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Just a quick blog this time. Head north on Highway 70 from Davis/Sacramento last Friday to fish/photograph the Yuba River outside Marysville. I chose to photograph instead of fish, as my thumb was still stitched up from an unfortunate encounter with a bread knife the week before.
The river itself is sparse, but quite beautiful. It was flowing extraordinarily low (700 CFS), which allowed us to cross the river. Learned an interesting trick from my father: You cross a river upstream of a riffle. The riffle is the shallowest point, which it makes sense to cross, but it's also moving the fastest there. The trick is to skirt the edge of the riffle, in the deeper water, which is not flowing as fast. Amazing how much difference this makes. Do keep in mind that the Yuba is normally not cross-able this time of year when river flows are normal.
While my dad fished, I trekked out across the flood plain and came across the largest beaver dams I'd ever seen. There were multiple dams at various points in the side channel and were holding back huge amounts of water. Never saw actual beavers, but it was fun to photograph their handiwork, especially from a ridge line I hiked up to.
Only actual wildlife I came across to photograph was some turkey vultures which were circling overhead. There are always vultures circling overhead on the Yuba. Makes me wonder how many dead things are out there. They're always fun to photograph with the long lens, and I had the unique opportunity of photographing them from the ridge, where I was at roughly their same height. I also shot a few photos of what I believe to be a predator drone overhead, flying out of nearby Beale Air Force Base. Fairly certain that's what it is.
Fishing was only so-so. A few possible strikes for my dad, but no fish hooked. This is always a risk of fishing the Yuba, but given the size of the water, you know that if you do hook a fish, it's liable to be a big one.
Overall, a fairly fun day and nice way to spend a furlough day. Part of our purpose was to scout this location for an upcoming pontoon boat trip. My father and I just purchased Dave Scadden Outlaw X5 boats this weekend (see North Fork Outdoors), which we plan to use for river runs as well as still-water fishing. They're rated for class 4 rapids, though we won't be trying anything like that....yet.
Mike's Recommendations (if you decide to visit):
- Hiking: The Yuba river is probably not the best place to hike in the world, as most of the ares I explored required waist deep wading (and low flows). However, if you're looking for some variety, it is a neat place to trek around.
- Fishing: As I said above, this is big water and big fish. If you go, bring your chest high waders and don't expect to cross at high flows. You can park where we did or park up
- Rafting/Kayaking: The run between the highway 20 bridge and Owlsely Bar is supposedly a very good. The folks at Sycamore Ranch will even drive your car from the bridge to the pullout for $35.
Individual Photos (52 photos)
Driving Directions (courtesy of Google Maps)
Sycamore Ranch Campground and RV Park
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