Tony Buzolich
06-09-2011, 10:06 PM
This year has to go down as one of the best for stripers on the Feather. The high water has just kept them coming and when you start to think it's all over you'll have another great day and it seems to not be slowing down.
Several weeks ago there were lots of spawning fish showing on the surface when the water was in the low 50 degrees. Today the water was 58-59 degrees and they're still spawning openly in midstream. Several fish taken today were spilling milt and others seemed like they weren't even ready.
The river came up a little in the last couple of days and the big schools that were way down river seemed to have come back up as well. The water is still going over the falls at Shanghai so you know there are plently of fish in the Yuba and all the way up to Oroville.
The days have really changed now and it starts getting light well before 5:00AM. If you're heading out real early or real late you'll find cooperating fish. But once that sun gets high on the water they go deep and shut down. The water has gotten fairly clear and I've been using a more realistic pattern fly with large eyes and natural colors. Check out my Full Dressed Sardina pattern. I've been throwing them un-weighted in the shallows as more and more of the river is in the 4'-6' range.
If the SAC ever settles down and clears I'm sure things will turn on over there too.
TONY
Several weeks ago there were lots of spawning fish showing on the surface when the water was in the low 50 degrees. Today the water was 58-59 degrees and they're still spawning openly in midstream. Several fish taken today were spilling milt and others seemed like they weren't even ready.
The river came up a little in the last couple of days and the big schools that were way down river seemed to have come back up as well. The water is still going over the falls at Shanghai so you know there are plently of fish in the Yuba and all the way up to Oroville.
The days have really changed now and it starts getting light well before 5:00AM. If you're heading out real early or real late you'll find cooperating fish. But once that sun gets high on the water they go deep and shut down. The water has gotten fairly clear and I've been using a more realistic pattern fly with large eyes and natural colors. Check out my Full Dressed Sardina pattern. I've been throwing them un-weighted in the shallows as more and more of the river is in the 4'-6' range.
If the SAC ever settles down and clears I'm sure things will turn on over there too.
TONY