Bill Kiene semi-retired
01-10-2012, 08:54 PM
In spring of 2004 Jeff Putnam and friends took 3 drift boats and floated over 20 miles of inaccessable water from Boyd's Pump down stream to the mouth of the Feather River near Verona, California.
I have always wanted to do this trip and we talk about it every year.
We have now found out that the best fly fishing for Small Mouth Bass is August through October on the Feather River.
Also the best top water fly fishing is early and especially later in the day.
Jeff Putam was nice enough to write up his memories of his "excellent adventure".
__________________________________________________ ________________________
Our trip began at 3:30 AM at Boyd's Pump boat ramp on the Feather River off of Levee Road south of Yuba City. It was the last Saturday of April, 2004 when most were headed to the higher elevation rivers and streams fishing for trout. After launching three drift boats, three of us drove our trucks and trailers to Verona, our takeout, paid a small parking fee and drove back to meet the others who were watching the boats at Boyd's Pump boat ramp. We made sure the vehicles left at Boyd's pump parking lot had no valuables left in them, and placed a handwritten sign on the seat that read “no valuables in vehicle”. I even left my glovebox open and unscrewed the light to not drain the battery.
With coolers filled with food and beverages (plenty of beer) along with a small fly shop and five hard-core industry fly fishermen/friends/nuts, we rowed upstream to just below Shanghai Bend. As we got close to Shanghai Bend we fished heavy sinking lines with big 2/0 - 4/0 Clousers into deeper pools and runs….mainly slow moving frog water with any noticeable current seams.
As we approached the falls Shad fishermen were lined on the banks and fishing from boats, hooking up every few mins. You could look in the water and below the boat spot huge schools of Shad, drop a fasting tip and any shad fly or fly for that matter, swing it a few feet before hooking one Shad after another. With the crowded combat fishing behind us, we lifted anchors and began a float down river with our focus on Striped Bass, especially the big ones.
From Boyd's Pump downstream for the first mile there was a lot of blind casting to any structure we could find including depressions, down trees and snags along with a few levee structures that seemed good holding water for Stripers. The river had dropped over 1,500 cfs within the two days prior to our arrival which made the water clearer and the fish easier to spot as well as more wary of the group of approaching fly fisherman.
After a mile or so of floating and unsuccessful catching, but great fishing, we stood up in our boats to try to spot fish in the river as it was shallow and clear enough to see 60 or 70 feet through the water’s surface glare. We occasionally saw 2 to 3 stripers in a school however they saw us before we could even get close enough to make a cast. The sun began to set as we got close to Star Bend were we noticed more structure, including drop-offs and current seams as the river began to curve. At one of the first sharp left turns the river made we all got into a small school of stripers from 2 to 5 pounds with a couple pushing 10 pounds following the small ones to the boat during the fight. We continued floating, casting to structure that we thought would hold fish and began to notice a pattern of shallow sandbars and drop-offs repeating one after the other as we drifted down river. Our focus was casting and fishing the deeper slots, especially since the water had dropped. During the entire time looking in the water we noticed huge schools of small bait fish, which included Squawfish, small steelhead and salmon smolt and even Small Mouth Bass.
Now that the sun was setting we decided to camp on a long sandbar close to a drop off which included a flat that was 1 to 3 feet deep located front of our camp. The flat was about 150 yards long and as we were setting up camp you'd occasionally see a “V” wake as fish swam across the shallow sandy flats in search of food. It took many more hours than it should have. It was a sight to see as one of us would spot the “V” wake swimming upriver, grab a rod and run like hell to intercept the “V” wake by wading into position without spooking the fish. A couple smaller schoolies were hooked this way; however, the big fish didn't want to play this game. We continued to fish through the evening and hooked smaller schoolie Stripers as we heard the occasional loud splash. After a long evening fire, plenty of beer and some great stories we called a night and headed back to our tents. As I laid down in almost complete silence my ears were tuned to any splash I hear and of course I wanted to grab my headlamp and fly rod and start casting like hell in the dark hoping for a grab.
