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)