The rivers have been fishing well to great. It just matters on the day. We are in the winter mode for the valley rivers, which means wind, cold and rain with big swings in the Barometer. With that being said – we have been grabbing some big steelies on the Lower Sac and still finding steelhead on the Feather. The Yuba has started the Skwala Hatch. Best time for the Skwala is when the temperature is in the high fifties with sunshine. The Skwalas need sunshine to warm them up. Best time to fish is from 11am to early afternoon. Hot flies for the Lower Sac are Rubberlegs in Brown Size 4-6, Single Beads in Peachy King 8mm, Lance’s X-May’s in Olive and Brown in Size 18-20, Thurman’s Jigged Bird’s Nest Brown Size 14 and Sweet Pea’s in Size 16-18. Feather River flies: Thurman’s Jigged Bird’s Olive and Brown Size 14, Lance’s X-May’s in Olive, Black and Brown Size 18-20, Fox’s Caddis Poopah Olive Size 14 and Lance’s Fireworm in Natural Size 14. Yuba River flies are Rubberlegs Olive, Yellow and Orange Size 6, Lance’s X-May’s Olive, Brown and PMD Sizes 18-20, Skwala Unit Size 12, Mrs. Skwala Unit Size 10 (this is a new fly), Thurman’s Jigged Bird’s Nest in Olive and Brown Size 14 and Barr’s Slumpbuster in Olive Size 6.

My Gray’s Indicator Leader was designed to be fished all day, easy deployment and storage. I have fished some of these leaders for more than a year. The leader is constructed of twenty-pound fluorocarbon material with a Gray’s Indicator pinned between three bobber stops. The leaders come with a detailed setup sheet for easy rigging. I use these leaders on all the valley rivers and steelhead rivers in Northern California and Southern Oregon. 

The Streamer, Nymph and Two-Handed Rod Workshops are scheduled for the Fall. These workshops are great. We concentrate on a set tactic in these workshops. We give you tons of information with hands on instruction on the water. The workshops are designed to give the fly fisher the fundamentals. The Streamer Workshop is scheduled for September 24, 2021, the Nymph Workshop is scheduled for October 1, 2021 and the Two-Handed Rod Workshop is scheduled for October 15, 2021. 

Our LGC’s Tours are still the best deal going in the Northern Cali! The tours are just that. We show you the water, teach you how to fish it, show you how we rig and tactics that work, while we fish on the water. It is simply perfect! We have two tours scheduled. The Hex Hatch Tour is scheduled for July 5, 2021 with three spots open. This tour is the nuts and bolts of the Hex Hatch at Lake Almanor. This great hatch is exciting, and it draws big fish to the fly. The second tour is the Manzanita Lake Tour scheduled for July 17, 2021. Manzanita lake is a true gem in the fly-fishing world. This pristine lake is located inside the Lassen National Park boundaries and holds wild browns and rainbows. These finicky fish are hard to catch, but we show you the why, how and when’s while we are fishing on the lake. This tour will sharpen your stillwater skills.

The Solarez UV Cure Fly Tying Resin is simply the best. I have seen and used many products over the years to give a nice shinning solid head or body on flies. This material is easy to use and dries bone dry, yes, I said bone dry. No sticky or wet feeling material that you need to coat again with an acrylic head cement. This stuff is the best I have every used. The bottle goes a long way, and will last for 100’s of flies. Great Stuff!!!

The Skwala Unit is the brainchild of Jon Baiocchi. I have made several additions to the fly. I tie it on a high-quality hook, Firehole 718 hook. I also have added some UV Krystal Flash under the foam wing for added detail. Some folks call it “Bling”, but I have found that it has increased the hookups for this fly by almost 21%. In addition, I have taken off the white Puglisi 3D Silky Fiber with Bright Orange Antron Yarn, as a sighter. The Size 12 I tie for the male Skwalas and the Size 10 I tie for the female Skwala. The Mrs. Skwala Unit has a dubbing ball of Black Ice Dub at the bend of the hook. This represents eggs on the female. The female is also a little bigger than the male. Both, of these flies are need in your fly box if you are fishing the Yuba or Skwalas anywhere!!