McCloud

It looks like it is going to be another good year on the McCloud. Opening weekend was productive, and showed off a healthy population of young fish with a couple of bigger ones mixed in. We are off to a solid start, and fishing should only improve as spring sets in and temperatures rise.

The river is sitting just above 300 CFS at Ah-Di-Na. Visibility is excellent. The creeks are still pushing a lot of water, so be ready for the river to be a little higher than you may expect below the gauge.

There were some sporadic mayfly hatches, but nothing significant enough to rise many trout. If you find yourself in a spring storm, be ready to throw a large green drake dry. This hatch on McCloud is inconsistent, but when it happens it can make for a great day. The focus right now is mostly on the nymph game. As is often the case, you just can’t beat the rubber legs. Fish seem particularly interested in it when swung or bounced. Fishing the dry dropper through shallow water can also be effective, and it won’t be long before golden stones start hatching and the trout start chasing that dry as well.

This time of year, the best fishing tends to be during the middle of the day after the water has had a chance to warm up a bit. Surely, this won’t be the only strong report out there on on McCloud, so don’t expect to have the river to yourself. The road to Ah-Di-Na is in it’s standard condition, and the road to Ash Camp is open.  

Upper Sacramento

The Upper Sac is just about to drop into what I consider prime flows. Today we are sitting at 1550 CFS, which is a bit high for the lower sections of the river, but excellent for fishing Conant and up. Early outings have been productive, with the main challenge being navigating a slippery river at pushy flows. Soft edges and pockets are holding fish well. Right now, it’s all been nymphing on the Upper Sac, but once the stoneflies get going this is one of my favorite places to fish. For now, size 12 and 14 mayflies such as Perdigon, Duracell, and Pheasant Tail have been working well.

Feel free to reach out with any questions or to book a day with one of our guides.

Riley Renick

info@wildwatersflyfishing.com

877-934-7466

Dave Neal of Reel Adventures Guide Service reports on April 22nd, 2025

Shasta Lake & Lower Sac Report

Shasta Lake summed up in one word… FIRE. 

Ask me to expand that to two words it would be… On fire. Or, in another language… En fuego.

Springtime is the Prime-Time on Shasta Lake w/ a fly rod and it has been red-hot for bass fishing this season. A full pool adds an extra element to the habitat and structure system.  

Water temps have come up through the prime zone this April and fish are very aggressive towards the swimming things now. 

We stripped flies for hours this week with just a floating line and variety of baitfish patterns. The chases, eats and commitment level we triggered from fish was spectacular. Really exciting stuff sight casting to fish and watching them follow it and then inhale, or come out of nowhere and absolutely wreck the fly. 

Tired of lobbing bobbers and side drifting for trout?  Wanna open up that double haul and cast the fly rod for a change? Do you have a saltwater trip coming up and need to ingrain that strip set instinct?! LOL… you KNOW what I’m talking about.

You should be hitting the local lakes and ponds of California for some bass and sunfish action right now. The rewards are worth it. The skillsets carry over. The upper valley lakes are beautiful right now. 

The Lower Sac is… well it’s here and there. Some days are decent and some days are just downright lousy. Hate to be a Debbie Downer but that is the honest truth from my perspective.

Bug hatches remain weak, (although we did see some solid #’s of March Browns hatching yesterday) water is a bit “thick” off color, (but green) flows have been anywhere from 4k to 10k this lately…. Seems like some pulse flows happening. I keep hoping for some consistency, but I have not found it. Maybe later in April or May it will turn around?

The good news is that if you are traveling to Redding area or passing through, there are many other options about to hit the radar screen… including Hat Creek, McCloud River, and some smaller less visited streams between those two places that we don’t talk much about. 

General Trout Season opens this next Saturday April 26^th. With a wet winter behind us and plenty of water… do a little “blue line” sleuthing and go on an adventure to some uncharted territory. It has been a wet winter and spring season is a great time to explore some new water! 

*Be cautious of rattlesnakes they are beginning to come out. We are seeing a few while out turkey hunting at the mid elevations – a few 80 degree days will wake em up. 

If anyone has any questions feel free to hit me up. I do have a day or two open next week in April along with May 5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 28

Have fun, be safe…

David Neal

Reel Adventures Guide Service

Email: reeladventuresgs@charter.net

Web: ReelAdventuresGuideService.com

Social: @ReelAdventures

Mobile: 760-914-0465

Captain Bryce Tedford reports on March 28th, 2025

Spring striper season is heating up! Been seeing great numbers of stripers entering the system & the next few months should be great! Water temperature are climbing up around 60 degrees & should only go higher in the coming weeks. Recently, I have been catching 20-30 fish a trip up to 8lbs with most in the 3-5lb class. As water temperatures increase to 60-65 degrees & water clarity improves Delta stripers will continue to ramp up! Clarity is currently 1-3’ & hopefully improve over the coming weeks.

