North Fork plug and streamer tips.

Fishing on the high altitude streams and rivers can be a tad different than your typical streamer fishing. The North Fork of the Stanislaus is the perfect place to break the rules.

Let me start out by saying I LOVE THE STANISLAUS RIVER! I grew up on it. I used to guide on it. I've been camping on it with my dad and brother for over a decade. If one can have a home river, this one is mine, particularly, for me, the North Fork of the Stan. It is a fun river to fish on, hike on, kayak on and fish on. (I know I said that twice). There are some rules that you can break on the Stan and there are some rules that you should break on the Stan. Up in the higher altitudes, I've never had much luck nymphing. Wet flies just don't produce for me, but I know people who knock 'em dead with nymphs. I probably just don't have the technique down well enough since I really favor dry flies and don't give nymphs much of a chance before I get impatient and try something else.

The North Fork is just a great river to learn on. They are mostly plants but every once in a while you may find a German Brown hanging out in the deep strong currents downstream of Sourgrass. You have a huge variety of insects, terrestrials and streamers. The terrain varies vastly from huge granite slides with green froth to babbling brooks to slow moving deep holes. There are cut-banks, grassy meadows, granite boulders and fallen trees. You can really earn your chops on a river like this, but at the same time, it's pretty forgiving.

Deep slow moving pools are a good starting point. there are invariably trout sitting in the murky depths waiting for a wayward crippled minnow to happen by. The best fly would be a dark brown or black Matuka. Carry lots of sizes and make you decision based on the size of the minnows in the area. I ALWAYS cast the streamers downstream of the fish I'm trying to hook and let it sink for a minute (being able to cast 30 feet at least somewhat accurately is preferable but not required). You really don't want to use weight in these holes unless the current is just so strong that it's the only way it's going to sink.

I like to get it between 4 and 12 inches below the surface and then I'll reel in slowly in a kind of jerky motion. Every once in a while I'll slightly twitch my rod to the left or right just to add to the crippled look. You'll get chasers for a while, but don't worry, when they get up the nerve, they attack HARD. Good luck and tight lines.