As the sun began to rise we're all eager to fish the morning grab. We mainly fished close to our camp targeting any water deeper than 3 to 4 feet, especially the drop-offs that would disappear to 10 to 15 feet. As the sun rose higher in the sky it was time to pack up our camp for the first day, fish our way down river spotting schools of Shad, dropping anchor and hooking up several times before continuing downriver in pursuit of the Feather Rivers ultimate finned predator, the Striped Bass.
The mid-day heat slowed down our enthusiasm as the fishing slowed considerably too. It made a perfect time to take the occasional swim and enjoy the quiet scenery. Constantly looking for structure we would locate improved levees with rock walls that made great Smallmouth habitat. Even though we focused hard on Smallmouth during the day and through everything at them, only 3 to 5 fish were hooked between three boats and six fishermen. The biggest fish was only 13 inches. The obvious choice during the brightest, hottest time of the day was to kick back in the seat, grab a beer and enjoy the float.
Just upstream of the highway 99 Nicholas Bridge on the left side of the river was some of the best looking Striper water we floated through. Since there is so much sand throughout this stretch of river and it changes every year but seems to consistently hold some of the largest Stripers in the river. I would attribute this to the lack of fishing pressure due to its remote location and private access, unless by boat or landowner permission (don’t even bother asking). This area is where the Bear River joins the Feather River and is a primary focus as one of the best fishing holes on the lower Feather River. We decided to set up camp for second night just below the hole on another sandbar. We fished in the evening till dark and when the fish stories were over we all were eager to get some sleep after spending all day in the sun rowing and fishing, we were exhausted.
The next day we floated in the morning and again targeted Stripers with very little success. Below the Nicholas Bridge the river makes a sharp left turn and this is one of the deepest holes in the entire lower river. We spent a lot of time in this area throwing really heavy sink-tips and big flies for Stripers. I believe this hole is over 30 feet deep in some places and just below this area on river right is a pump that when turned on provided a stream of water were baitfish collected and Smallmouth along with small Stripers were there to feed. For the next mile or so the river was extremely slow so everyone had a chance to jump on the oars and help to row through the frog water. About a half a mile above the confluence of the Feather and Sacramento Rivers, more structure becomes apparent with submerged sandbars, drop-offs and a few noticeable current seams.
As we approached the mouth we noticed the apparent color line where the clear water from the Feather River met with the off color water from the Sacramento River. We dropped anchor on river left and cast across the Feather River to the color line of the Sacramento River. We caught many Shad some more schoolie Stripers as the sun began to set and our last day came to an end. Just as the sun left the water surface and drop behind the trees, everyone noticed the color line began to boil as a huge school of Shad that were 2 to 4 pounds in size began jumping out of the water while being chased by several Stripers in excess of 20 pounds plus. There were a few tales of fish slapping the water that could indicate a fish over 30 possibly 40 pounds in size. This exciting event took place in a matter of less than 10 seconds while we threw six weight rods and shooting heads landing Shad on almost every other cast. Immediately the lineup of guys in the boats drop the rods and quickly grabbed the closest Striper rod they could find in the boat and began casting as if $1000 bills were floating and the object was to hook as many as you could and you only had a few seconds to do it. They say fly fishermen enjoy the sport because it can be slow and calm and relaxing; however, when a group of addicted fly fishermen are exposed to 5 seconds of “chaotic giant boiling stripers” chasing shad, no one moves faster.
After sunset we floated another 200 to yards and took out at the Verona boat ramp where our trucks and trailers were awaiting. We shared our experiences and left one of the finest flyfishing adventures I'd ever had.
by Jeff Putnam
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __
I remember talking with Jeff right after this wonderful trip and he and his friends felt that having the river drop so much just before they left and the fact that in the spring there are thousands of baby fish of all speies in there for food that the Stripers and Smallmouth were not taking flies as well as they can at times.
