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BOB MARRIOTT'S FISH REPORTS -
Compiled by Joe Libeu
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HIGH SIERRA'S -
Updated:
March 8, 2010 |
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Bridgeport Reservoir -
Closed until April 24, 2010. |
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Crowley Lake -
Closed until April 24, 2010. |
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Davis Lake -
Fishing here has been good with some blood midges showing up in the shallows, be sure to have some Dave’s Blood Midge Emergers for this. Many fish have been caught
along the edges of the weed beds on blood midge pupa and chironomids under an indicator. Slow stripping buggers, leeches and sheep creek specials on a slow sinking
line along the edges of the weed beds has also been producing some great fish. |
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East Walker -
Fishing conditions are looking up. Warming weather has brought on some better days and crowds are still almost non-existant. Midges
early then some dry fly action midday. Recommended Flies: Dries- Extended Body BWO, Last Chance BWO and small Parachute Adams. Nymphs- Surface Emergers,
WD-40's and Zebra Midges in the 18-22 range.. Streamers- Throw dark patterns and very slow retrieve on the swing as close to the bottom as you can manage. |
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Hot Creek -
Fishing Conditions and Hatches:
Good to Excellent-
Cold mornings so no need to arrive much earlier than 10 am. Same ol', same ol' . . . Midges early followed by Baetis hatch from 20
minutes to over an hour depending on the day. Everything coming off at Hot Creek is small. The bite is strong midday as they all feed at once and the competition is
keen - translated not too choosey. Recommended Flies: Add scuds to the same 'ol, same ol' . . . DRIES: #20 to 24 Parachute Adams, Loop Wing Baetis, Brooks Sprout
Baetis. NYMPHS: Black or olive #20-24 WD-40's, #20-22 Zebra Midge. Poxy-backed baetis in size 18 has been particularly good. Streamers: Throw big ol' Muddler Minnows or
big streamers to the far shore in the Interpretive Center section and never let the fly be stationary . . . strip as it hits the water or land on the far shore and drag
it in the water. |
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June Lake Loop -
Closed until April 24, 2010. |
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Kirman Lake -
Closed until April 24, 2010. |
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Lower Owens -
Water flows have been upped to 300 Pluse.
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Work the eddies and slower moving water but expect freaked out (non-biting) fish with water flow increases. Midges early then Baetis
hatch about noon for 1-2 hours depending on the day. When the fish start sipping the surface you can go to dries but subsurface will produce better. Stripping
streamers may be better with higher flows. Recommended Flies: The subsurface action is pretty amazing . . . midges will work all day with baetis nymphs or
anything buggy looking and about 18-22 will produce. Nymphs: #22 Barr’s female trico emerger, #20-22 trico spinnerfall patterns (nymphed or fished dry fly),
Zebra/Tiger midges and WD40’s in # 20 – 22, both bead and non bead. Baetis nymphs such as Harrop’s Surface emerger, poxyback baetis etc. # 20-22.sz Wet Emergers,
#22 Surface Emergers, #22 Hares Ears or Tan Bird’s Nest. Dries: Small Para-Adams and Baetis Dry’s, size 20-24. |
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Pleasant Valley Reservoir -
Tubing near the inlet has been very productive using wooly buggers and matukas in
olive and black. Most of what is being caught is the stockers. Bundle up as the water is chilly. The inlet to the reservoir is fishing well also. Tiger midges, prince
nymphs, flashback pheasant tails and hares ears have been doing a good job of fooling the rainbows.
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Upper Owens -
Open for Fly Fishing only from the Bridge at Browns Park up stream.
Fishing Conditions and Hatches: Fair to Good. The water temp is lower than 39 degrees and since there will always be water at 39 degress on the bottom of Crowley,
guess where the fish have all headed. There are some bigger fish that have hung around. Guides are taking clients farther in with snowmobiles. No big body counts but
some nice quality.
Recommended Flies: Nymphs: Hare's Ear, PT's, Copper Johns, San juan Worms #18-#16s. Streamers- Olive Wooly Buggers sizes #8-#12. Throw up stream and pull by
the undercuts. |
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San Joaquin River -
Closed until April 24, 2010. |
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Kern River -
Updated:
March 8, 2010 |
Kern
River -
The fishing has picked up with the increase in water temps this last week. Water temps are at 41-43 degrees today near KernvilleIntermediate
to advanced fly fishers are doing well Yellow Kern Emergers size 12 are fooling some of the stocked rainbows, Stomach pumps on some of the wild fish and stocked fish
show rainbows focusing on March Brown Nymphs size 16, emerging Skwalla stones size 10, small size 18 Baetis nymphs, emergers and midges. CFS as of today is around
700 and the river is clear. Crowds are gone during the week. Top water action as of today is poor, but there is a BWO hatch size 14 around 11am to 4pm. Wading staffs
are always recommended when wading the Kern River.
