Sunday, January 22, 2012

GCFF Fish Outs

Gold Country Fly Fishers
GCFF Fish Outs and Clinics for,
March 2012



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Gold Country Fly Fishers Programs for February 2012.

The Gold Country Fly Fishers is introducing an ambitious program for 2012. For February we have a Fish Out Scheduled at Pyramid Lake, 2 Fly Casting Workshops and 1 Techniques Clinic


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Fish Outs


The GCFF Fish Outs are fishing opportunities to enable all members to experience our local and Nouthern California fly fishing destinations and meet new fly fishing friends. The GCFF Fish Outs are open to all members. To insure this the GCFF Board has requested that if an outing is limited to a maximum number of participants and if there are more signees than the outing can handle, a lottery will be held to determine the members than will attend. The GCFF goal is to provide opportunities to all of its members.


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Pyramid Lake - February 15th, 2012


The Pyramid lake Outing provided pretty tough fishing for the attendees, but David Bear managed to get 4 in three days. Ed Tom caught a few more, as always. David Bear talked to a guy that was at Pyramid for 10 days to cover the 2-weekend tournament and he said things picked up last Saturday after another storm. We had about 12 club members for two days (last Tue/Wed) and almost everyone caught something. The fish were not in the shallows as is usual for this time of year. Black wooly buggers with some red & blue flash, red copper johns. Water levels are still high - making the ladder fishing more of a challenge. It snowed on Wednesday early AM and rough water kept everyone of the water until 11:00 AM - then pretty flat water. Cheers to our hardy anglers!



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Luk Lake Fishout at Clear Creek Casino - March 8th and 9th


Frank Rinella will host the Luk Lake Fishout this year again. Luk Lake is over 65 acres in size, with numerous coves, peninsulas and weed beds. The thick shoreline weeds provide ample cover and vegetation for the lake’s resident bass and sunfish, and also provide food for cruising rainbow trout in the wintertime. Trout fishermen fins that drifting small midge dry flies and midge clusters can be productive throughout the wintertime, as well as dead drifting midge patterns under indicators. Stripping small streamers and damselfly nymphs can be very productive and also creates possibilities to catch bass.

The Clear Creek “Luk Lake” fish out will have an estimated cost of $175 per attendee. This fee includes a day and a half rod fee, lunch on Thursday, breakfast on Friday, and lunch on Friday. The group will have dinner on Thursday night at the Clear Creek Casino. The cost of this dinner is not included in the $175 fee.

It also includes lodging at the Luk Lake Lodge. The lodge is just a short drive (approximately 1/3 mile) away from the lake. The Lodge at Luk Lake is a 5 bedroom, 2 bath ranch-style building featuring 11 beds (4 bedrooms with two twin beds each and one room with 3 twin beds), kitchen and comfortable sitting room. The lodge will sleep a maximum of 12 people.


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Collins Lake Fish Out Changed to Scots Flat Lake - Monday, March 19th


Mike and Todd Williams will be hosting a stillwater fish out at Scotts Flat Lake instead of at Collins Lake on Monday, March 19th. A short stillwater clinic will be offered first thing at the lake and a BBQ lunch for the attendees. Mike and Todd fished Collins Lake recently and the water has deteriorated. Mike and Todd will keep every one posted as we get closer.




Where: Scotts Flat Lake
Fish Out Leaders: 
         Mike and Todd Williams
When: Monday, March 19th
What to Expect: A Good Time By All!








Sign Me Up for the Scotts Flat Lake Fish Out
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Henderson Springs - April 15th, 16th and 17th


Henderson Springs Trip Full!


Wayne Holloway is hosting this 3 day trip to Henderson Springs east of Redding. The trip has a maximum numbers of attendees at 13. The cost will be $525 for the 3 days. The payment is die in full by March 6th, 2012. There will be sign-ups for a waiting list for cancellations.

Henderson Springs has BIG FISH! so you will not need anything smaller than 3x. For this outing prepare for cold weather. It is typically unsettled at best with wind, snow, rain, sunshine, temperatures in the 30's to 50's. Water temperatures are in the low 50's. The fish are also big and hungry.


Where: Henderson Springs
Fish Out Leader: Wayne Holloway - 916-826-8652 for additional information
When: April 15th, 16th, and 17th, 2012
What to Expect: Big Fish in unsettled weather conditions
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Bob Alvares' Shad Trip


Bob Alvares is the fish master for his Shad Trip. The date has been set at May 11th. Details for this trip will follow.

