Lower Sacramento River Fly Fishing Report

David Neal Reports on 8.18.2016

Most of my fishing this week has been on the Lower Sacramento, in Redding, Fall River and Pit River in the northeast corner of Shasta County. All three fisheries are fishing pretty well, albeit getting a little more “technical” with fly selections and time of day being keys to success.

The LSac is hard to beat right now, especially in the afternoons and evenings when the trout key in on the abundant hydropsyche caddis. Fishing many different methods will work from swinging soft hackles and skating dries at dark while wading shallow riffles, or dead drifting emergers & pupa patterns from a drift boat. I’ve been mostly on the top float this week but I hear great reports from friends fishing around Anderson and below.

Salmon season is open below Deschutes Bridge but not too many fish or boats are down there yet… still waiting on the salmon and the steelhead that will follow them upriver. Things should change in a few weeks as evening temps get cooler and days grow shorter.

Flows have been pretty stable all week around 10,500cfs. There’s abundant caddis activity in the afternoon and evening along with occasional showings of small baetis’ish mayflies primarily in the mornings and evenings.