Review of Off-the-Hook Fly Fishing -- by JT, prepared on Sept. 19, 2026 I was raised in Northern California and returning in September 2026, to learn how to fly fish on Putah Creek was one of the most enjoyable experiences I have had in several years. I attribute the success of this adventure to my two guides, Charlie and Johnny, and to the proprietor of Off-the-Hook Fly Fishing, Mike. Upon arrival at Putah Creek my memories from more than 55 years ago when I bait cast for natural trout on creeks in the Feather River Canyon were revived. From the smell of dry grasses on the California hills, the sound of babbling water in Putah Creek, and learning again how to fish for trout, I was transported back in time. And most importantly, the knowledge and patience that my guides Charlie and Johnny provided paralleled that from my childhood neighbor who taught me how to catch trout in those creeks. The two days I fly fished on Putah Creek with Charlie and Johnny exceeded my expectations. I was fortunate that Mike had arranged different guides for each of the two days, since Charlie and Johnny had their own style of teaching and guiding, and took me to different locations on the creek. The different fishing spots provided various water and terrain conditions that allowed me the opportunity to learn and use casting and mending techniques. Overall, their superior guidance and expertise gave me the chance to learn, apply, and practice the art and science of fly fishing. At the end of the day I was happy to have learned from the best. I am now confident that I understand the basics, and I am prepared to go off on my own to practice fly fishing techniques and catch some fish. Whether you're starting with beginner lessons or arranging a guided fishing expedition, I highly recommend that you book your next fly fishing adventure through Off-the-Hook Fly Fishing, and be sure to ask for Charlie or Johnny to be your guide. P.S.: Be ready for excitement too! Wading across a creek for the first time, and positioning yourself in the water to cast is an exhilarating experience. read more

Fished with Johnny - really knowledgeable and passionate about fishing and conservation. Knows Putah Creek like the back of his hand. Put us where the fish were consistently and helped my friend get a personal best 24 inch Rainbow! Great time all around. Booking and communicating with Off The Hook was easy and seamless! read more

Off the Hook Fly Fishing - Great Rainbow! - Travel Services Near Me - Napa, California

I asked to catch trout, and I caught trout! Beginning to end I had a wonderful experience booking with Off the Hook. It was my first time fly fishing and Tom was an amazing teacher. Being on the boat for less than an hour I caught my first fish. Tom knew exactly where to go to catch specific species and knew how to do it AND teach it quickly. He was so obviously experienced it was a joy to be one of his clients and learn from him! He rowed a boat up and downstream the river like an Olympian lol. He also knew so much about all the fish, birds, and bugs, too. He was super nice and gave me the guidance I needed to catch what I wanted and was so patient even with all the mistakes I made. We booked this trip through Mike, who 100% put us on the right river with definitely the right guide. He was communicative and followed up to make sure we had a great time. We will be booking again. read more

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Epic Winter Trout and Bass Trip on Berryessa ! There's a reason why OTH has all 5 stars - Mike and Johnny make the experience the most fun and educational. I improved my cast, learned some new fly rig set ups, and spent a magical day outdoors. As an added bonus, we caught some whoppers! I'll be booking again soon. While I lucked out with a short notice trip, please call early as OTH is popular (for a reason)! Get out there!!! read more

Off the Hook Fly Fishing - Fish on!!! - Travel Services Near Me - Napa, California

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Mike was shch a big help getting the trip for my boyfriend...love his service and his personality....really made it easy to get the trip planned....so so happy with his service.....thank you Mike....I know he's going to enjoy it.. read more

To begin - the booking was simple and clear - Mike immediately connected me with Joe Garza - I can simply and confidently say - one of the Best Guides I have ever had the opportunity to fish with. He helped make me a better angler - it is not about catching the most or biggest fish - it is about understanding the environment and learning how to integrate catching fish while supporting conservation. I will for sure fish again with Joe - his skill and coaching ability transcends fishing - I will forever have a deep respect for his commitment to the outdoors while having an outstanding fishing adventure. Thanks Joe! read more