Use this Email link to reserve a spot.
Sign Me Up for the Shad May Trip


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Clinics, Casting Workshops and Fly Tying

GCFF is ramping up its clinics, casting and fly tying programs for 2012. These programs will be structured for all levels of experience. No one is excluded, everyone is invited. Casting Clinics - March 15th and 31st.

The GCFF Clinicians will provide monthly fly casting workshops for its members in 2012. There will be two classes a month. We will now be offering instruction for all levels at each Fly Casting Workshop. There will be instructors to assist and instruct from beginning to advanced casters. The workshops will be held at Sycamore Ranch County Park and hosted by GCFF Clinicians. This will be a great opportunity to learn to cast and for the more experiened, learn new techniques or fix bad habits. We've all got them!



Casting Clinics Schedule:
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GCFF Techniques Clinics and Workshops

The GCFF Clinicians will provide Technique Clinics and Workshops for its members in 2012. There will be one or two a month. These clinics and workshops will focus on education and skills development. The technique clinics will be held at Hammon Grove County Park. Come and inprove your knowledge and skills. Sign up early and often!

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March GCFF Techniques Clinics and Workshops

  • Saturday, March 31st - 1:00 to 3:00. 
  • Lower Yuba Techniques Clinic -You can take the skills taught to many Northern California waters. Hosted by GCFF Clinicians. Space will be limited to ensure a quality experience.
  • Where: Hammon Grove County Park
  • Make sure you have a current CA Fishing License and a Steelhead Report Card
You can email Clay Hash to reserve a spot at the workshops.

Sign me Up for the March 31st Techniques Clinic


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Fly Tying Workshops

We will be upgrading our Fly Tying Program. Stay tuned for more information at the next GCFF General Meeting in February.

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Thanks, Clay Hash, Fish Outs Chairperson.

Thursday, January 5, 2012

January GCFF Meeting


Well was that a great meeting last night or what? Mike and Todd Williams tying some great patterns and a stillwater techniques slide show prior to the meeting, a great and entertaining program by Dr. Brian Evans and a bunch of new programs. Thank you Trent!

It was great to see a presenter bringing material that makes the audience howl with delight. Brian did that. Especially his last punch line to avoid seeing him in the ER, "Don't get lit and don't eat Sh--! Good advise!

We had a bunch of sign ups for the Feather River and the Pyramid Lake Fish Out and for the upcoming Fly Casting workshops. We're all looking forward to that. I had 7 people confirm to help out with the Fly casting program. So, we're off to a good start.

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With that said, we still have plenty of room for the Lower Yuba Techniques clinic on January 21st.

Just click on the email link below to sign up.

Sign me Up for the Jan Techniques Clinic

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If you still want to sign up for the Fly Casting Workshops go to the post below.

Thanks,
Clay

Saturday, December 31, 2011

The Feather River

The Lower Feather is really one of our local destinations and really gets often forgotten. Although it is only an hours drive away from Grass Valley we often say lets fish the Lower Yuba instead. This isn't always the wisest decision. The problem is that to hit it right you have to select the right times of year to venture over there.

The Lower Feather River runs 50 miles from rural Lake Oroville, through semi-urban Marysville and Yuba City (where the Yuba River enters), to the Sacramento River.  It is fairly scenic (though some areas are ugly), and boasts the largest steelhead run in California's Central Valley. As fly fishermen the main areas to concentrate is the low flow section below the Oroville dam and the high flow section near Gridley which is a section of about 15 miles.

River Character and Access

The Feather is a big Central Valley fishery that contains little in the way of rapids, but enough structure (riffles, pools, chutes, islands) to support nice steelhead fishing.  Because of its proximity to the big towns of Oroville, Marysville and Yuba City (and easy day trip distance from Sacramento and San Francisco), it can get crowded and in some areas feels like an urban fishery.  However, most of the river is set far enough back from the roads and houses that you would not know how close you are to civilization.  The only giveaway is the crowds that can occur during salmon and steelhead season.  Some claim the cold tailwater just below the dam contains trout year-round.  This is debatable. The Lower Feather also gets runs of shad, stripers, smallmouth and salmon.

