[FlyDog]

If your going to fish the N. Fork Yuba, I would suggest fishing between Downieville and Sierra City. Be aware that the section between Ladies Canyon and Sierra City are special regs., barbless flies and zero limit. Below Downieville you get a lot of swimmers this time of year from the campgrounds along the road. Also be aware there are mining claims strung along the river with people, some friendly, some not so much, dredging. If you can go midweek you will have a much better chance of finding some water without the the weekend crowds.
Good Luck.

[peregrines]

CaBrit-

Looks like there are some No. Calif folks here so by all means defer to their advice as well as local fly shops. But unless/until you get something better to go on, I think your best bet will be damsel flies, midges and BWO and Callibaetis imitations for still water out your way. You may get a Callibaetis hatch towards late afternoon and evening.

Damsel fly nymphs (should be lots of active ones)

Pheasant Tail Nymphs 16-20 (good BWO and Callibaetis nymph imitation)

Zebra Midges 16-20 (black and white and local hot colors)

Black woolly buggers 6-10 (when all else fails)

Blood midges/chironomids (should be a good still water pattern in local favorite colors/sizes)

Brassies 20

Dries:

Damsel dry maybe? I’ve never had much luck on them, but you could always use it as an indicator and hang something off it like a zebra midge.

Callibaetis/dry and emerger 16-18 (these mayflies come off in still/slow water all over the west about now)

Blue Wing Olive 16-20 (good for still water too)

Griffiths Gnat 18-20 (good when really small stuff 22-28 is on the water)

Some things to try would be:

a damsel nymph with a slow strip,

zebra midges, PTN, etc. Cast out, wait a bit, let sink. Add a slooooooow strip to make it rise a bit. Let fall, repeat. It’s nerve wracking and can cause permanent brain damage.

a callibaetis dry with a small PTN on a dropper hung of the bend of the dry with a short 6-12” section of tippet. Throw it out and let sit for as long as you can stand it. Long tippet, 6-7x. Better bet is to locate cruising fish and cast well ahead of them if there is any surface activity.

Bring your other stuff too, you may get a caddis or ant/termite stuff on the surface, but again, defer to local advice.

Good luck!

peregrines