Nor Cal Trout Fishing - July 2023

Truckee River:

The Truckee has been fishing consistently throughout the summer! Both water color and temperature have been stellar. Flows were a little high earlier in the month due to run-off from the big winter snowpack, but now the river is in perfect shape for a trip!

Classic summer dry-fly opportunities can be had, however the Truckee fishes best with a variety of nymphs. Fish are also gorging themselves on crayfish this time of year, so streamer fishing can be a blast! It's pretty hot up there, so don't work too hard and beat the heat while wet-wading! Come through the shop to get those indicator or Euro nymphing rigs dialed in!

Flies: Golden Stones/Sallies- sz 10/16,  Caddis Larvae/Pupa (green/tan)- sz 16/18, Baetis- sz 18/20, PMDs- sz 16, March Browns- sz 14. Plenty of fish can also be had on a variety of streamers, as well as crawfish, worm, and egg patterns! It’s be a shame to skip out on the Truckee this summer, watch those flow gauges and get out there!

Matt Heron

Matt Koles

Yuba River:

In the last few weeks flows have dropped significantly to around 3,300 cfs meaning the Yuba is running cold and clean at a very fishable level!

The Rundown: Summer Hopper fishing is upon us! Dry droppers with big bugs and simple Grasshopper rigs should work great up through August. Fish are consistently holding tight to the bank, be observant and fish smart, risers are around! Drive up for some epic morning and evening fishing and try to beat the heat!

Tons of very healthy rainbows are feeding all throughout the system. There remains a potential to run into a Spring-run steelhead! A few fish from the spring have remained in the river due to the staunch excess of cold water! Try your luck at running into some valley chrome!

Flies: Chubby Chernobyl (yellow, tan, purple)- sz 8,10,12; Morris’s Hopper-sz 8,10,12,14, Plenty of other Hopper patters will also do the trick, Caddis are also hatching, try some Elk Hair Caddis or Mercer’s Missing Link-sz 14-18; Nymphs for dry dropper rigs: Caddis Pupa, PMDs-sz 14-18; Golden Stones 8-16, Duracell-sz 14-20

Captain Ben Thompson

Website: https://www.benthompsonoutdoors.com/

Phone: (916) 743-8290

Email: bthompson30@gmail.com

Feather River:

Summer isn’t necessarily prime time for the Feather, however, with the state having such a huge water year, things are a little funky! A number of Adult Spring-Run Steelhead remain present throughout the system, this winter’s surplus has provided comfortable holding water for these fish. Go try to test your luck! These fish are probably in a mostly trout-like state of mind after remaining in the river for so long, you can’t catch them from the couch, go see what the river has to offer!

Captain Ben Thompson

Website: https://www.benthompsonoutdoors.com/

Phone: (916) 743-8290

Email: bthompson30@gmail.com

Lower Sacramento:

The Lower Sacramento is sticking to its long-held reputation of an extremely consistent fishery all year round! Even with almost unbearably scorching temperatures throughout the Central Valley and North State, the Lower Sac is flowing cold and strong! It’s a perfect time to ditch the waders and cool off for the day!

All tributaries to the Lower Sac are pumping out cold, clean water, allowing 100% of the trout water in the main river to clean itself up! Great fishing can be had from Redding in-town all the way down to Red Bluff, get out there!

Currently the fish are shifting toward an almost completely Caddis-centered diet. Hydropsyche Caddis in all stages and sizes are showing up everywhere, and the fish are eager to take them. PMD and Stoneflies have also been productive. Like always, nymphing is going to be the most consistent method for picking up fish, but plenty of dry-fly opportunities can be had in riffles and tail outs during caddis hatches!

The Lower River is fishing exceptionally well for Striped Bass. Throw around a big Adachi Clouser and turn a hungry Striper, you’ll be into backing in a flash! Some very large fish have been caught down low this summer.

Fishing on the Lower Sacramento can definitely be done through the DIY Walk-and-Wade method, but for the full experience we highly recommend booking a guided trip through Capt. Ben Thompson or our friends at AC Fly Fishing!

