[Grampa Spey]

Many of our river flows are rapidly lowering after the massive rains.

Some are fishable now and more should be down re river flows for some good fishing this week.

Our short term weather looks good.

Lets monitor the rivers with the internet sites re their flows and keep each in touch with each other.

I'm thinking about the Yuba and Sycamore Ranch tomorrow and skating some Skalwa Stones.

For non steelhead, Putah Creek is back to normal flows. I will head there for a little fun and tippet breaking today. 6 and 7 pound trout and size 22-24 flies mean very light tippets and a lot of early releases.

Lets keep each other posted re fishing, the good, the bad and the ugly news in N. California.

 

[pmflyfisher]

Quote:

" I'm thinking about the Yuba and Sycamore Ranch tomorrow and skating some Skalwa Stones. "

There should be a rule about postings like this when us GL steelheaders are freezing and dredging the bottoms of frozen rivers for low metabolism steelhead in 30 degree water temps.

Its just not fair.

LOL :chuckle: :chuckle:


PM Out

 

[Per Stadigh]

We Scandahuuvians agree - was it not for my upcoming trip to Patagonia I would comit suicide when reading about that type of "home" fishing.

Stockholm has its coldest mid winter spell for ages. -25 C this morning, the town water all but frozen over and 100:s of swans trying to survive in the few remaining open spots. White tailed eagles (very similar to your bald ones) are seen to hunt in central town for the first time anyone can rembember. Time to trade a few rods in for a good pair of binoculars!

I guess my Argentine trip will make it even worse as I can't afford that luxory more than maybe once. The good woman of mine already is lining frying pans up for my return.....

BUT BROTHER'S OF THE PNW = FISH HARD FOR US THAT ARE LOCKED UP IN OFFICES BEHIND SHEETS OF ICE AND TONS OF SNOW. YOU ARE SITTING ON THE WORLD'S FINEST YEAR ROUND RIVER FISHING - YOU LUCKY LOT! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT!!!

Per

 

[Grampa Spey]

pmflyfisher and Per Stadigh

Just imagine how difficult it is to be fishing in 60 to 70 degree weather while wading in below 40 degree water.

We have to put on sun blocker, wear Lefty Krehl hats to block the sun, wear solar blocking gloves (which stay in my waders year round), a light shirt on top and then all types of fleece underwear and socks to keep from freezing the vital parts under water. Even with Gore Tex waders your bottom half on a walk to the river gets quite warm. It is tough to be a fisher in Northern California! :eyecrazy:

Some of us are so spoiled, that we go to New Zealand, Chile or Floriduh for our cold January/Febuary.

At ten am this morning, it was warmer outside than inside, 64 inside and 66 outside. So I opened up to let the warm air in.

 

[pmflyfisher]

Agree, bet those warm northern cal rivers are filled with anglers even on week days.

California is not my favorite state right now, causing me big issues at work due to some of their new legislation.

Cold and snowy is good !

PM Out


P.S. Yes we are lucid here in great lakes country. Plus the steelies love the cold ! :hehe: :hehe:

 

[jimsand]

Grampa,

Any one from your area, eg. speynut, bob, andre, rick j, etc, interested in a mini-clave the presidents day weekend in February? Yuba, Klamath, Trinity?

Jimsand in Fresno

 

[Bob Pauli]

I'm interested.

Bob P

 

[flytyer]

Grandpa Spey,

A very good friend of mine moved back to Fortuna (where he lived until age 38) from Washington's Olympic Penninsula after he retired 4 years ago because he said the winters were too cold in NW Washington. Funny thing is, he comes back to Washington at Labor Day each year and stays until mid-November because he likes to fish up here. In fact, he says something about fishing on the Olympic Penninisula being far better than Northern California.

Even up here we get the odd day with temperatures in the 50's or 60's during the winter. Most of the time it is in the low 40's though and raining (got to keep the mystique of the locals growing webbed feet alive) during December, January, and February. Heck, the Western Olympic Penninsula gets 120 or more inches a year and most of it falls from mid-November through February. It snows so rarely that non of the local cities or towns have snow removal equipment. However, if I want to see snow, I only need take a one hour or less drive to be in snow.

Per,

I am thankful all winter long for the rain and greenery here in Northwest Washington. And I am equally thankful in the summer because it rarely gets above 80. A fishers paradise, if only there were fish in the rivers this winter.

 

[Grampa Spey]

jimsand, Bob pauli

I'm interested.

Lets think about the Yuba via the Sycamore Ranch East of Yuba City/Marysville.