Off the Hook Fly Fishing - Travel Services Near Me - Napa, California

My wife and I had a great time fishing while on a long weekend trip to Napa. Off the Hook put us in touch with Johnny, a local born and raised in the area, who is excited to share his love of this sport with others. Johnny put us on fish, helped us both with our creek fishing techniques, and had a great attitude all day. read more

Had the best fishing day i have ever had by far! absolutely uncredible experience. I have experience with a lot of guides and these guys are by far the best. And the communication and coordination prior to the fishing was flawless. Cant wait to go out with them again! read more

Great service! Mike always hooks us up with great guides who helped my kids go from tots to seasoned anglers and still always have fun

I reached out to Mike on a Weds before a holiday weekend to see if he could pull off a fishing trip that Saturday or Sunday for me and my son who lives in San Francisco. Within hours I heard back from him letting me know he thought he could make it work. By the end of the day Weds we had booked an outing for Sunday. Communications and response time to my inquiries were top-notch. Johnny, who was our fishing guide was outstanding!!! We had a great day and learned a new way to fish with fly rods and about the history of the area. The hole experience from outreach to conclusion was well organized and worth every dime we paid for the effort! And we caught some great fish!! We will be back again to fish with Off the Hook and will recommend them to others. Thanks Mike and Johnny! read more

My 10-year old son wanted to go fly fishing for stripers (striped bass) while we were up in the Bay Area. I don't know where he got that idea because 1) he's never fly fished before 2) he's never seen a striper 3) his parents don't know anything about fly fishing or stripers and 4) isn't it easier to just use a spinning reel? Why make an already difficult task even harder!? I searched on Yelp and found Mike C. at Off The Hook Fly fishing. I told him what I was looking for (striped bass) and he suggested taking fly fishing lessons prior to the fishing trip to make it a better experience. One week before our trip, we took one lesson from a guy in Hawaii they recommended (since they know anglers from all over the world) and the day before the trip, we took a lesson from Patti, who is the fly fishing instructor for Off The Hook in Napa. These lessons were extremely useful and it was great to see different teaching methods/styles. When I told friends that my 10-yr old wanted to fly fish, most people told us that it's really hard and he probably won't be able to catch anything. My son wanted to go anyway. When you go with an experienced guide who knows the area and the fish, you definitely have a better chance at success. Bryce was our expert guide who landed a fish while he was showing my son how to cast the line the first 2 times! My son caught his first fish pretty quickly, so he was pretty excited when he caught a bunch more, it was all he could talk about for the rest of the day-he would not shut up about fishing. The fishing trip was the highlight of his entire trip and the next time we are in the area, we will definitely give these guys a call again! Highly recommend! read more

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Couldn't have asked for a better fishing guide experience. Called Off the Hook Fly Fishing to purchase a surprise fishing day for my brother. Mike gave me Johnny Feaster's name. My brother had the "best fishing day ever"- and he's been fishing for over 60 years!. Johnny taught him a new technique and his enthusiasm, energy and knowledge are outstanding. Thank you so much, can't beat this guiding company! read more

Off the Hook Flyfishing was fantastic. We were flying in from SC and Mike was so helpful and matched us with just the right guide. We were in Yosemite National Park, and David, our guide, was able to give us recommendations on everything from restaurants to what to make sure to see in the park. When we met him on our scheduled trip, he was kind, professional and welcoming. I was the only one with experience flyfishing so it was important to me that my husband and son had a good first experience. David fulfilled my Hope's and more. He taught them the basics of flyfishing and put us all on lots of fish! We had such a great time. Thank you David for imparting your passion for flyfishing on my guys! We now have a new family activity we all love! read more

Off the Hook Fly Fishing - My son with his first Rainbow caught on a fly rod. - Travel Services Near Me - Napa, California