Flies:

Nymphs: Caddis Larvae/Pupa (tan)- sz 12-16; Peaches ‘n Cream/TNT PMD- sz 14/16; Sweet Pea/Hogan’s S&M 14-18

Dries: EC Caddis, Mercer’s Missing Link, Elk Hair Caddis, PMDs- sz.12-16

Captain Ben Thompson

Website: https://www.benthompsonoutdoors.com/

Phone: (916) 743-8290

Email: bthompson30@gmail.com

AC Fly Fishing-

Website:https://acflyfishing.com/ 

Phone: (800) 201-5047 or

Email: info@acflyfishing.com

Upper Sacramento:

The Upper Sacramento is fishing great right now. While daytime temperatures are consistently exceeding 90 degrees, getting down to the canyon bottom with wet-wading equipment can be a perfect way to beat the heat!

Golden Stones have come and gone but there should be steady PMD and Caddis hatches in the evenings. Nymphing should be productive all day long, while fishing dries early and late in the day for eager risers can be a blast.

All the water from Simms campground and up has been excellent!

Flies:

Nymphs: Pats Rubberlegs/Poxyback Stones- sz 8-18; Peaches ‘n Cream/TNT PMD- sz 14/16; Sweet Pea/ Hogan’s S&M/Micro May- sz 14-18

Dries: Parachute Adams/Purple Haze- sz 14-18; EC Caddis, Mercer’s Missing Link, Elk Hair Caddis- sz.12-16

Chuck Volkhausen

Phone: (530) 859-3474

John Rickard

Phone: (877) 934-7466

McCloud River:

The McCloud has been somewhat unpredictable this season; dense snowpack from this year’s winter has brought about sporadic run-off events which have pushed sediment and large volumes of water into the lower river. These conditions can remain for a week or two before things start to clear up which makes pulling the trigger on a trip difficult. The road into Ah-Di-Nah Campground and the Nature Conservancy had a blowout earlier in the summer but has since been repaired and deemed safe to travel.

While the conditions haven’t been consistently optimal, the fish haven’t left the river! Fishing remains on the scale of Fair-Great depending on the day and water clarity! When the water has some decent color, the fish move into the shallower areas (riffles, shallow tailouts) to feed! Dry fly fishing can be a blast when fish are shallow!

Another underlying plus of the McCloud’s unpredictability this season has been a lacking of the usual summer crowds. With people wondering about a possibly washed-out road and high/dirty river, many folks have decided to stay away from the McCloud. This has allowed for a practically wide-open river to anyone who chooses to go! Walk-in tags at the Nature Conservancy should be easier to get than in past years, but you never know! If you want to get in there, it’s better to be early!

The Upper McCloud (above McCloud Reservoir) has also been fishing very well! The McCloud’s own species, the Native Redband trout, are found thriving in plentiful numbers in this isolated section of the upper watershed. The upper river is a spectacular place to bring the family for a summer camping trip and take a little adventure for some really cool fish!

Flies:

Nymphs: Pats Rubberlegs (Black/Brown)- sz 8-12; Poxyback Stone- sz 12; Sweet Pea, Hogan’s S&M, Micro May, Copper John, sz 14-16; Prince Nymph, Gordon’s Prince, sz 14-16

Dries: Parachute Adams/Purple Haze- sz 12-18; Mercer’s Missing Link, EC Caddis, PMDs-sz 14-18; Potentially Salmonfly/Golden Stone action- sz 10-14

Streamers: Dolly Lamma 06-02, Sculpin Patterns

Chuck Volkhausen

Phone: (530) 859-3474

John Rickard

Phone: (877) 934-7466

Pit River:

Good-Great

The Pit (Pit 3&4) has been fishing very consistently this season. As many know, a trip to the Pit is not for the faint of heart. Wading among the slick boulders and swift current that the Pit possesses can be difficult and, in some cases, outright dangerous. So, make sure your boots are in tip-top shape (both rubber condition and cleat installation), bring along a wading staff for some extra stability in the water, and most importantly, know your body’s limits.

Down to the nitty gritty- the Pit has had a good year. You can expect productive days using mostly nymphing techniques. Per usual, pocket water fishing is everywhere on the Pit, sift through a section with a Euro, Indicator, or Dry-Dropper Rig and see what you pick up!

