The Golden State offers a great variety of fly-fishing opportunities. Anglers can fish the ocean, small mountain creeks and big rivers, warm waters and cold streams, and they can target a wide variety of species, including anadromous fish. But many fisheries get pigeonholed. Most of the popular angling destinations in California are known for a specific fishery or a specific hatch. They’re a trout stream or a bass lake, a place to pursue stripers or shad, perhaps, or maybe a surfperch beach or a carp flat. They attract anglers during the height of the season, and when the season tapers off or the hatch ends, the anglers migrate to the next hot spot.
Many anglers consequently overlook fishing opportunities that occur outside of their normal angling routines. And the Northern California valley creeks and tailwaters that hold populations of largemouth and smallmouth bass are among the most overlooked fishing opportunities in the state. The lower Yuba, lower Sacramento, Feather, and American Rivers are all known for their populations of wild rainbow trout, their runs of steelhead and chinook salmon, but rarely do anglers talk about them in regard to their largemouth bass and smallmouth bass. They should. Here’s why.
The Fish Are There
The lower sections of the Yuba, Sacramento, Feather, and American Rivers flow out of dams that provide year-round cold water many miles downstream and sustain a variety of cold-water fisheries. As water districts pump water out, however, and as the valley floor opens up and valley creeks meander in, the water begins to warm. When it does, these rivers all become ideal habitat for largemouth and smallmouth bass. And the fish are certainly there.
The lower Sacramento River, for example, offers nearly 80 miles of fishable trout water, but it flows nearly 300 miles from Keswick Dam in Redding to the California Delta. The other 220 miles of the lower Sac are seen by most fly fishers as the land of cut bait and treble hooks. Likewise, while many anglers revere as holy wild-trout water the 6 or so miles of the lower Yuba from the Highway 20 bridge to the Daguerre Diversion Dam, they know little of the other 10 or so miles from the diversion dam to the river’s mouth south of Marysville.
Add to these lower reaches of valley tailwaters the countless creeks that feed them, and an angler has a lifetime of water to explore. Many of these creeks flow from east to west out of the foothills of the Sierra Nevada or, as one moves north, from west to east out of the east side of the Coast Range and into the lower Sacramento. Many of these creeks and smaller rivers may have respectable populations of cold-water species at higher elevations, but once they hit the foothills and valley floor, they warm up and typically are forgotten by most anglers. They, too, hold resident populations of smallmouth and largemouth bass.
Also, as many of the valley tailwaters drop onto the valley floor, high-water events cause these rivers and even some creeks to flood, creating oxbows and ponds that hold populations of largemouth bass. You probably have driven by these many times on the way to some trout hot spot. All an angler has to do to find likely holding water is pull up Google Earth and look at the Oroville Wildlife Area, which runs along the banks of the Feather River, or at the Yuba gold fields, which run along the lower Yuba. Blue shapes and squiggles stare back at
you from the computer screen — ponds or oxbows or tributaries that may hold undiscovered populations of bass. Such places are often overlooked and underfished. They are well worth exploring.
Finding Good Bass Water
Exploring new water is always a challenge. For some, it’s a mental hurdle. Most anglers have limited fishing time and want to spend it fishing where they know the angling is best or the fish are biting. Staring at blue shapes on a computer screen and hoping one represents a population of fish seems like a low-return investment of what could be actual fishing time. To be honest, I have had many possibilities turn out to be fishless, but I have also found some amazing angling.
The most important thing when searching out valley largemouth and smallmouth populations is finding access. As creeks drop from the foothills into the valley and as the tailwaters meander down from their dams, much of the bank access is bordered by private property, mostly agricultural in nature and a long way from any major road. That said, there are many river and creek crossings that can offer the bank angler a point of entry to creeks or the lower stretches of tailwaters. Many of these access points are popular with the recreational kayaking or canoeing crowd, and there are “car-top” launches at various parks, picnic areas, or bridges that provide access to these creeks or rivers. The Pine Creek launch and Anne Bidwell State Park are examples on the lower Sacramento River, and the Simpson Lane crossing and the area below the Highway 70 bridge in Marysville are spots on the lower Yuba. These are only a few examples, though, and many still remain undiscovered by fly fishers.
There are also many creeks and rivers that offer angling for largemouth and smallmouth bass and that have access points miles away from where they enter valley tailwaters. These spots may be swimming holes, kayaker access points during the winter, or even small state parks commemorating covered bridges, mining towns, and so on. I have found some amazing smallmouth water while exploring foothill rivers better known for swimming and tubing than for fishing, though I also have given up on fishing and joined the swimming crowd at a few of the spots. If you go exploring these, pack backwaters — sloughs, coves that stretch back off the river, and even some creeks that have deep enough, slow enough, and warm enough water. Largemouths usually establish fairly stable populations if given consistent water conditions, so where you find them one year, the chances are they will be there the next year, too. There are always exceptions, however, and highwater events can change everything and anything.
Smallmouths need colder water and tend to establish populations in the main tailwaters. On the lower Sacramento, they live mostly in the river and venture up various creeks or into backwaters at various times of the year to feed, spawn, or seek better conditions. However, there are several creeks that run year-round and that are cold enough to have resident populations of smallmouth bass, and these fish range upstream to where they eventually are outnumbered by trout at higher elevations.
The fish in all these waters range from big enough to make an angler’s eyes pop out to small enough to break in that new 3-weight. I have seen largemouth and smallmouth bass on the lower Sacramento and Feather Rivers that would make any 225-horsepower-bass-boat-driving, spinnerbait slinging, conventional-tackle bass angler drool, and I have found pods of 12-inch smallmouths in some the foothill creeks that are a ton of fun on a 3-weight. Most fish in these environments are fat and healthy and would be there, they will eat it” principle and cover water instead of changing flies.