Finally getting around to writing a review for this great outfit! Have booked two trips so far with Off the Hook...a half day float on the lower sac and a full day walk and wade on the McCloud. Was able to grab a tag for the nature conservancy early morning on the McCloud and nailed a Brown of a lifetime thanks to local knowledge of our guide Steven Fry. From when we first contacted OTH to follow up conversations after our trip, the customer service was great from start to finish. Mike helped us talk through the different rivers and plan the best trip to get us on the fish and enjoy our day stress free. Had the Opportunity to camp with Mike and his family prior to my first trip and this guy knows his stuff! Great people, great company, with hand selected, knowledgable guides for the best experience out there. Look no further, these guys rock! read more

Off the Hook Fly Fishing - McCloud River Brown. - Travel Services Near Me - Napa, California

This trip was our third experience with Off the Hook and every trip has been fantastic. They are very selective and particular with their guides who are not only good fishermen, but also good teachers! It's one thing to know how to fish well yourself, but it's a different set of skills that makes someone a good teacher and all of our guides have been great at both. Our latest trip was to Napa River with Patrick and we landed some awesome Striper with his coaching and knowledge of the river. We would highly recommend Off the Hook to anyone, from total novices to advanced skills, they are top notch! read more

Off the Hook Fly Fishing - Travel Services Near Me - Napa, California

Mike just booked me for late season steelhead on the American River in mid March. I got paired with an awesome guide Johnny Feaster and not only did I have all day action on the swing and nymphing I hooked a double digit steelhead of a lifetime. I highly recommend this outfit I will be back for shad in May! read more

I've booked 3 trips with Off the Hook and they've all been amazing. I'm a newbie and the guides took their time to ensure I knew what I was doing. My wife joined me for one of the trips and landed an amazing Rainbow trout. On my 3 trips I landed well over 10 fish. Off the Hook has incredible guides who are great teachers. They know and love their craft and love teaching it to others. They are patient, helpful and most of all they show you how to catch fish. I'm already looking forward to my next trip. read more

Although I've not fished very often, the few times I have I've enjoyed it a lot! While we were on vacation in Northern California my husband and I decided to try fly fishing and found Off the Hook on Yelp. We had a great day with Mat learning the basics and enjoying a float down the river. We both caught one trout and several others on the line that we weren't able to hook! It was so much fun and a great way to spend the day! Mat was very patient with us and gave us tips as we practiced. We will be continuing the sport and hope to one day show Mat our improvements and book another trip down the river! read more

I booked my first trip this past week with Off the Hook. It's the only guide service I've had where the owner literally called me AFTER the trip to see how it went! Blake was my guide and he was very solid. I was with my 12 year old son who is entering the sullen pre-teen phase and he was great at keeping him engaged during some cold weather. I learned how to fish with a high stick rig for the first time and got a chance to improve my mending and roll casting. This was my first time on the Truckee, known to be a tougher river, but we had a pretty insane first hour where my kid and I both got 5 fish each. Reality set in later but it was still a fantastic day. Would recommend them highly! read more

Off the Hook Fly Fishing was awesome. i booked a full day guided trip and it couldnt have been better! Aaron was our guide and was excellent! Recommend to any experience level.. you will not be disappointed read more

After 40 years of traditional fishing my husband decided he wanted to try fly fishing. We had a wonderful day on the Yuba with Joe. He clearly has been teaching newbies for a while - he started us on land, ensuring we understood how to hold the rod and line, even using a stuffed fish to demo how we set a barbless hook. I am sure he was also taking in how quickly we picked up on his instructions and where our "problem areas" would be. He then launched the boat and we worked on casting anchored in the river. When he felt we were ready, we started down the river. Within 2 minutes I had a nice size trout on my line and successfully brought it to the boat. As we proceeded down the river Joe had to keep reminding us of what to do, how to do it... again and again (old habits and brains are harder to train). As we went down the river, it was clear Joe knew it well and where the fish were - we had hit after hit. My husband landed his first one and we continued on. Joe adeptly rowed the boat, pointed out the peregrine falcon fishing, and the heron nest as he continued to coach us on what we were doing wrong - and right. Our slow reflexes and poor technique meant we missed over 15 opportunities to land more fish.. but eventually we landed one more each. By the end of the day we were exhausted, but very pleased with our limited success. I am sure Joe was disappointed with the number of fish that got away - but we were all able to laugh at our "wrong way" sets despite the frustration. We look forward to getting out again soon. It was a fabulous day and a great introduction to fly fishing. We will be going out again soon with Off the Hook. Karol and Mike read more

