The Yuba River is approximately 40 miles long and is largely formed by the North, Middle, and South Yuba Rivers. It gained its popularity during the gold rush, producing the largest amount of gold of any stream in the United States.

The three forks join above Englebright Dam. This dam releases water from the bottom, allowing the river to stay clear and cold year-round with more predictable flows. This section below the dam is known as the Lower Yuba River. Daguerre Dam is located roughly halfway down the river, established for the purpose of sediment retention and irrigation. The dam has a fish ladder that allows salmon, steelhead, and rainbow trout to pass through, but keeps predator fish such as striped bass and American shad from migrating upriver. Ultimately, the Yuba flows into the Feather River.

Hard-fighting wild rainbow trout come in all sizes, with 16-18 inch fish not uncommon. Trout up to 24 inches are caught, although these are believed to be steelhead. There are no hatcheries on the Yuba. Fall and winter are the best times to fish and are when the trout are at their largest size. The river bottom has very little defining structure due to decades of mining so the river can be difficult to pinpoint where the fish hold. There is a wide variety of insects that trout will feed on depending on the time of year.

Shad arrive in the late spring and can be caught below Daguerre Dam. Chinook Salmon arrive in September and will be present through December.

The river is typically accessed via drift boat but there are some bank access locations. Lodging and amenities can be found in nearby Yuba City.