Lower Sacramento River Fly Fishing Report

Hogan Brown, Hogan Brown Fly Fishing

Stripers - Water temps remain in the mid 60’s to Low 70’s on the Lower Sac outside of chico and while flows are low fishing has remained fair to good on any given day. Lots of small fish with some nice mid size fish mixed in. On most days we are getting a shot at a “big” fish in the 10+lb category with a few in the 20+lb range. There is a healthy population of resident fish in the Sac and while numbers of fish are not always the reward there is a shot at some BIG fish.

Lower Sac Trout and Steelhead - With warmer water temps in the Lower river the salmon are not holding up, they are shooting up river to find cooler water, moving what salmon are in the river into the upper reaches from Bend up. Trout fishing I have heard has been good and I imagine that with the warmer lower river water temps the steelhead are moving up river quickly as well. Late September and early October should be good this year but the word is the bulk of the salmon run is still hanging out in the ocean waiting for cooler water temps….maybe a two stage egg bite or just a late one this year. Flows are suppose to drop to 3500 as of Oct 1…this is really low but it is good that the flows are dropping early to avoid dewatering salmon reds like last year.