Dave's Great Shots

Sierra Fly Fisher Guide David Gregory has a knack with the lens. We proudly share some of his works here.

Flora and Fauna

A day on the Merced yielded trout as well as an interesting observation and reminder: YES the Merced has SCULPIN!

More fresh photos at: Sierra Fly Fisher's Facebook Photo Gallery

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

Closing Day 2011?

Well, as you may or may not know, the general trout closer in California does not apply to everything. Certain stretches of the Merced remain fishable. We had several fun sessions over the last few days and inclement weather did not mean bad fishing; not one bit! Yosemite Valley got a few dustings which left it gorgeous. Shannon snuck away from her friends and celebrated with a quality trout. It was one of several. Chad and Katie snuck away from Bakersfield so that they could sneak up on some fish. Great times. Give us a call and/or at least check the DFG regs carefully please. We remind everyone to also check out our facebook profile for other images and random posts: http://www.facebook.com/sierraflyfisher

Yosemite Dusting

Despite fears that the erratic weather would turn the fish off, it did the opposite. Sure we know that an overcast day is good but this was a combo meal of cold, sun, showers, snow, clouds and all over again at a high rate. Fishing was stellar. Caddis activity seems to be waning however the PMDs persist in small numbers and BWOs are kicking in. Some of unusually nice size. Many waters are very quiet with very light human activity (or none!). We invite you to wrap up the season with Sierra Fly Fisher.

Mid-October Updates

Very little time for the digital realm but lots of time for the mountains and streams. Cool weather and even a storm event from several days back threw us a few curve balls (or snowballs even!) however the fishing has been good and bouncing back hard. We've had some neat moments as we flirted with the onset and the exit of the weather. For example, as the water was rising and getting discolored earlier this month, Norm Lamoreaux still put people on fish while doing a day on the Merced. Bernard is very happy to have spent time with members of his alma matter the Diablo Valley Fly Fisher club. This was the club that he called home as a kid back in Walnut Creek many many moons back. Currently, at Trout Camp, we are seeing changes daily as we approach our wrap-up. What is exciting is that the fishing has been improving. Fall is far from over and we are excited. Give us a shout for an update.

Todd worked hard for this fish under challenging conditions but his efforts paid off.
Bernard helped Dan spot fish and simply enjoy the show
Dan and Chris work the stream in tandem. Drizzly skies and slaying it!
Dan's work paid off...
Bill shows us an October Golden
A fat Merced Rainbow
Alan of the Diablo Valley club with a brown up from the lake
Crazy weather allowed for great photos

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-September Updates - That Falling Feeling

Fall seems to be kicking in as hot days have abated and upper elevation cooling (along with a few small storms) has set the stage for perfect trout temps. Stream levels remain excellent and the recent mini-storms have spiked a few but not in a significant way. The fish are digging it! All waters in the Merced, Kings and San Joaquin drainages that we are currently working are fishing well. Our Trout Camp begins this weekend and we can't be more excited. We stage this annual event out of Mono Hot Springs (See: http://monohotsprings.com) and encourage all to check in with us for more details. Best bet is to email us at sierraflyfisherhq(at)gmail.com or call 559-683-7664





Labels: Kings Canyon, Kings River, Merced River, mono hot springs, san joaquin river

Merced Updates

The heavier run-off from earlier this year has prevented the water from getting too low. This has prevented the temps in the lower regions from getting too warm. Sure they are warm but the fish remain frisky. It appears, with cooling night temps, that the fish are increasingly frisky. The challenge is locating them. We recommend working hard at not staying put unless the fishing stays hot. Afternoon hopper fishing isn't a bad bet and the dusk spinner activity remains great. You can provoke fish even if you don't see them so practice stealth even on the bigger water. Last but not least, the recent Motor Fire has scarred the hillsides but not the fishing.

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

Fall Trout

Fall has brought some see saws in the weather but provided that you are ready to work and hunt, you can be rewarded. On a recent day out with Bernard, Mike and his son Matt got treated to a run on the Merced where an unusually large bow took Matt here for a ride. See photo below. October caddis activity is very regionalized and can also vary from night to night. Just be ready! We foresee the next few weeks to be excellent fishing and will continue to work until regulations or climate dictate otherwise. Call us for up-to-date info.

 

Dick and Jeanne get the A for effort award. Jeannie landing this fish after gaining a much needed extra few feet on a cast to a good seam. Dick persisted with stellar form and tangled at the 11th hour with a fish we couldn't stop.

 

Sept. 29 Update

The Merced, is fishing well despite the warm temps. Evenings being prime. The evening mayfly hatch remains impressive while the larger fall caddis are yet to show. Smaller caddises are thick int he shadows. Trout Camp out of Mono Hot Springs is also kicking-into higher gear with browns showing in increasing numbers. See our Fall 2010 gallery on facebook for some fresh photos. Here's a pod of browns hiding from the sun...

We are booking both regions currently. Don't hesitate to call.