Hairstacker
09-19-2005, 03:41 AM
Convinced the family to go camping yesterday at Sycamore Ranch on the Lower Yuba. (This was our 3rd family camping trip in 4 weeks :shock: -- spent the last two trips at Shaver Lake catching smallies every day about a dozen feet from the campsite. 8) ) After we set up camp in the late afternoon, fished dry creek flowing right there through the campground with a bass popper and hooked up on a couple bass on top, nothing big. Spoke for a while with a guy who was leaving the Lower Yuba with a spey rod -- he said he had caught two salmon, both about a yard long.
As I worked my way down, I ran into Mark Pinto, a professional guide out of Stockton, who was camping two doors down from us. Real friendly guy, offered me free advice on fly selection and rigging without me even asking. He said his client had done well yesterday, catching over a dozen fish by fishing out of a drift boat with a Bird's Nest and Fox Poopah dropper under an indicator set about 5 feet above the first fly. He said the fish were taking the Fox Poopah. He advised me to hurry out and catch the evening caddis hatch with a #14 Elk Hair Caddis, as there should be fish rising all over the place.
I followed his advice and fished the last 30 minutes of daylight right there across Sycamore Ranch. Sure enough, just as Mark said there would be, there were fish rising and jumping all over the place to emerging caddis flies. I wet waded out as far as I dared in rubber-soled shoes but, alas, I didn't manage to hook up. It was a fabulous sight though to see all those rising, slashing, and jumping fish.
Fished the Lower Yuba again for a couple hours in the morning before we broke camp. At first I started using an indicator rig, and I had to fling it as far as I could to reach the fish (I was wet wading with rubber soles) in a nice run but I didn't care much for that style of fishing so I resorted to swinging a Fox Poopah through some riffles. Got a bump through a swing but otherwise got skunked. :oops: Did see some fish starting to rise just before I left in a huge pool but, alas, it was time to break camp.
All in all, even though I didn't hook up, I hope to return soon. There's a lot of fish just across from the campground, which offers tent camping on green grass, with fire pits, clean porta pottys, trees for shade, etc., for $20 a night. Might consider bug spray, as I did get eaten a little by a few skeeters.
As I worked my way down, I ran into Mark Pinto, a professional guide out of Stockton, who was camping two doors down from us. Real friendly guy, offered me free advice on fly selection and rigging without me even asking. He said his client had done well yesterday, catching over a dozen fish by fishing out of a drift boat with a Bird's Nest and Fox Poopah dropper under an indicator set about 5 feet above the first fly. He said the fish were taking the Fox Poopah. He advised me to hurry out and catch the evening caddis hatch with a #14 Elk Hair Caddis, as there should be fish rising all over the place.
I followed his advice and fished the last 30 minutes of daylight right there across Sycamore Ranch. Sure enough, just as Mark said there would be, there were fish rising and jumping all over the place to emerging caddis flies. I wet waded out as far as I dared in rubber-soled shoes but, alas, I didn't manage to hook up. It was a fabulous sight though to see all those rising, slashing, and jumping fish.
Fished the Lower Yuba again for a couple hours in the morning before we broke camp. At first I started using an indicator rig, and I had to fling it as far as I could to reach the fish (I was wet wading with rubber soles) in a nice run but I didn't care much for that style of fishing so I resorted to swinging a Fox Poopah through some riffles. Got a bump through a swing but otherwise got skunked. :oops: Did see some fish starting to rise just before I left in a huge pool but, alas, it was time to break camp.
All in all, even though I didn't hook up, I hope to return soon. There's a lot of fish just across from the campground, which offers tent camping on green grass, with fire pits, clean porta pottys, trees for shade, etc., for $20 a night. Might consider bug spray, as I did get eaten a little by a few skeeters.