.
I have always wanted to do this trip and we talk about it every year.
We have now found out that the best fly fishing for Small Mouth Bass is August through October on the Feather River.
Also the best top water fly fishing is early and especially later in the day.
Jeff Putam was nice enough to write up his memories of his "excellent adventure".
__________________________________________________ ________________________
Our trip began at 3:30 AM at Boyd's Pump boat ramp on the Feather River off of Levee Road south of Yuba City. It was the last Saturday of April, 2004 when most were headed to the higher elevation rivers and streams fishing for trout. After launching three drift boats, three of us drove our trucks and trailers to Verona, our takeout, paid a small parking fee and drove back to meet the others who were watching the boats at Boyd's Pump boat ramp. We made sure the vehicles left at Boyd's pump parking lot had no valuables left in them, and placed a handwritten sign on the seat that read “no valuables in vehicle”. I even left my glovebox open and unscrewed the light to not drain the battery.
With coolers filled with food and beverages (plenty of beer) along with a small fly shop and five hard-core industry fly fishermen/friends/nuts, we rowed upstream to just below Shanghai Bend. As we got close to Shanghai Bend we fished heavy sinking lines with big 2/0 - 4/0 Clousers into deeper pools and runs….mainly slow moving frog water with any noticeable current seams.
As we approached the falls Shad fishermen were lined on the banks and fishing from boats, hooking up every few mins. You could look in the water and below the boat spot huge schools of Shad, drop a fasting tip and any shad fly or fly for that matter, swing it a few feet before hooking one Shad after another. With the crowded combat fishing behind us, we lifted anchors and began a float down river with our focus on Striped Bass, especially the big ones.
From Boyd's Pump downstream for the first mile there was a lot of blind casting to any structure we could find including depressions, down trees and snags along with a few levee structures that seemed good holding water for Stripers. The river had dropped over 1,500 cfs within the two days prior to our arrival which made the water clearer and the fish easier to spot as well as more wary of the group of approaching fly fisherman.
After a mile or so of floating and unsuccessful catching, but great fishing, we stood up in our boats to try to spot fish in the river as it was shallow and clear enough to see 60 or 70 feet through the water’s surface glare. We occasionally saw 2 to 3 stripers in a school however they saw us before we could even get close enough to make a cast. The sun began to set as we got close to Star Bend were we noticed more structure, including drop-offs and current seams as the river began to curve. At one of the first sharp left turns the river made we all got into a small school of stripers from 2 to 5 pounds with a couple pushing 10 pounds following the small ones to the boat during the fight. We continued floating, casting to structure that we thought would hold fish and began to notice a pattern of shallow sandbars and drop-offs repeating one after the other as we drifted down river. Our focus was casting and fishing the deeper slots, especially since the water had dropped. During the entire time looking in the water we noticed huge schools of small bait fish, which included Squawfish, small steelhead and salmon smolt and even Small Mouth Bass.
Now that the sun was setting we decided to camp on a long sandbar close to a drop off which included a flat that was 1 to 3 feet deep located front of our camp. The flat was about 150 yards long and as we were setting up camp you'd occasionally see a “V” wake as fish swam across the shallow sandy flats in search of food. It took many more hours than it should have. It was a sight to see as one of us would spot the “V” wake swimming upriver, grab a rod and run like hell to intercept the “V” wake by wading into position without spooking the fish. A couple smaller schoolies were hooked this way; however, the big fish didn't want to play this game. We continued to fish through the evening and hooked smaller schoolie Stripers as we heard the occasional loud splash. After a long evening fire, plenty of beer and some great stories we called a night and headed back to our tents. As I laid down in almost complete silence my ears were tuned to any splash I hear and of course I wanted to grab my headlamp and fly rod and start casting like hell in the dark hoping for a grab.
