what flys to use in the american river
I grew up in the Sacramento area, and beginning started fishing the American River with my dad when I was almost eight years sometime. The steelhead, shad, and trout in the lower river helped gear up the calendar for the rest of my life, and no matter where my wing-angling travels have me—from iconic Due north Coast steelhead rivers like the Eel, to the taimen rivers of Mongolia, it's satisfying to know that my abode waters—the iconic forks of the American River—are amid the best our state has to offer. Raft into the Middle Fork, and hook one of its big browns: Your mind volition be blown.
The American River organization drains more than 1,900 square miles of the Sierra Nevada Due west Gradient between Sacramento and Lake Tahoe. It has three principal forks flowing west from the crest of the Sierra Nevada, coming together in the foothills, and eventually joining with the Sacramento River correct in California's capital at the headwaters of the San Joaquin Delta.
The diverse reaches of the American River were a celebrated stronghold for native salmonids, and its abundant salmon runs supported hundreds of native villages for many centuries. Equally settlers began to cascade into California in the 1800s, the American River was one of the first settled watersheds due to its proximity to the Mormon wagon trail.
In 1848, gold was discovered by James Marshall in the South Fork of the American River at Sutter's Mill, near the electric current boondocks of Coloma. The ensuing California Gold Rush permanently inverse the landscape, the ecosystem, and the fate of the river.
The modern American is a river of many uses. Information technology is a complicated resource managed for hydroelectric power generation, municipal h2o, flood control, commercial rafting; yet this hardy river still boasts a diverse and prolific trout fishery.
South Fork
The South Fork of the American begins at the small marshy Adrian Lake, but off Repeat Pinnacle nigh Southward Lake Tahoe. From there, the river flows west following Highway 50 toward Pollock Pines.
There is a decent population of small-scale wild fish in these upper reaches, and there are lots of pull-offs forth the highway where you can jump out and probe some adept-looking h2o. Expect for the water levels to driblet around early to midsummer, and then look for fish in the deeper pools.
Four miles upward the canyon from the Pollock Pines turnout, the river leaves the route and drops downwardly into a remote and inaccessible canyon. Just below the boondocks of Pollock Pines is the get-go major impoundment, chosen Slab Creek Reservoir, and 12 miles below that another called Chili Bar.
In that location are a couple roads that access the river through this department, including Mosquito Creek Road and Slab Creek Reservoir Road. During the summer the river remains adequately low through this stretch, and there can exist some great dry out-fly fishing or dry out-dropper action in the granite-bordered pools. Every trivial pool holds fish, just getting as well far up or downriver is a bit challenging. If yous are skilled in the art of boulder hopping, this may exist your section of river but it'southward not for the faint of pes.
The Southward Fork below Chili Bar Reservoir is i of the most famous whitewater rafting runs in the West. This 21-mile chance begins at the put-in called Chili Bar only off Highway 193, and ends in Folsom Reservoir.
This stretch of river has a highly controlled hydrograph to benefit rafters. Each night the h2o drops downward to every bit low as 140 cfs, and each day tin bump up to as much as 2,000 cfs. This huge diurnal fluctuation can make angling tough, only despite the foreign flows, this section of river has a decent population of wild trout.
Wing fishers catch about 80 percent rainbows and 20 percent browns, but it's those big 20-inch-plus browns anybody wants to catch.
This section of river also experiences some lake-run effects from Folsom Reservoir. In spring, rainbows that have wintered in the lake head upriver to spawn. In fall, the landlocked Chinook head upriver to spawn, and large brown trout frequently follow them to feed on eggs and somewhen spawn themselves.
There are two theories to finer fly fish the lower South Fork. You tin can either catch it at times of low h2o and wade specific areas fishing drys or nymphs, or y'all float it at high water and cast large streamers from the boat.
