[Numppa]

Hi guys,

I'm coming to California (Bay area) on a business trip in mid May. I'll have couple of vacation days so naturally thought about fly fishing.

I'm having hard time on finding good places to fish as it seems that the rivers and creeks seem to be quite picky about flow conditions. At least that's what I've read...

So, any good locations to fish in mid May (around 12th to 15th) near Bay area? Most probably I'll have a rental car in use so distance shouldn't be big issue. I'm mostly interested in salmonoids (trout, rainbow, steelhead...) and stream fishing.

Also any advice on flies and other needed equipment highly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

[cowboy]

Do not know if the restrictions are still in effect, but in 2003 I camped along the coast north of San Fran. Most of the streams prohibited fishing or had severe restrictions. At that time had to fish east of the summit of the coast range. You may want to check out the California Fish and Wildlife(or whatever they call it) before planning a fishing trip north of the Bay.

[zerolimit]

Try Putah Creek (Tailwater of Lake Berryessa on the Western slope of the Coast Range). You should be able to get there from San Fran in an hour to an hour and a half.

Here's some local knowledge:

AmericanFlyFishing.com - Journal: fly fishing flies, fly tying patterns, tying tables, sage rods,, PUTAH CREEK

And here is a valuable link to the Solano project which will give you flow rates to assess current conditions.

Solano Project Water Data

Good Luck

[zerolimit]

Oops. That's Eastern Slope of the Coast Range. You will drive across the Bay Bridge and continue on HWY 80 East through Berkley and as you enter the Central Valley going towards Sacramento you bear north toward Berryessa.

[Numppa]

Thanks, Putah Creek seems to be nice place to fish. How about the licenses etc.. Where can I buy them and what kind of licenses do I need?

After all it seems that I will have 4 day vacation, so I might try other place(s) too. Any other good streams to fish? I read somewhere about American River, but didn't manage to find any exact information, any hints where to find?

One idea I had was to visit Yellowstone, is there any nice fly-fishing streams?

What about the insect hatches in mid May in Californian streams?

Thanks again!

[zerolimit]

The American starts in the Sierra slopes west of Tahoe in several forks all draining in to Folsom Lake (20 miles east of Sacramento). There is certainly trout fishing in the upper American system but it's not considered one of the premier fisheries. The lower American is the Tailwater of Folsom Lake and it's forebay Lake Natoma. It joins the Sacramento River (originating from Mount and Lake Shasta to the North) in Old Town Sacramento which all becomes part of the Sacramento Delta joining up with the Bay and out the Golden gate in to the Pacific.

There are Salmon and steelhead runs up the Sac and American. The larger numbers are in the fall/winter run but there is a small spring run of steelhead. Salmon are in rivers in the fall. May is Shad and Striper time in the Sac/American systems. Even during the fall steelhead run, the fish numbers are modest and most anglers pay their dues for few but glorious fish.

The Lower Yuba Drains out of Lake Englebriet an hour and a half or so north of Sacramento and has good trout populations in the tailwaters. It's mostly a drifters section since access is poor and wading is difficult. All of these river systems change character as the growing and dry season starts in May. Flows out of the resevoirs are increased to support agriculture. So get on line for flow rates and conditions. Especially important for Putah Creek which is why I provided the link. It can get completely blown out.

For all of the mentioned river systems including Putah, you will need a CA Licence, Delta Stamp, and Steelhead Report Card.

[ezamora]

make sure you check with the dfg site but parts of putah are infested with the new zealand mudsnail. you will have to treat your waders and boots if they should go into the water.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fishing/html/A...Mudsnail_0.htm

eric
fresno, ca.