Great day on the water! I scheduled a half day fly fishing trip with my teenage son. Neither of us had ever been fly fishing. It was love at first sight for my son. Thanks to Captain Bryce's excellent instruction my son picked it up right away and caught/released 50+ fish. Not bad for a first day on the water. We will definitely return for more fishing guidance. Thank You for a wonderful day! read more

Off the Hook Fly Fishing - Fun day on the Delta! - Travel Services Near Me - Napa, California

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Off the Hook Fly Fishing is a great outfit. I booked through Mike, who was nothing but professional. I think we chatted on the phone for 45 minutes about fishing, Northern California, and life in general. Really passionate, which I appreciate. We spent the day at Putah Creek with Rob Shields. Super knowledgable, friendly guide. I'm a bit of an amateur fisherman who's goal is to be self-sufficient on the water. Spending a day with Rob definitely took me a big step towards that - working with him helped iron out all the little things that you don't really think about. Really enjoyed my time at the creek with him. read more

Had a reserved trip with Robby on July 21, 2019. We fished Putah Creek for trout near Winters CA. Robby was the most patient and knowledgeable guide I have ever worked with. He grew up in the area and is an encyclopedia of local fishing information. In addition, his ability to teach technique, not just the what but also the why and how, is second to none. It was a great experience. Thanks to Off the Hook and Robby. John B. from Arizona read more

My buddy and I did a half day striper fiinshing on the Napa river with Patrick. Despite a slow bite due to small tidal movement, we still landed some decent fish. What made the trip worth every penny was the knowledge we picked up. See , me and my fishing buddy have spent several days and a few nights out on the delta fishing for stripers and whatever else was biting. We never managed to crack onto some good fish and it became clear why. Patrick shared everything we needes to know from fly selection and tying tips to reading the sonar and fish finder properly. A couple simple and well timed casting tips from Patrick had me laying out some 50+ foot casts in a straight line going right where they needed to be. Patrick gave me a couple of his flys which were a slight variation on an absolute classic. Studying these variations helped me to understand more about how the different materials behave in the water. Since then my flys have looked a lot better, but they still have a looong way to go. Thanks a lot for the awesome day and I will see you guys again next time. read more

These guys are literally the "one stop shop" for everything you need to fish in the Northern California/Sacramento River area. They hooked me with up license, steelhead card, equipment, and -- best of all -- a local guide, Steve, who literally made my day out on the river the best possible scenario (I had never fished the Sacramento previously). Born and raised in the area, Steve has more than 3000 hours on the River and knew every riffle, every buried stump, every fishable pocket of the Sacramento. We caught different species of trout, a few suckerfish, and (best of all) some winter-run steelhead under his guidance (his fellow guide/friend even brought in a salmon). I would heartily endorse Off the Hook and the Fly Shop -- I will be returning for another visit and think that every kind of sport fisher (experienced or novice) would benefit from their assistance. A+. read more

My 11 year old son and I have never fished before. I got a 1/2 day trip for the two of us for his bday. Bryce took us to the Delta and we were out from about 7am to noon. It was a wonderful trip. This company is so professional, friendly, helpful and responsive. We originally wanted to go on a date and they were honest in letting us know that there would be no fish and too crowded for it to be a good experience. So we went on the date they suggested and it was perfect. We caught a lot of fish! Bryce was a very attentive fishing guide, very professional and made sure we had a good time. Mike was very friendly and helpful on the phone to book us the trip and made sure we were prepared and ready to go. I would highly recommend this company. We are looking forward to going again! read more

