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.

Lost Coast Outfitters Fishing Report 4/15/23

Spring Fishing has begun! We are stoked to have the report back up and running. We are now working with additional independent guides throughout Northern California as well. Ready to provide a consistent source of up-to-date information for all of of our local waterways and beyond.

The Bay/Beach: The beaches are on the edge of turning on. The bulk of our beach adventures have had to occur further away from home.. areas such as Monterey and Santa Cruz have found schools of striped willing to take a fly. As the bay clears up and water temps begin to rise slightly, more fish will become readily available off of Ocean, Baker and Crissy!

Take a look at our Local Surf Clinics or Call the shop for more info!

Lower Feather River-

The Lower Feather River flows just dropped to around 1100 in the low flow but it still around 9k in the high flow. We have been catching fish in both. There are a lot of fresh spring steelhead in the system and April and May are some of my favorite months to be out there. I was out there three days ago and fishing was great, lots of suckerfish are stacked up and getting their black stripes on the sides in their normal haunts, putting the steelhead on the chow. Go to flies have been sucker spawn and alevins as well as red headed step childs and caddis. Similar to the Yuba's current big water state, soft seams and slower runs will often be the best producers. The spring is the best time of year out there to swing a fly out there and they eat it aggressively. 

Call Ben Thompson to get out on the Lower Sacramento Or Feather River: 916-743-8290

Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta

Delta is still challenging to fish, been managing around 10 fish or so over the past week. Finding cleaner water can be difficult as silt is floating around with the tides. Water temperatures are around 60 degrees but clarity is only around 2’ or so. The Steve Adachi Black with grizzly hackle Clouser has been doing the trick in dirty water! On a positive note, each day this past week we’ve had shots at a 10+ lb fish, a few solid 3-5# fish & some shakers in the mix. Hopefully the waters continue to clear up & more fish show up for the Spring Spawn!

Call Bryce Tedford for trips on the Delta year-round: 206-696-2437

Call Patrick MacKenzie year-round for guided trips on the Napa River: 707-721-6700

The lake is nearly full, water falls are flowing, and timber is flooding. Fish are on the feed during the morning and afternoon with a bit of a slowdown from 11am-1pm. Fishing the float n' fly is catching the most fish but fish are shallow enough that a popper dropper or streamer rig is also getting fish. Fishing should remain good through April into June

Ryan Williams Reports Lake Oroville- 

The prime spring season is slowly shaping up. Water temps are still cold at 52-56. Once the temps hit 60 the action will really turn on. When this happens the 50-100+ fish days will start on the main lake. Still waiting on the topwater & streamer bite to begin. Should begin around the 60 degree mark or even a bit less. For the time being it's all float n fly. Going anywhere from 6'-9' leaders. Currently we're getting about 20-40 fish per day between two anglers. Lots of really nice bass being caught lately, hard to find small ones. Big full bellies getting ready to spawn in the next month or so. The bite is going all day. Mornings and evenings have been best, but we are catching fish throughout the afternoons. Some afternoons have really shaped up to fish really well, producing bigger fish. As far as structures go, we have been fishing lately on points, tributaries, and shade in various canyons.

If you are itching to try Float and Fly Fishing with a fly rod The Cal Bass Union can get you Dialed in! 

 

Putah Creek

Slow start to our Putah Creek Fishing Season. The rains kept us at bay due to limited visibility. Current conditions are challenging as Hwy 128 is currently CLOSED. This is a note pulled off of The Cal Trans Website:

[IN THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
IS CLOSED FROM THE SOLANO/YOLO CO LINE TO 4.6 MI EAST OF THE SOLANO/YOLO CO LINE /AT PLEASANT VALLEY RD/ - DUE TO A SLIDE - MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

Join us Wednesday April 26th from 5:30pm and on at the Shop for our

Putah Creek *Shop Talk* 

Truckee Fishing Report 7/31/2021

Click on any fly described in this report to be directed to purchase them on our website. 

This report was submitted by Jeremy Wright a Truckee based guide.

To be guided by Jeremy please call Matt Heron Fly Fishing at 518-225-6587

If you’re on the water by 5:30/6 a.m. and off by 11 the Truckee is still fishing rather well.  After 11 the water temps really skyrocket with the sun so high in the sky.  The smoke from the Dixie and Tamarack fires helped keep the temps cooler in the day, but our incredible firefighters and some much needed rain the last few days have put the fires down so we’ve got blue skies again.  Fortunately it’s been a little cloudy as well so temps haven’t been nuclear and the nights have been in the mid 40’s, giving the water a chance to cool off.

The upper river from Tahoe City to River Ranch can be fun in the morning.  Walk the bike path, throw some #8-#12 orange/yellow Stimulators near the willows or tightline/dry-dropper the runs.  Fish are eating pretty good sized Stimis so don’t be shy. Hang a #18 Brassie, or a red Copper John about 18” under the Stimi and good things should happen.  If you can handle it, put the Copper John first and tie a Brassie/Zebra midge onto the Copper John.  Roll casts help!!

