Lower Yuba River

1. Where is the Lower Yuba?
   The Lower Yuba is located by taking Highway 20 out of Marysville approximately 11 miles east to the Highway 20 Bridge or by taking the Highway 20 exit off Highway 49 in Grass Valley and heading west approximately 16 miles to the Highway 20 Bridge.
2. What kind of river is the Lower Yuba?
   The Lower Yuba River is a tailwater river. The flows are controlled by releases from Englebright Dam located about six miles upstream from the Highway 20 Bridge. Due to bottom releases, the water temperature tends to remain in the mid-forty’s to mid-fifty’s during the season. Flows can range from 800 cfs to well over 5000 cfs during the season with the peak flows normally occurring during the late winter and early spring months due to mountain snow run-off and irrigation requirements. The best fishing flows are below 3000 cfs and below 1000 cfs the river can be waded across in selected spots. At times, during the early spring, the river can be discolored by releases from Englebright.

   The Lower Yuba is the last remaining wild steelhead, salmon and trout river left in California’s Central Valley and as such it is an asset to be treasured by all fly-fishermen.

3. What is the season on the Lower Yuba?
   Sections of the Lower Yuba are open all year, but closures are common. For example, the section above the Highway 20 Bridge is closed from September first to December first to accommodate the spawning salmon. It is important to check the current Fish and Game regulations.
4. What are the gear requirements?
   I recommend 5 and 6 weight fast action 8 1/2 to 9-foot fly rods with weight forward floating lines. A 10 foot weight forward sink-tip would be a good second line to carry. Stocking or boot foot felted waders are necessary and a wading staff can be helpful. Leaders are standard 9 foot tapered to 4, 5, and 6x.
5. What is the best time to fish the Lower Yuba?
   We fish the river all year long. There are excellent hatches from early spring through the fall and during the winter months egg patterns and indicator nymphing hold sway. As long as the river conditions are good you can fish all year long. During the summer months, we tend to concentrate on early mornings and late evenings to escape the heat.
   During the winter we fish mid-day to take advantage of the day’s warming trends.
6. Are there special regulation sections on the river?
   Other than the closures (see Fish and Game Regulations), the river is under a barbless hook with no bait regulation. Catch and release is in effect from Daguerre Dam upstream.
7. What are the hatches on the river?
   Major hatches on the river start in late January. The Lower Yuba has a good hatch of Skwala Stoneflies beginning at the end of January running through early March. During the same period you can look for sparse hatches of Baetis (Blue-Wing Olives) occurring on overcast days. In February the Lower Yuba begins to experience hatches of Pale Morning Duns (Infrequens) and March Browns (Rhithrogena Morrisoni). The March Browns are usually gone by the last week in April while the Pale Morning Duns will continue through the later part of June. In late April and early May, the Little Yellow stoneflies begin to appear and the evening egg-laying flights offer excellent dry fly fishing opportunities.By early May the caddis are beginning to be the major hatch on the river. Brachycentris, Hydropsyche, Rhyacophila and Glossosoma are the major species. Some caddis will emerge sporadically throughout the day but usually they are predominately an evening hatch. These emergences will continue throughout the summer and early fall months.

   There is a minor hatch of Golden Stones on the Lower Yuba. The emergence usually occurs during June and July. This hatch is beginning to reappear again after the flood of 1997. The water flowing down the Lower Yuba at over 130,000 cfs wiped out the riparian vegetation and aquatic life. The reemergence of the heavy willow cover along sections of the river has allowed many of the insects to return.

   During the summer months, you should carry both beetle and grasshopper patterns. Some years produce a great many grasshoppers and the fish will look for them. With the return of riparian vegetation along the banks, beetles are becoming an important food source.

   The Chinook salmon begin to make their spawning run in late July and early August. By mid-October, the spawn is fully underway. This is the time for egg patterns fished below the spawning salmon to target both the opportunistic steelhead and resident trout. This fishing will last until mid-January.

8. What are the other fishing opportunities?
   The steelhead is one of the premier target fish in the Lower Yuba. The fish are in the system all year as runs of half-pounders continually make their way up, but the larger fish begin to show in September. The same methods as fishing for the resident trout work on steelhead. We use a two fly set up with an egg pattern as the point fly. These fish tend to be spooky so long downstream drifts with stack mends are recommended. look for the steelhead behind and alongside the spawning salmon.Excellent shad fishing can be found below Daguerre Dam during June. The run normally ends by July. Seven and eight weight rods with Hi-D sink tips or Teeny 200 lines are used in conjunction with shad flies in red and white, chartreuse, orange, or pink are all that is necessary.