Tips of the week Fish extra slow , methodical and use attractor nymphs for the stocked trout. When fishing, bring two rods set up with different techniques. Fish
the same water but change techniques. Great flies to use for the wild trout in the 20 mile section: #1 fly Mike Mercer's Baetis Emerger size 20, Brooks Sprout Baetis
and Brooks Sprout Midges size 24-26 , Dry Merger Pattern size 20-24, Tunsten PT soft hackle size 20 , Baetis Nymph size 20-24, BWO Dry Fly size 20-26. Good attractor
flies to use for the stocked trout: Robo Pt size 16, Tungsten Teddy size 10-12, Kern Emerger size 12, Prince nymph size 12-18.
The 4 mile wild trout section - Open year round has slowed down with the cooler air temps this week. Water temps above the bridge are 40-42 degrees. Water temps
diminish the farther you head north. Special Regulations apply! Catch and Release barbless hooks only!!Open year round
Lake Isabella - The fishing in Lake Isabella is very good.The trout fishing in the lake is good with the cold temps. Fish are rising early in the morning and late in
the evening if there isn't any wind. Alpers Ranch just recently 2 weeks ago stocked huge rainbows in the lake near French Gulch Marina and the south side of the lake
Carp fly fishing is fair.
Lower Kern: DFG just stocked the lower river this last week. The lower river is fishable and the fishing is good from the Dam down to Erskine Creek. Water below the
dam is very clear for the lower river. Water is very muddy below Erskine Creek and fishing has been slow.Water is lowering about 300 cfs . A few anglers getting some
rainbows in the flume and below the dam. Smallmouth fishing is poor from Democrat dam to the Isabella dam , water to cold for them right now Open year roundGood flies
are Andy Burks "Bottom Rollers " size 10-12 and Mike Mercers Z Wing Caddis size 12-18. Nymph these bugs and you will be successful.
Tributaries of the North and South Fork Kern - Closed for the season.
South Fork of the Kern from Rockhouse North - Closed for the season.
Remember to release those wild fish and use barbless hooks. No stocking of the upper river continues, so anglers wanting to keep fish may want to stay away from the
upper and lower river for a while or practice catch and release techniques. |
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NORTHERN CALIFORNIA -
Updated:
March 8, 2010 |
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Fall River -
Closed for the season. |
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Feather River
(Hwy70 to Gridley) -
Best fishing is in the low flow section on overcast days. An attractor beadhead nymph with a green caddis pupa dropper fished under an
indicator is the standard method. Swinging a pond smelt on a sink tip line will represent a salmon or steelhead smolt. Not a lot of fish in the system so be sure to
cover water to find fish. Spring fish should start making their way up the river soon. Please do not tread on steelhead redds. Recommended Flies: BWO/Baetis
nymphs Hogan’s S&M nymph, Hogan’s better baetis, berry nymph in gooseberry, Burk’s crystal hunchback, Hogan’s olive military may, Mercer's BWO trigger nymph, Kyle's
beerhead baetis, tailwater tiny, flashy pheasant tail, Sloan’s mighty may, Burk’s olive hunchback two-tone, Mercer’s micro mayfly (#16-22). Salmon sac-fry (Alevin)
patterns Gummy fry, Hogan’s central valley alevin, Simmons’ salmon fry, Sloan’s American Alevin (#10-12) Attractor beadhead nymphs, Caddis pupa/emergers. |
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Frank’s Tract & San Joaquin Delta -
Fishing is fair. Water is off color due to an influx of dirty water. Best fishing is on the Mokelumne, Sycamore, Beaver, Whiskey and
Discovery Bay. Use a 1/0 clouser in chartreuse and white with T-14 custom line. Give stripers plenty of opportunity to grab your fly with a slow/erratic retrieve with
lots of pauses. Look for fishing to improve in coming weeks as water temps climb. Recommended Flies: Flashtail clousers and whistlers in chartreuse/white, pink/white, all white, and black (2/0-3/0), pearly poppers (red/yellow, green/yellow),
gurglers, crease fly.
