Fished the Yuba today

[Go Cal]

Great day! Hooked about 20. Started the morning fishing stone fly nymphs and then around 2 PM I switched to hoppers. There was nothing rising, I saw no hoppers on the water but just blind casted. Fish wouldn't lay off of it. Nice size ones too.

It reminds me a lot of another high water year and the successful fishing of hoppers. I beleve it was 1997.

[Go Cal]

It is fishing extremely well.

Go during the hottest part of the day. Put on a hopper, fish along the banks and the seams. It will die out about 5 but from about 2-5 it can be red hot. I haven't seen as good a hopper year as this since 1997.

I caught some of the biggest fish I have ever caught there too. However be patient when they come up. Don't set too quickly otherwise you will pull the hopper right out of their lips.

The fishing below the Highway 20 bridge is definitely where you want to be. Even if you don't see anything rising don't worry. They are there.

[cmaday]

Great advice. I think I may have to go tomorrow and try the hoppers in the afternoon. Thanks.

[Go Cal]

A little slower today. Managed some on hoppers. I understand at dusk there is an adequate caddis hatch that comes off but I didn't stay around for it. Didn't do any nymphing.

[Go Cal]

The fish were taking but you had to try everything. I bet I put on at least 20 different combos. Put a stone fly nymph with a micro mayfly dropper. Got some that way and then I had to switch. Put on a red copper john and a fbpt #16 and picked up a couple more. Swung both a bn as well as a black AP. Fished hoppers in the middle of the day and had a caddis pupa drop down from it. Even put on a zonker.

The fish are there and will take in places that look to be holding fish but you have to keep changing it up. Good luck to all.

BTW there are a lot of salmon starting to make their way up.

[MSP]

Thanks for the reports Go Cal, keep them coming :!:

[Go Cal]

Another excellent day. Weather was gorgeous. Not too hot as in the past few weeks. I started with a stone fly nymphs and a caddis pupa. That worked for a couple. I then switched about 2 PM to a hopper and fished along the seams and close to the bank. Caught a number of them but most on the smaller size. (What's with all the small fish on the Yuba)? Then I put on a hopper with a #18 EC brown body and proceeded to garner a number of quality fish. Once again I saw no rises except those rising for mine. Enjoy.

[rrivera]

How's it going "Go Cal"..!!

I use to say the same thing "What's up with small fish on the Y..?"

But small fish are excellent indicators that the river is doing well in providing more generations of future hopper eaters. Small fish usually are at the head of the runs as well.

Next time your out, take a poly fast sink tip, let's say 10 or 15 foot (if you use a 15ft poly leader, take a rod and line that will turn it over.) Put an olive zonker on, cast in the middle of a 3-4 foot run and see what's happens.. :shock: Bigger bugs have bigger fish that bites them. Enjoy and good luck. -RR

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v734/rr2k5/657b40de.jpg

[Go Cal]

Thanks for the instructions. I have tried zonkers and wooleys on a number of occasions when a strike happens it is violent! Unfortunately I haven't done as well on them this year. This year has been strange. December and January were good months. March-April were some of the best ever. Then the rains came and the high water and it really wasn't until this month that the fishing has seemed to turn back on. I have noticed that a number of the big fish I caught yesterday were "skinny". I think it may take another year before the insect population comes back. I used to see quite a few PMDs. I haven't seen one since the high water. In fact I must have 50 Quigley cripples unused in my fly box.

[Go Cal]

will drop 100 cfs a day. by the end of the month it will be down to 900 and go to 750 for repairs on the dam. Same thing happened last year.

[Go Cal]

Buddy of mine told me it will be dropping 100 cfs per day until it hits 900. Also he has been picking some up on egg patterns. Good luck.

[rrivera]

I'll be there late afternoon. I'll post a report if anything happens. Ah heck...I'll post somthing anyway, I'm due for a fish story...
:-$

[Go Cal]

It was another great day. I didn't start until around 1 and fished hoppers in the middle of the river. I had rises on the first three casts and all told about 10 in one spot. I moved around doing the same strategy. Around 5 I put on a caddis pupa with an egg dropper (just for the heck of it). The caddis pupa was a hot ticket and I noticed that as I retrieved and raised my rod tip the fish would take the pupa. I also fished a #18 brown EC dry but had zero rises to it. I saw no salmon and fished above the bridge.

[Jasonh]

I fished the yuba last monday below the bridge and had no rises to hoppers or caddis. Swung some caddis pupas and zonkers and only managed one grab on an olive zonker. Just a wild guess that you are fishing quite a ways above the bridge. I am guessing on the UCD property.

Jason Hartwick

[Go Cal]

It's got about another 300 to go from what I am told.

[Go Cal]

My son and I fished the Yuba on Sunday. Went up just to the foundation hole. (didn't tresspass...didn't have to). The water is low and makes crossing back and forth very easy. Noticed some huge changes from the high water this year. Also saw quite a few salmon some which appear to have been in the river for sometime.

We did OK. Got there around 3 PM and fished hoppers. Around 6 we switched over to a caddis pupa. River above the bridge closes Sept 1 so hope to make it up there one more time.

[Go Cal]

Today I really explored and went up as far as the Narrows. It is amazing to me how much the river has changed from all of the high water. The tail out part of the Narrows has become wider, the riffle below it has also widened and what was once a pool down below has become a lake.

Stuck about a number on hoppers during the day and then used San Juan worms and caddis pupa toward the evening. Fish were typical Yuba and definitely healthy. Saw at least 10 salmon already up in the Narrows. Tried an egg pattern but got nothing.

Unfortunately all fishing above the bridge is now closed until December 1.

[Go Cal]

I could tell yesterday as the water continued to recede. It is supposed to get down to 700 cfs as they repair the dam at Englebright. I hope it doesn't affect the bugs. Too much water and now not enough can hurt the aquatic life.

[Go Cal]

way down. Looks to be a late year. Also I have heard that the DFG will be patroling the Yuba with great attentiveness. Frankly it is about time.