Lost Sierra Fishing Report February 2025
Winter Fly Fishing in The Lost Sierra at its best! Sunny days, Big Brown and Rainbow Trout, Lake Fishing, and Fun River Rafting Floats - Lost Sierra Fly Guides!
Fly Fishing Report Lake Almanor, Middle Fork Feather River and The Lost Sierra Watershed!
A wet month, Epic Lake Fishing, Big Brown Trout, and Fun Floats!
Lots of rain in February created a reset in the lakes and rivers… once the clairity improved it was back on!
The Fly Fishing in February shut down for a bit as we got hammered by 4 atmospheric rivers in 2 weeks. It was time to make some fly rods, tie up custom streamers, and get office work done! The Middle Fork Feather River came up about 5 feet in the storms and blew out for a few weeks. Once the water receded and the clarity improved, we got back to work putting fish in the net and making clients smile!
After the epic rains and about 10 days of waiting for the rivers to come back into shape, the weather pattern became favorable with a high presure system with warm, sunny days and cold nights. The crux was water clarity! But once the water settled we started finding fish again and got back to what we do best!
We have some great client trips, taught a clinic, and did some fishing on our local rivers and Lake Almanor.
The Middle Fork of the Feather
As the water receded and clarity improved, the fishing rebounded. We began by using white and bright-colored streamers, as visibility in most of the system was under two feet. Despite the challenging conditions, we had success and were able to put clients on fish. As the water clarity increased by a few feet, we adjusted our streamer selection to greens and browns with some white, better matching the natural environment.
Last week, we had our first day of catching fish on dry flies. Rising afternoon temperatures prompted fish to feed on hatching insects at the surface, and we reached double digits in the net. In addition, Water temperatures rose from the high 30s to the low 40s. This is the first time I have seen temps out of the 30s in a few months. Overall, the river is shaping up, and with warm temperatures coming this week, we are looking at some amazing days in the next few weeks to be on the river!
Lake Almanor
Lake Almanor has been fishing exceptionally well, with the rainbows displaying a pre-spawn feeding attitude. We're experiencing fantastic streamer action, as the big fish have moved in close to shore and are actively feeding. Fishing from float tubes, rafts, and ladders has produced great results.
The fish are taking a variety of flies, with Jay Fair’s Wiggle Tail Nymphs continuing to be a staple in both Plumas and Lassen counties—still the go-to pattern for these waters. With the current weather pattern, we anticipate seeing chironomid hatches within the next couple of weeks! We have had some great fish in the net ranging from 4-8 lbs, right off the shoreline!
Lake Davis and Frenchman Lake
Lake Davis and Frenchman’s are expected to ice off by the third week of March, bringing excellent shore fishing opportunities for big fish. Ice-off at Davis never disappoints, consistently providing exciting action.
The best fly patterns for this period include olive and black balanced leeches, as well as balanced damsel nymphs, both of which are highly effective in these conditions.
Stay tuned!
What’s New - Permits are in Place for Lake Davis, Frenchman, and Lake Almanor!
We are beyond excited to offer walk and wade and float trips on Lake Almanor, Lake Davis, and Frenchman Lake for 2025! We work closely with the US Forest Service and have been granted permits to now guide still waters in Plumas and Lassen Counties!
Lake Almanor, stripping streamers from our raft!
Lost Sierra Fishing Report Jan 2025
Winter Fly Fishing on the Middle Fork Feather River in The Lost Sierra at its best! Sunny days, Big Brown Trout and Fun River Rafting Floats - Lost Sierra Fly Guides!
Sunny Days, Big Brown Trout, and Fun Floats!
Alex came to fish the Middle Fork Feather and I got him on an Epic Brown!
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!
The weather pattern was a high-pressure system with warm, sunny days and cold nights. The pattern that emerged was hungry fish during the warmest parts of the day. There were weeks where we fished 5 days in a row and caught countless fish on streamers. Wooly buggers and poachers were working on the Middle Fork Feather while big attractor flies were working on both the Middle Fork and the Spanish Creek.
The fish were moving around and hard to target in the same spots as in previous days. Hard work and looking for the fish were the keys to our success—but that has always been the key to our success!
