Man Dies on the Lower Yuba

Story from the Appeal-Democrat - September 20th, 2010

A 71-year-old man fly fishing with his son fell into the water and later died Sunday along the Yuba River in Browns Valley about a quarter-mile downstream from the new Sycamore Ranch county park, the Yuba County Sheriff's Department said today.

An autopsy is planned Tuesday to determine the cause of death of William Frederick Blythe of Penn Valley.His son said Blythe was thrown from the boat after it struck a log. He said he pulled his father back into the boat but that he lost consciousness shortly thereafter.Rescue workers were called about 1:20 p.m. Blythe was pronounced dead at the scene just before 3 p.m., said sheriff's department spokeswoman Melanie Oakes.

An air ambulance paramedic was on scene within about 15 minutes, Oakes said. No one else could reach the area even with all-terrain vehicles or 4x4 vehicles, she said.

I floated the Lower Yuba last week with Blake Larsen and Keith Scott and we saw the tree with the arm sticking out of the water that the boat in question hit, throwing the man out of the boat. It is located in the first riffle/drop after the river joins back together after the island across from Sycamore Ranch. It is in a bad location in the center of a drop with a deeper hole on the river right, lined with willows directly below it. Any one floating this section should take care to avoid the limb by staying river right, getting past the limb and quickly ferrying your boat to the left and staying out of the willows.

As always, scout your route and make a plan in advance to running difficult stretches in any river.

Looking for an 8 Weight Rod

Here's a funny Story. I've been wanting to figure out how to go about striper fishing. Where to go, when to go, what gear I'd need, how to rigg. I've got a 16 foot Boston Whaler that seems like it would be a good delta boat, I've fixed it up and should get out and give it a go. I don't have a striper rod. My largest rod is a 7 weight. Keith Scott sent me a picture of a 40" plus striper he landed west of the Sierra Buttes. It's time that I get geared up and ready to go. Time to stop thinking about it and just do it.



My buddy, Blake Larsen, made it out with Keith the another evening and I talked with him and he got me all jacked up. We talked about the rod he uses which is an Sage RPL 8 weight. He thought that an 8 weight was a good rod but might be undergunned for a stripper the size of the one that Keith landed though. I though about it and came to the conclusion that an eight weight is the way I want to start off with.

I started looking around on Craig's List for a Sage 8 weight and there it was a Sage RPL 8 weight rod for sale from someone in Truckee, just like Blake's. I thought this is great. If it's still for sale I could get Blake, who lives in Truckee, check it out for me. So, I sent an inquiry to see if it was still for sale and available.

I got an email back yesterday, and it said that the rod would be available once he got his replacement rod which he had purchased from a friend.

Here's the funny part. The rod for sale was Blake's RPL. Go figure!

Hogan Brown

I finally got to meet Hogan Brown, our local boy, Iydlwilde signature fly tyer and guide. He gave a presentation to our local, Gold Country Fly Fishers club.

A couple of things that he pointed out was that when you walk into your local fly shop the two things that are most mystifying are the fly bins and the fly tying materials.

As far as the fly bins, most people walk into the fly shop and ask the question, "What's the hot fly". The problem is they are looking for a fix to solve the riddle of what the fish are eating. The thing is the answers are always on the river, you just need to look. Turn over some rocks, watch the rise forms of the fish, look for signs along the river, stonefly casings, caddis in the bushes, spinners returning to the river. You don't need to be an amateur entomologist. As Dave Hughes once said " Trout don't read Latin", Hogan reinforced this by adding that basically all you need too do is determine whether the bug is a caddis, mayfly or stonefly and then match the size and color. When you're searching through the fly bins, look for a pattern that has the right profile, usually thinner than you think, and that has colors that breath life into the imitation. Unless of course you just want to buy Hogan's patterns at your local fly shop because he's already done that for you. Check out his patterns and the how and why's on his website at www.hgbflyfishing.com

That brings us to the fly tying materials part of the equation. Hogan stated that it is very important to learn the properties of the different fly tying materials and combine materials that breath life and movement into your fly designs. This is where true fly designing stems from as opposed to imitation or copying a pattern out of a magazine, book or online. When Hogan designs his flies he has the traits of a true designer, and incorporating the "Why" into his material selections and profiles of his patterns.

Hogan cut his teeth right here on the Lower Yuba River and has designed many patterns that should be in your fly box. Check out his fly patterns an his website and you'll learn something about fly tying creativity and presentation techniques.

You can also check out his flies at www.Iydlwilde.com