Of the 15 miles of real fishable waters, the Oroville State Wildlife Area makes up about half of this stretch, keeping it scenic.  The wildlife area also contains many access points, some of which benefit from having 4WD or a pickup, especially when it's muddy.  Highway 70 paralles the river to the east, until it crosses over to the western side just below Oroville, while Highway 99 parallels the lower sections to the west.  Just below Lake Oroville, the river has a somewhat complicated structure.  It first enters the Thermalito Diversion Pool, where large quantities of water are diverted downstream to the Thermalito Forebay.  At the forebay, the water re-enters the river via Thermalito Afterbay, also known as "the outlet."  The 5-mile section between the dam and the outlet is known as the "low flow section" because water is often diverted through the Thermalito complex, leaving this upper section with lower flows.  The low flow section has four noticeable riffle sections, with good numbers of half-pounders, separated by long slow sections not overly appealing for fly fishing.  It is accessible from the highway 70 bridge and other spots in Oroville and the Oroville Wildlife Area.  Below the outlet is the "high flow" section, accessible mainly through the Oroville Wildlife Area, which has numerous entrances.  Fishing conditions often vary between the two sections.

When and How to Fish

Fall/winter run steelhead on the Lower Feather averaging 3-6 pounds (with some over 10 pounds) are in the system from October-December, while smaller half-pounders (12-14 inches) run March-April.  Standard steelhead techniques work for the bigger steelhead (swinging big streamers or drifting/swinging nymphs, with egg imitations when the salmon are spawning), while the half-pounders seem to key in on the caddis.  The river is big enough for drift boats and even occasional power boats in the lower sections.

Because of its location in California's Central Valley, the Lower Feather River can be fly fished year-round.  Temperatures in the summer are in the 90's and 100's, with clear blue skies virtually every day.  In the winter, it rains an average of 20 inches a year, and is often cloudy.  Temperatures average in the 50's by day and 30's by night, and snow is not a concern.  Fall and spring are transition periods when temperatures can be close to ideal.


Feather River Flies

The most productive flies for fishing on the Feather River can change throughout the season, and sometimes what works one year doesn’t work as well the next. Listed below are some general fly pattern suggestions, based on a few of the fly patterns that have worked consistently over the years. For the most up-to-date fly suggestions, call the The Fly Shop at 800-669-3474 or Fish First at

Nymphs



#8 -12 Mercer’s Poxyback Golden Stone Nymph
#8-12 Solitude TB Golden Stone
#6 Superfloss Rubberlegs (Brown/Black)
#8-12 Mercer's Beaded Poxyback Hares Ear
#6-12 3-D nymphs (Black)
#12 Prince-of-Diamonds (Tan)
#14 -18 Copper John (Red and Original)
#12-14 B.H. Flashback Pheasant Tail Nymph
#14 GB Mercer’s Poxyback PMD
#14-16 Mercer’s Psycho Prince
#14 B.H. Micro Mayfly Nymph (Olive, Brown, Black)

Eggs

#8 Boles Bazooka (Shrimp Pink, Peachy King, Sockeye, Steelhead Orange)
#8 MC Redd Reaper (Pink, Orange, Golden Nugget)
#10 Clown Egg
#12 Micro Spawn (Shrimp Pink, Orange, Clown)

Pyramid Lake

Here is an article from Fly Fisherman Magazine of this nearby trophy fishery. The GCFF is hosting a Fish Out here on February 15th. It will be hosted by Ed Tom and David Bear.

Pyramid Lake

A rare trophy cutthroat just 40 miles north of Reno, Nevada.
An Article from Fly Fisherman Magazine by Stephen Traft




A critic once told me that a trout habitat restoration project I was working on was destined to have no more lasting effect than creating an artificial "museum" for native species. Although his reasoning was flawed, the phrase is apt. The native trout that live in rare and isolated patches of undisturbed landscape are relicts, and like many objects typically found in museums they have acknowledged value but receive few visitors.
Pyramid Lake is a glorious exception to that rule. The native treasures of this museum's fabulous Lahontan cutthroat trout fishery are easily accessible and available to any fly fisherman.

