Float Video and Lower Stanislaus Report

Happy Friday everyone! After this storm that rolled through this week hopefully everyone can find some time on the water this weekend (or go skiing!). Anyway, Daniel and I managed to squeeze in a float on President's day down the Stanislaus from Knight's Ferry to Orange Blossom. I hadn't been able to float the Stan in a long time and was anxious to check it out. Needless to say, it was tough but we managed a good number of fish, including a nice 17"er. After talking to a buddy who floats the Stan regularly, he was glad to see a fish of that size come out of the lower Stan. Most of his floats in the last year were always good numbered days, but the fish size was typically in the 11-12" range. I don't doubt the that there are some pigs in there but like all good things they don't come easy. With all the rafting pressure and poaching in the spring and summertime, those fish have grown accustomed to people. Also, on a day like the one we floated, crystal clear water clarity can be an issue. One must first have a suitable fly to match the food sources and must present it well. After turning over some rocks and scoping the fly boxes, what worked the best for us were small nymphs in the size 18-20 range. As you'll see in the video these small flies could be the reason why I missed so many fish (or I just suck, one of the two)! In particular, small baetis and PMD nymphs like the Barr PMD emerger and the Gilligan baetis (I'll make the next tying segment this fly) were the best producers. There were also a ton of hydropsyche caddis larvae (in the size 14-16 range) on the rocks I pulled up, and I did manage one fish on a hydropsyche pattern, so that's some additional food for thought. Also, Gotta Stay Fly added a new camera to the arsenal! It's the new GoPro HD Hero 2 and I must say that it is far superior to the original. Lots of new features! I'd definitely recommend checking it out. Hopefully we'll be adding a dedicated DSLR camera with video to the mix here soon to really push the possibilities of what we produce footage-wise. Before we get to the video, make sure and go check out a video on the Upper Sac that our friend Matt and his buddy Anthony put together called February Freestones. It's a dope video! Also check out Anthony's guide service, AC Fly Fishing, if you want to book a day on the Sac, Klamath, or Yuba! I've seen some photos of the fish he's pulled out of these rivers and they're impressive to say the least. Well, on to the video! Hope everyone enjoys this short!

Stay fly and get outside this weekend!

T