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Hat Creek -
Closed for the season.
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Lower Sacramento -
Fishing is fair to good. Best fishing is on warmer days with fish feeding subsurface on stoneflies, caddis, eggs and BWO. On overcast and
rainy days, fish the top section above Anderson where water clarity will be better. Trout hang out in the deep runs and move into the shallow riffles during a hatch. Be
sure to use enough weight to get your fly down. Before the recent storms the spring caddis hatch was starting. Recommended Flies: Attractor beadhead nymphs
royal flush, Hogan’s Steelie Caddis, hare’s ear, twenty incher, Hart’s dark lord, copper john (red, black, lime, copper) Hogan’s amber wing attractor, Tungsten Hotwire
prince (olive/copper & Green/Yellow), Queen prince, bird’s nest, black AP, prince of darkness, king prince, dirty bird (tan, olive), Hogan’s drifter, biotic nymph,
Hogan’s Red Headed Step Child (#10-18). BWO/Baetis nymphs |
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Upper Sacramento -
The Upper Sac is mostly high and unfishable with snowmelt. There may be some fishable sections high up near Ney Springs and Dunsmuir.
The key to success when fishing high spring water on the upper sac is using plenty of weight to get your flies down, and concentrating on the deeper pools and slower-moving
pockets. The fish will try to get away from the heavy currents, and can sometimes be concentrated in certain calmer waters. Recommended Flies: • Mercer's Tungsten
October Pupa, • October Zaddis #10, • Red Copper John's #16-18, • Olive Zaddis #14-16, • Fox Poopah's #14-16, • Dark Lord's #14-16, • Possie Buggers #8-14,
• Zaebra Midges Black #18-20, • Micro Mayflies #16-18, • Pseudo Mays #16-18.
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Lower Yuba River -
Fishing is fair. Best action is midday to 3PM with rainbows rising to small midges and BWO’s. Use a downstream drift with a
long leader and small BWO dry. If you put them down and they will rise again after resting the run. Indicator nymphing with a small brown stone to represent a skwala
and a BWO dropper is the best setup. Reports of a few skwala stones the last two days. The low, clear water is making the trout ultra selective.
Recommended Flies: Midge pupa glass bead midge (red, black), crystal dip, disco midge, brassie, desert storm, zebra midge (rust, black), WD40 (olive, chocolate)
WD50 tungsten (olive/wine), skinny nelson, biot midge, crystal HBI (#18-22). BWO/Baetis nymphs,Golden stonefly nymphs (listed elsewhere). Attractor beadhead nymphs,
BWO/Baetis emerger/dries, Attractor dries.
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McCloud River -
Closed for the season. |
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Pit River -
Blown Out!!! |
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Klamath River -
Water Conditions: Flows are right around 1,700 cfs out of Iron Gate dam; 2,900 at Seiad, and about 9,000+ at Orleans. The upper Klamath
near Iron Gate Dam is still fishing good to great for adult steelhead and a few half-pounders. Conditions are great on these sections of stream, and the fishing for
steelhead typically lasts through February and into early March, so there's a few weeks left to enjoy some quality steelhead fishing in this remote stretch of California.
Our new Lodge, Klamathon Lodge, offers a great location for lodging, right on the banks of the upper Klamath.
Recommended Flies: • Superfloss Ruberlegs #4-8, • S.A.L.T Stone #6, • Glimmer Stone #6, • Thurmanators Black #6, • Micro Spawns, • Redd Reapers,
• Copper Johns, • 3-D Nymphs, • BH Prince Nymphs. |
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Trinity River -
Fishing is fair. Some fresh steelhead are around Junction City. Nymphing with a big rubberleg stone and a copper john nymph will get the
best action. Cover water to find these chrome fish. Best numbers of steelhead are around Lewiston. Most fish have been in the river a while and are not great fighters.
