Here is my Old Trout Bum Newsletter for this week. For those of you who are new to the newsletter, you will see that it is a hub for getting information about all things fly fishing. The following is a list of what you will find in this week’s newsletter
CLINICS: Information about my clinic schedules and clinics conducted by others.
LOCAL FLY SHOP S: News about California fly shops and upcoming events. And also a link to a list and contact information about all of the shops in California and Nevada.
NEWS OF GENERAL INTEREST: Learn about what’s going on behind the scenes and also upcoming events that you may be interested in, such as a link that will show you which waters have been planted lately. Also, this is where you will find a link that will take you to the weekly updated California Fly Fishing Reports site.
NEW MAGAZINE ARTICLES: This is where I announce where my articles and photos are currently appearing. Check it out, as there are discount magazine offers for “Old Trout Bum” subscribers.
GREAT REVIEW IN THIS NEW ISSUE OF CALIFORNIA FLY FISHER
When I saw this review in the new issue, I was completely blown away. Thought I would share it with you. Read below:
THIS WEEK’S VIDEO: Every week, I scour YouTube for informational fly fishing videos that I think you will be interested in. For this week, I’ve added videos on the history of Loomis Rods and also a video on fishing one of my favorite waters Green River, Utah.
CONSERVATION NEWS: This is where I post information and links regarding conservation and environmental issues that I would like to bring to your attention. This week, I’ve included information about a new fight we have on our hands in keeping a Canadian mining company from taking preliminary steps to undertake mining operations that could ruin Hat Creek, one of the most unique fisheries in the US.
TRAVEL: Information about upcoming hosted travel schedules operated by my friends at www.Fly-FishingTravel.com is posted here. Occasionally, I will post information about a trip that I will personally host.
FISHING LICENSES: Purchase your California fishing license here. Additionally, a link is provided that will take you to my user-friendly version of the CDFW SPECIAL REGS. section that will save you a lot of time getting the information you want.
CDFW FISH PLANTING SCHEDULE: find out which waters have been stocked this week
This past week I was asked by my guide friend Bill Ferrero if I wanted to spend a morning being videoed fly fishing on the Moke. The purpose was that a riverside property, Stone River Retreat, that has hired him to organize a steelhead fishing program, had hired a videographer to shoot video to use in future advertisements.I jumped at the chance as this would be the first time in my fly fishing life that I would be in front of the camera instead of being behind the camera.
We met at Stillman McGee Park near Clements, CA, on Sunday morning, and after doing shuttles, we put in two boats (one for me and a guide, and another that carried Bill and the videographers) just below the Comanche Dam. We then took a relaxing three-hour float down the river, and I pretended to fish. It was fun to be standing at the bow of guide Chris Gearhart’s drift boat casting and at the same time hearing the buzz of the drone overhead and sometimes right in front of my face. Some pictures of the day are below:
Sometime back in the early 1990s, I walked in the door of the Powell Fly Shop in Chico, California, for my meeting with the manager of the shop to show him my new product lines that I was introducing that year. I don’t remember his name, but I do remember he always had a cigar in his hand. I was on time, but he wasn’t, so I just hung around the shop. At the tying table was a guy in his late teens busily tying globugs. He took a strand of glow-bug material (I think it was McFly Foam) and tied it perpendicular to the hook shank by wrapping the thread in a figure eight, as tight as he could, then with one hand, pulled both ends of McFly Foam tight and then cut it with scissors close to the shank of the hook. In the time it took me to write this, a perfectectly spherical glow bug had been created before my very eyes.
As the boss was in no hurry to acknowledge my presence, I had a chance to get to know Tim. He told me that he grew up on a ranch that was located on the banks of the Sacramento River, about a half hour away. I immediately liked the guy as his quirky sense of humor fit me perfectly. Little did I know at the time that this guy would grow up to become an important presence in the fly fishing industry.
He started commercially tying flies for Powell Fly Shop in Chico at the age of 14 and worked their retail shop from 1988 to 1995. He then moved on to a new shop getting started in Fairfield, California. It was called the California Fly Shop, which he helped start from the ground up. From there, he moved back to the Redding area to work at The Fly Shop(tm) in Redding. The Fly Shop(tm) was the major force in fly fishing retailing, so he couldn’t ask for a better environment to hone his skills in the fly fishing retail world. He eventually worked up the ladder to becoming the manager of arguably the largest fly fishing retailer in the US. During this period, he developed what became one of the most popular fly patterns in the nation, Fox’s “Poopah.” He also developed one of the most effective flies used during the annual egg-bite on the Sac, called“Fox’s Fertilizer.”
During this period he continued guiding on Northern California rivers. Even though I fished with Tim several times over the years, I never fished with him as a guide. A few years ago, an out-of-town friend wanted to float the Lower Sac and asked me to arrange for a guide. I immediately thought of Tim, not only because he was an old friend but also because he had earned a reputation as being one of the best guides on the Sac. It was quite an eye-opener observing Tim at work as he was a master at client handling. His super laid back demeaner made understanding what he was communicating easy to understand. We had a wonderful couple of days, and caught some big fish.