Amazing service. I have done two trips with Off the Hook, and both were beyond memorable. Ben put us on the fish all day long. Book here if you want to catch some of the biggest fish in the state and do it sustainably. read more

Off the Hook Fly Fishing got my brother and I out on the Delta for striped bass and Lake Oroville for bass fishing on fly. Both were excellent days with knowledgable, friendly customer focused guides. We did well both days and the day on the lake was epic. We will never forget this past weekend and I'm already booking another couple of days on the water. read more

When booking a fishing trip there are a few key factors. Local knowledge, reliability, and service. Mike and Off the Hook came through on all accounts. Set us up with the top guide in the area, gave us the piece of mind that everything was set up, kept us informed and followed up with great service. While you can't guarantee success in fishing, we easily out fished every other group 2-1 as a result of his teams expertise and dedication to our experience. I would not hesitate to use Mike again and I'm currently booking our next trip with his outfit, Off the Hook. Tight lines, Patrick read more

My boyfriend and I were brand new to fly fishing, and both Off the Hook and our guide Shane made it totally accessible and fun! Shane, our guide for the day, was both incredibly knowledgeable and patient with us, even when I got frustrated once or twice. I would definitely go out with him again! I also love that this company donates a percentage of their proceeds to conservation and encourages guests to get involved in cleanup and preservation of the environment! The owner, Mike Copithorn, is a fantastic front man for the company. He runs his business with a personal touch and you can tell that your experience with the guide and teacher really matter to him. This will not be our last time fly-fishing, we are hooked now! ;) read more

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Years ago, my 14-year-old son told me that his "dream trip" would be to go on a road trip in Northern California. Being from Texas, I had no idea how to approach this, other than by starting in San Francisco. After 4 days there, I was pulling my hair out, trying to imagine how to entertain this kid for two more weeks. Should I drive north to the Redwood Forest? Or take him south to Big Sur and Carmel? And then wouldn't that be sort of boring after a while, just looking at all the beauty? That's when it occurred to me to add his favorite hobby into it--fly-fishing. I had no idea where the fish were or still how to make a two-week road trip out of this fly-fishing adventure. Then, I found Off the Hook Fly Fishing on the internet and didn't even look at any reviews. I saw that they offered to make itineraries and suggest lodging and provide guides. They were the answer to this mother's prayers. One-stop shopping. It was too good to be true, but I called the number and left a message. Mike returned the call in less than 10 minutes and for the next several days provided the most excellent customer service a person could ask for. It was "old school" customer service. He was excited to help us see his great state and fish all the rivers that he knows and loves. When I told him there was some family in Colusa we might like to stop and see, he incorporated that family visit into our itinerary. He even knew that we might like to do some mountain-bike riding or white-water rafting and other adventures between the fishing outings, so he gave us information about all of that, too. First, he sent us to Yosemite and said we should stay for a few nights in the valley. He set us up with a guide and my son and I had a blast hopping over boulders, fishing and enjoying the expansive beauty of all the super high rock walls around us. Then, he sent us north, going through little towns, following the Sierra Nevada range to Truckee, where we mountain-bike rode on world-class trails. Next, it was to the charming one-horse town of McCloud. We fished with a guide Mike provided for the next three days in the Upper Sacramento and Lower Sacramento River. My son caught tons of fish. And we stayed in historic bed and breakfast inns and hotels along the way. Both of the guides Mike set us up with gave us LOADS of education, had fantastic personalities, and accommodated our every wish. I owe Mike a huge amount of gratitude for making my "once-in-a-lifetime" trip with my teenage son a complete success. read more