Fish the deep slots and pools. Steelhead in shallow riffles and slower water are spawning. Please leave these fish alone
Recommended Flies: Golden stonefly nymphs, Attractor beadhead nymphs, Egg patterns. |
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Truckee River -
The river is flowing at 33 CFS through the town of Truckee, CA; 231 CFS at Farad and 203 CFS through Reno. Fishing has been very
productive and many great fish have been caught recently. With cooler water temperatures concentrate on the deep slow water. Fishing nymphs on a floating line under
an indicator has been the most productive method try: Golden Stones, Burks Aggravator, Pheasant Tails, Copper Johns, Beatis and small midge patterns. We have been
picking some fish up swinging and slow stripping streamers as well, try: McCunes Sculpin, Bandit Leeches, Conehead Madonna’s, and Meat Whistles. With the right
conditions there have been some fish feeding on B.W.O’s on the surface, try: Burks Silhouette BWO, Parachute Adams and Drymerger baetis. Get out there and catch some
Truckee River beauties! |
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Little Truckee River -
No access because of snow! |
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Yuba River -
Fishing is fair. Best fishing is on sunny days when fish are actively rising to skwalas, caddis and PMD's. On sunny days, hatches start around 11am and continue until
4pm. Fish feed on skwalas from 1pm to 3pm. Best fishing with skwalas is in the riffles where fish can’t get a good look and are less likely to refuse them. On cloudy
days, fish are rising to BWO’s and midges. Fish the flats with a long leader and delicate downstream drift. Nymphing is producing the best numbers. A rubberleg stone
with a caddis pupa is a good setup to prospect sub-surface. Clarity is currently bad due to recent storms but will improve with a break from the rain.
Recommended Flies: Midge pupa glass bead midge (red, black), crystal dip, disco midge, brassie, desert storm, zebra midge (rust, black), WD40 (olive, chocolate)
WD50 tungsten (olive/wine), skinny nelson, biot midge, crystal HBI (#18-22). Skwala Stonefly Adults/Nymphs Hogan’s split wing skwala, Hogan’s skwala, Bullethead Skwala,
poxy-back Skwala nymph, Mercer’s tungsten skwala nymph, tungsten bead skwala, flush floater skwala (#8-12). BWO/Baetis nymphs, Golden stonefly nymphs, Attractor beadhead
nymphs, BWO/Baetis emerger/dries. |
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PYRAMID LAKE, NEVADA -
Updated:
March 8, 2010 |
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Pyramid Lake
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Fishing is fair to good. Recent warmer weather has improved fishing. The current storm may slow the bite a little but it will bounce
back after the system. A 7 wt rod with a 250 grain shooting head is necessary for these big Lahontans. Switch between light and dark Pyramid buggers with a snail
or pollywog dropper. New hot fly: King fisher spoon fly. Access at Separator and Wino beaches. Pyramid Flies woolly worms, pyramid buggers (black/purple,
chartreuse/white, olive, black), Pyramid snail (black/purple, chartreuse/white, olive, black) (#8-12). |
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BIGHORN RIVER, MONTANA -
Updated:
March 8, 2010 |
Bighorn River
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Fishing is fantastic!
Special Report- Fishing is excellent right now, but the warmer weather is coloring lower portions of the river. Call the shop or stop by for the latest conditions.
One-Week Fishing Forecast- Above average temps for the forseeable future. Highs this weekend in the mid to upper 40's.
Hatch Info Blue Wing Olives have been seen, and some hatches have been quite heavy. Midges continue to hatch daily, of course.
Hot Fly Patterns Flashy Streamer patterns such as Bighorn Buggers, Pumpkin Buggers in sizes 2-6. Also the usual Ray Charles (plain and soft hackle) in
pink or gray (16-18), orange, tan, grey, or pink soft hackle sowbugs in (14 16 and 18) scuds in orange or pink (14-16). Egg patterns in Chartreuse or Orange (6-8).
River Flows 2176 CFS
Water Temperature: 39 degrees at 3 Mile 41 degrees at St. Xavier |
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BAJA CALIFORNIA -
Updated:
March 8, 2010 |
East Cape
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A very pleasant week, flat, calm water, air temperatures are highs in the low 80's. Very light fishing pressure with two or three boats
fishing daily in all the E. Cape. Both Striped Marlin and Sailfish are plentiful right off the hotel and South, very close to shore. All boats releasing either a Sail
or a Striper. Inshore there are unbelievably huge schools of Jack Crevalle mixed with Roosterfish. They have been feeding on large schools of Caballito, pushing them
right up on the beach. Quite a sight, the inshore water turns into churning chaos. Both Yellowtail and Grouper are being taken as well.
Inside -lots of action right in front of the hotel. The Jacks and Gallos are really tearing up the front, feeding on large schools of bait. Roosterfish are
abundant taking both bait and lures. The local pangeros, fishing the rocks and drop-offs inside, are picking up quality Grouper and Yellowtail.
