Fishing Report: Yuba, 2 days

Guided the Yuba Tuesday and Wednesday and had some great days. Clients Ken and Peter waged war on the selective trout on the almighty Yuba. I am not usually a number counting kinda guide, however, this time we counted. In two days we hooked 42 rainbows, landing over half of them. Most of the fish were over 16" with at least a dozen fish 18-21". We hooked fish with several bugs including stones, eggs, March Browns, pt's, princes, and caddis.

Dry fly activity was nill, nada, nothing... We did see a salmon fly though, woohoo.

There are some great pictures coming and I will post them soon.

These were two incredible days with great clients to boot.

Stay tuned as my guiding calendar is FULL through mid May. I will be posting reports as often as possible.

Economic Meltdown Special

If you have not heard... get a guided trip for $200!

Read about it

Here are the current available dates: April 16, 21, 22, 23, May 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 14

Many of these dates are already being pursued, don't miss out on this deal!

Indicator Clinic

I ran another indicator clinic for Granite Bay Fly Casters and once again had great weather and awesome students. We split a whole day between an indoor and outdoor classroom.

Topics covered included:

1. Looking at direct and indirect indicators
   
2. We looked at a systematic approach to on-stream analysis called the G.R.I.D. (contact me for more info on this)
3. Rigging
4. Casting techniques
5. and how to fish with the indicator
   

I teach this class to groups of any size and individually. It is the most comprehensive look at fishing with indicators in the area.

Thanks to Bill Carnazzo and Granite Bay Fly Casters!

Guided Trips: Deal of the Century

New Homepage

The Facts: We are in the middle an economic predicament

My Goal: Spend as much time on the water guiding as possible

Your Goal: Fish hard, learn something and save money

My solution: Full-day, guided trips for $200 (8-10 hours) - SAVE 50% of regular rate

The Catch:

1. Lunch is up to you, I will have a cooler.
   

2. Please bring flies, tippet and leaders. I will have everything needed to supplement your selection.
   

3. Selected availability
   

4. Selected rivers
   

Trips that qualify for the deep discount are by no means second rate trips, you will get my unquestionable dedication and full attention.

If you would like the full treatment, I will still offer full-day, first rate trips for the regular price of $400

To get started, check out my online calendar to check available dates. When you find one that works, CONTACT me and I will get you dialed in.

DownStream Fly Fishing

I have begun the exciting task of setting up DownStream Fly Fishing 2009! This is an annual event that features both adults and children with Down Syndrome. The event will take place on April 24, 2009 just outside of Marysville near the Yuba River.

It is my hope that through fly fishing, children with Down Syndrome can improve coordination, fine tune motor skills, boost social skills and attain a sense of accomplishment while having fun. Additionally, my goal is to include family members in order to promote family activities in an outdoor environment.

2009 should prove to be our greatest event yet. We have secured a private facility with multiple ponds teaming with eager trout, bass and panfish. Students will have the opportunity to tie flies, learn to cast, get into fish art and hook a fish! We are working on assembling the most talented and qualified volunteer staff possible to coach our students. I am also excited to announce that we are working with Trout Unlimited.

More details to come.... If you are interested in donating ANYTHING, please contact me for ideas.

If you would like to attend please contact me, this will be an invite only event.

Thank you for your support,
Ryan

Guiding on the Swing

I was able to guide quite a bit last week and had a string of great days. One of the more memorable days came off the incoming front. Armed with a plethora of spey rods, lines, tips and flies; client Steve and I combed the clay stained water of the American. We were successful, we managed to get ripped in one of our first runs! Steve landed it, a nice 23" steelhead, she fell for a 3" black tandem tube fly... gotta love it!

Steve did a great job of covering the water, staying in the face of potential grabbers. He managed a few other tugs for the day.

All in all it was a great day, swing on!

Complete Indicator Class...

February 19 marked one incredible day!

In conjunction with Granite Bay Fly Casters, I put on an in-depth, full day class dedicated to insights on fishing indicators. Myself and over 20 members were able to do a two part class where for a few hours we hid in a classroom and dove into the nuances of fishing with an indicator.

After lunch we met on the American River where we were able to attack the common issues related to fishing, specifically casting, indicators and heavy setups needed for larger rivers.

We will be doing this again on March 7, 2009, and although this class is currently full, we may be doing another one due to popular demand. Also, if you belong to an organization that would be interesting in this program feel free to contact me. Look for pictures from our March 7th day!

There's more! In mid April, again with the support Granite Bay Fly Casters, I will be teaching a class dedicated to fine points of swinging flies. This will be an all day event with both classroom and on stream surroundings.

For any inquiries please contact me for more information.

Now is the time to refine-

13 for 20...

American river: one angler, 3 days, one huge indicator, eggs and 20 hookups...

The American still has good numbers of fish in the system. Last week I had one client hook 20 steelhead over 3 days. About half of them were fresh, spunky chromers that took us plenty of finagling to land. We hooked a few fish that were in the 10 pound range and an awesome sight to see.

I have not seen any "blue-backs" yet; however, I know they are out there. This is a great time of year to get out and swing flies, you have a good shot and hooking late winter-run plus ultra hot blue-backs.

