Here’s something I wrote up a while back. I think it’s a good time to post it.

 

The following outlines a general approach to fishing Putah Creek. Hopefully, it will be useful for anglers new to the creek and especially for those who are relatively new to fly fishing. Most people nymph the stream and this is what is covered below.

 

Equipment:

Rod: 9' 5 wt. or 4 wt.

 

Reel: any reel with a smoothe drag

 

Line: weight forward floating line

 

Indicator: foam or poly yarn. I prefer indicators that can be readily adjusted up and down the tippet (without having to re-tie knots)

 

Leader: see note below

 

Tippet: 5X fluorocarbon

 

Waders: the tougher the better. Avoid neoprene which can easily snag on the many thorny bushes surrounding the stream

 

Split shot: bring a box of assorted sizes

 

Misc. equipment: wading staff, floatant (paste), polarized sunglasses, small pliers (to pinch down the barb), hat, sun screen

 

The setup. The length of the tippet is discussed later. First, attach the indicator to the tippet. To the end of the tippet attach your upper fly with an improved clinch knot (4 1/2 turns). To the bend of this fly attach another length of tippet using the same clinch knot. To the end of this tippet add a second fly. This bottom fly should be around 9-12" below the top fly. If you want to use a split shot, pinch it on about 9" above the top fly. If you are using a poly yarn indicator, grease it with floatant. If you are using a leader with a butt section, also grease the butt section (this will help the tip of the fly line from getting waterlogged and eventually sinking).

 

To find fish at Putah Creek the two things to look for are depth and a fishable current speed. You need depth because most of Putah's better fish are down deep. Fish don't have eyelids so depth is the easiest way for them to find comfort since light penetration diminishes with depth. As a rule of thumb, two to three feet is about as shallow as I like to fish. One exception is when a channel or hole is located in the dark shade or covered by an overhanging bush. Undercut banks are also an exception. Generally, the deeper the water and the larger the area, the greater the likelihood of consistent productivity throughout the season.

 

What is a fishable current speed? This is where time on the water and experience comes in. With experience you'll learn what this means. It's obvious, however, that you don't want your indicator racing downstream. Also, your indicator should be drifting no faster than the surface current. Usually you can find a leaf, a bubble or some other floating object to gauge your indicator against. Note that you can't always tell by just looking if the current is too fast. Sometimes the current looks slow, but your indicator will zip back to you. At other times the current looks fast, but your drift will be ideal. The only way to tell for sure is to make at least one cast. If you find that the first cast to the center of the flow is too fast, consider making a cast to the side of the main flow. Sometimes the side current or seam is slower and this is where the fish may be stationed. Also, adding more weight can also slow the drift down.

 

Okay. You've found a spot with good depth and a fishable current speed. What's next? The length of tippet (distance between your indicator and your bottom fly) and the amount of weight (split shot) become critical. A generally accepted rule of thumb is that your tippet should be 1 1/2 times the depth of the water. Of course, this distance is dependent upon how heavily weighted your flies are, how much weight you are using, and the speed of the current. If you use too little weight, your flies won't get down to the level of the fish. Too much weight and your drift will be interrupted by bumping the bottom too often and you will be prone to more snags. So the idea is to bump the bottom just occasionally; if this happens, you are probably fishing at the correct depth. Of course, the fish are the final judge of whether you are fishing at the proper depth.

 

Finally, the flies. I most often use bead head flies. Popular flies to try are Zebra Midges, Brassies, Disco Midges, Copper Johns, PT's, Hogan's S&M nymphs, Micro Mays, WD-40's, Hares Ears, Fox Poopahs and San Juan Worms. If you go to any Bay Area or Sacramento fly shop, they can help you with their suggestions. Most shops recommend flies between size 18 and 22. If you tie your own flies, heavily weight your flies. I like to use over-sized tungsten beads AND lead wire under the thorax for my mayfly nymphs. I also prefer to tie my flies a little bigger than most fly shops recommend. I tie most of my mayfly nymphs and midge patterns on a #16 3769 Tiemco hook. This hook was recommended to me by a former Putah Creek guide and it has worked very well for me.

 

I have sketched out above an approach that has worked for me. But I'm sure that almost every Putah Creek angler has their own variations. This is the way it should be since each angler has his own style of fishing and Putah offers many different types of water to fish.

 

On thing to keep in mind is that Putah Creek can be a tough place to learn to fish. If you just want to fish it a couple of times a year and you expect to be consistently successful, you will probably be disappointed (unless you have a lot of experience fishing similar streams). The learning curve for Putah Creek can be quite long. But, on the other hand, I believe that it is well worth the effort. I took early retirement from my job in 1998 and really began to fish Putah in earnest. I can honestly say that Putah has been way, way better than I ever imagined it would be. The last three years I have not fished the stream nearly as much as I have in the past due to a chronic foot problem and I know that the fishing has gotten tougher, but I still believe that it's a stream worth learning how to fish. And if the stream ever returns to its productivity of, say, 5 to 10 years ago, you'll understand why so many anglers get so excited about the stream.

