Guppy,

The micromays will work as well as the egg patterns.  I would also get some midges (#20-24) and caddis pupae (#16-18).  Make sure you disinfect your gear after fishing the creek due to the New Zealand Mud Snails.  I'm sure you've heard of them on the American River also.  We don't want to see pop up anywhere else.

to put it bluntly Guppy your gonna need to get yourself out on the water and put in some time and pay some dues. You better use an indicator.

-- Edited by thecaptain at 20:28, 2007-12-26

As a crusty old fart, I think the captain is right.  You have to go out and pay your dues.  I started fishing Putah about 35 years ago.  It took me almost a year before I caught my first rainbow.  The flies are small.  Think Caddis and mayflies.  I was most successful with renegades when I started.  I still use renegades with a copper john or some other small fly as a dropper.  Stop at each of the parking areas and look at the water.  The creek has changed alot over the years.  I like fast water, so I try to find those spots that have the kind of water I enjoy fishing.  When the water is high, throughout most of the summer, I have to scramble to find places that I can wade.  As I get older the fear factor increases.  In the fall the water starts to drop and there are more places that I can fish.  Of course, then its harder to find a spot without a lot of other fishermen.

One other tip.  I decorate most of the river with flies.  If you look up at certain times of the year you will see lines coming down from branches.  In November of this year I tossed my fly up in a low lying branch, walked over and pulled the branch down to where I could retrieve my fly.  I spent the next ten minutes picking off flies other fishermen had put onto the same branch during the high water period.  I pulled off 18 flies, not counting mine.  I enjoy seeing what the competion is using.   Most of the flies were in the 14 to 18 range.  I went home and tied close to a hundred new flies using their patterns as my templetes.  I have to confess I use scud hooks and 3X short hooks because my eyes aren't as good as they used to be, and its easier for me to tie smaller flies on these hooks.   Anyway Putah is a good fishery, a little crowded nowadays, but still well worth the time and effort it takes to learn how to fish it.   

HaHa, Thats funny yukon mike. Anyone who has ever met me on the river knows I'm more then happy to give any info. i have for the day, My point is, Guppy you may find people a little more willing to help ya out if you talk to em on the river. Also if you look back in some past posts you can find many times the topic of favorite putah flies has come up. The fly's sold on this site would also be a good starting point, don't go out and waste a bunch of money on fly's you'll never use, trust me i have plenty that may never even get wet. As far as paying dues, I'm still in the process.

Fox poopahs as well 18-20
small bWO emergers 18-20
phesant tails-18-20
parachute adams-18-20

those are what i have luck on but it also depends on when and where.....

GL

That dam gnat is tough to see ! You just gotta watch in the general area the fly is and set if a fish rises anywere near were you think the gnat is. They can work well.

-- Edited by thecaptain at 18:19, 2007-12-27

There can be fish at any hole on that creek. Get up there and fish where you think a fish would be. Also, hiring a guide will cut the time it takes you to learn the basics of Putah from about a year to a day. May I suggest Bono.

Daara wrote:

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guppy i also ask a lot of questions, but the best way to learn is to get out on the creek. i know how you feel i'm 13. Heck, i've only caught one fish after fishin' the creek for a year and a half, so keep at it.

flies:
copper john (18-22)
pt (20-22)
zebra midge (22-24)
hares ear (18-22)
wooly buggers (on the swing by LK. solono in summer)
disco midge (22-26)
and many other flies i am to sleepy to remember now.

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ive gotten one in about a month worth of fishing....but its a fun river :)

Guppy:I feel you're pain,I started fly fishing about 30 years ago when I was 16.I too am self taught as I couldnt afford a guide,it took me almost a year to finally hook into a fish on Putah,and I lived on the creek.I fished the creek an average of 3 or 4 days a week year round(now thats paying you're dues!!).The person who made me change from conventional gear to flies may be east bay Ed of who I saw on the creek catching fish after fish using an egg pattern and a renegade with a tail made of peach colored yarn(was that you Ed?)From that day on I was committed to fly fishing and I never went back.Most of what I learned was self taught but as I got older and was able to afford a class or a guide and my learning curve increased by leaps and bounds.It was then a challenge to undo some of my self taught bad habits but I think I'm a better fisherman for it.It makes me feel good to see younger folks getting into a sport like flyfishing because generally speaking once a person takes that leap its kind of a commitment and in most cases turns that person into a sort of conservationist which is what I consider myself.I hunt and fish but am aware of the needs of animals and fish and understand and am still learning everything that goes along with it.So Guppy stay with it dont become discouraged and this sport of flyfishing can make positive lifelong change for you.By the way Yukon Mike,dude you're humor cracks me up!!Bono.

hello .. i'm a relatively new fly fishermen and I have yet to hit up Putah creek, but hope to soon. (Bono, I plan on hiring a guide, but as I just graduated from grad school and am currently unemployed, it may be a little while).

Anyways I have a question about high sticking vs. indicator nymphing.
Are these two methods mutually exclusive... or can you high stick w/ an indicator? Or as soon as you put an indicator on, you mess up the natural drift of the fly, which is the purpose of high sticking...?

I'm trying to get a better understanding of these two techniques and the advantages/disadvantages of them.

thanks.

trev, there is a post about indicators and high sticking. I think it's only a week old or so.