History
Pyramid Lake, named for a triangular rock formation just off its eastern shore, is a fragment of ancient Lake Lahontan. Over the millenia, most of the vast prehistoric lake's water was succeeded by the parched deserts that persist to this day, but at Pyramid Lake a happy accident of geography ensured that the regenerative flows of the Truckee River, replenished by snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada range, maintained water levels and a relict microcosm of Lake Lahontan's native fish species. In 1844, the explorer John Fremont's Paiute Indian hosts fed him trout "as large as the Columbia salmon." Pyramid's Lahontan cutthroat had the Truckee River watershed at their disposal in which to spawn and rear, and they grew to reported weights in excess of 60 pounds.
As eastern California and western Nevada were settled in the 19th and early 20th centuries, water diversions, dams, commercial fishing, and pollution took their toll. In 1938, the last significant spawning run of Pyramid Lake cutthroat was eliminated in the few moments required to completely divert the Truckee's flow at a Bureau of Reclamation diversion dam a few miles upstream of the lake. Even then, the fish that suffocated in the dry riverbed that day averaged 20 pounds.
Today, thanks to the efforts of the Pyramid Lake Paiute tribe (on whose land the lake rests), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Nevada Division of Wildlife, Lahontan cutthroat trout survive in Pyramid Lake. Legal action by the tribe combined with the Lahontan cutthroat's status as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act has ensured that flows from the oversubscribed Truckee River reach the lake and maintain water quality.
Since the early 1970s, Pyramid Lake's recreational fishery has been managed exclusively for Lahontan cutthroat trout, reintroduced after a 30-year hiatus. Lake-run trout are today captured and artificially spawned at lakeside hatcheries, producing juveniles for release a few months later. An ambitious wild trout restoration effort by resource agencies, the tribe, local stakeholders, and conservation organizations like Trout Unlimited hopes to return the Truckee River to some semblance of its historic incarnation as a nursery for giants.
Tactics
One of the chief joys of fly fishing at Pyramid Lake is its lack of complexity. From late fall through late spring, Pyramid's cutthroat trout feed within range of wading anglers.
The technique is to wade into the lake and position yourself so that your casts send your flies well out into the deep water beyond the shelf that drops off toward the lake's 370-foot depths. After making a cast, allow the line to sink, and strip your fly back. Few places in the world can offer a visiting angler such large trout that are so readily available using the most basic of methods. That said, there are certain refinements of technique that will increase your chances of catching more, and bigger, trout.
Long casts (60 feet or so) are necessary to place your flies into the deep water from which the big Lahontan cutthroat come to feed. The trout can be anywhere, sometimes taking the fly at the farthest extent of your cast while on other occasions hunting minnows in a foot of water behind a line of earnestly casting anglers. Short casts can catch fish under the right conditions, but long casts significantly increase your chance of catching fish: The longer a fly is in the water, the greater the chance that it will be seen by the fish.
This is where the most curious piece of Pyramid Lake fishing equipment, the stepladder, becomes valuable. Stepladders are considered by many Pyramid regulars to be as basic a piece of equipment as rods and flies. Friends have used mere milk crates, however. The advantage of a few inches (once the crate or ladder has sunk into the sand of the lake bottom) of elevation is typically enough, either physically or psychologically, to enable you to throw your offerings a few extra feet.
Finding the right depth, however, is more important than making long casts. A shooting head (I use a fast-sinking head almost exclusively) backed up by running line is the most effective tool for finding Pyramid Lake's lurking cutthroat. Sinking-tip lines and full-sinking lines will work as well, although only the most skilled casters or dare-devil ladder climbers can cover as much water as an average caster using a shooting head. After the cast, count out the seconds while you allow your fly to sink. Vary your timing until you begin to catch fish. Start the searching process again when the action slows.
Experiment with a variety of retrieves, from short erratic jerks, to slow crawls, to steady strips. Start with steady 4- to 6-inch strips. Then, to help shorten your learning curve, look around and see what is working for other fishermen. A friend has caught many large cutthroat using fast retrieves and flashy streamers after watching successful spin fishermen. One word of advice on retrieving: Keep stripping until you can see your fly and can confirm that it is not being stalked by a cutthroat. Pyramid fish are notorious for following flies until they are virtually at the rod tip. Sometimes they will take the fly at the last second, particularly if you suddenly vary your retrieve to provoke the strike. If the trout turns away, make a short cast in the direction that the fish retreated.
Although many gear fishermen and a few fly fishermen fish Pyramid from boats or the occasional float tube, the general consensus is that the difficulties in battling the wind on this mammoth body of water make this method more trouble than its worth.
Big Lahontan cutthroat are aggressively piscivorous, and the basic Pyramid tactics described above imitate baitfish and will catch fish under any conditions. But, the lake's rich invertebrate population ensures that even large trout do not feed exclusively on fish. During the warmer months, anglers using floating lines and light rods can sometimes fish midges to delicately rising fish, or slowly twitch nymphs along the lakebed.
There are water beetles, midges, dragonflies, damselflies, a few mayflies, and small scuds in Pyramid. Beetles and dragonfly nymphs can be quite effective, as can Woolly Worms (that probably look like buggy nymphs). Scuds and mayflies are not high priority food items in the lake.
Gear and Flies
Pyramid Lake's Lahontan cutthroat can be large. Although a typical day's catch will range from 14 to 18 inches, fish from 3 to 7 pounds are common. Pyramid regulars do not raise their eyebrows for fish under 8 pounds.
The lake is also extremely windy. With that in mind, the basic Pyramid Lake fly rod is an 81/2- to 10-foot, 7- or 8-weight with the backbone to throw long casts using heavy lines and to fight big fish. Some anglers use Spey rods, and any steelhead or heavy trout outfit should do.
Although even the largest Lahontan cutthroat are doggedly stubborn in their fight and rarely run for long distances, reels with a solid drag and a good supply of backing are indispensable. Shooting heads and running line complete the ensemble, although a floating line on an extra spool can be useful. This gear should be rinsed thoroughly after use to avoid damage from Pyramid's thick, alkaline water.
Size #4-#8 Egg-sucking Leeches, Articulated Leeches, Woolly Buggers--anything buggy, sinuous, fast-sinking, and large--are the most commonly used flies. Clouser Minnows and even flies stolen from striper and bluefish fly boxes can be effective imitations of the lake's forage fish. Many anglers use a #10 foam beetle as a dropper behind their streamer. The Pyramid Lake store on Route 445 just inside the Paiute reservation boundary always has a selection of brightly colored flies, and the man who knows what works ties at a table just inside the door. I catch more fish at Pyramid on black marabou streamers than I do with all the other flies in my box.
I don't recommend using anything less than 3X tippet. I often simply use 5 to 10 feet of 0X (15-pound) tippet material as my leader, bearing in mind that these trout are rarely leader-shy and that casting big flies into the wind on a long leader can lead to diabolical tangles.
Pyramid is open from the first of October through the end of June. The months at the beginning and the end of this season can be balmy, but the middle block--from November through March--is often characterized by brutal winds, numbing temperatures above and below the beleaguered angler's waterline, and storms that turn the lake a forbidding dark green and send waves crashing into those fishermen who stay perched on their ladders. But there are fish to be caught even in the most unlikely conditions.
Layers are the key to staying comfortable and on the water: Heavyweight polypropelene underwear, fleece jackets (and possibly pants), and water-resistant wind shells combined with neoprene waders are essential (breathable waders can work if they are combined with sufficient insulating layers). Gloves and a wool hat are also indispensable. Sunscreen and polarized glasses complete the gear list.
Where to fish