USFS Campgrounds from River Ranch to Truckee are productive. Same techniques as the upper river, just less access due to private property.  Don’t trespass, stay in the campgrounds.

Glenshire area has been pretty good lately.  The key is fishing fast water!! Pocket water is your friend, tight-lining and dry-dropper are the way to go.  Don’t need to be super deep, the fish are in the fastwater, at the very beginning of the runs, right behind or in front of larger rocks and anywhere 2 runs/bubble lines converge.  Get out of the pools and walk upstream.  Midge hatch when the sun hits, then PMD’s and small white Caddis, #18-#22’s should get the job done.

The Canyon from Hirschdale down to stateline is great right now. 500 CFS.  Access to Hirschdale is basically non-existent right now (ask Sam at the shop) so go farther down the canyon and explore the other exits/pullovers.  Crawdads are molting, Summer Stones are everywhere.  Go big with one of your nymphs and don’t be afraid to try a Chernobyl Chubby dry. They’ll eat them.  And as always add more weight when nymphing!!

Please carry a thermometer, I clip mine on my wading boot and get off the water when it’s 66 degrees.  It’s 8 a.m. I just got off the river and the water temp was 60ish when I left.  Get out there early, stick a few, go home and take a nap. 

Sam from the shop here.  
You can also go to our Lost Coast Outfitters River Specific Fly packs, link here, and select the Truckee river.  The box will reflect Jeremey's suggestions! 
We recommend the Fishpond Swift Current Thermometer- right now we have them in stock in blue.  

Matt Koles Reports on 6.26.2019

Flows have dropped on the Truckee River.

Down to about 1,400 cfs here in the Hirsch. Not bad. That will open up a lot more water for us to fish. 1,400 k is still high, but not that far off from normal summertime flows compared to what it’s been. I’m guessing about 10 days. 4th of July, they should turn the hose off out of the lake for the tubers along the TC stretch.

So think pmd, golden stones, green drakes-nymphing wise, and of course the old trusty crayfish. Lots of bugs out, just not much fish looking up. We should have the caddis pop any evening here. Should be this week. That gets some fish looking up right before dark. It also gets a lot these fish keyed in on the pupa all day. Get your G-6’s. You’ll need them.

Kinda of a fun time to throw some dry droppers. Some fish will come up on that dry. Especially this time of year, early in the summer. If you’re not a nymphing person, throw the dry dropper. At time, it can be just as effective as any nymph rig.

We should have a great couple months here, summertime fishing on the Truckee River. Plenty of water and big fat trout.

I have just a couple days open this next 2 weeks. I do have a few guides I highly recommend and can book for you.

Truckee River 

Kinda rolling right into summer on the Truckee River. 

Flows were slowly coming down. That opened up a lot more fishable water down the entire river. It was about 1,700 k here in the Hirsch. High, but a lot more user friendly than 4000 k. 2000 k here this morning. Up a bit again.

I would bet on an average snow year flows right now would be, 600-800 cfs. So we still gotta ways to go, but we ain’t that far off. Give it about 2-3 weeks. Good wading flows are like 300-600 cfs. That opens up the whole river.

Lots of bugs flying about. You may get lucky and have the stars align and have an epic dry fly fishing day. I feel the flows are still high for that, but you never know. Wait ’till them caddis pop. It’s a few weeks behind right now, but man, they’re gonna explode here soon.

Remember, trouts feed about 90 precent of the time sub-surface. Get into their World, and you’ll catch some fish. Truckee River Trouts like it down and dirty. Just the way it is.

Weather is still really nice. Not so hot yet in the afternoons. It’s coming, enjoy the perfect weather for now.

Matt Koles reports on 6.14.19

Not a better time to be up on the Truckee River.

Weather-wise, it’s perfect. Still cold at night, about in the 70’s during the day. Not too hot, not too cold. It’s always either way hot here, or way too cold, or windy. Almost never like this.

Fishing, well, flows have actually come way down. Almost under 2000k here in the Hirsch. It’s been up, down, and up again, and down again. 2000 k is much more mellow than 4000 k, but she’s still raging. It does open up a bit more water, but honestly it ain’t much different than it has been for the last 4 months. Under 1000 k and we’re in serious business. Think first week of July, last week of June.

You here some guides and folks talking about bugs and things, and yes, there has been some. Look, you ain’t gonna get any fish on top until these flows drop. We will miss the green drakes and pmds and all that stuff. We will have caddis to look forward too, eventually. The water is high and cold, that sets back the hatches. Usually right now it pops for all those bugs. Going into the second week of June is prime time. This week would be it. They will eat the nymphs, but don’t look for any good dry fly fishing just yet. Hopefully, I’m wrong.

