North Fork Yuba River Report
The wild trout are looking up on the North Fork Yuba River and it's all about the dry fly now. I've been guiding and fishing both below and above Sierra City with great clients and enthusiastic hungry rainbows. Water temps in the morning have been 56.3 rising to 61 degrees in the afternoon. Flows are near perfect conditions, personally I like the flows just a tad less which makes for better dry fly fishing. Fishing pressure remains light and those who are fishing are staying in one spot. My advice and Cyberfly's motto is "Stick and move, stick and move" which boils down to work your way upstream and cover a lot of water for big number days.
It's a banner year for the Golden Stone, I've never seen so many shucks on one rock before! Plenty of female adults ovipositing during the day. Overall Caddis flies ranging from #12-18 are the most prolific aquatic insects right now, Yellow Sallies are not far behind. PED spinners are out in the evening mating and laying eggs as well.
Wild rainbows range from 5-12" and are very eager for anything on top. I have caught all my fish on my foam hopper, gray bottom with hints of yellow through the mid section, and a tan top size 10. For my clients I used the same fly but with a BH PT flashback dropper in a 16. We found fish in the usual spots, the deeper slicks and riffles. But many fish were in skinny shaded frog water, and when that hopper was drifted through they would dart out from their cave and attack! Some trout took the hopper so slow and confidently that you just knew they thought it was the real thing - I like that!
The PCT does not provide good fishing access because of "The Gorge", it's impossible for an angler to navigate around. But it's worth the short hike down to see Loves Falls. While your down there check out the drift wood high on the rock walls upstream of the PCT bridge; That will give a picture of the huge volume of water that passes through here!
Drop everything you're doing, now is the time to fish the North Fork Yuba! The river will fish well all summer long but keep in mind as the weather gets hotter it's best to move up the water shed with an emphasis on mornings and evenings. Attractor flies like red and yellow humpys size 14-18 will be productive during the day when the hatches are sparse, or try the club sandwich hopper - Just keep it on the small side.
I absolutely love this river, it's loud, rough, and so damn beautiful! The best is yet come as the Seep Spring, Scarlet, and Lewis's monkey flowers have not even popped yet. I'll be back up this coming Sunday introducing some more fly anglers to this most amazing river, and at the end of the day I get to hear them scream "This place rules"!
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