Yuba River has it all

Andy Guibord doesn’t even bother with the Upper Yuba River any more.
“There’s no point,” the Sacramento guide from Kiene’s Fly Shop said.
Limited access. Gobs of guides. Dozens of driftboats. And oodles of outsiders. It can take away from the experience, Guibord noted. So he suggests sticking to the Lower Yuba, which has everything a fly fishermen needs this time of year, including rainbow trout, smallmouth bass, striped bass and spirited shad.
“Plus, if you fish the lower river,” Guibord adds, “you don’t have to make the hike all the way up there and you get to get away from all the people.”
There’s public access to the lower river outside of Marysville along the highway. Some of the known hotspots include stretches by Hallwood Ave, Hammond Grove, Simpson Lane Bridge, E Street Bridge, Shad Pad and Parks Bar.
Resident rainbows
While the river plays host to a number of species, including steelhead and salmon at times, resident rainbows are the most sought after this time of year. They can be picky, but once you get in tune with their feeding habits you’re bound to have a blast on the lower stretch.
Guibord suggests the best bites coincide with hatches at sunrise, late morning and early evening. Early on, Guibord flings Pale Morning Duns and tan or green flies that match the caddis hatch. Later in the day, he’ll go to Golden Stones, ’hoppers and Little Yellow Stones. My favorite two flies for the lower river are the Tan Hemingway and the Elk Hair Caddis. Favorite patterns for nymphing include Glo-bug variations and flies that imitate mayflies and caddis pupae.
Spirited shad
Looking for a feisty shad? June is an ideal month for locating chains of these great fighting fish as they migrate upriver. If you’re lucky, you could catch a fish weighing 3 to 6 pounds.
When fishing for shad, it’s wise to use a sinking fly line, a 5-foot leader, a 6-pound tippet and bright and weighted shad flies that are available in any Sacramento fly shop. They seem to prefer sparsely dressed flies in chartreuse, red, orange and yellow.
Spincasters can hook up using bright-colored, jig-headed shad darts. The shad typically remain in the river through July.
Some smallmouth bass and stripers are being caught below Daguerre Dam. Your best shot is to try stripping a white and chartreuse Clouser or a dark flashtail whistler for bass.

Steelhead still going at Whale Rock

While steelhead fishing has died down around much of the state, it’s just getting underway at Whale Rock.
The 590-acre reservoir is located in Cayucos, about 10 minutes north of Morro Bay. From Highway 1, take the Old Creek Road exit for two miles until you reach the access gate on the southeast shore.
Whale Rock is open during the general trout season from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, with about two miles of shoreline open to the public. A self-registration booth is set up at the entry gate where anglers can enclose a day use fee of $2 for adults and $1 for children.
According to officials, no more than 300 to 400 fishermen visit the lake because boats aren’t allowed and bass are nowhere to be found. There’s nothing but steelhead here, thanks to an enhancement project that began at the reservoir in 1992, offsetting the ecological impact the dam had on Old and Cottontail creeks. Now, landlocked steelhead are around all season long (from April to November).
While live bait is not allowed, Power Bait and salmon eggs remain a viable option. When traditional baits aren’t working, tie on a crankbait and shake things up. Big rattlers can produce big results. They don’t call it Whale Rock for nothing.

Product review: MTI Adventurewear Dorado PFD

Finally, a PFD (personal flotation device) created for the kayaker and the angler.
While there are plenty of angler-friendly PFDs on the market today, few have been designed with the hardcore paddler in mind.
Most fishing PFDs are for vertical fishermen who spend most of their time fishing on their feet and don’t mind loads of foam in the back. This style of PFD is extremely uncomfortable for paddlers who fish with their backs against a seat rest all day.
I’ve had some pretty uncomfortable PFDs over the years, and have even sacrificed safety by cutting out sections of foam to make long paddles more tolerable. There was just no way you could strap on a traditional fishing PFD and go for a 20-mile paddle.
That was until MTI Adventurewear came along and created the perfect kayak angler PFD. The Dorado ($70 MSRP) is just that, a dependable USCG-approved PFD with all the bells and whistles of a high-end fishing PFD, along with a zipper front, oversized arm slots, open sides, high mesh back and little foam in the rear for sit-on-top paddling comfort.
The Dorado, named after my favorite fighting fish, is jam packed with pockets, straps and holders for all your fishing tackle and comes in olive/gray or red/gray. Olive is good for stealth fishermen hoping to blend in with their surrounds, while the red PFDs are more visible on the water. Both are type III PFDs with a buoyancy of 15 pounds, 10 ounces, and are made with comfortable PVC foam and a nylon shell that helps keep you dry.
Go to www.mtiadventurewear.com for more information.

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