So the holiday hang over is over and if you haven’t noticed the days are getting longer every so slightly. While we still need MORE and MORE snow and rain things are looking good…We have been storms moving through on a pretty regular basis and while the snow pack is not as big as some years it is MUCH bigger then the last few. I drove over to Reno this last weekend and there was more snow then I had seen in many years. Fishing continues to be fair to good on most rivers around me, some days are better then others but that is really how Winter fishing is. On to the business end…

Lower Sacramento River: The Lower Sac hasn’t changed much sense my last post outside of the weather has been a bit warmer on average. For a few weeks it was really cold, in the low 40’s in Redding and the fish really seemed to only be active during the warmest part of the day. The last time I was on the river it was a bit more consistent throughout the day as the weather was a bit warmer. The Lower Sac in the winter is traditionally not a huge numbers game but personally in Dec/Jan I catch some of the biggest rainbows of the year so I see it as a fair trade. I have been getting most of my fish on rubber legs and pheasant tail variations almost exclusively. Fishing should remain consistent throughout January and into February but will be very influenced on the weather.

Lower Yuba River: with the last storm moving through I spent a few days on the Lower Yuba River guiding and fishing on my own with my good buddy, guide, and amazing musician Chuck Ragan. I tend to believe that any time the Yuba comes up in flows from its 500-700cfs low and gets a little to even a lot of color it is going to fish really well this winter. With the last storm and color coming out of deer creek via squirrel creek the river has been fishing pretty darn good. Most of the fish I have been catching have come on attractor egg patterns, rubber legs, and Pheasant tail variations. Didn’t do much swung fly fishing but the conditions are pretty good for that as well. With more rain coming in this week and weekend I think the river will continue to have some color and fishing will remain pretty darn good. I have seen limited bug activity. There were some baetis hatching midday but with the clarity I didn’t see any fish coming up to feed. I have not seen any skwalas and don’t imagine they will be out until we get some consistently warmer weather.

Music News…

Been spending some money on records but being pretty selective as I could easily spend a couple hundred dollars every time I enter a record store. I did find some good used records at Phono Select in Sacramento – Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band Against the Wind and Night Moves as well as Jackson Browne Running on Empty – all classics. Also did buy one of my favorite bands newest albums off Ebay – Appleseed Cast Illumination Rituals and the Built to Spill Live Album. I am restraining myself from spending a small fortune but I am sure over time I will…

In other news my band Royal Oaks ( https://www.facebook.com/RoyalOaksBand/ )did a Friday Show up in Reno at PBJ’s  and Sacramento show at Harlows with Chuck Ragan ( http://chuckraganmusic.com ). We will be doing a few more shows around Northern California over the next few months and then hitting the studio to record a record. Lots of fun getting out with Chuck. Check out our facebook page for photos, videos, and merch and DEFINITELY check out Chuck Ragan's page and music if you get a change. Great fishing music and his new album the Flame and Flood coming out in February was literally written while camping and fishing on the Lower Yuba River!

Sports Report –

Well I think injuries finally caught up with the Irish against Ohio…our defense was basically the JV squad and with 6 defensive backs hurt and our stud linebacker blowing up his knee 6 minutes in we kept the game closer then many expected but in the end we couldn’t stop the Ohio state offense and we made some serious mistakes on offense. Over all I am very happy with team 127 and I think with all they had to overcome they did an AMAZING job this year. Now it is on to signing day and awaiting spring training…sorry but basketball or Hockey don’t really excite me…