Newbie from the Bay Area

RodBruno · Member

Newbie from the Bay Area

JT · Senior Member

What part of Brazil are you from?� I lived in Rio Grande do Sul for two years.� I've been back in the U.S. now for five years, so my portuguese isn't all that great.

For the regs on the creek got to
http://www.fgc.ca.gov/html/fishregs.html
Sorry, I couldn't post it as a link.� The computer I'm using at school doesn't let you cut/paste.� A regular CA fishing license is sufficient to fish the creek.

Waders are not a must but are nice to have, because the water is pretty cold.� In the summer I wet wade, so if it's hot out, go for it.

As far as flies go, I'd go with generic mayflies and midges #18-20.� Pheasant tail nymphs, micromayflies, and zebra midges are always a good bet.� I'd also have some caddis pupae #14-18 on hand.� Fox Poopahs in tan or olive are consistent producers.�

RodBruno · Member

JT,

thanks for the prompt�reply - I was raised in the country side of Sao Paulo state, where�there are beautiful rivers and great fishing spots. Lately�fishery ranches are very popular�over there, mainly among sport fishermen as they provide great variety of�species plus the convenience of a short drive from the cities.�

I have been living in US for almost 10 years now, and have tried some bass fishing at Clear lake and Beryessa lake.� Hopefully I will have more lucky in the creek.�

Thanks for the tips!

Regards
Rod

flyfishingjunkie · Veteran Member

Hi Rod Bruno,

Welcome to the board. My parents used to live in Sao Paulo (City) and I used to visit them regularly.

I hate to say it, but if you are starting to flyfish, Putah in the summer might be an uphill battle and is not the best place to start the sport. So don't forget to bring your spinning rod. I would recommend going to the sierras and find a smaller stream where you can dry flyfish, have some room to cast and have some more willing trout. Putah is a difficult river to flyfish and especially in the summer. The flows are very high, requiring you to nymph with a lot of split shots, which takes some time getting used to. There are some spots that stay fishable during the high flows, but they get hammered or require a float tube.

As for waders, they are highly recommended.

Good luck!

RodBruno · Member

Marcel,

Me and another friend stopped by the creek last Saturday, we got there really early in the morning...casting from the bunkers was a challenge and many flies were lost, and still not a single bite :)� The water was very clear around noon and I could see some fish activity. We went into the water once the weather got hotter(10:00AM)� around access # 5 but no luck. Overall the experience was still good as we got to know the place.�We visited other spots�up to access # 1 where�the water is deeper and some guys there with spinning rods had caught�at least a half dozen trouts as far as I�could see. Float tubbing would be ideal in that situation.� When i come back will definitely try with nymphs.

What places in specific(over the sierra) would you suggest for beginners ?

BTW, great pics on your web site. Congrats!

JT · Senior Member

The last few times that I've been out, the fish have been feeding in the mid depths in the morning and early afternoon.� Dry fly action has really been turning on just after sunset.

RodBruno · Member

JT,

Thanks for all the tips. I'm trying to find more info around how to properly use the split shots for mid/low�trout activities.�In that�scenario should I also use droppers�to increase the chances ? �In case you have some useful info on the web please let me know the links.

Regards,
Rod

JT · Senior Member

Here are a couple of links for nymph rigs and how to fish them:

http://www.thenewflyfisher.com/files/articles/NYMPHING111.pdf

http://www.flyfishingjournal.com/archives/fa199809.htm

In response to your question about droppers while nymphing, I almost always use a dropper.� I hope�this helps.

-- Edited by JT at 12:40, 2007-05-30

flyfishingjunkie · Veteran Member

Rod,

Sorry for the late reply, was fishing

There are a lot of great little streams in the Sierras. North an South fork of the Stanislaus come to mind. But many other Sierras streams hold fish. You won't be catching huge trout, but it a great way to get introduced to the sport and practice while having fun. Many of these streams can be dry fly fished all day long. Great water can also be found around lake Tahoe, Truckee, Kings Canyon, Strawberry Area (Stanislaus), Yosemite etc.

There are some good books about the sierra fishing, a fly shop will have them.

With the low snow pack I would recommend you fish in June as July could be to hot and the streams will be running low.

Good luck.

shon42073 · Senior Member

As far as the sierra's go, Man just pick a stream or river out and go. As long as it has water in it year round most likely there are trout there. I know there has been alot of talk about the rivers being low by july this year, I ain't buying it, I have spent many hours driving thourgh the sierras in the last month and I can tell you, rivers that are fed by runoff are still high and a little off color. Sonora pass as of less then 2 weeks ago still had a�plenty of snow. I'd guess this is about the time things will really start to come into shape, or maybe another week. Just in the month of may I put about 2,000 miles on my car exploring the sierra's.

flyfishingjunkie · Veteran Member

thecaptain wrote:

I know there has been alot of talk about the rivers being low by july this year, I ain't buying it, I have spent many hours driving thourgh the sierras in the last month and I can tell you, rivers that are fed by runoff are still high and a little off color.

Everything seams to be early this year. Conditions are now (June) as they normally appear in July, so July will most likely be like August. I just fished around Shasta and snow pack is really low. The river I fished was lower then it was last June. Please keep in mind that once water temps rise, due to heat and low flows, fish will be under a lot of stress. Many fish caught and released in those hot months have less of a chance to survive. Not to keep you from fishing, just something to keep in mind when hitting your favorite streams this summer.�

�

RodBruno · Member

Guys,

going back�to the topic around nymph rigs, I found a nice free video on the web and would like to share it here :

http://www.fliesandfinswest.com/videos/bouncerigupdate.wmv

I will probably try this one and the Hinged Leader Method. probably the caveat� with these rigs is to prepare them before we hit the creek to save some time.

Best to all,