Flies: Small Stoneflies- sz 12-16; Mayfly patterns (Sweet Pea, S&M, Perdigon)- sz 16-20; Caddis Pupa/Larvae sz 14-18

Chuck Volkhausen

Phone: (530) 859-3474

John Rickard

Phone: (877) 934-7466

Putah Creek

Our local creek is fishing well given the high flows. Flows have been bouncing between 500 and 600 cfs the last few weeks. As a reminder, Putah is used as an irrigational canal used to feed water down into the farmland near Winters, Davis Woodland. 

The standard flies are doing the trick. Flies such as S&M Nymphs, Caddis Poopah and Zebra Midges are doing well! If you'd like to spice things up try tossing Rainbow Warriors, Two Bit Hookers, and Jujubees!

The challenge with these high flows has been keeping the grass and weeds off the hooks, consider bringing the Euro rod out to maintain a much tighter connection and drifting the bugs below the grasses!

Great opportunity to toss Streamers as well. Sculpzillas, Small Peanut Envys and sparsely tied leaches are crushing at the moment! Fish these flies on an  intermediate line swung. Or on a fast sink line above the buckets and pools on the creek.

Reach out to Robert George 707-812-4671 or Clayton Ono 707-365-9012 for trips and availability.

AC Fly Fishing Reports on 9.20.20

Lower Sacramento River 

The Lower Sac - As many of you know, Fall is one of our favorite times of year to fish the Lower Sacramento River. We've had a very productive season on the "trout factory" and we are looking forward to a great upcoming Fall season.   

October and November is one of the most desirable seasons to be on the river.

The Egg bite is coming..

For those of you that are unfamiliar with the "Egg Bite" - It is an event that we experience almost every year in October and November on the Valley Rivers of Northern California. This event is most famous on the Redding to Red Bluff stretches of the Lower Sacramento River. As anglers and guides - we hit the river each day and seek out these specific sections that the Salmon are spawning in. We are targeting the Rainbow trout (and Steelhead) that are tucked in behind the salmon, ferociously devouring Salmon eggs as they get kicked loose from the gravel beds. We are fishing both egg imitations and bugs. As the Salmon "dig" their nests in the gravel beds - they kick out a lot of bugs and eggs from the river bottom, creating a feeding frenzy. Actively spawning Salmon are known to get the attention of some of the biggest trout in the river.

Fall Fishing Outlook:
CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife is projecting a big return of Fall Run Chinook Salmon this year..  nearly 500,000 adult spawning fish are projected to make it back to the system this year. This is great news for our Fall trout season. As many of you know, an abundance of Spawning Salmon can contribute to some excellent Fall fishing and obese rainbow trout.. The famous "egg bite" usually begins in late September and runs through November. As Fall is one of our more popular seasons - you might want to consider setting up your Fall fishing dates soon before our guide availability gets thin.  

Fall River:

The Fall River has been excellent this Summer and has handed many of our guests memorable days on this big Spring Creek. Do not expect the fishing to slow down until the season closes in November. 

For those looking for a smaller venue and walk and wade option this Fall, The McCloud River, Pit River and Upper Sacramento River offer a great change of pace. All 3 of these rivers are great options during our Fall season. Inquire for more details. 

AC Fly Fishing Reports on 7.12.20

Lower Sac - 

We're in full summer mode on the big river. Caddis hatches have been the main jam along with a few PMDs still lingering. The best windows out here are early and late. We've had good fishing from Reding down through Cottonwood recently. Don't let the warm temps shy you away.. evenings can produce some awesome fishing during those Caddis hatches. Typically, the warmer the day - the better the bugs come off. Summer can produce some of the most underrated fishing of the year on the Sac. A reminder that the upper portion of the river reopens on August 1.. This can be a very good time to get after some fish that have had a long break from angling pressure.

Fall River - 

Has been exceptionally good this summer. Quantity and quality of fish has been as good as we've seen in a long time. The Hex hatch is still rolling in the evenings making for a very fun, short window of dry fly fishing. Expect the fishing here to stay strong through September. 

McCloud River - 

The McCloud has been a very good walk and wade option as well. The big stoneflies have tapered off and it's more of a Mayfly and Caddis game out there. Again, early and late in the day can produce the best fishing. Expect to have rising fish that last hour or two of light.. Big Brown trout start to make their migration up from Lake Shasta this time of year.. this can be a really fun bonus to plug into one of these brutes. 

