While access may be a bit tougher this week here in California due to this current storm, the lower river east of Sparks will not get hit as bad by this weather and should continue to fish well. This last week we saw river temps down here reach 45 degrees and the BWO’s have certainly responded with some great mid-day hatches. While we expect those to be a bit less pronounced this week, the fish will certainly still take the nymphs throughout the day. Although the dry fly bite may slow down this week, the streamer bite should keep firing with consistent overcast weather. Overall, this winter has been really good for the streamer game along the entire river.

If you’re trying to stay local while you fish this week, the California side of the river should still be a good option as long as you take a few things into consideration. First and foremost, access. With fresh snow comes limited parking and a bit more effort to get from point A to point B. To minimize this, fish the areas that allow parking close to the water such as the Hirschdale exit on the north side of the freeway where the “park and ride” parking area is, this is close to some great water, and it typically remains plowed. However take note of the seasonal no parking areas underneath the freeway kept clear for snow removal off of the overpass.

The Floriston exit will likely have very little parking this week as keeping this parking area clear is not top priority during storms. If you do find parking here though, there is some great water close to the car with a great pool both upstream and downstream of the overpass (remember, you want to focus on the slow deep water this time of year!).

Lastly, the Farad exit will probably have the easiest parking and river access this week as they mostly keep this parking area clear during snowstorms and the slight drop in elevation will mean a few inches less snow. Down here there are some exceptional winter runs downstream from the exit, but they will require a bit more hiking to get to, though with less snow this should be easier to achieve. One other thing to note would be getting out during the warmest point in the day, remember that winter fishing is all about waiting until those water temps come up throughout the day, so focus on fishing from 11:00 on.

The bugs haven’t changed this week, and the typical winter flies such as worms, stones, eggs, BWO’s and midges will be the menu when fishing subsurface. Be sure to fish deep and use ample weight this time of year as these fish are less willing to move or your presentation this time of year and must be bumped in the nose.