 

Misc. tips:

 

- Getting a good drift and the proper depth are critically important. The "wrong" fly fished properly will catch more fish than the "right" fly fished improperly.

 

- Learn proper mending techniques; this will help you obtain a drag-free drift. There are lots of books and videos that cover mending.

 

- Learn how to roll cast proficiently. Putah is surrounded by bushes and trees that limit your backcasts so roll casts are sometimes the only option. The farther you can roll cast the better off you will be.

 

- When you catch a fish, note how fast your indicator was drifting Most likely it wasn’t moving very quickly. As you catch more fish you’ll gain a good understanding of how fast your indcator can drift before it’s moving too fast to catch fish. One of the most common mistakes I see anglers making is when they make casts (even with proper mending) where the drift speed is too fast.

 

- Getting to the stream early can be a real advantage because you will be fishing water that has not been disturbed by other anglers. Along the same line, fish during the week if you can.

 

- Fish will tend to go shallower during low light conditions. Thus, many people find that overcast or rainy days produce some of the best fishing. Slightly off-color water can also put fish into the shallows.

 

- Watch other anglers to see how and where they are fishing, but exercise proper stream ettiquette so you don't intrude on their fishing space. To be safe, it’s better to observe from a distance.

 

- Don't use an expensive rod. Slippery rocks, bushes and overhanging tree branches will put your rod at risk.

 

- Don't be tied down to one approach. For example, most people fish a spot by casting from below or from the side. There was a long, deep run that I had seen many people fish without any success. One day as I was walking back to my car, I saw this guy casting from the top of the run. He was using a large indicator and (I'm guessing) a lot of weight. I immediately noticed that he was getting a good drift. Sure enough, the indicator drifted only about 15 feet before he hooked and landed a nice 15 incher.

 

- Don't get discouraged if you don't catch fish. Even experienced anglers have some poor days at Putah. Instead, use your frustration as motivation. I truly believe that at Putah desperation has been my greatest teacher. Desperation has caused me to try different locations and different approaches and this has led me to some new discoveries.

 

Leader notes:

 

I have tied my own leaders for over 30 years so I am not that familiar with what leaders are available or what others use. My leader formula for nymphing Putah is as follows: 12" .025 in., 4" .020, 1/2" .017, 1/2" .015, 1/2" .013, 1/2" .012, 1/2" .010, 2" .009, 4" .009 (2X), 4" .008 (3X), 5" .007 (4X), then 5X flouro tippet. As you can tell, basically the leader is a short butt section, a bunch of short segments of decreasing size, and a tippet section. I have increased the lengths of the last several sections so that I can replace these segments as needed and use the same leader over and over again. All of the front segments down to .009 are Maxima Ultragreen. The 2X, 3X and 4X segments are soft mono. the 5X segment is fluorocarbon. This leader design seems a bit cumbersome to tie up, but the leader will turn over on a long cast even with a 9 foot tippet. Also, because I replace the last several segments as needed, one leader can last me for many, many trips.

 

Alternate leader: Greg Shuerger, a former Putah Creek guide, produced a video for Fly Fish TV in which he fishes Putah Creek. The leader he used consisted of a short butt section of 0.20 mono to which he attached a poly yarn indicator. Off of the butt section he attached a 4 foot section of 4X tippet followed by a section of 5X tippet. I have seen quite a few other anglers use a similar leader setup.

 

Final comment: I have outlined above my approach to fishing Putah Creek. Of course, it is just one person’s ideas so I’m sure just about everyone has their comments and issues with what I have written. Hopefully, though, the guidelines above with help the angler new to Putah to get started on the right foot. And once you hook one of the creek’s "pigs" you’ll know what all the excitement is about. Also remember that to be consistent, you have to find the fish. And this is where time on the water becomes critical. The best technique in the world won’t do any good if the fish aren’t there where you are fishing. Putah definitely has some "honey holes", but you have to put in the effort to find them.

 

Thank a lot everyone, I really appreciate the information! Can't wait take what I learned and use it in the creek. Does anyone happen to know of any places that might be good for a beginner fly fisherman to try out that is in the area?

Thanks,

Josh

Where is 128 bridge?

Thanks,

Josh

You must be taking about the trout that are spawning up stream of the bridge....that's a no bueno

This thread is yet another reminder to me why I feel the creek should be closed for the spawn.

Funny you mention rather specific locations and features. It leads one to believe you have an interest to do your own spawning fish inquiry, you are taking part in the actual fish survey or you fish the creek during the spawn. Based on your posts I would assume the later. I could be wrong but I doubt it.