As the sun began to rise we're all eager to fish the morning grab. We mainly fished close to our camp targeting any water deeper than 3 to 4 feet, especially the drop-offs that would disappear to 10 to 15 feet. As the sun rose higher in the sky it was time to pack up our camp for the first day, fish our way down river spotting schools of Shad, dropping anchor and hooking up several times before continuing downriver in pursuit of the Feather Rivers ultimate finned predator, the Striped Bass.
The mid-day heat slowed down our enthusiasm as the fishing slowed considerably too. It made a perfect time to take the occasional swim and enjoy the quiet scenery. Constantly looking for structure we would locate improved levees with rock walls that made great Smallmouth habitat. Even though we focused hard on Smallmouth during the day and through everything at them, only 3 to 5 fish were hooked between three boats and six fishermen. The biggest fish was only 13 inches. The obvious choice during the brightest, hottest time of the day was to kick back in the seat, grab a beer and enjoy the float.
Just upstream of the highway 99 Nicholas Bridge on the left side of the river was some of the best looking Striper water we floated through. Since there is so much sand throughout this stretch of river and it changes every year but seems to consistently hold some of the largest Stripers in the river. I would attribute this to the lack of fishing pressure due to its remote location and private access, unless by boat or landowner permission (don’t even bother asking). This area is where the Bear River joins the Feather River and is a primary focus as one of the best fishing holes on the lower Feather River. We decided to set up camp for second night just below the hole on another sandbar. We fished in the evening till dark and when the fish stories were over we all were eager to get some sleep after spending all day in the sun rowing and fishing, we were exhausted.
The next day we floated in the morning and again targeted Stripers with very little success. Below the Nicholas Bridge the river makes a sharp left turn and this is one of the deepest holes in the entire lower river. We spent a lot of time in this area throwing really heavy sink-tips and big flies for Stripers. I believe this hole is over 30 feet deep in some places and just below this area on river right is a pump that when turned on provided a stream of water were baitfish collected and Smallmouth along with small Stripers were there to feed. For the next mile or so the river was extremely slow so everyone had a chance to jump on the oars and help to row through the frog water. About a half a mile above the confluence of the Feather and Sacramento Rivers, more structure becomes apparent with submerged sandbars, drop-offs and a few noticeable current seams.
As we approached the mouth we noticed the apparent color line where the clear water from the Feather River met with the off color water from the Sacramento River. We dropped anchor on river left and cast across the Feather River to the color line of the Sacramento River. We caught many Shad some more schoolie Stripers as the sun began to set and our last day came to an end. Just as the sun left the water surface and drop behind the trees, everyone noticed the color line began to boil as a huge school of Shad that were 2 to 4 pounds in size began jumping out of the water while being chased by several Stripers in excess of 20 pounds plus. There were a few tales of fish slapping the water that could indicate a fish over 30 possibly 40 pounds in size. This exciting event took place in a matter of less than 10 seconds while we threw six weight rods and shooting heads landing Shad on almost every other cast. Immediately the lineup of guys in the boats drop the rods and quickly grabbed the closest Striper rod they could find in the boat and began casting as if $1000 bills were floating and the object was to hook as many as you could and you only had a few seconds to do it. They say fly fishermen enjoy the sport because it can be slow and calm and relaxing; however, when a group of addicted fly fishermen are exposed to 5 seconds of “chaotic giant boiling stripers” chasing shad, no one moves faster.
After sunset we floated another 200 to yards and took out at the Verona boat ramp where our trucks and trailers were awaiting. We shared our experiences and left one of the finest flyfishing adventures I'd ever had.
by Jeff Putnam
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ __
I remember talking with Jeff right after this wonderful trip and he and his friends felt that having the river drop so much just before they left and the fact that in the spring there are thousands of baby fish of all speies in there for food that the Stripers and Smallmouth were not taking flies as well as they can at times.
.