Upper Sac - 

The Upper has been solid this summer as well. Expect smaller fish on average this time of year.. The mornings and evenings are the timeframes to target during these "Dog Days" of summer.. Wet wading here is a very good way to escape the heat..

Pit River - 

The trusty Pit has been a great option all summer. No real surprise here.. primarily a nymph game but you can still expect great numbers of opportunities during these hot Summer days. This is a great river to wet wade and cool off this time of year.

AC Fly Fishing Reports on 7.1.20

We are smack dab in the middle of a great Summer of fly fishing here in Northern California. Conditions on all of our favorite rivers are as good as they get and fishing has been good to great for our guests. Our main Summer haunts include the Lower Sac, Fall River, Pit River, McCloud River and Upper Sac. From the smaller streams to the bigger rivers there are some excellent opportunities to get out this Summer. Continue reading below for a more in depth report and forecast on these rivers. 

The Lower Sac - Those of you who have experienced it know just how awesome an evening spent on the Lower Sac can be. July and August can offer some phenomenal trout fishing on the big tailwater. The warmer the day, the stronger the Caddis hatches can be.. a strong hatch of Caddis can equate to a very aggressive trout bite. Checkout the short video above and get psyched for some Summer fishing! 

The Pit River - This is our favorite time of year to fish the Pit. July and August can be AWESOME and can offer a great cool down from the Valley heat. Wet wading here in the summer is a nice reprieve from the heat while staying busy with those scrappy Pit River trout. For those who want to test their wading skills and get into a mess of healthy, wild rainbows - this might be a venue you'll want to explore with us. 

The McCloud River - One of our favorite walk and wade streams in the area.. by mid-summer we can start to see pushes of migratory Brown trout move up the river from Lake Shasta. It's not a guarantee you'll run into them every day, but when you do - it can be quite rewarding. The McCloud will remain a great walk and wade option from now through October. There are very few rivers in the country that provide the beauty that the McCloud does. 

The Fall River - The largest Spring creek in the country has been fishing EXCELLENT since the trout opener back in April and is showing no signs of slowing down. The evening Hex hatch is starting and adding another very cool element to the fishing here. If you have any desire to checkout Fall River - this is the year you want to jump on it. We are always thrilled to get good feedback from our guests. Below is kudos to Jay and testament to how good the Fall River has been this year. Put it on your list!! 

The Upper Sac - We had a great Spring on the Upper Sac. Flows are excellent right now on the Upper and wade fishing has been good. During these hot summer days, our best fishing usually happens early and late in the day. The evenings usually give up some pretty good dry fly opportunities as well.. 
 

AC Fly Fishing Reports on 6.20.20

We are smack dab in the middle of a great Summer of fly fishing here in Northern California. Conditions on all of our favorite rivers are as good as they get and fishing has been good to great for our guests. Our main Summer haunts include the Lower Sac, Fall River, Pit River, McCloud River and Upper Sac. From the smaller streams to the bigger rivers there are some excellent opportunities to get out this Summer. Continue reading below for a more in depth report and forecast on these rivers. 

The Lower Sac -

Those of you who have experienced it know just how awesome an evening spent on the Lower Sac can be. July and August can offer some phenomenal trout fishing on the big tailwater. The warmer the day, the stronger the Caddis hatches can be.. a strong hatch of Caddis can equate to a very aggressive trout bite. Checkout the short video above and get psyched for some Summer fishing! 

The Pit River -

This is our favorite time of year to fish the Pit. July and August can be AWESOME and can offer a great cool down from the Valley heat. Wet wading here in the summer is a nice reprieve from the heat while staying busy with those scrappy Pit River trout. For those who want to test their wading skills and get into a mess of healthy, wild rainbows - this might be a venue you'll want to explore with us. 

The McCloud River -

One of our favorite walk and wade streams in the area.. by mid-summer we can start to see pushes of migratory Brown trout move up the river from Lake Shasta. It's not a guarantee you'll run into them every day, but when you do - it can be quite rewarding. The McCloud will remain a great walk and wade option from now through October. There are very few rivers in the country that provide the beauty that the McCloud does. 