Streamers assistance you lot cover equally much water equally possible, and aid you fish the entire mean solar day. The best wade fishing is early in the mornings, or late in the evenings, and all mean solar day on Wednesdays during summertime.
These fish don't see a lot of fishing pressure level, and all the traditional patterns like Parachute Adams, Elk-pilus Caddis, Hare's Ears, San Juan Worms, and Pheasant-tail Nymphs work well. Possibly due to the fluctuating flows, terrestrials are dynamite, and y'all should come armed with hoppers, beetles, and ants.
Information technology's important to notation that the h2o comes up quickly—don't let yourself get caught in a bad state of affairs if you lot're wading. If you plan on fishing midday, the best strategy is to stay in the raft. Using sinking-tip lines, cast big, ugly Conehead Woolly Buggers and lead-eye sculpin patterns toward the banks and strip them through the many eddies and side channels.
There are a couple of Class III rapids with names like Meat Grinder and Trouble Maker, then this isn't your typical fly-fishing outing. The South Fork is a rollicking adventure where trout are only part of the fun. Your oarsman should take whitewater experience—helmets and life vests are required.
Eye Fork
The Middle Fork of the American River originates on the behind of Squaw Valley and Alpine Meadows ski resorts just west of Northward Lake Tahoe, and speedily loses itself in Hell Hole Reservoir.
Just below the dam is the first decent place to access the Middle Fork for fishing without doing a multi-24-hour interval backpacking trip into the headwaters. There is dependable fishing there at lower summer flows using drys and dry-dropper setups. From Hell Pigsty, the river plummets into a deep and remote canyon for several miles with no foot access.
The next place to get to the river downstream is at Oxbow Reservoir off Mosquito Ridge Road, exterior of Wood Loma. Equally with the lower South Fork, the Middle Fork is also a popular whitewater rafting destination, with managed flows that are geared toward ability generation and recreational boating.
This stretch is ane of my favorite fisheries in California. The Oxbow to Drivers Flat run is roughly 15 miles, and has some of the best fishing of whatsoever fork of the American.
The water quality of the ecosystem is important of course, but the number 1 reason information technology fishes then well is because information technology is and then difficult to access—it'south a 15-mile stretch of wild, beautiful river that hardly gets fished. It is guarded at the top by a Class 4+ rapid called Tunnel Chute, and at the bottom by a Course 5, 14-foot waterfall chosen Ruck-A-Chucky falls.
Most of the country through the canyon is private with no admission at all. There is one private access down the river at Horseshoe Bar.
For the by several years Tom Bartos has been running a private fly-fishing lodge on the property called Horseshoe Bar Preserve (horseshoebarpreserve.com). Information technology's a membership-based club with an annual fee. They have admission to a few miles of river including a few runs above Tunnel Chute, and a couple miles below. Other than that, the only fashion to experience this section is by floating information technology.
If y'all have your own whitewater raft and the feel you need to tackle this river, you can do it on your own. Otherwise, contact Rise Upward River Trips (riseuprivertrips.com) about a two- or three-day bladder-fishing excursions. The experienced whitewater guides volition help set up camp at nighttime and provide excellent food. Multi-day trips aid you maximize your line-fishing time while getting to experience a majestic canyon few wing fishers get to meet. Y'all don't need to become to Montana to experience truthful wilderness fishing, it'south right here in California.
This section of the Centre Fork holds mostly rainbows in the x- to 20-inch range, and the occasional dark-brown up to 28 inches. To get after these big browns, I throw large streamers on a sinking-tip line from the raft.
Y'all have to get your weighted flies downward quickly, and strip the bugs fast for the most grabs. The water is commonly clear during summer, and the fish can encounter your offering from a practiced distance.
The faster you strip, the less fourth dimension they have to make a snap decision. The results can exist amazing. Watching a large trout attack your fly in the clear water is unbeatable.
Of course, nymphing and dry-fly angling are also bang-up methods at times—either from the boat or while wading. There are a lot of bugs in this section, with decent hatches of midges, mayflies, caddisflies, and Golden Stones.