Bass in general are not known for their refined palates, but any angler who has fished for them knows they can be finicky at times. For largemouths, I adjust my fly selection based on where I am fishing. Many of the types of water I have discussed have weed beds and weed edges as their main structure, as well as rock levees and walls. If there are weeds, I fish top-water frogs, tadpoles, small baitfish, and even damselfly or dragonfly nymphs. If I am fishing around rocks or deeper open water, I fish crawfish patterns on the edges and shallow rock areas and larger baitfish patterns in the deeper open-water areas to match the forage.
While the largemouths I have found in these various waters will feed at a variety of levels in the water column, the smallmouths in the rivers and creeks almost exclusively focus on the bottom. Fishing crawfish and small baitfish patterns right along the bottom is critical, no matter what the water depth or situation. This is where I fish the heavier sinking integrated shooting heads and weighted flies to get the flies down and crawl them on the bottom in front baitfish patterns. The smallmouths seem to like smaller flies — about the size of one’s pointer to pinky fingers.
Variety is what makes fly fishing in California such an adventure. While there is no other place I have found that has the variety we have here in the Golden State, this variety has an ironic edge, because it seems as if 90 percent of the anglers fish only 10 percent of the water. But there is nothing more exciting than finding a new piece of water to fish, and I encourage you to get out and explore the valley bass waters — to seek out something new a swimsuit, a towel, and book, just in case.
Ideally, the best way to access many of the lower sections of these tailwaters is by boat, usually by jet boat, because running a prop on these rivers requires an intimate knowledge of the river. A motorboat not only allows anglers to access populations of largemouth and smallmouth bass in the river itself, but also allows them to access tributary creeks if the flows are high enough, or by foot if the flows are too low. A pontoon boat, float tube, or drift boat is also a great way to access creek mouths, smaller sections of a promising river, and ponds or oxbows inaccessible any other way than from the river. The lower Sacramento, Feather, and American Rivers have boat ramps up and down their length, and anglers can find short evening or full-day floats that take them through great sections of these rivers and even sections that have access to many tributaries.
The Fish
Largemouth bass need warm water and tend to establish populations in backwaters — sloughs, coves that stretch back off the river, and even some creeks that have deep enough, slow enough, and warm enough water. Largemouths usually establish fairly stable populations if given consistent water conditions, so where you find them one year, the chances are they will be there the next year, too. There are always exceptions, however, and highwater events can change everything and anything.
Smallmouths need colder water and tend to establish populations in the main tailwaters. On the lower Sacramento, they live mostly in the river and venture up various creeks or into backwaters at various times of the year to feed, spawn, or seek better conditions. However, there are several creeks that run year-round and that are cold enough to have resident populations of smallmouth bass, and these fish range upstream to where they eventually are outnumbered by trout at higher elevations.
The fish in all these waters range from big enough to make an angler’s eyes pop out to small enough to break in that new 3-weight. I have seen largemouth and smallmouth bass on the lower Sacramento and Feather Rivers that would make any 225-horsepower-bass-boat-driving, spinnerbait slinging, conventional-tackle bass angler drool, and I have found pods of 12-inch smallmouths in some the foothill creeks that are a ton of fun on a 3-weight. Most fish in these environments are fat and healthy and would be considered quality fish by any angler.
Techniques and Gear
Techniques and gear are as varied as the locations where you can find these fish, but as I have explored over the years, I have narrowed my gear and fly selection down to a pretty simple setup. I fish a 7-weight rod with a floating line 90 percent of the time. The other 10 percent of the time, I fish an integrated shooting head setup to match the depth and speed of the water I am fishing. Usually, though, if I am going to be fishing subsurface, I change the weight of my fly instead of going to a sinking line.
I fish short “bass” leaders and nothing lighter then a 2X tippet. I have found that most of these fish receive very little fishing pressure, and matching the hatch is not typically required. I operate on the “If they are there, they will eat it” principle and cover water instead of changing flies.
Bass in general are not known for their refined palates, but any angler who has fished for them knows they can be finicky at times. For largemouths, I adjust my fly selection based on where I am fishing. Many of the types of water I have discussed have weed beds and weed edges as their main structure, as well as rock levees and walls. If there are weeds, I fish top-water frogs, tadpoles, small baitfish, and even damselfly or dragonfly nymphs. If I am fishing around rocks or deeper open water, I fish crawfish patterns on the edges and shallow rock areas and larger baitfish patterns in the deeper open-water areas to match the forage.
While the largemouths I have found in these various waters will feed at a variety of levels in the water column, the smallmouths in the rivers and creeks almost exclusively focus on the bottom. Fishing crawfish and small baitfish patterns right along the bottom is critical, no matter what the water depth or situation. This is where I fish the heavier sinking integrated shooting heads and weighted flies to get the flies down and crawl them on the bottom in front of the fish. I also scale down the size of my crawfish and baitfish patterns. The smallmouths seem to like smaller flies — about the size of one’s pointer to pinky fingers.
Variety is what makes fly fishing in California such an adventure. While there is no other place I have found that has the variety we have here in the Golden State, this variety has an ironic edge, because it seems as if 90 percent of the anglers fish only 10 percent of the water. But there is nothing more exciting than finding a new piece of water to fish, and I encourage you to get out and explore the valley bass waters — to seek out something new.