We have some great client trips, including double-ups on the oar rafts, spay rod swinging adventures, and lots of fish in the net! I love floating clients and covering water in the winter months. However, associate guide “Z” also got the job done on a walk and Wade trip, putting multiple fish in the net for his group. We had some epic days on the river, as usual!
There was nothing new in January; we had our best fish on streamers and on days when we put in the time and hard work to cover lots of water and find the fish. We usually float on the oar rafts to cover water, keeping us high and dry and able to present flies well in the frog water. Being the only “local guides” that float The Middle Fork Feather River, we have it dialed and are always stoked to share with you our best floats!
We targeted the warmer days and even had some great fish on the colder days with clients in town. We work hard to find the fish and share that experience with our clients!
As I write this blog, we are in our 2nd Atmospheric River to pound our area. These events have been mostly rain, so the river is blown out, and we have been pushing our trips back a few weeks, waiting for the river to settle back down and reshuffle the deck! I love fishing the river after big changes; it moves the fish around, and we get a whole new set of challenges. These changes bring the big fish out again, and now is the time to start considering getting on the river at the end of February!! I can’t wait!!
What’s New - Welcome Jordan to The Lost Sierra Fly Guide Team!
Beyond the phenomenal fishing, January brought two exciting highlights. First, we welcomed Jordan to our guide team. Jordan is not only an exceptional fly fisherman but also a humble, genuine person who fits right into our tight-knit crew. We all live by the same motto: work hard, do good, and good things will come.
Jordan will be expanding our services to include lake fly fishing on Lake Davis and Frenchman Lake starting this spring and early summer. We’re thrilled to cover more water and fill the gap for fly fishing guides on these Trophy Trout Lakes in Plumas County. Stay tuned for updates on our upcoming lake adventures—we’re building out our fleet of personal watercraft and can’t wait to get you out there to chase some massive Rainbow and Brown Trout on the fly!
Jordan with a nice brown trout, stripping streamers!
Steelhead Trip to The Smith River
We had the Steelhead bug this year, so we decided to head over to the Smith River and try our luck at Coastal Steelhead. Given the high pressure that sat on Northern California for a month, my hopes of connecting with a coastal Stellie were low, but I figured the adventure would be memorable, and it was! On my rafting bucket list was to float the Smith around the Jedediah State Park. We floated for two days, putting in at the Forks and floating down to Ruby Van Deventer Park.
We saw dozens of fish holding in the shallow riffles, waiting to move upstream, but we did not have the luck to hook one. We camped for three nights at the State Park and had a blast!
Middle Fork Feather River Fly Fishing Report December 28th, 2024
Middle Fork Feather River Fly Fishing Report - December 28th, 2024
December has been wet! Snow and rain have returned the river to prime “High Water” fishing and floating levels!
The majority of the fish we have caught have been on streamers. Striping lightly weighted streamers in the slower frog water has been the most productive. Afternoon hatches of Midges have been here and there, but nothing grand yet. I have seen some fish rising, but once targeted, the fish seem not to rise again. Tossing a streamer to the rising fish has been amazing! I have experimented with Dry Dropper running a small zebra midge and ran the same run with a streamer and boom. FISH! Drifting has been the best way to fish the river, with snow and mud covering the edge of the river in most places; you'd rather be on a raft! This is my favorite time of year to fish and float the Middle Fork Feather River. Get your warm clothes out and hit me up. Let’s catch some big Bows and Browns!
Streamer Fishing Middle Fork Feather River 21 inch Brown Trout on the Wooly Bugger.
The Fish
The last 2 weeks have been about the quality of the fish rather than numbers. 16 to 21 in Brown Trout have been chasing streamers, and with days like that, you only need a few fish to fill to call it an amazing day! We have had some slow mornings, but usually, the afternoon picks up, and the fishing turns on.
Flies and Presentations
This time of year, I primarily fish streamers. Custom-tied Wooly Buggers have been explosive! I use Fulling Mill Marabou, which has an amazing pulsing quality when you strip it in the water. My go-to color pattern has been “Root Beer.” Brown and black body with green marabou tail. I am still using a floating line as the river is not super deep and fast, and I am finding big fish willing to eat in the mid-column of the river. Will see how changes….