The Skawla Stone Flies should be hatching and laying eggs. For $ 5 entry fee/Speyer each day at the Sycamore Ranch, we would have about 1/3 of a mile of river right fairly free of other fishers except those going by on drift boats. Steelhead should be in that area for classic steelhead casting. When that Skawla Stone Fly hatch/egg laying happens, it is pretty spectacular. The bug and flies are one of the best kept secrets in N. California fly fishing.

Could be great on the Trinity at that time, however, there might be more fishers than steelhead and the potential problem of a winter freeze up that weekend.

Hardy souls can camp on the Sycamore Ranch. Being non hardy, I would go for one of the Bates Motels in Yuba City or Marysville, about 20 miles away.

The Yuba steelhead/trout are gentlemen fish, and the best fishing happens from about 11 am to 4:30 pm. Some of us can just drive up for each day if we want to. Last but not least, if the steelhead are in or still in on the American, we might be tempted to go there for part of a day. That however can get to be combat fishing, and Speyers are not looked on very kindly by some one hander fly fishers and most spin fishers. Normally, being retired, I don't fish on 3 day holidays, but for a mini clave, I'm interested.

 

[jimsand]

Grandpa and Bob P.,

Looks like the Yuba would be fine. Will bring a pontoon boat and a couple of people from down this way. May be a few more in that area who would be interested. I'm coming up on Friday morning the 14th if my wife doesn't kill me. Let me know what you think.
Jims in Fresno

 

[fredaevans]

Lordie! Wouldn't want you to go there!!

"We Scandahuuvians agree - was it not for my upcoming trip to Patagonia I would comit suicide when reading about that type of "home" fishing."

We're back to 'normal' winter weather for Medford (keep in mind our average rainfall is only a tic above 19" per year) and the top 40-50 miles of river is running relatively low (1070 cfs from the dam .... that's 300 cfs above the legal minimum!!! at 41 degrees)and clear as a glass of gin.

All this moving/unpacking is SCREWING UP MY FISHING!!!

 

[kush]

Per, Per, Per...

Per,
I know what you do for a living, you most certainly do not deserve sympathy for a few months of snow! Okay, so you do Patagonia only once (I'll believe that when I see it - frying pan to the side of the head or not!), so you will just have to content yourself with another boring old season on some remote Russian river in that hell-hole known as the Kola Peninsula - my heart goes out to you, you poor man !

All the best my friend.

 

[fredaevans]

Per, Kush just proved the old American saying:

Symphathy and 50 cents will buy you a cup of coffee.
:devil:

 

[flytyer]

Fred,

Sounds like you REALLY NEED TO GO FISHING! Isn't moving fun, especially when the river is in shape and the fish are in?

 

[fredaevans]

FT: It's worse than that; Joan is making me take very small "happy pills."

Fred,

Sounds like you REALLY NEED TO GO FISHING! Isn't moving fun, especially when the river is in shape and the fish are in?

The word "Move," is just another 4 letter word; just with more pain, expense, etc., attached. Anyone need new packing boxes? Have about 100 already empty and sitting in the garage; be more than glad to have you swing buy and pick up as many as you want.
fae

 

[Grampa Spey]

Fred, re moving

You have our sympathy.

When we moved to Napa in 1977, we had moved a lot in 16 years of marriage between a couple of years in the Navy and the rest in corporate life.

I got out of management, and we said that that was our last move. The next move would be when they rolled us out feet first for our final destination.

 

[jimsand]

You'll get no sympathy from me.

Who was it, Fred, that just a few short weeks ago was fishing for the Kings and steelies daily. Here I can take only the scant monthly trip and the rest of the time dream.

 

[nevada caster]

50 cent coffee?

Fred,
Can you still get a cup of coffee for 50 cents in Medford? I think tht the senior citizens price at McDonalds is more than that.
JFK

 

[flytyer]

Fred,

I'm shocked that at your age you would resort to 'better living through chemistry' (i.e. the "happy pills")!

 

[Per Stadigh]

Kush,

I just returned from Murmansk were I have been in buildning meetings regarding the new Kharlovka houses - that's why this reply is late. The trip gave me reasons, above all the stuff you piled up, to apology for my whining..... There they had 6' of snow, a few hours of duskish daylight and -25 Celsius. With the ice free sea around the corner the mist was thick as cotton wool. THEY have a long way to go until flies can be swam.......

One could have dropped Bruce Willis off at any street corner and the best action film ever could have been shot instantly - what a dramatic setting!!

All I met were great people that one still only can thank God for not having had to meet in cold war combat. I thought I never would bounce into tougher chaps than those that toured downtown Fairbanks while I studied at the U of A in the early 80's.... Wrong I was!

Take care,

Per