Spring Fly Fishing In The Lost Sierra
Spring Fly Fishing in The Lost Sierra! Spring fly fishing is on. Rivers are waking up, bugs are popping, and fish are finally shaking off their winter slow-down.
Fly Fishing the Middle Fork Feather River, Lake Almanor, Lake Davis and The Lost Sierra
Spring fly fishing in the Northern Sierra brings a welcome shift in energy as the water warms and fish become more active. Although snowmelt and runoff can make conditions tricky, there are often prime windows—especially late mornings and afternoons—where flows stabilize and trout start feeding more aggressively.
Conditions are lining up beautifully as warmer air temperatures gradually kick off the snowmelt, sending a steady trickle of fresh water into rivers and lakes.
Spring Fishing!
Float Trips on the Middle Fork Feather, float tubes on the Lakes - Let’s go!
The Middle Fork Feather River
The Middle Fork Feather is running high right now, ideal for maintaining healthy flows and solid water levels well into early summer. While the fish are still a bit scattered from the recent rains spiking the river and early season runoff, they're beginning to regroup in their usual holding spots. As conditions stabilize, the river is set to fish exceptionally well in the coming weeks—setting the stage for another incredible spring season in the heart of the Lost Sierra watershed.
Hatches: Early spring hatches include Blue-Winged Olives, March Browns, midges, and lingering Skwala stoneflies. As April progresses, expect to see more caddis and even some early PMDs.
Tactics: Start the day with deep, slow nymphing using tungsten-beaded flies like Prince Nymphs, and Pheasant Tails. As the sun warms the water, shift to dry-dropper setups or swing soft hackles through likely runs. We are still finding fish-chasing streamers in all sorts of water. For the most part, the fish are keying into the new food sources and staying focused!
Lake Almanor, Lake Davis, and Frenchman Lake
The lakes have been fishing well, though they’ve kept us on our toes—fish are stacked in certain zones one day and scattered the next. The real challenge is dialing in where they’re holding, but once you find them, the action can be non-stop. Jordan’s been consistently hooking up at Lake Almanor using deep-water indicator rigs with balanced leeches, targeting depths from 8 to 30 feet. We also had some stellar days at Frenchman’s as the water warmed—so did the bite. Nymphing under an indicator was lights out, producing fish after fish.
Stillwaters: Lakes respond well to slow-stripped leech patterns or balanced leeches under indicators. Midges and callibaetis nymphs can produce steady action, especially near drop-offs and shallow flats.
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Kicking Off 2025 - An Epic January of Fly Fishing
Lost Sierra Fly Guides - Kicking off 2025 in Style with an EPIC January of Fly Fishing The Middle Fork Feather River and Spanish Creek in the Lost Sierra.
The Fly Fishing in January was off the charts! We fished over 20 days in January and caught countless fish on streamers. Float trips, walk and wade, exploring new water, and fishing with great clients and friends. A perfect way to kick off the new year!
We are a tight-knit team at Lost Sierra Fly Guides, and we are stoked to get you on the water!
What's New in 2025!
Fly Fishing The Lakes of The Lost Sierra & New Guide Spotlight!
We’re excited to announce that Jordan will be expanding our services to include lake fly fishing on Lake Davis and Frenchman Lake, starting this spring and early summer. This new offering allows us to cover more water and fill the gap for fly fishing guides on these renowned Trophy Trout Lakes in Plumas County.
Born and raised in Quincy, California, Jordan grew up fishing and exploring the rivers and lakes of Plumas County alongside his father and grandfather. In 2021, he graduated from the Tahoe Fly Fishing Outfitters Guide School, where he sharpened his skills and deepened his passion for the sport. Jordan specializes in targeting big brown trout, rainbow trout, and smallmouth bass, and he takes pride in being an advanced stillwater angler and guide.
Beyond his expertise on the water, Jordan is a humble, genuine person who fits seamlessly into our tight-knit crew. As a dedicated steward of the lakes and rivers where he grew up, he’s deeply connected to both the waters he fishes and the small town where he lives and raises his family. I’m proud to call Jordan both a friend and a colleague.
