Suggestions on a river to fish

[Ueyama]

I live in Davis, Ca. and really itching to fish different waters. I am looking for suggestions on a river to fish for trout with some conditions in mind. I do not want to fish Putah Creek (I fish this quite often) and the American. I can leave as early as 3-4am and must return home by 2pm.

Can you give some suggestions and specific locations or landmarks with my travel time and time restraints on the water.

I was thinking about hitting the Little Trucke between Boca and Stampede or the Truckee in town or along 89. The only problem is that I do not know this area. I only fished the Little Truckee once.

Thanks for the help

[Darian]

Given your requirements, I'd suggest staying in the valley and fishing places like the Lower Yuba, Lower Feather or Creeks in the Chico area. All will have Salmon, Trout or Steelhead in them at this time of year. Also, if you're interested, there're numerous opportunities to fish for warmwater species either in or around the same waters.... 8) 8) 8) Lotsa info on the BB about any of these places, as well.

As usual, get a good map and do some research. Ask questions and, above all, fish...

Good luck :D :D :D

[Terry Thomas]

Have had some good reports from Deer Creek above Chico. Check your maps for the Potato Patch campground. Should meet your time frame and the weather looks good.
T.

[Ueyama]

Terry0
I did not goto Deer Creek, buth thank you for the advice on location. I will try this soon. I hear the area is beautiful.

Darian-
Bass is not my thing, but fish some ponds during my lunch breaks when I have the rods in my care. I did do some research by pulling every possible satellite map and fishing website map. I asked around and my buddies suggested the Truckee area. One because I new some the areas and two they fished it and three my subborness forced the issue. So I decided to fish the Little Truckee. I left Davis around 4:15am after paying for gas, getting a RedBull b/c AM/PM does not brew their mud coffee that earlier and saving a buck. It took me exactly two hours to get to the river. I got their around 6:15am'ish and fished the so called "batman cave." There were about 3 rises at 7:00am in this large deep pool against a granite underbanking mountain. I threw every color and size trico, pmd, adams, and caddis with no luck. With my frustration , I switched to a two rig nymph pattern of a 14 beadless prince and 16 bh olive micromay (my own tie like the mercer, but instead of the olive turkey biot wrapped for the thorax, I use use olive dubbing then followed by copper wire). Against convention wisdom I still used a big indicator and drifted underneath the cave I casted in an awkard "side-armed" fashon to get underneath. I drifted with uncertainty as the indicator floated with a literally "snails pace." As the indicator stopped and slightly went down, I assumed it snagged b/c of its snail-like drift. I did the normal set and hooked a monster. The monster did not spring for life out of water nor race down or upstream. It simply and consistenly waved its mouth underwater. It seemed like an underwater bass shaking a huge a rapala out its mouth for dear life. As the underwater dancing stopped, it felt like a catfish as I got it to shore. To my excitement, I measured a 21 inch brown trout. To my emphathy, the brown had a cut top dorsal and scratches on its face. No camera action due to my early morning alarm.

I fished downstream and hooked a small 10 incher but did not land him. I also drove up to the meadow where 6 cars where parked. I can not imagine why anyone fishes this area. The water seemed too low. I walked up river about half to mile up and found a downed tree across the whole river and the fish were stacked up. That's the only fish I saw in the whole meadow. Hope this helps. Thank for you the advice and I hope my report helps you.

[Ed Wahl]

Not wanting to pick a fight or anything, but I'm always curious when I hear from people who fish Putah a lot. How do you treat your waders and gear after you leave the creek and before you hit other waters? Do you have one pair of waders for Putah and another for the rest of the state? Freezing? Formula 409? I'm kind of behind on the NZMS treatments.

[Paul B.]

Not wanting to pick a fight or anything, but I'm always curious when I hear from people who fish Putah a lot. How do you treat your waders and gear after you leave the creek and before you hit other waters? Do you have one pair of waders for Putah and another for the rest of the state? Freezing? Formula 409? I'm kind of behind on the NZMS treatments.

I have a chest freezer so it's easy for me. I dump everything in over night. My wife hates it but it works. I heard the 409 treatment may not be the answer. Paul

[chemdoc]

I have separate boots I use on Putah and used to have separate waders as well, but they started leaking too much. So now I just put mine in the freezer overnight (without mentioning it to my wife).

Phil

[CW]

Boys - http://www.kiene.com/articles/NZMSreport.pdf pages 32-37 gives the specifics. Everyone has given accurate info, I have a few sets of gear as well, but, 1 to 1 ratio of 409 disinfectant with clean water is one option, but if you are unsure, freeze the gear over night in addition to one of the cleansing solutions.

Uyeyama - nice work, incredible fish, thx for the report. Don't be afraid to fish that skinny water if it has the cover, even <80 cfs -the fish are there. Long skinny leader, small bugs, and stay back from the bank - they are tweakers. What's Putah like these days, anyways? Summer irrigation flows?

[Ueyama]

As for the situation with NZMS, I have two sets of boots and waders. I use a dedicated set just for Putah. Thank you for the advice on the meadow land. Putah is fishing good. This cool down in weather will change eating habits for the trout. They will be eating a lot as they are trying to fatten up for the winter and the upcoming spawning season. Knowing where to go and where to stay away is crucial. If I am not doing well in my honey holes then I will venture to the bridge in desperation to land a few. In my opinion, there is not enough space for decent and polite spacing. I tend to go where no one ventures. The flows are good right now and have been steady. I hope this helps. I love dry fly fising late @ night, below the island. The island @ #5 is always fun and up river. Between the #'ed parking areas are always a good bet. Hope this helps.

The Yuba where highway 20 crosses is one of the favorite spots near you
de

[andanb]

I have dedicated waders for Putah and Solano lake. Saves any hassle.