Steve Adachi rattle Clousers are the way to a stripers mouth, so don’t leave home without them!

April & May are prime striper months & I am excited at the potential of the strong season ahead! My Spring is booked but Fall is always an option as well. Also, for June 15-September 15 I turn my focus to topwater Largemouth & Smallmouth bass trips. These 4-5hr, 1/2 day bass trips are great for getting, newer anglers into fly fishing, or for seasoned veterans to just have fun watching bass blow your fly up! After Summer bass season I finish out the year with Fall striper trips September 15-Christmas.

Looking forward to a great season ahead, hope to see you out there! 

Captain Bryce Tedford

 

John Feaster of Feaster Fly Fishing reports on March 29th, 2025

Lake Berryessa Fishing Report - March 2025
By Local Guide Johnny Feaster

Water Temperature: 55° to 58°
Target Species: Bass
Fishing Method: Float and Fly
Leader Length: 6 to 9 feet

Fishing Overview: As spring storms come and go, bass are beginning their prespawn, causing shifts in their location patterns. The larger fish are already on their beds, marking their territory, which signals the official arrival of spring. This is the perfect time of year for both boat and bank anglers to get out and enjoy the waters.

Techniques & Gear:
● The Float and Fly method is my preferred technique on the lake.
● For fly selection, the Black Leech and Williams Wagasaki from North Valley Fly Fishing have been producing excellent results. 
● A 6 to 9- foot leader is working best to keep your presentation in the strike zone at the proper depth.

Fishing Patterns & Tips:
● You are looking for consistent flats, with the high waters and storms pushing through, the fish are
beginning to move into the trees and debris.
● The second drop-off around 8 to 15 feet is a prime spot. These areas are often overlooked but can hold
a lot of fish this time of year.
● I’ve been having most of my success inside the Markley and Pleasure cove areas.

Bonus Species:
● This is also the time when you might encounter Trout while targeting Bass with the float and fly rig.
● The trout takes are subtle, make sure to set on everything!
● Attention all carp enthusiasts! The carp are starting to surface, so keep your eyes peeled!

Conservation Issues:
Golden mussel awareness continues! Golden mussels have started showing up in California's reservoirs, and local water agencies are taking action. A quarantine has been put in place to try and slow their spread, with decontamination stations set up at Steel Park and Markley Cove. Please remember to clean your boat thoroughly, especially if you're moving between different bodies of water, like from the Delta to any freshwater lake. It’s crucial to help prevent the spread of these invasive species.

Hot Tip:
● Around this time, the fish become more active, so don’t hesitate to cast a bit farther from the points than you normally would. Think of it as targeting “no man’s land” – that’s often where you’ll find the bigger fish fattening up right now.

Matt "Gilligan" Koles reports on March 26th, 2025

Spring is over for another 2 weeks, ugh. Good news is the fishing will be awesome. 

Spring sprung on the Truckee River. Looks like Winter will return for a bit though. We should get some great mid-day dry fly fishing. Blue wings and March browns should pop good on cloudy days. The March browns can get some good fish on the surface. 

The streamer fishing will be good too. Cloudy spring days are best. The big fish come on the streamers. 

Of course you can always get them on the nymphs. Remember, Spring is when the biggest bugs come out. So up sizing your nymphs is good now until about August. Skwalas, March browns, PMD's, green drakes, golden stones, they all get active in Spring. 

Run-off speaking... Well, it looks to stay cold for the next 10 days with not a lot rain, so I don't see the river getting much higher until it warms up, or they start letting more water out of Boca. 

 

 

Riley Renick reports on March 28th, 2025

This weekend we will turn our focus from winter steelhead to the upcoming trout season. 

This winter season was pretty typical of what we’ve come to expect fishing for winter steelhead: working really hard to scrape out occasional opportunities. With so much rain fall this year, cancelling days and cruising 101 looking for clear water felt like the norm. The challenge of winter steelhead fishing is what makes it my favorite thing to do, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to warm days and reaching for the net a little more regularly. 

Looking ahead to spring trout fishing:
Last year on the McCloud was the kind of season you don’t write about until the road's snowed in. A few pics from last year that we’ve been holding back. 

The access road to the McCloud is accessible as of writing, water clarity and flow are ideal right now, but keep an eye on this next storm. Remember that though the McCloud is open to fishing year round, the Nature Conservancy property does not open until the last Saturday of April. You can expect a crowd that “opening weekend”, but outside of that, early spring can be a really pleasant time to be on the McCloud - weather pending. Fishing is generally consistent, and crowds don’t really start building until Memorial Day. 

