Fishing Season: Year Round

Yuba River - CA

Fishing Outlook & Conditions

Water Temp:

70

Joe Garza's Tip of the Week

Hoot owl hours should be observed when the temperature jumps above 100°F. On the water early and off by 2pm at the latest.

Directions open in app

Map of Yuba River

5-Day Outlook as of 8/20/26

The Hopper Hatch has been up and down. The fish seem to be turned off by the large Hoopers at times and seem to be eager to eat smaller flies like caddis and PMD's, this last week. We have had success in the early mornings running caddis (#14/16 tan and green), mayfly (#16/18) and stonefly (#8/10) nymphs under an indicator. Switching to Hopper (#10) with a caddis or mayfly dropper by 10am, through the rest of the day. Around 1pm the fish are taking a break from the heat for the rest of the day, so we switch to a streamer (#8 in Orange, Olive) in deeper water.

Techniques & Tips as of 8/20/26

Indicator nymphing, Dry Fly, Tight Line/High Stick Nymphing, Single Hand Swing, Spey/Switch.

Local Species Available Year Round

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    Wild Rainbow Trout

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    Wild Steelhead

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    Striper

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    Shad

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    Smallmouth Bass

Joe Garza's Recommended Fly Patterns

"Must-have" fly fishing patterns in descending order of importance:

Name: Colors: Size(s):
Spotlight Caddis Emerger Tan, Olive 14, 16,18
Blue Wing Olive Parachute N/A 16, 18
Higa’s S.O.S. Black, Olive 18
Tungsten Twisted Tactical May Olive, Black 18
Quasimodo Pheasant Tail N/A 16, 18
TH Zebra Midge Black, Red 18
Pat’s Rubber Leg Stone Brown, Coffee, Black 6, 8
Fox Poopah Cinnamon, Olive 12, 14
Hale Bopp Black, Rust, Olive 6, 8
Tactical Sob-Czech Olive, Ginger 16, 18

Spotlight Caddis Emerger

Trout can't ignore this Caddis emerger fly because it behaves exactly like the naturals.

3.99

Item #46C0

Buy Now

Joe Garza's Recommended Gear

Description: About Yuba River

Nestled in the foothills of Yuba County, winding its way into the Sacramento valley lies one of California’s best year-round technical wild trout rivers. Located in the heart of gold country, the river has something to offer for anglers of all calibers. Whether you are new to fly fishing or you have fished all over the world, this river has something for you! Englebright Dam releases cold clear water to feed the Lower Yuba River. The river is gin clear and has a diverse yet healthy insect population, which produces some epic insect hatches. Do not be fooled though, these fish are educated, cautious, and particular about what they want. Inch for inch, pound for pound, these fish are the hardest fighters in the Sacramento Valley. The Lower Yuba River offers a variety of methods to target these hard fighting feisty trout and Steelhead. These methods include indicator nymphing, dry, tight line/high stick nymphing, streamer, and swinging. The river is known for its wintertime dry fly fishing. However, the river has seemingly endless hatches. The more popular hatches are the Skwala Stoneflies (January through March), Pinkies (February through April), March Browns/Gray Drakes (March through April), PMD’s (April through August), Golden Stoneflies (June through July), Grasshoppers (June through September), Caddis (May Through October), Baetis (October through April), Alevin (December through February), and Midge (Year-Round). Downstream below Daguerre Point Dam to Marysville California, holds Shad and Striper (April through August).

Nearest Airport:

Sacramento International Airport

Hatches:

Hoppers, Caddis, Chironomids, PMD's, Baetis, Sculpin, Crawdad, Stoneflies, March Browns, Pink Alberts.

Best Time to Fish:

7am to 1pm

Best Stretch:

Parks Bar

Best Access:

Parks Bar