Jordan knows these lakes inside and out. He’s not just a guide—he’s a master of the waters he fishes. We can’t wait to get you out on Lake Davis and Frenchman Lake with him this coming season.
Custom Fly Rods!
Hundreds of hours of meticulous research and testing have gone into selecting the finest blanks and components for the fly rods I craft.
I take great pride in the rods I build, using only the highest quality components I can source. From Flor-grade cork and EVA foam fighting butts to precision-machined aluminum reel seats, titanium guides, and tip tops, Fuji Grade “A” thread, and low-build epoxy—every detail is carefully chosen. The result? What I believe are the finest rods on the market under $1,000.
Each blank is carefully inspected, the spline is precisely located, and the rod build begins using only the finest materials available. Old School Quality and Craftsmanship!
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Wild and Scenic Middle Fork Feather River
The Wild and Scenic Middle Fork Feather River. Chasing big fish on remote waters.
Lost Sierra Fly Guide - A steward of the river and the land.
Thank you for subscribing and following along on this amazing journey of passion and pride! The Middle Fork Feather River is what started this dream come true. I have been fly fishing for over 35 years, all around North America, and when I discovered this lost gem…, my soul was found.
I spent 10 years fishing the remote sections of the Middle Fork Feather River and its Tributaries. Randomly, the opportunity to become a guide and obtain one of the coveted Special Use Permits to Commercially Guide this river fell into my lap.
I was at the right place at the right time. Sharing this amazing area with the right people has been a dream come true. Thank you all!
There were other guides who came before me, some still here, but my passion is sharing those remote zones I spent a decade exploring. From overnight trips in the remote canyon to floating the hard-to-reach water of the upper stretches of the river, I wanted to guide my clients into the magic I found on this amazing river. The few other guides were just not putting in the effort, content with fishing, and guiding the easy access spots. I set out to do something completely different. I took some chances, and they paid off.
Looking back at 2024 and into 2025
2024 was an amazing year at Lost Sierra Fly Guide! We pushed hard, rode some ups and downs, and came out smiling!
I hired a second guide, created an “in-house” Fly Rod Brand, and caught too many fish to consider adding up. We punctured 3 rafts, broke 7 fly rods, and I broke my hand and 2 fingers! Needless to say, we went hard, and it paid off! Owning a Fly Guiding business in the Northern Sierras is not an easy task. Hard work and passion are the keys to success.
I have some goals for 2025, and they might be big, but I am ready to pursue them. First, the easy stuff: work hard, have fun, and get clients on fish. That is my business model.
For the last few years, I have been looking for the perfect fly rods for fishing smaller Freestone Rivers in Northern California. Rivers that you can walk and wade or fish from a small raft. I bounced around with different manufacturers and found myself needing to think outside of the box again to find what I was looking for: The perfect fly rods for California Freestone Fishing. Tightline Nymphing is a key element to successful days on the water. Stripping streamers is one of the exhilarating ways to fly fish. We all dream of rolling sweet loops on a nice classic fly rod in the middle of the hatch. Those were the goals. Hone in on the 3 best ways to fly fish and find the perfect rods to hand my clients.
I reached out to a lot of people who inspire me in the industry, and I am excited to share all the hard work that went into finding the exact blanks I wanted and the components to build custom small-batch fly rods with. Stay tuned for limited addition rods for sale. Right now, I am building a fleet of these rods for my guided trips. There is no better way to try out a fly rod than on a guided trip. I am honored to hand my clients what I think are some of the best blanks in the industry, dialed for the waters I fish and guide on. Keeping with my concept of doing things differently, I wanted my rods to be priced below the top-of-the-line Scott, Sage, and so forth. A rod you can fish hard and put away wet. A fly rod I can guide multiple seasons on in the backcountry. A workhorse that feels great in your hand and will last a lifetime.
Winter marks the kick-off of rafting season, and big fish are in slow-moving water on the upper stretches of the river. These next few months are amazing times to fish if you can bear the cold or get lucky and fish one of those 50-degree winter days we get from time to time. Either way, giving yourself the opportunity to catch a 20-22-inch Native Brown Trout on a 4wt custom fly rod is worth the effort.
This time of year I am ussually fishing 3 days a week and the results have been amazing!
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