Sacramento Area Fly Fishing Report

Brian Celmens Reports on 8.12.15

Yuba River

This is where I have been spending the majority of my time, and all I can say is its the spot to be. The water is cold and flowing nicely and the fishing is surprisingly good. Nymphing has been particularly good, with fish taking a large variety of flies with a good drag free drift, while dry fly fishing will produce a fish here and there. But don’t give up on those dries, time pays off, and when it happens you will be pleasantly surprised. The fishing will continue to be good, and will only get better as the days get cooler and the salmon start showing up. Its the place to be right now.

American River

I have been doing a few trips here and there chasing stripers on the fly. This year has been surprisingly good for striper fishing, and the numbers we have been getting are a good inclination on how well it will fish the following years to come. The key with striper fishing is a well presented fly, its all about the strip and pause. Personally, I think if you are looking to get a line wet, get a good bend in the rod and want to beat the heat, there is nothing better than a morning half day trip on the American for stripers. We are still offering the “Striper Special” until the end of August. This special is for $275 for 4-5hrs on the American River with all equipment included. Best time to do this is in the early morning, starting around sunrise and off the water before it gets to hot. However, I would recommend staying away from the weekends, as the river is crowded with rafters, so during the week is best. I would expect it to continue fishing well, well into September. Its local, its close, why the heck not?

Feather River

I scouted it yesterday and the Feather is producing some fish. However, be prepared to cover a lot of water for the best results. We found some willing summer steelhead ranging 12-18", as well as some big chrome bright salmon. I did expect to see more salmon than what I saw, but there is definitely more fish in the system compared to just a few weeks back. The numbers of both salmon and steelhead will continue to increase with every passing week, and its shaping up to be a great late summer, early fall fishery for steelhead and salmon. Get your date/s booked now!!!!!

Lower Sac

With the section from Posse Grounds to Hwy 44 open, you can expect some great fishing up there, but also a large amount of boats. From what I’ve heard, the fishing is epic up there right now. Normally, this river starts picking up this time of year and only gets better as the salmon start showing up. If you are looking to do a bit of travel to get into some quality fish, this is the place you want to be. Weekday or weekend you can expect there to be some crowds, however there is plenty of water and fish to go around. Lower floats will have less crowds with less fish, but having the whole river to yourself is never a bad way to spend the day. Get on the water early to beat that Redding heat as well as the later crowds is your best option in my opinion.

And there you have it folks, the current August fishing report. If you are thinking about wetting a line, there is no better time than now. If you are thinking of the future, whether its fall, winter or even spring, I would recommend booking those date/s now. It will be here sooner than you think, and if this year is anything like last year, last minute bookings will be hard to come by. So get those date/s on the calendar ASAP, as it is and will be the time of year to be on the water and experience some of the best fishing of the year that Nor Cal has to offer.

MY AVAILABLE DATES:

August: 13-18,20, 23-27,29 September: 5-8,15,17,18,20,21,23,24 October: 1,2,4-9,15,17,19 November: 5,6,8-17,27-30 December: 1-7,9-15,26-31January: 1,2,3,6,7,8,9,17,18,20 (Morning half day only),25-31

Due to the addition of a second guide, additional dates may be available. Please inquire if none of the dates above work for you.

MY TRINITY RIVER DATES

October: 24,25,28,29 November: 18,19,23,24,25 December: 16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23 January: 10,11,12,13,16 February: 7,8,9,10,11,12,13,28,29 March: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,11,12,13,14

Additional Trinity River dates may be available upon specific requests. Also, due to the addition of a second guide, these dates can be available for local waters. Please inquire if you are interested in booking any of these dates on local waters. Your guide will be Tom Peirano.