish were between 14-16" with a few around 17". A good numbers stretch. Didn't see one salmon...which is a bit scary.
The Lower Yuba above the bridge closes today and the flows should stabilize around 1000cfs after the last week as Yuba Co. Drops the flows. Fishing should really start to pick up in a week or so once everything settles in.
The Striper fishing has been tough as flows have dropped in the lower river down around 6000cfs. Holding water shrinks up and I think fish get a little spooky. Should be back out there in the next few days.
Other than that Notre Dame begans the Brian Kelly era on Saturday against Purdue and God willing the Irish will be in the BCS in a few years...I hope. GO IRISH!!!
The Lower Yuba above the bridge closes today and the flows should stabilize around 1000cfs after the last week as Yuba Co. Drops the flows. Fishing should really start to pick up in a week or so once everything settles in.
The Striper fishing has been tough as flows have dropped in the lower river down around 6000cfs. Holding water shrinks up and I think fish get a little spooky. Should be back out there in the next few days.
Other than that Notre Dame begans the Brian Kelly era on Saturday against Purdue and God willing the Irish will be in the BCS in a few years...I hope. GO IRISH!!!
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