Jarrett Coons of Sierra Mountain Trout Guide Service reports on March 28th, 2025

Lower Owens:

Flow-125cfs

Flows have come up, but fishing is still good. We’ve had a week of warmer air temps which will get that water temp up and closer to optimum. Rumor is we will be fishing here into April before summer flows go into effect. The BWO’s are still hatching from about 11:30AM-1 P.M. If you aren’t seeing fish coming up for them, hunt around, they aren’t always eating them everywhere. We’re also seeing more caddis showing up, small buckskin larva, Amiocentrus and Brachycentrus have been found in recent samples. Brachy’s make a square tube case and Amio’s will make a tube that looks like an ice cream cone. Trailing a soft hackle, adult or diving caddis behind your BWO isn’t a bad idea. Look for hatching caddis after the BWO’s around 3pm. This is a super fun hatch!

Streamers in the early AM and evening can be a lot of fun!! Call me to learn more about the complexities of streamer fishing! There is more than one streamer tactic that gets fish on the Lower O!! 760-920-0659

Flies:

Flashback Tiger/ Zebra Midge #22-18, Micro May #18-16, CDC Flashback Pheasant Tail #16- 18, Buckskin Caddis #18-20, CDC Flashback Hares Ear #12-16, Olive and Tan Soft Hackles #16-18, Peeking Caddis #14-18, Kings River Caddis #18-14, Partridge Caddis #14-18, Diving Caddis #18-16, Sparkle Dun BWO #18-16, BWO Dun #16-18, Rusty Spinner #16-18, E/C Caddis #14-18, Woolley Buggers #6-10, Zoo Cougar #6-8, Rabbit Strip Zonker #4-6.

Owens Valley Warmwater:

Bass
We’ve had several days of warming, a couple reached 80F! If it keeps up, look for bass to start their pre-spawn mode, as they get active more places to fish will turn on! It’s a good time of year to look for the places that warm quickly and carry a thermometer. Water temps can vary depending on where you are - look for temps closer to 55 or higher. A slow jig or retrieve seems to be the key. Flies fished under a bobber is also a great way to go.

Flies:

Wooley Bugger Variations #6-8, Baby Fat Minnow #6-8, Bunny Muddler #4-8, SMTGS, Articulated Craw #1/0, Gonga Craw # 4-6.

Carp 
We’ve been getting into them in the ditches. Flows are still low and the sun warms things quickly, getting the water-boatmen and other insects going. Water clarity is pretty bad where we’ve been fishing so take it slow, a fleeting glance or small ripple may be all you get to see of them. Look for muds that look different than the already muddy water and get your fly in the top end. The feeders have been aggressive and are chasing and pouncing on our flies! If it keeps warming, we can get out on the flats!

Flies:
Carp Coachman #8, SMT Jig Carp Damsel #12-14, Water Boatman #12-14, Sparkle Pupa #10-12, B.H. Hares Ear #12-14, Jig Pine Squirrel Leech #12-14.

530 Outfitters reports on March 28th, 2025

The Lower Sacramento River is shaping up beautifully for what promises to be an outstanding spring season! With only a few more showers in the forecast, we’re seeing prime conditions unfold right before our eyes. If this past week’s fishing is any indication, we are gearing up for some exceptional days on the water.

Current Conditions & Outlook

The river has been steadily dropping into perfect shape. The water clarity is great, and we can always count on consistently choice water temps. While the recent rains brought a slight bump in flows, the flush of clean water was a great thing. Prior to that, the water was coming out of the bottom of the lake with about 1.5’ of visibility. Now, the river is flowing the perfect shade of green, allowing us to fish many different techniques.

What’s Hot

Spring means the bugs are on the move! 

• BWO (Blue-Winged Olives)

• PMDs (Pale Morning Duns)

• Caddis

• Stoneflies

Best Techniques for Success

Nymphing is the standard technique for the Lower Sacramento River, and we know the game well. We are seeing more bugs this spring than we did last year, and that’s promising. We’ve already been playing around with other techniques and can't wait to do more as the hatches take off. If you want to know more, please give us a call.

Looking Ahead

March and April are the two months that launch us into our trout and bass seasons. It’s a great time to start thinking about your group trips with co-workers, family, and friends. We can accommodate large parties and enjoy taking care of all the details.

Bass fishing on Lake Oroville is in full swing, and we have the team to get you hooked up—a lot! This is a great trip for 2-3 anglers with plenty of action for all. The scenery and boat rides are worth the price of admission, but the fishing can be fun and fatiguing.

Lower Sacramento Campouts will be offered again at our private riverside campground with secured parking, camping equipment, and meals provided. There is no better way to enjoy the river and tune out than a two-day, one-night campout.

Fly Fishing Schools are our favorite way to help everyone get what they are looking for in this great sport. We offer beginner to advanced programs and can help everyone get better and fine-tune their skills. Please give us a call to talk about our school programs, and we will steer you in the right direction.