Lower Sac: October 7th

Floated Anderson to Barge and found good numbers of fat trout eating with authority. Right off the bat we hooked several smaller fish on tiny mayflies. From there I was able to maneuver the boat into a tight run and hammer on a few monster slabs. It is fun when we find fish balled up looking to chow. We has a blast as we whacked fish throughout the river. We did not get a clear shot at the barge run so we spent time in the "hole" and was not able to prick any chromers. Maybe next time!

Pictures to follow soon.

Flies: Usual Suspects!

Gotta love that river!

Lower Sac: October 6th

Our day on the Lower Sac was great, we had very clear, warm conditions that kicked off a few hatching caddis and several active fish. We floated Bonnyview to Anderson and found fish scattered throughout the whole float. I would say that fishing was not red-hot, we went through several nice runs with no grabs; however, there were plenty of spots where the fish were schooled up and anxious to eat. I was a little disappointed in the number of spawning salmon in that section, with a little time we should see full redds. My clients Barry and Linda Allen were a pleasure to guide, we spent plenty of time taking in the rays and solving the world's problems. All is all another great day on the Sac.

Flies: Amber wing prince, fox’s poopah, eggs, micro mays, gidget and PT’s

Chillin'
you get the idea

This is by far one of the best video clips I'v seen. This says it all... why we fly fish, why we endure the elements and what keeps us sane. I am anxious for the release!


Hustle and Fish "Fishporn Teaser" from dave wilson on Vimeo.

One Hour From Sactown

An hour outside the hustle and bustle of the city lay one incredible tailout... the Yuba. Fishing continues to stay strong while more salmon have moved in and posted on redds. The egg bite was still on, however, I noticed they changed what colors they ate. Make sure to play with color and size. With nearly 20 fish in the boat, not one came on a bug. This may change so stay on it. Here a few picts form the day.

Yuba... The other day

I wanted to follow up on a previous post from the other day...
I had a great time with a few friends on the water. We fished hard all day and found several fish to keep us occupied. Overall, the conditions were great, the flows are still holding and the fish are cooperating nicely. Again, I am pleased to see the number of salmon in the river. Many of them are not yet staged, this will change soon. If you are thinking about heading out, cover water and if you are not finding fish try changing flies or technique.

Flies: Egg patterns, micro mays, small caddis
Techniques: Indicator fishing with Krusteez

Thanks to Adrian and Teresa for a great day.

It is always hard to tell steelhead from trout on the Yuba, I am going with steelhead on this brute.
Nice fish Teresa!
Guide Day off...

Yuba...

Today the Yuba fished very well, however, the river was very busy with anglers.

Posivitves... they were endless.
Highlights: we did a good deal of swinging today and hooked a few nice fish-bonus!

Why Not?

For the next few days I will be on the Lower Sac

Feather River Chrome

For the first week of October, I was very happy with how the Feather fished. There were decent numbers of salmon cutting redds in the low flow. There were quite a few people out as well making for a tougher time getting water to fish. We did find some nice fish posted up behind kings. One of our fist casts found a supercharged, white steelhead that ripped 20 yards of backing in seconds. Lots of cartwheels, lots of chaos... We had the fish inches from the boat when 2x gave way, she was 26+ inches and flawless. We found a several half-pounders and missed a few fierce grabs. The weather was spectacular, it was overcast in the AM then rained all afternoon.

Finally, some decent fishing weather

I expect fishing to really kick off after these rains. I have a few dates that recently became available. October 8, 12, 28 and 31. These are all prime dates to fish the Yuba, Feather and Lower Sac. Contact me for more information.

Tomorrow, Yuba

Yuba, Game on!

The Yuba showed us her good side today. Out of the gates and on our first cast we hooked a screamer on an egg pattern. From there it was like we could do no wrong. We hooked several fish over 18 inches, one powerful 23" hatchery steelhead and several dinks. I was very pleased with the overall size and quantity today yielded. One of the "sweeteest" things about today the the sound of a Hardy Perfect ringing the dinner bell. The fish we hooked today make that reel sing so that people in other counties could hear it.

Flies: egg patterns, bird's nest, FBPT
Style: split shot and nymphs under a Krusteez Indicator

Nothing like a bent rod in the morning
Yuba fish are fat

We saw good numbers of salmon in the upper river, many of them have staged and are cutting redds. We spotted a fair number hanging out in deep pools as well, this could be a good year for spawners on the Y.

rocket-pack anyone?
Nice spots
mean fighter
all of 19
fin clipped, check out that fat tail
Life is good!

Well, today was today, tomorrow is the Feather, I have a good feeling about it!

Putah Creek

Putah was tough for us today. My clients fished hard, covering some of the best water on the creek. We managed a few dinks and had a few solid takes, but not exactly red hot. Crowds were decent in the morning with plenty of bait dunkers drowning pink power paint. The crawlers hawlers did a number on the fish today, should have brought the Zebco. I am anxious for the bigger fish to migrate! Flows are good, 300 or so, the water looks good. No pictures from today yet, clients Gordon and Sarah may send me some later. Here is something to look at in the mean time. I am on the Yuba tomorrow.