Below Drivers Flat there is another Class Iii rafting run that ends at Mammoth Bar, v miles downstream. It fishes similarly and is advisable for a single-twenty-four hour period float trip.
North Fork
The North Fork of the American originates from the springs, seeps, and snowmelt from Donner Tiptop area merely west of Northward Lake Tahoe and at the top cease, it parallels Highway 80 in a deep canyon. The upper section of river is known equally Regal Gorge. This steep, cascading section carves through a canyon of mostly granite and metamorphic stone.
The canyon has a very rugged and steep character shaping the river into deep pools and narrow channels then dramatically opening into wooded benches full of willows, alders, blackness oaks, and a mix of pines, firs, and cedars. There are waterfalls through this section, some upward to 70 feet high. Y'all won't see rafters here, and in high runoff years, it can be too much for even hardened whitewater kayakers.
Very few people venture into this canyon, but there are lots of wild rainbows for fly fishers willing to hike and rock hop to find solitude and enough of wild trout. The N Fork from Palisade Creek downstream to Iowa Hill Span is the only portion of the American River that is designated Wild Trout Water past the California Department of Fish and Wild animals. It'south also a federally listed Wild and Breathtaking River. The only manner to really see and fish virtually of this section is the one-time-fashioned way, by foot on a network of steep and sometimes rugged trails.
Farther downward the canyon, in that location are some admission points that provide anglers much easier foot admission to the river. The most notable are Iowa Hill Bridge Route, Yankee Jims Route, and Ponderosa Way. These are all on Google Maps or your handy DeLorme California Atlas and Gazetteer.
The lower sections are sometimes total of gilded-panners in the summertime months, and wading fly fishers volition see fair numbers of rafters but unlike the runs on the Center Fork and South Fork, at that place is no reservoir controlling the flows for recreational floaters. This department is freestone and completely subject field to seasonal runoff, so the rafting is usually just in the spring and early summer.
A few miles below Ponderosa Way, the river flows into Lake Clementine. From there information technology'southward only another few miles to the confluence with the Middle Fork. This lower section is accessible most the confluence only off Highway 49. There can exist decent trout fishing hither in the spring, but h2o temperatures in the summer warm upwards to the point where smallmouth bass from Folsom Reservoir move up into the river.
With so many options and seasons, the forks of the American are truly an "American Dream" or at least the dream of every wing fisher looking for hazard, confinement, and behemothic chocolate-brown trout that are truly world-class. And information technology's a clandestine I don't mind sharing since there is so much h2o; and the many rapids, canyons, and foot trails present obstacles only a select few are willing to overcome. Have fun out there, and exist condom!
Michael Wier is a Patagonia ambassador, filmmaker (burlproductions.com), and longtime Fly Fisherman contributor.
Silverish Fork Campgound
The Silvery Fork of the American is one of the loftier-mount streams where I first learned to fly fish. Information technology is the master tributary of the Southward Fork and flows from Silver Lake along Highway 88 to its junction with the South Fork at the town of Kyburz.
The Argent Fork cascades through a mainly granite mural, plunging from pool to puddle up high, merely eventually information technology levels out a bit in a thickly forested valley for several miles. The cold, clear waters support a good for you population of wild rainbows, browns, and the occasional brook trout. At that place are enough of stocked rainbows near the campground where the river flows out of Silver Lake, and likewise at Silvery Fork Campground near the confluence—great starting points for kids and a family unit camping trip.
Seasoned fly fishers tin walk up or downwardly from these access points where at that place are miles and miles of remote canyon waters with excellent dry-fly fishing for wild and holdover fish when the flows are 150 cubic feet per second (cfs) or lower. Hike-in campsites are bachelor along this stretch of beautiful cascading High Sierra stream.
Source: https://www.flyfisherman.com/editorial/american-river-california/152105
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