Dave Neal Reports on 3.11.2020

There are a lot of solid fly fishing options in Northern CA right now and through the months of March and April. My short list includes: the Lower Sacramento River, Trinity River, Upper Sac, Pit 3, Shasta Lake for bass.

Steelhead season is winding down. There are fish in the upper Trinity River and believe it when I say that February & March have been some of the best fishing we have seen all season long. The reason? The wild fish arrived and with the tribs too low they’ve been hanging out in the river with no place to go. That all may change this weekend when/if we see a return of rain. If the tribs bump… those fish will too! I wish them the best…it’s been a tough few months to be a steelhead in northern CA and they have places they should be.

Lower Sac is a solid option right now. Fishing has been what you’d expect in March with great weather… it’s ON. Water conditions are good, flows are good and many of the springtime bugs are active. PMD’s, BWO’s, spring caddis, along with stoneflies, large drake nymphs, midges and egg patterns rounding out the menu.

The Lower Sac should remain a top choice for anglers over the next few months…

For those walk n wade fly fishers who just wanna… the Upper Sac and Pit 3 can offer up some amazing potential right now. Flows are prime time perfect… just keep an eye on the precip headed this way this weekend. Heavy rain might affect the Upper Sac more than the tailwater of the Pit River below Lake Britton. Similar bugs to the Lower Sac with maybe more of a focus on general attractor patterns like Pheasant Tails, Price Nymphs (hard to beat the Gordon’s Prince), black midges, rubber legs, etc… along with any of your favorite tung. Czech nymphs you’ve been tying up all winter. 

Finally, Shasta bass fishing is really heating up. Yesterday, on the eastside of the lake I saw some of the warmest surface temps yet 55-58 degrees. I got into a mess of spots and some nice hard pulling smallies, too. A lot of fish still clinging deep in 30-40’ of water but plenty are willing on the float n fly as temps warm up in the shallow areas later afternoon. When I’m not trout fishing on the Lower Sac or running late season trips to the Trinity… I am out on Shasta Lake in the bass boat every chance I get right now. 

Trout rivers in the north state are looking pretty solid for this time of year.  Posted above are the updated flows from 1.16.2020.  Updated flows can always be found on DreamFlows website.

Rick Cox Reports on 12.3.2019

The recent storms have not prevented our Wild Waters guides from getting out on our nearby rivers and finding fish. The Upper Sac has got snow on it from Ney Springs down to Shasta Lake. Access is more difficult but if you are willing to put in the effort you will not only find some hungry fish loading themselves up for the long winter but a completely different landscape that will take your breathe away. With another big storm forecast later this week (3-4 inches rain) the river will probably blow out which isn’t unusual for the winter. Once it settles though your window of opportunity is there so jump on it for some fun with some big fish ready to play. The Klamath remains solid with flows up top around 1000 cfs. Even with the forecast storms this section will not blow out and is a solid option for you steelhead junkies. We have been seeing a very consistent Fall run of steelies and the rain will continue to help tickle these fish to continue their charge up river. The  Lower Sac has been money for us this Fall and continues as such. This has been one of the best years for big rainbows on this river and our clients have been smiley all day long. This amazing fishery just continues to get better and better. If you want it all to yourself and beat the crowds that are normally there Winter is an excellent time for solitude on this big river.

We are looking forward to getting over to the coast soon, the December’s storms are forecast to continue for the next 2 weeks at least, a perfect setup for the elusive beast we live for to start their migration upstream. We are booking trips from the Eel River north into southern Oregon so if you are dreaming of steelhead on these special rivers give us a shout, we have a number of excellent coastal guides at the ready.

Rick Cox Reports on 10.7.2019

Rick Cox Reports on 10.16.2019

Wild Waters Fly Fishing Reports on 8.29.2019

August fishing has actually been pretty good considering it’s usually the slowest month here. Given we are still experiencing the last of the snow melt and cooler water temps it has been a good time the last few weeks on both the McCloud, Upper Sac, Lower Sac and McCloud Reservoir for clients. It looks like a hot spell is upon us right now but by Labor Day weekend temps get back to 80’s. This will probably be the last of the hot, the nights will be cooling soon and the fishing will improve. Best bet right now is nymphing your bugs deep near the bottom, fishing the faster oxygenated water and pockets. We are finding small midges, soft hackles and rubber legs are getting some nice fish for us. Surprisingly too the McCloud Reservoir has been putting out unbelievable numbers, this is always a great alternative this time of year. Give us a shout if you want to join in on the fun.

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

Upper Sac Fishing Report

6/21/2019