The storm that hammered the most Northern Corner of the state passed quickly, leaving us with another dry spell in it’s wake.  The Smith River settled into shape and quickly receded back to the low and ultra clear state that it was before the storm.  It’s amazing how quickly that river can drop from a raging 55,000 cfs to a meager 1,800.  It shouldn’t be surprising though, since it’s California’s only major river that remains undammed.

The rest of the coastal rivers got a small shot of rain and were open to fishing for several days, but have since been closed by the DFG’s North Coast Low Flow Closure system.  Our window of opportunity is gone and we must wait for another low pressure system to bring us some water.  It’s been extremely dry in Southern California due to the Santa Ana winds that have been roaring in from the desert.  Hopefully, this is not the sign of a prolonged, dry winter.  What we need is rain, water and chrome.

So what do we do when conditions aren’t right?  We tie flies and plug our friends at Idylwilde!

Hartwick's Hoser - If you haven't joined the Hoser Nation, then...

If you haven’t seen a fly produced by Idylwilde, then you don’t fly fish much.  The raw talent this institution has, developing patterns for Steelhead and every other game fish on the planet, is amazing:  Hartwick, Hickman, Silvey, Morrish, Fox, Marts, Morejohn and of course, the legendary Bob Quigley, to name just a  few.  Check out their link (at the Things We Dig BIG! column) and marinate yourself in some awesomeness!

Morrish's Medusa - I fish this fly with a lot of confidence (and not just for Steelhead).

Pictures courtesy of Idylwilde Flies.