The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Alrighty... so, I'm up here in Placerville looking to learn more about my new watershed on the South Fork American. Sure, this is not generally considered good fishing, but for me it is close and it has fish, which are both good things, so I'll call it good fishing.

About a month ago I went out and had a decent day on the S. Fork with 12 fish, mostly in the 7-9 inch range, but hey, it was close so that was great. I went out about a week ago and the conditions had changed... the water was very clear and a bit low and the fishing was what I like to call "bad" (although, hey, I was out fishing, so that was, in fact, good).

My question is... where did those fish go? If they were there it seems I would have spooked a few or seen a couple, but there was nothing. I have been trying to figure it out... I have two scenarios... A) they sensed the lowering of the river and noticed it was clearer so they headed to the biggest, deepest hole they could find to winter in... B ) sensing those same things they headed downstream to the forebay at Slab Creek dam...

Which of those two do think most likely, or is there a C or D I have not considered?

B-

Hmm... I don't have any insight on winter fish behavior, BUT I would say you live in a pretty good spot. I'm 40 miles down the hill, but the majority of my fishing goes on in the A's drainage. I'd highly recommend "Fly Fishing the Tahoe Region," by Stephen Haggard. I don't know the author or anything like that, the book is just ridiculously detailed and is the only book I know of that covers the forks of the A. I think there's something like 60+ streams covered in there. Many, many of those are within 10-45 minutes of Placerville.

I know I have never had much luck in the South Fork, and there's a couple small streams that I consistently catch larger fish than I ever have in the South Fork.

Good luck with those winter guys! I'm guessing they can be pretty crafty.

Thanks. I have that book... somewhere... the books are the only thing we have not unpacked and are still in the garage in boxes from our move. Might need to do some exploring in those boxes to find that book. The A system has not generally been open at this time of year, so not even the local locals can shed any light on what happens this time of year... oh well. Figuring out things is half the fun.

B-

Yes they probably did do what you suggest. They also may have moved for many other reasons. Animal behavior is a very tricky subject, but your suggestions are very plausible.

They're still there, the water has just gotten colder and has made the fishing tough. Fish generally move back into slower deeper water when it gets cold. They'll be in the same holes just a little further back. They can still be in the front of deeper holes but they'll be down on the bottom where there isn't any current. The fish "migrating" any measurable distance doesn't seem very likely to me unless you are talking about fish coming upstream from the lake to spawn. I'm guessing that the SF of the A is a freestone stream? It's been my experience that Winter fish can be lethargic and usually don't feed much during non hatch periods once the water gets really cold. It's not quite as bad in tailwaters since the water doesn't tend to get as cold as natural streams. This time of year BWO's are coming off pretty much everywhere so I would bet they are in the SF of the A too. You should see them during the warmest part of the day. Matching the hatch is a lot more important when the water gets cold since that seems to be the only time they really feed. I'd look for risers in the calm water. If I couldn't find any I'd nymph with BWO nymphs and emergers. Fishing before or after the hatch can pretty much be a waste of time.

How about C?

Got cold, water slowed down, so they headed for the nearest tavern for a pint to thicken their blood.

Beerfly