   Chinook salmon have not been normally targeted on the Lower Yuba although they will take a fly. Fish the deepest pools during first light using big flashy flies and a nine weight rod lined with a Teeny 200 or 300. They will give you a long rugged fight.

North Yuba

1. Where is the North Yuba?
   The North Yuba is located by taking Highway 49 East from Auburn to Downieville or by taking Highway 89 North from Reno toward Graeagle and then taking Highway 49 south toward Sierra City.
2. What kind of river is the North Yuba?
   The North Yuba from its headwaters high on the Yuba Gap to its meeting with Bullard’s Bar Reservoir 40 miles downstream is a true freestone river. All the water in the North Yuba has come from snowmelt or springs.
3. When does the season open on the North Yuba?
   Although the California trout season opens on the last Saturday in April, the North Yuba is normally running high with snow melt at that time. Conditions begin to improve during the later part of May. Again all this is dependent on the snow conditions and can be variable.
4. What are the gear requirements?
   I recommend 4-5-6, 8 1/2 to 9-foot fly rods with double taper or weight forward floating lines. A 10 foot weight forward sink-tip would be a good second line to carry. Stocking or boot foot felted waders are necessary in the spring and fall. During the summer months a pair of shorts and felt soled wading boots are sufficient. Leaders are standard 9 foot tapered to 4, 5, and 6x.
5. What is the best time to fish the North Yuba?
   Any time after the snowmelt has begun to diminish. The river stays cool even in the heat of summer and early fall due to the myriad springs that flow into the North Yuba. The best fishing in the early season is from Downieville to the Yuba Summit. The lower river is more exposed and runs warmer during the hot summer days. Morning and evening fishing is the norm during the summer season. Late in the season, the lower river begins to fish well, as the water temperatures cool and the brown trout begin to move up from Bullard’s Bar Reservoir.
6. Are there special regulation sections?
   The special regulation section on the North Fork runs from Ladies Canyon Creek to the western boundary of Sierra City. The regulations in this four-mile section are: a two fish 10 inch limit using single barbless hooks only with no bait.
7. What are the hatches on the river?
   During the early season, Golden Stoneflies are the premier hatch. The nymphs migrate from the fast water sections of the river to the slack water at the margins. Early morning and evening fishing with nymphs is productive. During the midday hours, a dry pattern will be productive in the runs and riffles.Caddis flies are important all year long. A good supply of larva, pupa and dries are an absolute necessity. I have found that patterns in bright olive, brown olive and tan in sizes 12-18 will handle 90% of the hatch situations. Elk Hair Caddis, LaFontaine deep and emergent pupas, X-caddis and larva patterns are flies that will handle most caddis hatch situations. During the latter part of September into October the North Yuba has a good hatch of October Caddis. Those fly fishers in the know eagerly await this hatch. Both adult and pupa patterns in sizes 6-8 are necessary. Other sporadic hatches on the river include Little Yellow Stones, Blue Wing Olives, Western Green Drakes, Pale Morning Duns, and Pale Evening Duns. Attractor dry flies work very well on the river all year. Flies such as the Royal Wulff, Adams, Trudes, Buzz Hackle, and Yellow Wulff in sizes # 12 through #18 are consistently successful throughout the season.

   Carry a good assortment of terrestrials during the summer and fall. Ants, beetles, and grasshoppers are consistent producers.

8. Is hatch matching neccessary?
   No, matching the hatch is not as necessary on the North Yuba as it is on a spring creek or a tailwater. General attractor patterns work well here. The Parachute Adam’s, Royal Wulff, Prince Nymph and Hare’s Ear nymph, are all useful patterns on the river. Since the North Yuba is a freestone stream, the hatches tend to be sparse and short in duration. The food supply tends to be less and the fish are always looking for something that appears to be good to eat.
9. Other places to fish in the area
   
   There are a number of good fishing places in the North Yuba drainage. If you are a small stream aficionado, try the lower section of Haypress Creek adjacent to Wild Plum Campground north of Sierra City. South of Bassett’s Highway 49 crosses Salmon Creek that is another fine small stream although it suffered during the 1997 El Nino storms. At Downieville, you can access two good streams. Lavazzola and Pauley Creeks have small rainbows and browns in profusion. Take Lavazzola Creek Road off Main Street in Downieville.

   For those of you that enjoy lake fishing, the Gold Lakes Basin offers more than 40 lakes for the float tuber, many of them walk-in.