Pyramid Lake is enormous. At nearly 30 miles long and greater than 10 miles wide in places, this vast expanse of water looks more suited to trawlers and long lining than to fly rods. Nevertheless, you can locate foraging cutthroat virtually anywhere along the lake shore.
West shore. Most of the west side of the lake is skirted by state Route 446 and, north from the junction of 446 and 445, state Route 445, providing easy access to the lakefront. Many dirt roads allow anglers to drive very close to the lake at certain spots, while other locations require hiking through the sagebrush to reach the water. Except in places where the lake is bordered by low cliffs, getting to the shore on foot is easy, and any spot can produce good fishing.
Certain west-shore locations stand out as excellent starting points. The most famous and popular fishing location is known as the Nets. Named for offshore rearing pens that have long since disappeared, the Nets are just below the tiny town of Sutcliffe and are easily reached by turning right off Route 445 onto Sutcliffe Drive and immediately veering off to the right onto a dirt road that leads to the lake. The Paiute tribe’s egg-taking station is located on the lake shore here, and a pair of buoys mark a corridor that is off limits to angling directly in front of the station. The areas on either side of the buoys are known as the North Nets and South Nets. Here the shallows gradually deepen, the lakebed is sandy and snag-free, and a steady supply of cruising cutthroats are attracted by the influx of water from the hatchery operation.
The presence of many large trout at the Nets ensures that there is almost always a lineup of anglers, mostly on stepladders, stretching for several hundred yards well out into the lake. Etiquette is simple: find a reasonable opening, scan the water for any floating or partially submerged objects that might indicate an unoccupied ladder (whose owner would be grossly insulted to have his spot poached while he was temporarily ashore), wade in, and start fishing. If the lineup is too thickly populated, head to the end of the line or to another location.
Just north of Sutcliffe on Route 445 a road leads to the improbably named Windless Bay, and a few miles farther north another road leads to Warrior Point. Both of these areas can provide superb fishing and, like the Nets, are good places to fish the lake.
East shore. Pyramid’s east shore is unsettled and more challenging to reach than the west shore. A road runs parallel to the lake for much of the eastern shore’s length, providing access to numerous bays and beaches. That road, though, can be rough and, in places, impassable. Drive as far as you dare and then hike.
Dago Bay and the area in the vicinity of the famous pyramid formation are two spots for prospecting. The solitude of the east shore is a striking contrast with the communal atmosphere of west shore locations like the Nets.
Pyramid’s Lahontan cutthroat can be caught virtually anywhere, west shore or east. On most days the shore-line dropoff is clearly visible from the road or a similar vantage point and any spot, but especially those places where casts place flies beyond the dropoff, is worth trying. Beware of wasting time losing flies in rocky or snag-filled areas; either fish closer to the surface or move until you find a sandy area. Moving can mean walking a short distance to a new position or driving several miles to an entirely new part of the lake.
Trip Planning
Pyramid Lake is accessible from Interstate 80 in Reno/Sparks via Route 445 (“Pyramid Way” exit). Alternatively, the lake can be reached on Route 447 from the town of Wadsworth, about 30 miles east of Reno. The lake is just over 40 miles from Reno on Route 445.
The fantastic Lahontan cutthroat fishery at Pyramid Lake is a testimony to nearly 30 years of initiative, effort, and investment by the Paiute tribe. This priceless native fishery is fortunately available at a bargain price: a tribal day permit costs $6, a season permit $40. Anglers do not need a Nevada fishing license to fish on the reservation. Permits can be purchased at many sporting goods stores in the Reno area, but are best acquired, along with the latest word in flies and advice, at the Pyramid Lake Store on route 445. Read the regulations to familiarize yourself with bag limits and off-limits areas.
For flies, gear, and advice visit the Reno Fly Shop (775-825-3474), the Gilly Fishing Store (775-358-6113), and Mark Fore and Strike Sporting Goods (775-322-9559). Several shops in the San Francisco Bay area also offer information on lake conditions as well as flies and tackle. Fish First! (510-528-1937), with its famous “What’s Hot and What’s Not” website (www.fishfirst.com), and Western Sports (415-456-5454) are excellent sources of information and gear.
Hotels and restaurants are available in Reno and Sparks, less than an hour from the lake. Anglers should bring whatever food they need to last through the day, but Crosby’s Lodge in Sutcliffe has a small bar and hot food (and a few motel rooms). Camping is allowed on the reservation. Check at the Pyramid Lake Store for regulations.

