The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

I've visited this board in times past, just eaves dropping on fishing reports and keeping tabs with the fly fishing community. But I've decided it's now time to join the support group and get some help with my addiction.

it's the Yuba River that gets me. I've fished many of the area streams and rivers (everywhere from the Truckee to the Trinity and many places in between) and have had good success. but the Yuba skunks me more often than not. I've decided that this summer, things are gonna change. I might need some help from you longtimers on the Yuba, but the first step in overcoming is recognizing you have a problem.

If there's anyone who would like to share their secrets to success on the Yuba, I'd love to hear from you. If it means spending some time on the river with you, I'm open to that, too. I'm tired of getting skunked!

Hi Dave. The first step is admitting you have a problem. You've taken a bold first step. I recommend you go small, go sawyer and serendipity dropper and don't stop till your arm falls off.

I'll await a report on your progress towards curing this addiction. There have been many before you that have attempted this path, only to get sucked in deeper. Take solace, you're with many like you now.

I see them worm guys doing just fine especially in the closed areas.

All kidding aside, I agree with Phil on size. Sometimes it pays just to go to the river and observe activity on the water. Don't be so anxious to throw flies. You are trying to solve a puzzle. A hatch is not that difficult to spot. I like to cheat. Look for bird activity on the water. Birds over the water help to locate insects coming off the water. Normally these bugs are pretty small. I'll watch until I see fish on the surface around the areas birds are working. If you don't see birds, you are out of luck with this technique. Staying with the same theme, run a dropper as Phil has suggested behind a dry by about 18" or so. And use the dry as a visual indicator of where your dropper is on the water. Any fish around your dry is when you should set your hook. If anyone comes along, they will think that you are fishing dries and not emergers. 18's and 20's always worked for me with the scenario described. The tough part is patience. Don't walk close to the bank and locate feeding birds from a distance. Below the birds you will find finned predators subsurface as well. Locate the food source and you are in the cat bird's seat. It ain't dry fly fishing or dredging nymphs, but in the clutch, it helps keep the skunk off. The best part is when folks jump in your run and toss dry flies where you are and get rejections. They will ask what dry you are using. It doesn't hurt to tell them, but the dry is just an indicator and will only frustrate them more. Sometimes I add plenty of large split shot right about now and aim for their heads in hopes that they move on.

If you see a successful fisherman, drop the rod and your vest or day pack behind you and approach them unarmed, so to speak. You show that you are not trying to bogart their spot. Ask them how they located the fish, etc. They will in most cases share the knowledge. Don't be cocky in your approach. You'll be amazed how much information you can garner for next time you fish the river, unless they invite you to fish with them. This technique has worked 90% of the time for folks that I have suggested it to. Just don't walk up with rod in hand and cast right over the individual's shoulder, as this approach never accomplished anything except hostility and rage from the fellow angler(s).

Buy a seine or make one yourself one with screen door material and start collecting samples of the insects in the water column until you can predict without error what is occurring. Notice that I say water column, so do not kick up rocks and debris on the bottom as this sample will only tell you what is under rocks, etc. You want to know what is floating along helplessly in the current as the food source. This sampling should give a pretty good idea what is happening subsurface for your specific time frame. Just imitate your sampling with size and shape and you are in the game.

Hope this helps.

Phil and Gitt, this is exactly the kind of help I was hoping for. I should mention though, that I've tried the dropper technique on the yuba with no results. Actually, the most fun I've ever had with that is on the Trinity when I had simultaneous strikes on both the dropper and the indicator. I was fishing just below Lewiston in the FFO area. I have to admit they aint too picky there, in fact, I bet they'd strike a piece of gum if it would float.

I'm willing to admit that my technique might be all screwed up. Might be how I'm tying it all together. who knows? Either of you two going fishing sometime and wouldn't mind someone observing how you do it?

There are some good pointers in there for all of us. Thanks.

If you are having no luck, then perhaps you should fish different water or even try a different dropper- change the situation and go into search mode. Are you getting samples of the insects in the area that you are fishing? You do need to have some idea of the stream entomology, but you don't have to know the names or anything, just mimic the sampling. Locating fish is another thing. That is why I mentioned the bird activity- sure its kind of cheating, but heck, even I need every advantage I can get. Fish below riffles, in transitional areas where there is highly oxygenated water. Try something different until you have an agreeable conditioned response- that tug on the other end. Even better is casting to feeding fish, but you have to locate them first.

The key to what we are trying to do is playing one of the roles of predator/prey relationships. Some stealth in seeking out your prey is necessary. It is primarily observation and discovery. When in seek mode, you are trying to discover where the fish are located and what they are feeding on as well. Once you figure that out, then you want to concentrate on how you can replicate the same conditions with your offering.

Fish are advantageous, just like any other species. Here is a good example. My daughter was in Yosemite a couple of weeks ago. She spotted a bobcat. During her observations, the bobcat spotted a squirrel that folks were hand feeding. The bobcat took advantage of the squirrel's pre occupation with the handout and sped in for the kill right in front of the group feeding the squirrel. Something has to be said about letting one's guard down and at the same time becoming vulnerable to predators in the same instance. Again, its all about predator-prey relationships. The bobcat was taking advantage of the situation, although there were risks involved being that close to humans. Somehow it knew that it was relatively safe in this particular instance, where as the squirrel made a nice meal.

My previous note about observation does not just include your prey. Watch and recall what the successful fishermen around you are doing, where they caught the fish and why. Take written or mental note and use this information to your advantage. If all else fails, hire a guide. They are indispensable in the information they provide for time on the water and for locating fish. I refer to it as the experience in hopes of garnering a morsel information about unfamiliar waters. Last but not least, we are all still learning how to ply this craft to some extent. Ask a lot of questions, be curious and come to your own conclusions as well. Get out there and do it again.

Gitt, you ROCK!! I'm gonna try and get out either Monday or Tuesday of this next week. I'll let you know how it goes. thanks for the encouragement!

here's some suggestions..when you get to a river..sit and watch for a bit, turn over a few rocks to see what bugs are about..and think like a fish,,where is the best place to be to ambush a tibit floating by?

Good luck

Paul

My 2 cents, though it may not be worth quite that much. Much of this is really common knowledge for those that regulaly fish the Y.

Like many on the board, I've fished the Y for over 10 years. First off, she just isn't what she used to be. Back to back floods a couple years ago really did some damage. As I live in Sac, I can pick and chose when to fish the river. Like any river the Y fishes better at certain times of the year and certain times of the day (duh). With the said, I've found the Y to be much more tempremental than others. It's usually not too difficult to stick some fish just about any time in a lot of our freestone rivers. The Y to me is a different animal, and can be just plain tough at times. Because of this I've developed a bit of a seasonal pattern. The Y fishes great in May and early June (think Pmds, followed by caddis, and throw in some golden stones). Rather than fish all day, I chose to fish the last couple hours of light and almost always find fish looking up (often you don't have to wait for the rises). Also, fish late! I don't mean after dark, but right up to it. I've seen plently of anglers leave 15 minutes too early only to miss a pretty epic rise. As the summer progresses this window can be pretty short. I leave the river alone during the summer as there are so many other options that won't leave you sweating at 8pm, but evening fishing really picks up again mid october to early October (caddis--swing 'em).
Also be on the lookout for mid day march browns (in april). Not sure how this hatch has been post flood, but plan to get up there in the next couple weeks. Re: Nymping. I've always had a lot more success with long drifts (think L. Sac) rather than short line nymping.