I have also had luck with the Euro Jig Mono Setup. Using "light" colored Poachers has been very productive in the seams and runs, and stripping the same fly in the frog water has been producing fish. I am finding most of the fish in the slower “dry fly” water at the moment.
Where
I primarily fish the Middle Fork of the Feather River in the winter as the North Yuba gets too cold in that canyon. Since the Middle Fork Feather flows are still low, the entire river is fishing well from Clio down.
I'm not particularly eager to spell out exactly where I fish and guide, but I usually don't fish in places that are easy to access. I like the challenge of finding less-fished water and the experience of connecting with remote areas.
When and why
During the colder months, I target the warmest part of the day. This time of year is usually 11:00 - 4:00 pm. Although I fish days that work for my calendar, I target changes in weather patterns if a new storm is coming in, the day before the storm arrives, or a few days after the storm, if the water levels and clarity change, tend to be more productive.
Be careful and keep an eye out for water clarity. When the river gets less than 2 feet of clarity, it can be hard to present your fly to the fish. Yesterday was close to 2 feet, and I caught an amazing brown, but the bit was slower than expected. The water gets murky for a few days after a series of rain or snow storms. Once that clarity returns, the fishing usually picks up as well. Feel free to reach out to me (matt@lostsierraflyguide.com) to see what the water clarity looks like. Clarity is it is not published anywhere, and I keep a daily eye on the river…
Summary
If you want to fish the Middle Fork of the Feather River over the colder months, bring some streamers, read the weather, and layer up!
Expect the air temperatures to range from the upper 20s to the lower 50s, with water temperatures in the upper 30s.
Once snow falls, access is limited, and finding water to fish becomes more complex. I float the river in the winter, so if you want to jump on a raft, book a trip, and I am happy to show you how to successfully fly fish the Middle Fork Feather River in the winter months!
Middle Fork Feather River Fly Fishing Report December 8th, 2024
Middle Fork Feather River Fly Fishing Report - December 2024
November and December mark significant changes in the Middle Fork Feather River. The temperatures drop, and the water levels rise with winter rain and snow storms. This year, a bomb cyclone and atmospheric river showed up in mid-November, reshuffling the river. Water temperatures dropped out of the 40s and continue to hover around 38-39 degrees. The river came up about 3 feet during the storm but has settled back down a few feet and is fishing well. Water clarity is excellent now; it was 1-2 feet for a bit, and the bite is back on strong. Access to the river is relatively snow-free, although the water and air temperatures are cold!
Streamer Fishing Middle Fork Feather River
The Fish
Last week, the bite was good; I had days where I caught 15 fish in 2 hours and days like yesterday where we covered a ton of water and only caught six or so fish. We caught quality fish, and we were fishing streamers all day. Just like other seasons, winter fly fishing has its peaks and lows. Overall, spending the day on the river and catching a half a dozen fish is a good day!
Flies and Presentations
This time of year, I primarily fish streamers. Euro Jigging "light" colored Poachers have been very productive in the seams and runs, and stripping the same fly in the frog water has been producing fish. I have been swinging Wooly Buggers on a floating line in the runs as well, with some great results.
Where
I primarily fish the Middle Fork of the Feather River in the winter as the North Yuba gets too cold in that canyon. Since the Middle Fork Feather flows are still low, the entire river is fishing well from Clio down.
I'm not particularly eager to spell out exactly where I fish and guide, but I usually don't fish in places that are easy to access. I like the challenge of finding less-fished water and the experience of connecting with remote areas.
When and why
During the colder months, I target the warmest part of the day. This time of year is usually 11:00 - 3:00 pm. Although I fish days that work for my calendar, I target changes in weather patterns if a new storm is coming in, the day before the storm arrives, or a few days after the storm, if the water levels and clarity change, tend to be more productive.
Summary
If you want to fish the Middle Fork of the Feather River over the colder months, bring some streamers, read the weather, and layer up!
Expect the air temperatures to range from the upper 20s to the lower 50s, with water temperatures in the upper 30s.
Once snow falls, access is limited, and finding water to fish becomes more complex. I float the river in the winter, so if you want to jump on a raft, book a trip, and I am happy to show you how to successfully fly fish the Middle Fork Feather River in the winter months!