The long route to Pyramid Lake from Reno is via Wadsworth. Not long after you leave town heading east on Interstate 80, there is an exit for Derby Dam. A short drive along a frontage road leads to a fence, over which the ugly form of a dam can be seen. For years after Derby Dam was built the remnants of one of the world’s greatest runs of native trout leaped onto the dam apron each spring in a futile attempt at migration. Finally, this surprisingly small and unimpressive structure extirpated Pyramid Lake’s Lahontan cutthroat.
But today Derby Dam, not the Lahontan cutthroat trout, belongs in a museum. The dam’s fangs have been drawn: laws require that water be allowed to pass the dam in even the driest years and a fish passage facility will soon be constructed. Although Lahontan cutthroat trout disappeared from the lake for a time they clung tenaciously to life elsewhere. Now they flourish in Pyramid Lake once again, a magnificent species in an equally stunning environment that is at once amazingly primitive and surprisingly accessible.
If this is a museum, then native trout need more like it.

Thursday, December 15, 2011

UC Davis Fish Out

Mike Connor was the Fish Out Leader for the December 17th Outing at UC Davis on the Lower Yuba River.

Here are Mike's comments.



Eighteen GCFF members enjoyed a fish out on the Lower Yuba on December 17.  Access was gained through University of California property.  The river was flowing at about 950 cfs, so many parts of the river were accessible.

Fishing has been challenging on the Yuba lately, and it was no different on Saturday, but there were fish caught.  Don Lilgeblad, Ed Tom, and Larry Uno went upstream and picked up three nice rainbows/steelhead.  Some nice fish were also caught in the picnic table--foundation hole area.

It was a beautiful day, but cool enough that we sat in the sun while enjoying a great hot lunch cooked by Len Valente.  It was a good opportunity to socialize and share fishing tips.  Club fish outs provide excellent opportunities to improve your fishing skills. 


Here are some photos of the day.