Here Come the Big Fish!

Hi Everyone heres my report for 8/30/2016

 I am going to make this a short report
Fishing activity has been steadily getting better. Flows are starting to drop and I have spent most of the summer fishing and guiding the high flows of summer. Yesterday was an average day of fishing with fish hitting the usual midges and pheasant tails- they have been preforming well so I stick with em most days. Well as day turned to night there was a really good Blue Wing Olive hatch and i was not getting any action until I loaded a tiny midge and first or maybe 2nd drift --a stupid big fish is on line then takes some air and both me and my fishing buddy Patrick look at each other and say OMG thats a big fish. My guess 20in  Unfortunately 4 minutes or so later it was gone. I got my flys back so 20 minutes later I got my chance again with this 16 incher . I normally don't use super small flies they're just a little to small for my eyes but well worth the extra effort so its worth having them around. Did you put off fishing this summer? It's time to get in there-- I'm booking September & October so give me a call! Richard Loft, 707-294-4738; napavalleyflyguides@gmail.com or www.napavalleyflyguides.com

Volunteer Opportunity!

Hey everyone ; Just a little Reminder (Saturday September 17th is California Coastal Cleanup ) and we could use your help cleaning up our local wild fishery Putah Creek. I took the liberty of cutting and pasting the email I got from Steve Karr President of PCT ; Putah Creek Trout . And its a great way to meet other local fishermen and help the creek at the same time to. I do believe we will have a lunch at one of the accesses on the creek afterwards so show up and if your going to be on the creek  might as well bring your waders and rod and make a day of it

All: the annual clean up day for the interdam reach is Saturday September 17, 9:00 AM to 12 Noon. We need at least 20 volunteers to cover the Yolo side of the creek from Access #5 to Monticello Dam. Sign ups are at the link below. Bags, buckets, vinyl gloves provided. Bring your water bottle; refills provided. Waders for Access 5. Cold lunch and drinks provided at Access 3 at noon (bring your own alcoholic libations).

This is our first fall event for 2016 and a great opportunity to give back to the Creek. We remove  hundreds of pounds of garbage and recovered recyclable goods each year. This year we are joined in sponsorship by Fly Fishers of Davis and participation by regional Fly Clubs. 

Please mark your calendars and plan to join us.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1jh-UOrgCfhqOEjgqh2TWaoRd9tS7m3SNXn2n4FBQhPI/edit?usp=sharing

SK60@putahcreektrout.org

www.putahcreektrout.org

 

 

Putah Creek Conservation Report August 25, 2016

Hey Everyone heres some conservation news for Putah Creek ; & PCT > Putah Creek Trout

For those of you that dont know Putah Creek Trout has been instrumental in getting Putah Creek to the point it is now with most recently getting its Wild Trout Designation December, 2014.

Just below the Canyon Creek Resort is a section that has had spawning activity every year. Well it has been noticed that the side channel that runs along side the main channel is somewhat blocked by several bolders and vegetation. Well that side channel would get used by the young of the year &  trout fry to use as a nursery where they are safe from predation untill they can cope with the hazards of the main channel.  Steve Karr has organized a Stream and Habitat restoration project ; The first stage is assessment , ie surveying the side channel. This side channel is already flowing with water but the problem is it only flows during the high flows of summer and mostly dry after the flows come back down during the low flows of fall and winter. So Steve Karr, Me and and another volunteer Mark have been doing the surveying using a transit and other survey equipment to measure water depth, temp, flow ratios, and a few other stats that will be used to determine what needs to happen this fall or winter with the borders and vegetation and how much needs to be removed. You see you cant just get in there and start moving things around and or removing obstructions without doing a comprehensive assessment and survey. Last week we got some new volunteers and I got a much needed break but Steve has put in countless hours working on all aspects of keeping Putah Creek in a healthy state where it will continue to have generations of Rainbow Trout for many years to come. We have our next volunteer event on September 17 for a Creek Clean-Up as part of California Coastal Clean-Up Day. Come on out and lend a hand!

www.napavalleyflyguides.com Richard Loft, Fly-Fishing Guide and Putah Creek Trout Volunteer

www.putahcreektrout.org  If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Steve Karr at sk60@putahcreektrout.org

Putah Creek Report for August 22-26, 2016

Hey Everyone this is a two part report ; First the fishing report for the last two weeks: Bigger fish are starting to show and responding to # 18 Flashback PT and  #18 /20 black Zibra midges also  # 16 green birds nests real basic flys nothing fancy. Leader length seems to be a bigger factor and setting on all hits. I had a client miss three good fish due to not setting.  However, said client still landed several one over 14in. The point really is keep your line mended and ready to take up and set.