Steelhead are on the way

The Fall Craze...

It was dark at 7 pm, the evening air was colder, a few leaves have fallen... this could only mean one thing... BANNER fishing is around the corner! My fall guiding season kicks off tomorrow with a day on Putah Creek. Flows are in good shape and the last time I fished it, I roped some fatties. From there I will be on the Feather ,Lower Sac and Yuba. I am guiding almost every day October 1 through December. Check for current reports...


There is only way to describe the fishing in the fall in Northern California... ON FIRE!

Lower Sac McFatty

Backing Up... The Trip From the Beginning

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Mexico to fish for Largemouth Bass at Lake Mateos and Lake El Salsto. For me it was one of those experiences I will not soon forget and strive to have again. In summary, BASS are RAD! Additionally, I was in the presence of some top-notch fly fisherman that shared their decades of knowledge with me. Thanks to all for a great week with some fly fishing studs... the bass that is.

Bill Carnazzo, Ken Hanley, Kevin Doran, Ryan Miller and Keith Kaneko (taking the picture)

Fishing is hard work, sometimes you just need to relax.

Mexican bass are supercharged, make sure you are ready


Keith Kaneko with a stout 6 pounder!

There are so many great things about bass fishing. I would call it hunting and fishing in the same bag. As casters, we constantly look for tight spots to toss bugs into. We constantly push the limits of the rods, lines and "weedless" bugs to get the "OH DAMN, NICE SHOT" from you buddy, and then "WAAAHOOOO, DID YOU SEE THAT EAT?" Not to mention the sets are about as far from a trout set as possible, there are not too many things better than wrenching on a bucketmouth!

I lose track of everything while casting to razor-backs...

Give me a dime-sized target and I will be occupied for hours...

Git-R-Done
8 pounds of glory

More to come, BASS ARE RAD...

Lake El Salto - Final Day

5 AM wakeup calls are usually unwelcome and dreaded,…unless you are heading out to offer trophy fish your twisted creations! By the time breakfast was over everyone was fired up and ready to hit the water. The weather we perfect, dead calm, quiet and bassy. As the truck-drawn carrier takes us to our boats (50 yards from the lodge) it is clear that we all have a green glimmer in our eyes. The glimmer of hope that a green, razor-back bucketmouth, aka the “big girl,” will be fooled for one second. One second is all we need to get the BLOW-UP evoked from a puppeteered popper…

Top water BLOW-UP

The last day of fishing could not have been better. The lake was glassed over, sky’s scattered with clouds and huge bass busting tilapia EVERYWHERE. One of the most exciting features of fishing this lake is the abundance of baitfish (shad and tilapia) that are under constant harassment by bass. There were times when I could see a 100 yards of bass blowing up bait, it looked like small landmines detonating. Fishing was good for everyone that day, Ken and Keith encouraged kamikaze bass to blow-up on poppers. Ken and Bill were the stars of the show, hooking more than 50 bass and landing 35 hogs! The afternoon session treated me well with a beautiful 8 pounder.

Five anglers, five days, camaraderie and countless supercharged Mexican Bass makes for a memorable trip. Personally, I was captivated by this place and know I will be back soon. Anglers Inn at Lake Mateos and El Salto is a spectacular place to leave reality and enter bass insanity.

Let it out Ken...

Seriously, I will fish for coy in my neighbor's pond... all fish are great but BASS ARE RAD!

Thank you for reading and stay tuned...

Mexican Bass: Part 2... El Salto

Lake El Salto in Mexico is one of the best places to fish to largemouth in the world. Currently the lake record is 18.8 pounds... that is ridiculous! We were only able to fish for a few hours today, but they were productive, all of us combined landed dozens of hogs. Our day was cut short by an awesome display of lighting, wind, rain and thunder. Most of us were ok with not fishing; it was nice to be in a storm like that. I am not sure what it is, but I always feel invigorated after being in a massive storm. All in all it lasted an hour and took us into dinner.

I do not have a ton of fish pictures for you... bass fishing for me is fast paced, after I hook one and land it I want another one, unfortunately, this leaves no time for pictures.

Here are a few photos to keep you going... way more to come soon.

The infamous Gummy Minnow, hated by some anglers, loved by fish everywhere

Tropical storms are awesome!

Here is a my first attempt at video editing...

Although I will not win any awards with this clip it was fun working on it. The shots were filmed by Kevin Doran and are of Keith "casting on water..." sometime fishing is fun :) The other shot is of Keith coming out of the downpour. That area of Mexico is just coming out of its rainy season, by primetime the weather is perfect!

More Bass on the way, stay tuned...

Blow-ups and big eats by Mexican bass...

I am currently in Mexico fishing Lake Mateos for Largemouth bass, I will be posting more photos and stories upon my return...

Indicators: Hook More Fish!

If you like fishing indicators, check out another blog entry for other ways to attach and use indicators. This was written especially for those who fish heavy loads, multiple flies and run long drifts. This is THE indicator setup for the Lower Sacramento, Yuba, American and Feather rivers. Not to mention, this is THE setup of 'cator fishing on the coast for chromers!

Check out TechBlog for more information.