I am new to California, live in Davis and am wanting to explore more about fishing Putah Creek. I am guessing I have come to the right place and will no doubt appreciate any and all advise you might offer.
I have fished Lake Solano from my float tube and have had some success but need to find out more about Putah, itself. I hear of the the turnouts being numbered or referred to by numbers but do not have a cluse as to where they're actually located and where one can park. I see a lot of folks parked along the road near what look like good fishing spots.
I am curious about where folks like to fish and what type of gear (floating/sinking line, leader sizes, etc.).
I'll be curious to hear what some of you have to say.
Just fish Putah man. It's a place you need to punch your time card at. Keep going until you figure it out. You already know what bugs to use. All the turnouts hold fish and they move around lots. Learn the areas well cuz they change throughout the year. Most of my favorite summer spots don't exist in winter and vice versa. Leave the sink tip and dry flies at home. Some may not agree with that but that's been my experience.
I'll pretty much agree with everything cole said, except I've found olive wooly buggers on a sink tip sometimes works pretty good in the slow sections. It is two completely different rivers, the summer river and the winter river. Man, it takes alot of time to figure putah creek out, I been fishing it on and off for well over 15 years, only about 1 year and a half with a fly rod, What works one day seems to not work the next. I fished it today and landed 6 fish, 4 planters all about 12 inches, one pretty nice holdeover that went 14 inches, and 1 nice wild fish that went 15 inches, The wild guy was a putah football that made one spectacular leap ! Fished between the damn and the 128 bridge, All the fish were caught on various colrs and versions of a san juan worm (seems to work when the going gets tough). The wind was absolutly brutal, Almost every cast had to be timed between gusts, Wind slowed a bit around mid day. Overall a fun day its been a few months since I have fished putah and it sure does rank right up there with some of california's top river's. SO GO GET EM DOYLE !!!, the fish are there its just a matter of can you catch one.
Welcome to the board, Doyle. The fishing should really start to pick up in the next month or so. The creek is still pretty high. I have been sticking to the edges with some luck. I almost always use a floating line, though I bring along the sinking line just in case the wind is blowing too strong. For leaders I use at least a 9' leader. I'm pretty cheap, so I use them until their dead by adding tippet to the butt section. You don't really need a tapered leader for nymphing anyway. Good luck exploring the creek. There are fish just about everywhere.
__________________
"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
Another thought--I don't know if you're aware of the New Zealand Mud Snail issue on the creek. If not, you might want to do some research. After fishing the creek you will need to disinfect your gear before fishing other waters. Freezing your boots and waders overnight works well. I also use heat to kill them. I put them in 140 degree water for about 10 minutes (My wife isn't too fond of the waders in the freezer idea). Another accepted method is a good soaking in a 50/50 mixture of Commercial Solutions Formula 409 and water. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask.
__________________
"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
Doyle, I agree with Cole in that you have to put in your time on the creek in order to be successful. I fish the creek quite a bit and whenever I run into a person new to the creek, I am not hesitant to tell them how good the creek can be. However, I ALWAYS caution them that they will have to "pay their dues". In my opinion, Putah is a really phenomenal stream, but it is not the easiest place to learn how (and where) to fish. I have been fishing the creek for over 25 years and I still struggle with fishing the stream at high flows (above 500 CFS as it is now). The good news is, however, that there are a large number of fish 17 inches or over, most of them naturals, so the rewards are worth the investment in time.
Thanks to all of you who responded. I didn't fish yesterday, due to the winds that kicked up in the morning but I will try to get out today, sometime. I am gathering that nymphing is the best option during higher flows as most of you had said - thanks for that bit of information. I normally use a dropper when fish are not rising so I was more on than I gave myself credit for. Sometimes I should just listen to myself.
I have still not found all the pull-outs but maybe I need to explore more - there seem to be three major pull-outs and I will over time figure out some other good locations to access the creek. Thanks for the info on the mud snails...I already knew about them and the way to rid my waders and boots of the pesty creatures but thanks anyway as I'd sure not want to infest other rivers or streams.
I will let everyone know how I did today, if I do in fact head out to the creek.
