Early August Report

Although warm weather and low water continues to have us pick our spots selectively, there is good fishing to be had. Wet wading is a sheer joy as well when the air tems are high. A bunch of new images have been posted at Facebook including shots of guide Bernard Yin on a photo shoot for Xola.com with Mark Lloyd and his three sons. Also just added are shots of a great day out with Jimmie Morales. PMDs on the Merced at dusk have been pure fun.

Late July Report

We are fishing primarily the Kings and Merced drainages with some forays into the Kaweah drainage. Are the fish there? Yes! They are willing depending where you go, when you go and how you fish. This comes as no surprise but let's revisit a few topics. First, allow us to offer some anecdotes with some emphasis on stealth. Although we may not service streams that resemble the Letort of yore, we still find that being sneaky is huge. We have a fun story of making the "hide behind the boulder" strategy key and another funnier story of "Take that bright blue cap off please!" each translating into fish. Lower water is naturally making the fish skittish. Remember, this is a soft form of hunting. Below is a shot of Randy positioning himself behind a rock to fish a good looking piece of water..

Here is Randy's reward for staying stealthy...

Elena used this big boulder to cover her approach ...

Another thought is temperature. Some cooler mornings have had good bites because the water starts the day cool. Then, ironically, because the air temps go up the grasshoppers become active and the smarter trout brave the warming waters to grab a big meal. Interesting math eh? Finally, the good ol' evening hatch does play a role all over and we do see varying degrees of surface activity kick into a higher gear on various parts of the river as the insects get active. A dead drift remains very helpful in enticing a trout. John and Frank fished a shady area in the peak of the day to find willing fish on the Kings....

Finally, after missing a few takes, John tied into a beauty...

For you more experienced and resourceful anglers, let it be known that in general terms, the upper Kings has been running a drop cooler than the Merced with both rivers showing robust PMD activity as well as small caddis. A mysterious flurry of giant golden stone hatches have occurred but we can't find the adults no matter how hard we beat the bushes. This, however, may explain why sometimes a huge stimulator draws a take. The fresh shucks covering boulders; still rich in color and soft to the touch. Eeeeew! See the photo below:

Crazy eh? Small PMDs, caddis and attractor patterns are just fine. If you can handle gnarly terrain, your catch rate will go up but we stress safety. Please be reminded as well that our Oakhurst fly shop is open 7 days a week this year! Details: http://yosemiterivers.com

Beauty and the Brown

So much summer fun to be had. Here is a small stream brown from the Sequoia/Kings region where we are proud to also be serving. Photo courtesy of Jay Dunkley, one of the newer members of our team. We encourage all to LIKE us on facebook for additional, more spontaneous, updates: http://www.facebook.com/sierraflyfisher. Call us anytime!

Indicator Fishing

As a guide service we tend to prefer the dry fly experience. That said, we offer a fun little stream report entry playing with this question: What kind of indicator do we LIKE? Well, we have decided that an indicator isn't just a small balloon or a puff of yarn. It's not even a grasshopper (fly). We like indicators such as overcast days, shifts in stream levels, grasshoppers all over the bank, PMDs stuck to your clothes etc. Those are the indicators. This year, we are finding these indicators numerous and a delight for they have been helping us fish most effectively.

Depending on where you are, you will find fish targeting these delicate mayflies.
At high altitudes, these fungi have been plentiful after the random afternoon drizzles.


Despite murky post-storm water and deer getting busy streamside, we have found certain areas fishing unusually well. We love this stuff!

The USGS river gauges are a great source of information as we monitor the ups and downs. Note the two very different peaks resultant from high altitude weather events.

And, alas, the payoff!

Mid August Updates

The main stem Merced from the "Park" down is flowing beautifully but also warm. Choose your sections carefully. The PMDs are showing up well and parachute pattern by day followed by spinners later can do wonders. Hoppers by day are also worth a throw. The SF Kings, at higher elevations, remains cooler and fishes well. The PMDs are here in force as well. Many of our other small stream destinations at higher elevations have been stellar and are flowing from low to full-bore runoff even now. They all are fishing well and we are already getting excited about fall. Here's some fun footage of Bernard Yin coaching a client for a cagey brown in the Sequoia: Stalking a Brown Video

Late July + Early August News

We continue to be amazed by how late certain waters are "turning on". Of course we are also starting to find it rewarding. As of late July and even early August we are both witnessing and hearing of rainbows migrating to spawn! This isn't even at high elevations. Bigger waters such as the Kings and Merced have come alive and once you adjust to the higher flows, the fishing is solid. The smaller streams remain strong. Some of them unusually pretty and verdant. Below, Mike and Katherine work an idyllic pool after a long day sampling various Yosemite streams with us.

Bernard and Steve work on a good drift on the Kings River.

Perfecting a bow and arrow cast, Bill nabbed this scrappy Kings River bow.

A high meadow stream alive with color and plants.

An overcast day produced a flurry of browns.

Cole nabbed a solid brookie in the Tuolumne drainage. This fish was latched onto a smaller brookie which he hooked and was determined to not let go. We netted two fish. A rare and bizarre "food chain moment"

Gordon Johnson instructs on the Merced.

Myron nabbed a stout small stream brown while out with Rick Mazaria. See the next picture.

What a crazy fish!

One of the forks of the Tuolumne looking beautiful and fishing well.

This photo is a delight. One leaves the heat of the valley and heads for trout city!

Overcast conditions can inspire the fish.

Last but not least, champion angler Victor Gonzalez from Spain had a day out with Bernard and fish had no chance.

Early July News

At long last the higher water has abated such that the fishing has picked up substantially. For those who really need the "science", the mix of elevation, which direction a drainage is facing and the food sources have all played important roles. Smaller streams remain the prime game but what has been entertaining has been that at higher-than-average flows, they fish more like little rivers. The fish have had enough of this and are on the feed like crazy. They give us a good game and both novice and hot-shot alike can have a fun time. Proper hatches remain spotty but tiny yellow sallies abound. Random hoppers are making a show and the fish seem to know that it's time. A tiny hopper can do the trick such as a size 10 or 12. The standard Elk Hair Caddis or Parachute Adams on the dry side remain very effective while a bead-head anything is always a safe bet. These are the Sierra Nevadas; not rocket science (enter canned laughter). It won't be long before the larger waters also become more fishable and we anticipate strong, fresh and hungry fish. For now, they are better for rafters. Call us at the shop Wednesdays-Sundays at: 559-641-7788 for some quality banter and/or holler our way via out booking line at: 559-683-7664. Look for more photos soon at our facebook profile too: http://www.facebook.com/sierraflyfisher. Finally, brace yourself for a bunch of Sequoia/Kings updates as we get active in that region. Below, Emily Grant and her family had a ball on one of our local streams. They were staying at The Redwoods near Wawona.