The Fall River -

The largest Spring creek in the country has been fishing EXCELLENT since the trout opener back in April and is showing no signs of slowing down. The evening Hex hatch is starting and adding another very cool element to the fishing here. If you have any desire to checkout Fall River - this is the year you want to jump on it. We are always thrilled to get good feedback from our guests. Below is kudos to Jay and testament to how good the Fall River has been this year. Put it on your list!! 

The Upper Sac -

We had a great Spring on the Upper Sac. Flows are excellent right now on the Upper and wade fishing has been good. During these hot summer days, our best fishing usually happens early and late in the day. The evenings usually give up some pretty good dry fly opportunities as well.. 

Anthony Carruesco Reports on 5.28.2020

We've had some outstanding fishing happening in the North State over the past few weeks. The variety in the venues and the fishing has been excellent. Early Summer conditions are great right now and the table is set for a great Summer on all of our favorite Northern CA rivers. More images on the river here!

Lower Sac - The Big tailwater is pumping out quality fishing experiences right now (SHOCKER). This is always a great venue for both beginners and experienced anglers. We've had some great opportunities to fish shallow water with the recent cloudy weather with dry flies and short dry/dropper setups. The depth charge nymph fishing has been good as well.. We are now getting into Caddis season.. afternoon/evening fishing can be superb during these hatches. The hotter the temperatures are, the stronger the hatches can be. Summer fishing on the Sac is one of the more underrated times of year for us here.

Fall River - The big Spring Creek has been fishing great for the past couple of weeks as well. We had a guest recently say after 20 years of fishing it that he had "THE DAY" with Jay Cockrum out there last week. We will expect this river to continue to fish well through the Summer months. The Hex hatch gets going here in a few weeks and can be provide a very fun and fast paced dry fly experience at last light. This is an event that every angler should experience.

McCloud River - Great start to the season on the McCloud. The dry fly fishing here has been a lot of fun over the past few weeks. This is the time of year when the bigger bugs start flying. Golden Stones and Salmonflies can create some really fun surface and dry/dropper fishing. Tight lining is another great way to fish subsurface here. Expect June to be a great month on the McCloud.

Upper Sac - The Upper Sac has been awesome this Spring as well. As we get into the warmer summer months expect your best fishing to be early and late in the day. Chase shade. Flows are currently on the high side but still very fishable. Goldens are starting to move around here as well and can make for some cool dry dropper approaches to all of that fast, pockety, oxygenated water.

Pit River - The Pit has been FUEGO over the past couple of months. The river is primarily going to be a nymph fishery but it is jam packed with plump, wild rainbows and we've been having awesome days with our guests here this Spring. Expect this freestone gem to keep pumping out the good times.

LCO Reports on 6.26.2019

We have been up fishing in Northern California and having great fishing. The Upper Sacramento River (check out our Upper Sacramento River Profile)  continue to drop into perfect shape. Reports from the McCloud have been moments of brilliance bookended by hard work. The weather has been unseasonably cool for this time of year throwing the bugs off a bit. The Pit River has been the shining star up north with excellent nymphing and fish holding in nearly every little pocket. 

If you are looking for a killer day on a boat check out the fall river. The 5 rivers just completed and the Fall River boasted some incredible #'s and the largest fish of 22". The hex hatch is in full swing on the Lower Fall too!

from Cal Trout: 

All teams crushed it on the third day of the 5 Rivers Challenge, netting a collective 2,449 fish inches across the five rivers. It was a tight race with only 124.5 total fish inches separating the top three teams

🥉 Third place went to Brent Ryhlick and David Merisko with 1,231.5 total fish inches and 109 fish caught.

🥈 Second place went to David Moser and Steve Johnson, who had an epic day on the Upper Sac and McCloud. They netted 117 fish over the three days for a total of 1,246.5 fish inches

Relax in the shade just a stone's throw from the CalTrout public launch on Fall River. This lovely rental is a renovated milk house with walls that are a foot thick. The house is also shaded on all sides by trees, so it stays nice and cool all summer long. There are two twin beds that can be converted to a king bed. There is a great patio with a fantastic view of the Fall River Valley.

The rental is owned by famed photographer R. Valentine Atkinson and is appointed with some of his best framed photos. Stop in next door to view Val's photo gallery.