I myself have landed 3 this week in the 15 to 16 in range on # 18 flashback PTs and Black Zibra Midges, ( Though Today i got skunked with just one grab and nothing to net )

 1. As Ive said before I do far better when i build my leader from tippet rather than packaged tapered leaders it sinks much better and it's in the fish's face where it belongs. I use 8 lb floro then to 4 or 5 x to my top fly droppers are always 5x,  and make sure its long enough more than once ive added tippet for depth and hooked up shortly after. I do use tapered leaders just not as much as I did when I was new.

 2 . Weight speaks for itself-- use it unless fishing very rocky and shallow Riffles you can pick up small fish hiding in nooks and crannys and if you use too much you spend your day removing moss.

 3.  I'm still working on my high-sticking technique so if you know how to rig a leader to high stick its a valuable tech and should not be overlooked there is a lot of pocket water that can't be fished with a indi. Side note, you can catch a lot of fish using the standard indi fishing technique.

 4. Ive been fishing Putah for 8 years now. So if you're up for a bit of a hike I have a spot thats been providing fish off and on all summer  please feel free to give me a call and book a trip on Putah Creek -- its only about 28 miles from Napa and has come to be a great escape from my daily routine.

Thanks For Reading

Richard Loft
Napa Valley Fly Guides
(707) 294-4738
napavalleyflyguides@gmail.com

Hey Everyone heres my supplemental report for today 8/18/2016

I fished Putah Creek from 12;00 to 2;00 and landed 3 fish 2 of which wher over 16 in. all on a # 18 Zibra Midge / #18 Flashback pheasant tail .  Thats it , This is not rocket science . Basic skills ,Basic flys nothing fancy so stop by Lost Coast Outfitters and talk to Art or George and get some Flashback PTs / A few black or green Zibra Midgeds and go fish

Sorry no pics . Trust me there in there

Hey Everyone; Heres my report for Late July to Aug 15th , As we all know flows jump on Putah durring summer forceing bigger fish to hold in deeper water and sections hard to get a drift i.e. edges and deep water , That said I am still getting good size fish in the 12 to 13 in range, however I am gettingb reports from others on the river of much larger fish regularly.

So let me list the things I think make a big difference.


#1. Flys; Midges. Mayflys Blue winged olive imitations > Beatis. and Hogans S&M , Also Caddis work well .


#2. As ive mentioned before your leader needs to be the right length dont use a 6 ft leader in 25 inches of water and Vise /Versa  if your fishing your fishing deep water really think and watch to see if your hitting bottom and the moore you fish the better sence you get on this . this isn't an exact science but just a good rule of thumb try fishing shorter drifts keeping in mind is the section you fishing and your leader rigged the right for that depth . > If you leader is WAY  to long fish can feel the drag and spit the hook befor you see a tick. And if your leader is not long enough your fly wont hit bottom.
PS I like making my leader out of tippet rather than useing a tapered leader.

# 3 Weight; I have fished a section , snagging every nook and cranny every moss covered rock , Then returned later and thought i will try going without any weight and started catching fish one after another , I believe its better to sometimes if you get a better drift , I was just snagging every rock and ruining my drift so just keep an open mind you dont always need Weight to catch fish , I probably hooked 6 to 8 fish in that riffel that day .

 #4 Stealth/ speeks for its self . try to not alert fish to your presence fish edges first most of the time the edges don't drift as well sections with more current but can and do hold fish ive seen hooked them holding in slack water with almost no current . I still get in a rush sometimes and pass over fish I'm sure hold in these sections , Just keep it in mind !

Thanks for reading my report
Richard Loft
http://www.napavalleyflyguides.com