The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

I just packed my backpack...talk to you in a week! JK

Cleghorn is a great place for some 4wd access to the river. There are several places that are more difficult to get in at and just as rewarding.

The valma mays a coming now. Have you fish the VM hatch?

As you said it is truly an amazing fishery.

TD

No I havent. Are those the big ones?

By the way, I think that fish shrink when cooked. The fish you caught was probably around 30"...wow!!

The velma mays are up to an inch long or a bit more. There fat too. They climb out at emegence so you can see the nymphal shucks on the rocks. When you don't know any better you'll think they're stone fly shucks. If you look close they have three tails that form the fan of a swimming nymph. They are probably the strongest swimmers among the may flies. The trout will take them pretty agressively. You can indicator, swing, highstick, or fish them like a streamer in the deep pools.

Here's a free-be for you.
I sure didn't think it up. Press Powel told me to try it. Try fishing your nymphs using a straight leader. I'll go 1X to the conection loop (usually about 7 or 8 feet long) and then tie on what ever tippet I plan on using. On the MFF I won't go less then 4X. I also us a shorter tippet then most folks. I start it a 16 inches or less and as I lose flies I'll keep using it until it gets down to 6 or 8 inches. I add my bb's just above the knot from the leader to the tippet so I don't have to worry about the weight sliding down to the fly.

And DON'T FORGET! If your not loosing flies on the bottom regularly you won't be catching as many fish. I will at times put on up the two 03 slitshot and on the rare occasion I'll use three of them. I use the pinch on and off ones cause I change the amount of weight constantly based on each spot I fish.

Give it a try and let me know how it works for ya.

TD

Thanks for the info; I'll try your techniques in a week or two when I can get up there. I like the leader trick...if I can get around buying tapered leaders that would be great! Do the cast well for dry flys as well? I tied up some #8 and #10 dark mayfly looking nymphs some with beads some with led. Are the fish particular, or will they hit anything that size? Again thanks for the free-be and I'm still taking hand outs if you have any more. -Pit

The draw back with the straight leader is that you have to change the entire set up when you switch to dries.
If you can't get any velma may nymphs try a #8-#10 black AP Nymph

TD

Glad you had a great trip. I like that area as well. Definately potential for getting stuck with your vehicle down there with the tough access.

When I was much younger and not very bright, I explored the area in an old ‘56 Ford 6cyl. pickup. One spring day a friend and I descended into the Middle Fork towards Little California Mine, but we didn’t notice the “4x4 only” sign. By the time we reached that little, rusty, abandoned crawler tractor just above Greenbower Mine (not the larger Cletrac), I realized the trail was too steep for a 2 wheel drive pickup. We left the truck there and hiked on down to the river to try fishing, but the river was high and muddy. After hiking back up, getting leg cramps and almost sitting on a rattlesnake, I was somehow able to turn the pickup around right there on the hillside. We filled the back with rocks, jammed her into compound low and headed up the hill. Unfortunately, we hit a steep spot where we spun out. By mounding the rocks up in the bed and with my friend bouncing on the rear bumper, we surmounted this obstacle too. At the top of the hill as we unloaded the rocks, we noticed the caps had peeled off both rear tires so they were all cord. Slowly and gingerly we made our way back to Bucks Lake Lodge. It was after 10:00 p.m., but they generously rounded up some dinner for us. I’m older now…..that’s all.