This being my 2nd visit to Putah Creek, I had read and heard how difficult (i.e., technical) fishing Putah Creek could be. While I didn't at all know what I was doing on my first visit (yeah, I got skunked), I made sure to improve my chances of success with an experienced guide. Having hired a guide in the summer of 2020 for stream fishing around Lake Almanor, I reached out to Mike at Off the Hook Fly Fishing who assigned me one of his more experienced guides (aka Rob). I knew my luck was improving when I exchanged a few emails with Rob well before my outing regarding what casting techniques I should practice to improve my chances once on water. "Anything else you need to know you'll get a chance to put into use on the water," said he. Sure enough, with some expert tutelage on Rob's part and a well-crafted two-fly terminal rig, I managed in spite of my lack of finesse to get on the scoreboard at least 6 times. Truth be told, I know had more misses and "conservation releases" than fish landed - but that's our secret. I was having a such a great time that the end of the day came way too fast. Since there's way more for me to learn on Putah Creek, I'll definitely reach out to Off The Hook Fly Fishing for a return outing. read more

If you are looking for a fly fishing guide and company that you can trust and will want to spend a day with, look no further. Mike and Mat Squillante (our guide on the Yuba River on November 29, 2020) are first -rate. From the moment we contacted Off the Hook Fly Fishing we knew we had made the right choice. Mike was enthusiastic, accommodating, and knowledgeable. His recommendation that we fish with Mat Squillante was perfect given our various levels of experience. My husband, our 19-year-old son (just home from his first semester as a Freshman at college), and I had a wonderful day with Mat. We each learned so much, laughed a ton, and really enjoyed Mat's warm, knowledgeable, and engaging energy. We highly recommend Off the Hook, Mike and Matt! We look forward to our next adventure with them--we are hooked! :-) read more

This was my 1st fly fishing experience. Peter was an excellent Teacher, was very patient as I learned the mechanics of casting, mending, hook setting and fighting fish on a fly rod for my 1st time ever! Additionally, Peter took to the time to explain why we were fishing different spots on the river, showed me how to read the water, pointed out the different flys he saw floating on the water and explained why he was tying on all the different flys. Once we got on fish, he worked his butt off rowing us back upstream so we could re-float that section of the river. Peter, you were an awesome guide and I look forward to going out with you again soon!!! read more

Booked an all day trip for wife and I on 5/2/19 on Putah Creek. Was our first time fly fishing and it was a fantastic experience! Mike C. was great setting us up with Robbie Shields as our guide. Robbie was very patient teaching the basics of fly fishing and we were even able to catch a few. He made the trip fun all while educating us on the protection and conservation of our natural resources. He is very knowledgeable and passionate about fishing and most of all he made sure we had a great time. Thank you so much. Highly recommended! read more

Patti was my instructor today. First time learning about and practicing fly fishing. Great day learning about fly fishing and related equipment. Got to practice on the grass lawn at Oxbow across the street. I will take what I learned and try fly fishing in the near future. Patti made the class fun, practical, and gave me the tools to develop myself into a fly fisherman. read more

We just completed our first trip with Off the Hook on the Yuba River. From the beginning, Mike C. enthusiastically worked with us to coordinate a perfect fly fishing trip. Mike always communicated promptly, kept us in the loop, and followed up with great customer service. Being very green beginners, we really appreciated our guide, Mike Folden. Mike was simply the best, super knowledgeable about fish biology and behavior and eager to educate us which made our overall experience much more interesting and memorable. Mike F. is a skilled and gifted teacher. Always patiently encouraging, he knew exactly when to interject helpful advice, when to overlook our "flubs", and was constantly praising our efforts, even for minor "mends". Mike did all of the hard work, entertained us with humor and stories, and we caught fish and had a blast! For an awesome fly fishing experience, check out Off The Hook Fly fishing, you won't regret it! read more

These guys rock! Mike Copithorne provides great customer service and communication. They are very flexible and work hard to ensure a great experience. 8 anglers from our fly club in Truckee recently did a 2 day drift with four guides from Off the Hook on the Lower Sac and had a great time. These guides are all Lower Sac experts and got us into a ton of fish. We will be booking many future club trips with Off the Hook in the future. read more

We decided to book a fly fishing excursion last Spring and are so glad we did! Everyone at Off the Hook is very knowledgeable and courteous. We had a great time and would strongly suggest if you're looking for something more adventurous. read more