Now is the time to assess winter’s success. Take stock of our water supply in the snowpack and reservoir levels; it indicates how far into the summer most of our trout streams will have clean, cold water. Our water storage serves as an indicator of how long the high flows of runoff will last. Runoff, however, is highly variable and impossible to predict with too much certainty. I often reference comparable years past to understand what to expect for the coming season.
As California anglers, we should make the most of our year-round fisheries, chasing steelhead and trout even in winter months. I hope you look back at the past season without regret. For most, however, good fishing manifests in the longer days, warmer weather, and reliable consistency of the seasons to come.
You may have read my piece about getting skunked on California’s Smith River. A bright hen in the lower river ended the skunk streak shortly after the publication of the Winter 2025 issue in a heart-pounding fight that ended a few hundred yards downstream. The grab, an unmistakable rip, was in the sweet part of the swing, way back in tailout. I feel extremely fortunate to have witnessed some incredible moments this steelhead season. Seeing friends tie into their first coastal steelhead and take many incredible anglers to fish the places I love.
The spring of 2025 is a significant issue in that it marks the completion of the first cycle of California Fly Fisher in its new format. Let this issue serve as the starting shot to trout season. We hope you find inspiration in its pages, packed with rich content praising California’s fishing diversity and beauty. Despite being the most populated, our state remains one of America’s most wild and beautiful places.
There is much to look forward to in the state; shad will pour into Northern California’s American, Yuba, Feather, and Sacramento Rivers. The Delta will come to life with its world-class bass fishery. Stripers will distribute themselves throughout the Delta, Bay, and surf. In Southern California, the corbina will start moving into the shallows with reliability. Now is the time to get your gear ready for the changing of the season, hang up the spey rod, clean your trout lines, fix up your waders, replace your running lines, check the tides, and most importantly, make the time to get out.e is always tying flies and getting your gear ready for the predictability of summer.
Stay Fishy, California.
“There will be days when the fishing is better than one’s most optimistic forecast, others when it is far worse. Either is a gain over just staying home.”
Roderick Haig-Brown, Fisherman’s Spring