I'm curious how many people Steve and his crew have caught on camera this spawning season that are actively fishing redds? If one was to compare photos over the last few years I'd bet there were multiple repeat offenders. Granted PCT has been rather quiet lately so I doubt I'll ever know.

People just don't care about the fishery as long as they can go catch a nice fish or three now. As with most things in society today, it's all about Me, Me, Me. There is no benefit of the doubt. To make that assumption is the joke.

No I have not fished the creek at all this Winter. I have thought about driving up on a weekend to have a peek but know it would just piss me off to see all the cars parked at the access locations or the long liners sight fishing, so I just stay away.

Search and seizure and "benefit of the doubt". I fail to see the analogy but then again another pot of coffe might help...meh. Please show me where I stated that I advocate the use of trail cameras. Having participated in clean-ups, gravel raking and spawn surveys I am not currently a fan of PCT. I'm more than happy to share that pot of coffee with you.

Many of us have "grown up on the creek". I just turned 51, the creek sure isn't like it was when I was growing up but times have changed. I'm ok with that but feel resources should be managed as times change.

Suggesting to somebody that is new to flyfishing that they should fish known spawning areas during the spawn without referencing "signage" or the obvious issues with it IS making a huge assumption and potentially damaging.

As a PCT member, I'll chime in to clarify a few points should someone stumble across this thread:

Prior to 2009, Putah Creek was stocked extensively which supported a put-and-take fishery. The cessation of stocking in 2009, prior to the regulations change, resulted in significantly reduced wild trout population, as there were no hatchery fish to beat them to the frying pan. In an effort to reverse the trend, PCT and its members worked hard with other local community groups and fisheries advocates to get the catch-and-release regulations put in place. That regulation change, along with active management of the very limited spawning habitat on the Creek, are the primary reasons the fishery has begun to rebound.

PCT is supporting DFW's evaluation of Putah Creek for designation as a Wild Trout Water. This is the best (only) option for a quality fishery on Putah Creek: DFW has explicitly told us and anyone who wants to ask -- Putah Creek (along with a range of waters statewide) will never be stocked again. So, advocating for the resources of the Wild Trout Program to enhance Putah Creek, as has been done on most of the blue-ribbon streams in California, is a no-brainer.

To be clear: DFW is leading the data collection and performing the evaluation of the creek, while PCT provides support and advocacy for those efforts. The trail cameras used on the creek were to evaluate the number of fly fishermen, not their identity, fishing and wading in spawning areas. Again, because suitable spawning habitat is severely limited on Putah Creek habitat, assessing the impact of such activities was needed for the Wild Trout evaluation: a sustainable wild trout population requires a successful spawn. And to be honest, the placement of the cameras were so far away from the monitored area, about all that could be seen was if the blob in photo was a fisherman or a heron. DFW is not the NSA -- you have much more to worry about from your web browser. Further, though all of the signs may not have been removed, the cameras were removed last year, as it was deemed that enough data on the subject had been collected.

PCT can advocate, and DFW can regulate, but ultimately, the future of Putah Creek is in the hands of the folks who fish it. Volunteer events for PCT/DFW activities are regularly posted on this forum. These are very good opportunities to lend a hand and learn more about the issue facing Putah Creek, as well as interact with some the the best fisheries biologists in the country.

What is the benefit of designation of a wild trout water that makes it the "only" option for a quality fishery? What other "options" has PCT explored aside from the successful push for zero take?

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Rossflyguy wrote:

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. . . don't lecture me internet tough guy. Lastly don't try to sound as smart as you really are.

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Did you mean "smarter than" ????... or maybe this is an attempt to compliment...? In that case ... thanks... ill give you the benefit of the doubt...

PS....Take your own advice about the lecturing...that whole kettle, pot, and black thing...

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-- Edited by steelheadgoof on Wednesday 8th of January 2014 11:44:31 PM

LOLOL James, I was trying to figure out if Brian was in this thread but decided it didn't really matter and a cold beer on a hot day sounds a hell of a lot more appealing.

Classic Putah message board comments. (eyeroll)

Josh-

I would recomend finding a nice little stretch of water and practice as often as you can. After you get a few times hire a guide for at least a half day and let them know ahead of time what experience you have and go from there. You're never to old to learn and hiring a Guide who's out on the water way more than you can teach you something everytime you go out with one no matter how experienced you are (or aren't).

Black Cloud wrote:

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LOL, l must have got in a time machine and went back several years. You guys need to stop arguing and go fishing. Years ago I was involved in one of those epic flame wars with Brian Clement and today he is one of my best friends. Life is to short for these things.

 

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 I don't recall any arguments :)

screw alla you guys!