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!