Today he’s on his own and works hard at guiding the Lower Sac and the Trinity, in addition to guiding clients on pig hunts. He is also now the owner of the Jay Fair fly fishing material company. You can reach him at:
530-949-0238
carponfox@gmail.com
www.mrfoxoutfitters.com
Please don’t forget that this is a reader-supported effort, and that I appreciate
any financial support that you can provide. Thanks.
Local Water Orientation Clinics are where I show you how to fish our area waters. The fall schedule is posted below. These clinics fill up fast, so don’t wait until the last minute to sign up. During the clinics, we travel the waterway where I show you where the fish hold and when to fish. We also discuss flies, equipment, and techniques for fishing Steelhead, Stripers, and Shad.
Are you a Paid Subscriber? You will be emailed a link shortly that will take you to a special online order form where you can order prints, purchase a signed copy of my book and sign up for clinics at your discounted price.
LIST OF CALIFORNIA & NEVADA FLY SHOPS
Ted Fay Fly Shop in Dunsmuir, CA, has just changed hands. Bob Grace who has owned the shop for twenty-nine years, has turned over the reins to Cory Allen and Jessica Kenny. Bob will continue working in the shop part-time for the foreseeable future. When you are in the area stop by and say hi to Cory and Jessica.
New Fly Shop in the Bay Area. CrossWaterCreek Fly Shop in Lafayette CA The East Bay has a new fly shop, and it’s quite a showplace. It’s worth the time to stop by and say hello. Check them out at www.crosswatercreek.com
Musings Of An Old Trout Bum is a reader-supported publication.
Latest on Nor-Cal fishing: With the exception of the Feather River, valley tailwaters are finished until September. Runoff is over in the Sierra, and the CDFW has been busy planting. In addition to CDFW planting, several of the counties, such as Alpine and Mono, have stocking programs too.
TO FIND OUT WHEN YOUR FAVORITE WATER WAS LAST
PLANTED, CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
https://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FishPlants/PublicPlantSearch
For your complete updated fishing report, log on to the link below
Note that as the summer progresses many Sierra waters will warm up to temperatures that will stress caught fish. To find out which waters are affected, click below to keep up to date on Hoot Owl closures instituted by the CDFW and NDOW:
I heard that fly tackle sales are down this summer, probably due to high gas prices.
My photo essay on Highway 395 fishing is in the current issue of Gray’s Sporting Journal. For an outdoor photographer, this is kind of a big deal.
Check out this month’s issue of American Fly Fishing magazine to see my cover shot and also read my article on bass fishing in Oroville Lake, CA, with Ryan Williams.
CLICK HERE TO LEARN ABOUT THE MAGAZINE
CLICK HERE TO ORDER YOUR SIGNED COPY
ARE YOU A ”PAID SUBSCRIBER,” GET 15% OFF YOUR BOOK! Email me at - vinci.greg@gmail.com- and I will send you a link so you can get your discount.
Here is some updated info on the state of the lower Yuba River after the recent penstock failure up at Cooper Powerhouse. https://www.facebook.com/YubaWater
Lower Yuba Daguerre Dam bypass - New
Currently striped bass, sturgeon and shad are blocked from reaching the section of the Lower Yuba River upstream from the Daguerre Point diversion dam. Thoug there is a fish ladder, only salmon and steelhead can ascend it which is one of the reasons that the river has one of the most prolific populations of wild Rainbows in the state. The plan to build a bypass around the dam will allow voracious stripers to reach the upper river where a feast of Rainbows awaits them. By clicking on the California Fly Fisher link below you can read all about it and find out how you can help stop this poorly hatched plan.American River project to remove 4 miles of trees.
Click below for a complete update on how our fight against the Army Corps of Engineers is progressing:
https://mailchi.mp/73574fdae2df/ar-parkway-case-updates-12755767?e=4036c63bc1SoCal Steelhead
No schedule has been posted as of yet, but as soon as it is, I’ll have information about 2027 trips here
Yellowstone River & Spring Creeks-POSPONED
Other commitments have gotten in the way of doing a trip this year. I’ll do my best to put this trip together for 2027. Stay tuned.GREAT VIDEO ABOUT DRY FLY FISHING ON THE GREEN RIVER IN UTAH.
If any of you are looking for a relatively inexpensive true “Bucket List” trip, check out this video.
Click below to purchase your 2026 California fishing license
“USER FRIENDLY” CALIFORNIA SPECIAL REGS SYNOPSIS
Click below if you would rather not waste a lot of time scrolling through the CDFW PDF version of the regulations, looking for the special regulations on CA waters. I’ve organized and condensed the special regulations section to make it user-friendly
Musings Of An Old Trout Bum is a reader-supported publication and can only exist with your support. Please become a paid subscriber.
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