The best Trout water in California? // Fly Fishing Pit 5

[@markfischer1012]

Yachtzee is my go to when I fall also , Walking stick is a must , when I catch pike minnows I throw them in the weeds , they eat to many trout eggs.

[@driftstone]

Haha, he had one. The problem is his footwear. Been using slick running shoes, it's like wasing with vasoline on your feet :D

[@jdemartini9807]

I usually throw pike minnows back. They are native to the Pit. Sucker fish I toss on the bank

[@BigDoeJ424]

In fast current like the pit you should try immediately going to side pressure upstream after setting downstream. It keeps the head upstream so there's less resistance and it allows the fish to stay a little deeper in the water column where there is less current for you to fight against until you get em closer to you. It also makes it easier to land if you can get the fish slightly upstream of you..

[@driftstone]

Thanks for breaking it down like that. I'm never remember to play fish upstream of me. Breaking down all the reasons will definitely help me going forward. Thanks

[@DanielOrr26]

I like the quick read thermometer!

[@driftstone]

Yeah, the meat thermometer only needs like 5 seconds in the water.

[@flowflyfishing2131]

Thanks for the adventure. It's good to see you got down in the lower Pit 5 area. Just below the bridge, river left is where I got spooled! It's great to recognize a lot of the water and see someone else fishing it. I like the quick shots of Jeremy. But, not as much as I enjoyed Jeremy's wading technique, on all fours, priceless! It's probably the best way to wade the Pit. Until the next one, be safe.

[@driftstone]

I tried to get into that section you shared with me, but there was a group of people parked there and didn't want to intrude. Another reason to go back. I didn't find any big boys that spooled me like that, I guess more reason to go back! It is fun seeing places you know in people's videos. It helps you connect! Jer's been wearing some smooth running shoes to wade in. He's hoping to invest in some wading boots soon. He was using a stick, but when you're wearing slicks on your feet, there's no hope :D

[@purpledrakefishing]

I fished with pegged beads quite a bit up in Alaska but haven't tried them elsewhere. The rivers up there can be chock-full of salmon at times and the fish will be very focused on eggs. I had a bead box with 3 different sizes and a bunch of different colors along with hooks and toothpicks--some people would get creative and start painting their own and swear by certain color patterns. By pegging the bead 2-3" above the hook, it helps to greatly reduce mortality because the fish get hooked on the side of the mouth--In Alaska they had found that traditional egg patterns tend to get swallowed deep by the fish. I have read that people use them on the Trinity and Klamath rivers for steelhead. Great video once again! 🍻

[@driftstone]

That makes sense, I may experiment a time or two with them this fall. It's fun to try stuff that isn't used much down here. I don't have much experience using eggs, these pikeminnow were the first fish I had ever caught on eggs and got them both in the mouth, but anything we can do to help promote mortality is with the extra effort in my opinion. Thanks for watching and take care of that plantar fasciitis.

[@FlyFishDan]

Looks like an awesome day! I had a similar day today on the river (sun blotted out by all the smoke). Great vid! Cheers!

[@driftstone]

Yeah, it seems like everyone in the west is getting hammered by smoke. I fear it's going tol linger until the rains come. Glad you still have a great day and thanks for hanging out :D

[@cascadeflyfisher1489]

That last fish was a nice one

[@driftstone]

There wasn't much size today, but was catching all day, so that made up for it!

[@familyflyties3913]

What a great day fly fishing! That indeed was a nice Rainbow underneath the bridge, and experimenting with eggs and jig streamers paid off a little.

[@driftstone]

It was more about wrapping my head around the fact that they work. The next one I need to get over are squirmy worms. 🤩

[@markfischer1012]

Pit#5 looks like next trip , never fished pit yet .

[@driftstone]

Whaaaat? That's crazy! If you can work around Big Bend where all the rif raff is, it's possibly my favorite section.

[@RosinFlyFishing]

Poor pikeminnows get no screen time lol. I need to try beads in the salmon/steelhead runs this fall and winter

[@driftstone]

It's true, but did you see me give one a kiss?

[@RosinFlyFishing]

@@driftstone i indeed noticed when you moved one up out of frame, did you kiss it lol

[@driftstone]

@@RosinFlyFishing yep lol seems kind of pointless since I just tossed most of them back in like torpedoes.

[@RosinFlyFishing]

@@driftstone 😂😂

[@cascadeflyfisher1489]

Nice. Lots of fish. I cut timber on both sides of the river there for the helicopter

[@driftstone]

Ha, that's awesome.

[@TroutFlies]

Glad to see you get some fish on a jig streamer. They'll just get more effective the farther along into fall we get. Also, that pattern in your vise at the end definitely looks like a winner!

[@driftstone]

I should have given it a shout out! I love that you're the only one who notices what I put in the vice. It's a subtle nod to the best fly of the day!

[@ryanwhite384]

Thanks for taking us along, good stuff. Curious, how does that Lamson do on keeping the mono leader from slipping out of the reel cage?

[@driftstone]

It's terrible at that. My leader gets sucked in a lot. In fact, in the previous video, you can see me pull the spool off while okay a fish to free the line. I'd love to get a Redding tilt.

[@ryanwhite384]

@@driftstone Great feedback, thanks!

[@garybergantino2314]

Have you fished the Fall River

[@driftstone]

Not yet, I'd have to do it on a Kayak. Do you recommend?

[@garybergantino2314]

@@driftstone I haven’t yet been yet .Hoping you had. Looking forward to doing just that.

[@driftstone]

I'd love to try, I need to find a way to rig a GoPro on my kayak

[@Jadesfishing]

Great video buddy! its a shame it seems that everywhere was smokey this summer... we had alot of smoke and high temperatures this summer around my parts. I like how you check the water temperature nicely done!

[@driftstone]

It can hit 115 down in the valley in Norcal and the streams that flow into the sac can easily get into the high 70s. Somehow the trout can live through periods of high temps like that. I also like looking for patterns associating temps with catch rates. I haven't been tracking it long enough to see any patterns yet, but it's fun non the less. I fear it's going to be smokey until the rains come. Hopefully we'll get an early season storm.

[@guyquinton2413]

Looks more accessible than below pit 3

[@driftstone]

The access was mixed. I'd say it's pretty similar to 3.

[@Mountaineer506]

@@driftstone this looks like a spot up off 5 north but is it pit and in pit River? I know im asking dangerous questions haha

[@driftstone]

Yep, THE Pit River. You know the biggest tributary that fills Shasta. Fun fact, if the main stem had been named after the biggest river feeding it, the lower sac should have been called the Pit.

[@jimarmstrong5868]

No

[@driftstone]

What's your favorite?

[@jimarmstrong5868]

Lower Sac