American RIver: The Study of Swingology

Thanks to Andy Guibord for taking these photos and to Jason Hartwick for fluffing up a few fish. This fish ate a 2.5" mess of marabou.

Jason and I going over the plan

Jason loading up to launch

If you are in need of a good photographer Andy Guibord is your man, send him and email to see what he is all about.

Grabs are rad...

American Metalhead ate a big 'ol nasty tube fly... Thanks Hartwick!

American: Monday the 16th

Had the pleasure of guiding Rob and Sam and we put the screws to 'em. Overall we hooked enough fish to last a week! We managed to land a few fish in the 3-5 pound class... pictures to follow. We worked the water meticulously and found some very aggressive fish. They were still on eggs and various small mayfly patterns. We had almost perfect weather with light rain most of the day and a few brief downpours. The wind was a little intense, but we pushed though and prevailed. All and all a great day, good company, cooperative fish and great weather. Thanks boys!

With all this rain, look for a boost in steelhead fishing everywhere!

Also, it is time to hit the Yuba. I will be guiding out there all next week.

American

I have been on the American enough days to tell you that things are slow out there. I had a string of great clients, both a blast to be with and great anglers and fishing was just plain slow. With temperatures nearing 70 plus low and clear water the fish have the upper hand right now. The first part of the day yields the most activity. That could be because of where we are in the AM or just the time of day.

Last week I had the pleasure of guiding Gary and Jerry from the Midwest and let me tell you it was more fun than a clown on fire! Both anglers had fished in many parts of the globe for a variety of species, however, neither one had fished for steelhead. On the morning of our trip the energy level was high and channeled towards the great hunt from chrome. After launching, rigging and getting fired up we began with the deluge of nymph bombs into places where we thought the unsuspecting steelhead may be. After several passes through an area with no promising grabs we changed up. The next pass allows for our flies to be right on the "honey hole" or RRPH, WHAM, 'cator flies under with nothing to show for it. We got taken, oh well, we will get the next one! A few more passes and no love... onto the next spot.

Not too long into our next round of passes we hit a nice wild "quarter-pounder" (12" bullet), another few passes we found another one. These are the first QP's I have seen all season...

No other action in that run! We go a few more runs with nada, finally we come to some promising water. I set up the boat, give the "go" command and off the races we went, just as Gary flies dropped of a ledge, ... SLAM, we get hammered, within no time a 6-8 pound face emerges from the water. OH SHIT, game on! This must have been a buck, he thrashed for a minute, gave us a good look and just as Gary went to put on the lateral tension the moment was over. DAMN! Gary was ecstatic and bummed at same time. On average 20% of the metal hooked will be landed!

The "one that got away" was enough fuel for us to keep motivated the whole day. Every once in a while Jerry would bring up the moment and we would all mentally salivate. We would need that motivation to help us push through the day. We successfully watched indicators all the way to Gristmill with only a few goldens to show for it, no chrome landed.

So it goes, another great day of steelhead fishing.

Pictures to come soon

A big thanks to the Midwest slingers who provided great entertainment and an awesome day on the river.

February can be magical on the A, get out there and jump one!

Ahhhh....

Ahhh, ahhhhh.... ummmm, yeah...

(Lumberg style): I'm gonna need you to go ahead and book me a plane ticket to BC.

Best of both worlds

There is something so right about this, I just can't put my finger on it...

wow

Great News from Nicholas Dean Lodge!

Join me October 4-10, 2009 as we hunt for the metalheads in British Columbia!

Nicholas Dean Lodge is now offering first class dining and accommodations...

For the past years, Angling On The Fly has been sending many anglers to Nicholas Dean Lodge for British Columbia's renowned Steelhead and Salmon fishing. They have always provided a first rate fishing program, and are now increasing their level of service by offering dining and accommodations at the beautiful Yellow Cedar Lodge on the banks of the Skeena River. Read below for a message from Nicholas Dean Lodge...

Nicholas Dean Lodge is now offering first class dining and accommodations...

Hello Anglers,

This week we are pleased to announce some very exciting news. Actually, we're ecstatic! Beginning April 20, 2009, we will be teaming up with Alf and Simone Leslie of Yellow Cedar Lodge, to provide our guests with the very best in dining and accommodations in northwest British Columbia. Yellow Cedar Lodge is an impressive facility that is situated on the banks of the majestic Skeena River, on the outskirts of Terrace. Here, the lodge sits amidst impressive mountain views and a wilderness setting - an ideal spot for anglers to relax in comfort after a great day of fishing. The lodge itself is appropriately named given its construction of beautifully crafted yellow cedar posts and beams, which give it a unique character and class of its own.

The lodge features a large dining area and adjoining bar, a mixture of private single and double beds with en suite washrooms, a bar/games room, lounge, gym with cardio equipment and weights, a sauna, hot tub and a large covered porch overlooking the river. Dining is a major highlight at Yellow Cedar Lodge, as Alf is a master Red Seal Chef who goes to great length in providing gourmet, home cooked meals. Using the freshest ingredients, Alf makes home made breads and desserts, and prepares sumptuous meals including wild Salmon and Halibut from the Pacific Ocean, only a short distance away.
Tight lines and screaming reels to all...

Chad Black
Operations Manager
Nicholas Dean Lodge

More Pictures: American 1/20/09