So for now, same as it’s been. Get yourself away from the guides and other anglers and find some trouts. Hirschdale is shell shocked. These fish have PTSD. Think outside the box and maybe you’ll get some fish. Fish are spreading out and they’re all over the river. 106 miles of it.

The Tight Line Nymph Clinic is sold out. I’ll have one more in July, and some other cool classes going into fall. Mainly the Advanced Fly Fishing Clinic.

Just to let you guys know. I am almost completely booked this month. The first week of July too. I do have 2 other guides I am now working with, so if you need a guide, call me and I can set you up.

Jon Baiocchi reports on 6.14.19

The phone has been ringing of the hook the last couple of weeks and folks are itching to get out and fish, unfortunately, prime time is still a ways off for great trout fishing. I will can tell you this, we will experience really good fishing from July until late fall, and the dog days of summer might not even happen. For people who do not live in or near the Northern Sierra it is difficult for them to understand just how much snow is still up high and that it all still has to melt. Water agencies, law enforcement, and counties have been issuing warnings on recreation in or near rivers, and even closing some off totally to the public. Here is the scoop on waters I have been scouting, fishing, and guiding on:

North Fork Yuba River -  Flows are ripping especially near the top of the watershed where the river channel is narrower. Water temps are in the high 40’s. I won’t even begin to get serious about fishing/guiding here until the 2^nd week of July. The upside is we will have a great mid summer and fall season here.

Middle Fork Feather River – out of all the rivers, the Middle Feather is the lowest, and with more fishable water. Graeagle area has been best, just remember the flows increase as you move downstream of Jamison creek. Fishing has been good with both indicator rigs, and limited dry fly sessions. Gray Drakes, BWOs, and caddis are active. Now is the time to fish the MFFR, once flows drop in the upper watershed, the bigger fish move downstream into the canyon.

Lake Davis – The lake is at full pool which I dislike, there are minimal peninsulas and coves, and lots of willows in the water (great habitat for the bass though, if you’re into that sort of thing). Established weed beds are deep, and the shallows will take a while to become fertile with bug populations and weeds. Damsels are not out yet, but there are Calibaetis and blood midges out. Water temps are right around 63 degrees. I will know more next week as I’m hosting a 3 day fish out for Gold Country Fly Fishers.

Frenchman Lake – I do like Frenchman at a fuller pool unlike Lake Davis. Conditions were good a month ago, but now are poor. I would focus on the north end of the lake early in the morning, then mid-day switch to a break away indicator 20 to 25 feet down with blood midge pupa or (hint) Zebra Midge. Frenchman’s biggest bug populations are chironomids and Calibaetis mayflies. Look for much better conditions this coming fall on both stillwaters as more trout will be planted and lower lake levels.

Truckee Area – The flows have come down on the Big Truckee a little bit, but still big. It will continue to be a yo yo effect with flow levels due to so many contributing factors like air temps that effect the melt, releases from dams, and inflows from tributaries. Yeah, there are some hatches out, but those fish are not looking up. One tactic you can implement is to fish accurate size and profiles of those nymphs active under the water’s surface. Bob Quigley’s Green Drake nymph would be a prime example.

Your best bet right now is fishing Prosser, Stampede, and Boca reservoirs. Fish where the inflows coming in and beyond the last riffle by about 200 yards. There are dry fly opportunities as well. Indicators rigs, slow stripping intermediate lines, and dry/droppers rigs are all productive. Be patient, conditions will change for the better in a month or so. See you out there!

Truckee River

Flows dropped after that 2 week cold spell to more manageable 2100 CFS in Canyon and around stateline.  I would imagine with warmer temps next week we will see some bigger runoff.  Clarity is very good up near town so lighten up on tippet.

Bugs starting to show including march browns, Baetis, stoneflys, and look for winged ants over next week.  They are coming.

Water will be big all summer.  Fishing is very good if you can get to softer edges and eddys.

Chris

916 934-9268

Matt Heron reports on 5.30.19

Matt Koles reports on 5.30.19

Truckee

More rain and snow.

Good for fishing, not much fun for anything else.

I’ve been mostly down on the Nevada side of the Truckee River just to get out of the rain, that, and I have the whole place to myself. Good solid fishing. Normally, I’d be done floating the river down there around this time just because it’s too hot, not this year.

Flows have remained steady this week. Still high, but not as high the last few months. Water is very clear here, and just a little off color the lower you go down the river.

So on the fishing front, not much has changed. Bring a rain jacket, pack some streamers, and fish some nymphs. Seems like the trouts are more keyed in on the hatching bugs now, and not the worms and eggs and things. Think march browns, green drakes, golden stones, beatis, and pmd nymphs. This is a really great time to throw streamers. The water is a little warmer than a few months ago and we have good overcast, mainly low pressure conditions. Getting one fish on a streamer is worth 10 on the bobber rig.

Gonna have a tight line nymph clinic on June 15.