The Yuba River's North Fork can be reached from the Nevada City side by taking Highway 49 north, or you can reach it from Truckee by taking the Highway 89 north until you reach the Sierra Valley and then travel west on the Highway 49 until you reach Yuba Pass. From here, the Highway 49 is going to parallel the North Fork for approximately 36 miles. What this means is that you have numerous miles worth of access that will allow you to find a place for solitary fishing, even on prime weekends during the summer. Near the pass you will find headwaters that begin in a meadow area where there are beaver ponds.
For approximately six miles the North Fork area is a small stream that has plenty of small brookies and rainbows. The flowers are going to become more fishable when you reach Bassett's Station. Here you will be able to find tackle, gas and food available. The Salmon Creek will join up with the main river between Sierra City and Bassett's, and it has its own volume of water nearly matching the North Fork's volume at this point. Salmon Creek is going to drain many of the lakes above the Basset's Station. Haypress Creek will enter into the river just upstream from where Sierra City is, receiving regular trout plants all throughout the season.
The Pacific Crest Trail as well as a gated dirt road grant access to Milton and Haypress Creeks which are not far from the Wild Plum Campground. Good baits for this area, at least during the spring run off are Worms and spinners. You can also use flies, bait and crappie jigs in the pockets as well as the plunge pools that are typical of the steep tributaries. You can find an area with consistent six to ten inch fish action if you are willing to walk for about fifteen minutes to find a good place where the fish are biting.
Four miles from Sierra City down to Ladies Canyon you will find Wild Trout special regulation water. There are specific requirements pertaining to single hooks, barbless hooks, artificial lures and meeting a specific minimum size limit. It is important that you check out the regulations before you come to fish along this stretch. In the area, both the river and the road are separated with hundreds of yards of space, and this explains why this area was chosen for a catch and release program. Most years, specific pools are electro shocked in order to keep track of the fishery. Brown trout are often found at between 3 lbs and 4 lbs. In this section, you will do well to use Buzz Hackle, Elk Hair Caddis, Humpys, Renegades, Hare's Ear nymphs and Pheasant Tail all in sizes between 12 and 16. Make sure that you cut off two of the three hooks on your trebles and that you pinch down the little barb on whatever hook is remaining in order to stay true to the regulations for this area.
From the Ladies Canyon until you reach Downieville, the river is viewable directly from the road. There are a few canyon stretches where the road is high above the water. More difficult access tends to mean better fishing as a result of less pressure.
The Downie River at Downieville is joined by Pauley and Lavezzola creeks, which flow into the North Fork of the Yuba River. These creeks provide a constant amount of action for rainbow trout in the 8 inch to 12 inch range. These are native fish because only the main stem of this river is actually planted. The Downie River offers great fishing because there is not much easy road access, and so the further up you go, the better that the fishing is going to get in response. You are going to find plenty of rainbows here.
As the access gets more difficult, fishing for larger native trout is going to get better. Every year, some fairly large trout are taken out of the water during the spring fishing season, typically when using minnow plugs and night crawlers. The most difficult area the access here is the area between Bullard's Bar and the Highway 49 Bridge. Access is provided by way of the North Fork down along Canyon Creek by a trail, and then there is a steep canyon requiring some scrambling capability to get back and forth.
Photo Credits: larry&flo
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Rainbow trout, River Fishing, Yurba River, brook trout, sierra city
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