Yes we need rain but gosh the weather has been beautiful...we need rain so bad and the weather has been so nice I have felt guilty enjoying the weather as I know its needs to be miserable with rain. That said there is no sense fighting or worrying about things we can't control, like the weather...though I worry anyway.

Cast Hope is hosting an "After Party" on Saturday Feb 21 at Handles Gastro Pub in Old Town Pleasanton (855 Main St. Pleasanton) from 4-8pm after The Fly Fishing Show this weekend. Tickets are $20 and $10 with Fly Fishing Show ticket stub. This includes food and more Beer than you can drink and legally operate machinery or an automobile. 

There will be AN AMAZING raffle and silent auction with some ridiculously cool stuff! Cast Hope will have a booth at the Show and be selling tickets there so stop by and see us and hope to see everyone at the event! 

For more information, to bid on an item online, or buy raffle tickets (you need not be present at the event to win) visit the web site HERE

Reports

Nice Yuba 18"er from this weekend

Lower Yuba River :  Spent the last 4 days or so on the Lower Yuba River guiding clients. Fishing was fair to good depending on the day it seemed and the mood of the fish. Water clarity is about 2' with a nice green tint and flows are at 750cfs. Fish seemed to be podded up, atleast actively feeding fish, and working a run that has fish in it I found to be the key. Our "grabs" came all at ounce in certain runs and then not at all for a while. Bug activity was pretty good but really mixed MANY different types of mayflies were out...a few march browns, PMD's, Baeits, Brown Drakes...and I am sure some more I didn't know. Skwalas are about done as the ones I did see were spent on the water after laying eggs and I did not see any in the rocks. I also saw a decent number of caddis and fish eating the caddis at times. They are the small early spring tan body dark winged caddis, like a number #16...For flies I couldn't find any pattern day to day or even throughout the day. Fish were caught on march brown nymphs, baetis nymphs, olive caddis pupa, red copper johns, rubber legs, and a few different egg patterns. I switched patterns up ALOT trying to find a pattern and the pattern seem to be there was none, seemed more important to find feeding and willing fish. Dry fly fishing was poor on most days I think based on the clarity but we did get a few fish to bump a low riding skwala pattern. Tried fishing caddis and mayfly dries with no luck, that said I never did find consistently rising fishing just typical yuba one and done fish. 

Hard to forecast much with regards to fishing as so much of it is water dependent but here is a try...

Lower Yuba River: Fishing should stay fair to good throughout the spring but really how things go depends on if we get some rain. Low Flows (below 1000cfs) are brutal on the Yuba as the fish see a TON of pressure so the fish can get pretty moody.

Lower Sacramento River Trout: Clarity is the issue here and as long as we get the rain we need that will remain an issue as the lake muddies up. That said from what I have heard clarity is getting better on the upper river, but that is a double edge sword as better clarity will mean we are not getting the rain we need. March is usually one of the best months of the year to fish the Lower Sac so we will see...

Lower Feather Spring Steelhead: March through mid May is best out here and this is going to be a good year hopefully if water conditions can improve a bit. Swinging flies is my method of choice out here on the switch rods as I have found over the last 3 years these fish will eat a swung fly just as well as they will a nymph on most days.

Striper, Shad, and Bass: Spring is prime bass time and the shad should be right around the corner from that as well as the migratory and resident striper fishing. This fishing is probably the easiest to predict as flows on the Sac are going to be stable and low most of the spring and summer no matter what we get for water as dams and pumps will be working over time hold or store what ever water we get...Clarity can be an issue but with stripers clarity is not much of an issue in my opinion, Shad clarity can be an issue and bass on the rivers clarity is a mild concern.

- Shad fishing will kick into gear early to mid May and last through mid June
- Migratory striper fishing will kick into gear mid March through Mid May
- Resident striper fishing can kick into gear Mid march but mid June through september is prime time.

Open Dates:
May 2, 3, 9, 16, 17, 23-25,
June 6-18, 22, 25-30,
July 1, 6-12, 14-24
August 4-9, 15, 16, 22, 23, 29, 30

Sports News...

Such a great time of year! I got the recruiting issue of Blue and Gold Magazine with all the news on the Notre Dame recruits and impending quarterback controversy/competition between Golson and Zaire...Going to be a great spring practice and game this year. I am not sure who I am pulling for I think the 6-0, last second loss to Fl St. Golson can lead us to the playoffs but the 22 turnovers Golson of the last half of the season that made me want to jump of the hey 20 bridge could kill me if I have to watch another season of that...Zaire is a stud and runs like a horse but it is very clear from what I have seen he doesn't have the arm or knowledge of the Offense that Golson does .... I don't I just want to win and not watch us throw games away like we did ALL second half of last season. 

Two Great things...beginning of baseball and spring football at ND

Also in sporting news TODAY IS THE DAY! pitchers and catchers report for the SF Giants and our World Series Defending season....I know nothing really happens for a few weeks and spring training games are really not the regular season but atleast I can read, listen to talk about, and follow baseball again. The NBA makes me sick and college basketball is fun and I follow ND basketball, who is tearing it up this season, I just can't get into basketball like I do baseball. I have no predictions about the giants this year as my mantra is "Trust in Bochy"...I am curious though to see how Pagan, Cain, Timmy, Hudson, Vogie, Belt, Panik and SO many other players show up...in other news looks like Pablo showed up in shape to boston camp...

designated hitter written all over that physique

Light to Moderate Alcohol Consumption Report...so I have quite drinking for the most part. No beer. Way to many calories and in my quest to loose weight I can't do it...beers are like potato chips, I can't have just one...not like I am going to throw back a 6 pack every night but I could have a nice IPA or 3 every night or so if I let myself as I LOVE good beer. That said I did get a few nice bottles of scotch over the holidays and I have let me self enjoy ONE glass or small sniffer of these a few times over the last few months. Macallan 12 and Four Roses are the two I have been enjoying the most...Four Roses is a new one to me and was a gift from a good friend. It is REALLY GOOD!