Lower Sacramento River

I spent 3 days over the last week on the Lower Sac floating from Bonnie View down to Anderson. The flows are crazy low around 3600cfs coming out of Keswick. Fishing was pretty darn good most days…no huge fish but really good numbers for late November. Most fish came on beads, small mayfly nymphs (a few new ones I am working on), and rubber legs. There were still a few fish hanging in reds but most fish were in the riffles hanging off the reds and back in some deeper water. The flats were tough and we only got a few smaller fish in the flats. December is traditionally a big fish month on the L. Sac. Not big numbers of fish of but some really nice fish. Last December I caught some of the biggest rainbows I had caught on the Sac so hopefully this December will be the same.

Lower Feather River

I spent two days last week on the Feather. Usually Thanksgiving week is my last days on the feather for the fall. Usually weather has mixed things up on the Lower Yuba and moved some of the Yuba Winter Steelhead up river and I move over to the Lower Yuba and Lower Sac for Dec-Feb, until the first pushes of spring steelhead show up in March on the Feather. This year though with the good returns the last week was hard to believe that it was thanksgiving week. We hooked nice fish all the way down the river to Gridley where usually most fish are concentrated up in the low flow. All my clients hooked multiple fish and I would imagine that fishing may continue for a few more weeks. That said the flows are scary low in the high flow, 994 cfs, this is as low as I can remember the river being. The low flows I think have slowed the fish down and kept fish spread out a bit longer then in previous years. Most of my fish came on bugs and not beads or egg patterns. Prince nymphs and birds nest did the best and it seemed if you had a mustache in honor of MoVember you caught more fish.

Tales from the ‘Ville

So, as the feather winds down this may be my last tale from the ‘ville until spring…a few weeks ago I was approaching the pull out and witnessed a man and women with two kids in a drift boat anchored up fishing. Good to see, actually great to see. The dad was fishing and the young kids were watching and sitting in moms lap. As we both made our way to the take out mom jumped out just above the ramp and pulled a bike out of the bushes…didn’t think much of it as I was putting my boat on the trailer and packing things up. As I was getting into my truck my clients told me that they were talking to the guy and it was his first float in his new boat, cool but where did mom go….well as we were driving down the road mom was pedaling down the road on an old mountain bike, I assume back up to the truck with the trailer.

Many thoughts ran through my mind in the dwindling winter light of my truck cab…should I pull over, umm I can’t I have no room for her, well I could fit her bike in the boat and she could squezze in…eehhh to late….then the other thoughts, what kind of dude makes his wife ride a bike through the Oroville wild life area, down a desolated road, to run a shuttle in the dark. I also thought I wonder what she is thinking about this whole boat purchase thing as she hammers down on those pedals…or does she know fro 30$ or so they could of hired a shuttle…The things you see in the ‘ville

Lower Yuba River

I have not been on the L. Yuba for a while but will be spending plenty of time on over the winter and early spring. Last time I was over there was 2 weeks ago and small bugs was the order of the day. S&M’s and The Amigo (a new may fly nymph that will be coming out soon through Montana Fly Co.) caught most of the fish with a few fish in the lower river coming on egg patterns. Even threw some dry flies to rising fish in the flats eating small baetis and midges. The flows are still up around 1000cfs and like all river the Yuba could use some rain and color. Winter is a great time to be on the L. Yuba so I am hopeful we will get some rain and things will get going.

Fly Shop News

A life time industry man and Nor Cal Local George Revel announced that he will be opening a new Fly Shop in San Francisco named Lost Coast Outfitters. It is a long time coming that someone opened a Fly Shop in San Francisco proper. Check out the website www.lostcoastoutfitters.com or go check out the shop when it opens Dec 9, 2013 inside Wingtip  

550 Montgomery Street

Inside Wingtip

San Francisco, CA ‎ 94111

Booze News

So I have been enjoying the brown water lately, a Makers Mark or Johnny Walker Red with some soda water and lime is my choice but I do have some top shelf stuff I have been having neat on a cold night every so often. I really do love a Makers Mark with Soda water and lime though…tough to beat as an evening cocktail. I also bought the Anchor Steam Sampler for our family thanksgiving. I love Anchor Steam beer but to be honest the 6 packs are always damn expensive at safeway where I shop usually. The 12 pack sampler was on sale for $14.99 so I was all over. It had Liberty Ale, Porter, Anchor Wheat, and the standard Anchor Steam. The Liberty Ale is so/so and the Wheat Beer is a great beer though not really my type of beer this time of year though. The Porter is the best by far, by far one of my favorite Porters as of now. I have tasted some of the collabaoration brews between Sierra Nevada and Anchor Steam and it now is clear where elements of those beers come from.

Music News

So I read an NPR article entitled “A Rational Conversation: Is Emo Back?” basicly telling me all the music that I listen to was making a “come back” or “revival”…personally for me it never went away but lets be honest many of the records were recorded over a decade ago, the bands have broken up, and even went on re-union tours…getting old I guess.  The good thing about the article is all the “Revival” bands it talked about. I listen to “Dads” but haven’t bought any of their albums yet though, not cause I don’t like them though just haven’t digested the two albums I did buy. The “Dads” are really good though as they use all sorts of cool tunings and kinda blend poppy emo with some hard core elements. The one I did buy from this article was “The World is a Beautiful Place, and I am not Afraid to Die” I bought there last two albums When ever if Ever and Are here to help you. This band is really cool, kind of like American Football mixed with Mineral and a little hard core vocals…

I also saw a live video on one of my favorite live music sights www.audiotree.tv. The sight is based out of Chicago and they have bands come in studio and record a live 4-6 song set that they tape and then stream, sell, and share…really cool site. The band is called “This Town Needs Guns” but I think has been forced to change their name to “TTNG” …societal pressure me think. The music is awesome, I would describe it as Math Rock mixed with emoish melody and vocals. It is a   3 piece and the singer plays a baritone guitar, no bass, just baritone guitar, guitar and drums…Crazy good drummer and guitar player. Search audio tree for their set and be amazed.