Flyfishing Report from the center of California

I met Joseph Narkevitz on the water on the Madera side of Millerton Lake at about 10:00am Friday morning from or near Santa Barbara, Joseph was my first client of the year and he was after his first bass on the fly. We paddled towards the headwaters where the San Joaquin River flows into Millerton working the rock walls alone the way. It was Joseph’s day so I did my job and guided. After paddling for about a half hour with the exception of a few hits we got no love from any spotty’s until we got to the river mouth where I had Joseph tie on a small white Clouser.  You can pretty much use any lure are fly you want at Millerton as long as it looks like a thread fin shad, which is what the Clouser resembled.

Joseph caught his first spotty ( I think) within a few cast. His best fish escaped before I could get an image of it. The one in the photo is a little guy but he was the first on a fly for Joseph. I tried to coax him to paddle farther upriver but he wasn’t budging. All in all I think he caught four or five. About 4:pm the wind started picking up so we headed back. No instruction was necessary for paddling or casting Joseph did an excellent job of both.
Hey Joseph It was great fishing with you and excellent that I helped you catch your first bass on the fly that’s a good feeling for me as well as you. Next time we paddle farther up the San Joaquin River and catch bigger fish.
Met up with Scott Shaw and Harry Schoonbaert that evening. They had come from Bakersfield and Monterey to check out Millerton Lake. 
They’re couple of kayakfishing friends. We try to get together every chance we can. Perry C from allkayakfishing.com was missing from this one. Last time we got together it was on the Delta at Franks Track. Brian G was at that one. That night and the next we enjoyed Scott’s excellent cooking as well as some good scotch. I think they found their way to the water by 10:am the next morning. I made it by 11:am.
We launch from the Madera Side once again working the rocks all the way.
This time I got to fish. I tied  a size 8 cone head flie on a floating line called the Panocher (Named after a small lake called Little Panoch where I won my first tournament. So behave yourself gentlemen) I was peddling the adventure about two five feet from the walls doing a mixture of trolling and casting an got into the little guys right away. After paddling for about twenty minutes we reached one of the small coves, I got my first decent fish my first cast into it.
I gotta tell you being to have my hands free  to fish while I control my yak with the mirage drive is something I don’t think I could do without. Millerton Lake is a popular lake for sailboats, jet skies, wakeboats as well as bass boats and they were all on Millerton that day. What that meant if your were fishing the walls on the main lake was a constant bombardment of waves from a few inches to two feet high sometimes bigger broad siding you. I was able to peddle the Adventure right through the cross current and still keep fishing.
I may have to break down and buy my own Adventure.


As I was peddling into a good size cove I got a good hit. As I was only a few feet from the rocks it got interesting. This spotty had my 6 wt’s tiptop parallel with its rod handle I thought I’d hooked a rock till it swam under my yak. I jammed my paddle in between two rocks to hold my position put the other end under my rod arm and started cranking with my left hand. I finally got the fish along side my yak . this was the biggest spotted bass I’d ever hooked. I lifted my rod up and brought the bass up right next to the Hobie logo on the side of the yak where I noticed it was longer the logo. I was thinking Nikon moment or book cover when I should’ve been thinking Boga grip.  When I lifted just a bit more so I could lip it with my hand it broke off. I’ve got to start bogaing fish longer than 10 inches instead of using my hand. As I said the bass was longer than the logo. I measured the logo when I got home it was 20 inches exactly.
That’s bass fishing…more were that one came from
Scott Shaw faired well catching them on a wooly bugger, but that’s his story

Nice! .. Yeah I liked fishing the Kings River right above Pineflat lake out of Fresno.  I liked fishing it around Sept, Oct.   Now im nearer to flyfishing heaven up here in Clearlake.  Plan on going to the upper sac/mccloud mid July. Probably head over to the lower sac to mess with the shad for fun.

Although Pine Flat is one of my favorite lakes I haven't been there for a couple of years. any time I was up in that area in the last year or so It was the lower Kings. I going to try to come up and try and fish Clear Lake sometime in the next few months. You casting some big flies at Bucket Mouths up there?

You know I havent , i should throw on a stimulater or some sort of plug.  I was getting a bit bored with the conventional methods,  thanks for reminding me!.

yeah if you havent fished the kings behind pine flat you must!. it is a decent drive, but some of the most beautiful country there is. sandy beaches to camp on , no charge and almost no people.

Great report + nice pics Rickey