Yellowfin -
Billfish -About half Sails and half Stripers. Lots of tailers from one to five miles off the beach. The bite is best between La Ribera and the Light House.
Live Cabalitto and dark trolled lures are both working. Very light pressure, most boats are releasing at least one.
Dorado-
Water -than usual, 72-75, clear flat
Air - pleasant highs in the low 80's. No wind |
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LOCAL SALTWATER, CALIFORNIA -
Updated:
March 8, 2010 |
Santa Barbara to Ventura
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No current report.
Long Beach
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The fishing turned out to be pretty decent this past week. On Monday morning I started out in the bay and was catching nothing for
over an hour. It was pretty windy and I had problems mending the 4-weight line into the wind, but my biggest problem was keeping the wind from blowing my line out of
the stripping basket. As the wind subsided I spotted a guy working the beach I just pounded and saw him land 3 corbina. I worked my way toward him and when I got closer
he landed another corbina. When I was withing about 40 yards I heard him yell my name. It was Pete. I have not seen this guy on about 5 or 6 years. He told me about
his fishing adventures in Florida and BC. He told me that the redfish he caught in the gulf look kind of like corbina but grow much bigger and are much easier to catch.
I asked him what fly he was using and he showed me a New Beak that he just bought at Marriotts. He was also was using 4-pound tippet. In the past tippet size made a big
difference in the bay. When I stripped in my line I found that I was using a large experimental fly and not the New Beak. I changed to the lighter tippet and tied on a
New Beak and was in business. I caught Pete at 4 corbina but he immediately caught 2 more. We started working our way back down the beach when Pete caught his seventh.
Before we ran out of beach I landed 2 corbina and as Pete was leaving I landed my seventh but it was foul hooked in the snout so I couldn't count it and Pete be this
morning. I wanted a chance to beat him but he said that he was just visiting and had to get back home. After Pete left I caught number 7 and number 8.
On Wednesday morning I started out fishing the bay with my 7 weight because of the problems I was having with the wind on Monday. The surface of the water was like
glass and I didn't have a single fish grab my fly in almost 2 hours of beating the water. Al least I didn't detect any fish taking the fly. I changed to 6-pound tippet
and a big Ghost Minnow and crossed the peninsula to fish, what I found to be, a very calm surf. I slid down the 8-foot high berm and on my first cast I hooked a very
good fish. It turned out to be my first legal halibut of the year. It weighed almost 5 pounds. As I was landing my fish, City workers started pushing the berm into
the water near me. The water soon looked like chocolate milk. This happens to me every year. These guys build a big berm to protect the homes then push it into the
water when the surf subsides.
I walked a few hundred yards down the beach and found clear water. I must have stumbled into a honey hole because I started hammering 2 to 3 pound halibut. The fish were
taking my fly deep and I had to give up several to keep from injuring the fish as I tried to remove the hook. I was down to my last Ghost Minnow. I landed a few fish
with this fly and as I was trying to drag a fish out of a trough onto the sand the tippet parted. With no waves it is tough to land larger fish. You pretty much have
to drag it onto the sand. The only larger flies I had left were 4-inch Clouser and a 6-inch Smelt Fly. I opted for the smelt fly. I don';t know if it was the fly or
if the fish just moved off but it took about a half hour to catch 2 more fish before everything died. I believe I landed over 30 halibut this morning.
I had high hopes for Friday morning. I had some apprehension about the tides. I fished a very low tide on Wednesday and caught the halibut near the end of some pretty
long casts. With the high tide this morning I didn't think I would be able to reach the fish. I was not able to fish the same areas I fished on Wednesday because the
water was washing against the bern and I would not be able to make a back cast. After cleaning garbage off my fly in my first few casts I finally hooked halibut that
was a little smaller than the ones I was getting on Wednesday. A few minutes after landing the fish I hooked and landed a real dink. This fish was not much over 12
inches long. It took me over an hour and about a half mile to get my next fish. This fish was well under 12 inches along with the 4 other dinks I caught. I don't
know if Wednesday was a fluke or if I was just unable to reach the fish or if I was unable to fish the hot area because of the high tide. |
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I would like to thank the following for their reports, The Trout Fly, Fish First, Bighorn Fly and Tackle, The Artful
Angler, The Redding Fly Shop, The Reno Fly Shop, Doug Uyematsu, Guy Jeans at the Kern River Fly Fishing and Guide Service, Rancho Leonero and Kens Sporting Goods in
Bridgeport, Brocks Fly Shop.
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