Tailwater · Mixed · Northern California, US

Lower Yuba River

The Lower Yuba River corridor near Daguerre Point Dam, California.

Foothill tailwater below Englebright Dam, drift-boat and walk-in water, holding hard-fighting wild rainbows.

Prime · Rainbow Trout
RS2 · 18-22
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River high but settled. Coloured water — fish bigger and deeper, confident takes down the seams.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level18.75 mLast reading 9h ago
  • Water temp11.5°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
RS2
RS218-22
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
18.75 m
Last reading 9h ago
Water temp11.5°C
ClarityClear
Weather16°C
WindSE 15 km/h
Pressure1017 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead4.4 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
12°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 9 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · September highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year; barbless, with low-flow / steelhead closures — check CDFW
  • Holds ESA-listed wild steelhead: handle with care.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 5
North Fork American River
37 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Feather River
40 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon
Middle Fork American River
44 km
Rainbow trout
North Fork Yuba River
47 km
80
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
South Fork American River
57 km
Rainbow trout
Gallery · 2
  1. The Lower Yuba River corridor near Daguerre Point Dam, California.
    Lower Yuba near Daguerre Point
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
About this water

Foothill tailwater below Englebright Dam, drift-boat and walk-in water, holding hard-fighting wild rainbows. It also carries an ESA-listed wild steelhead run, so those fish get the gentle treatment they're owed. The signature event is the late-winter skwala stonefly — a big bug that gets the rainbows looking up when not much else is moving — and then PMD and caddis roll in as spring comes on. Flow leans on both releases and runoff, so it's worth a look before you load the boat.

  • Mixed
Conservation note

Holds ESA-listed Central Valley steelhead. These are wild fish carrying a hard story, so we name their presence and leave it at that — no catch score, no go-get-'em. Handle any you meet with real care.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Yuba River (Englebright Lake Dam to Feather River, Lower)' (CAR5153000020020702135622), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Metals Other Than Mercury. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAR5153000020020702135622

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity59 × 12%7.1
Conditions total= 84
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts