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Fishing Report

Upper Sacramento River Fly Fishing Report

Upper Sacramento River Fly Fishing Report

Rick Cox Reports on 2.13.2020

The Upper Sacramento Report

Am getting a little worrisome as far as river conditions and snowpack but have to say up to now no complaints. The river has been running oh so sweet with flows right now just north of 400cfs. February started off with very high flows but has been dropping slowly. The entire river right now is very approachable and fishing is off the charts for big rainbows. Just about everyone who’s been out is finding fish in the 16-24 in range …. SERIOUSLY! It’s one of those winters where the planets have aligned and the fish gods are showing us love. Temps during the day this week have been in the 60’s from Dunsmuir down river and the 2 week forecast shows nada precip and warm temps. Fish are grabby for the Jimmy Legs, tungsten stones, and a variety of mayfly nymph patterns. We are starting to see the rainbows spawning so be cautious of their redds. I will impress one more time, the window is here and when it shuts you will kick yourself for not taking advantage of this very opportunistic time to get into one of these elusive beasts. We have the guides who can get you into them, give me a shout.

 

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Upper Sacramento, Klamath, and Lower Sacramento River Fly Fishing Report

Upper Sacramento, Klamath, and Lower Sacramento River Fly Fishing Report

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.

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Rogue River, Klamath River, Upper Sacramento and McCloud River Fly Fishing Report

Rogue River, Klamath River, Upper Sacramento and McCloud River Fly Fishing Report

Rick Cox Reports on 10.7.2019

Our Wild Waters Fly Fishing guides have been super busy burning the miles and taking advantage of all the current opportunities that are presenting themselves. Fall is such a great opportunistic time to sample the many rivers near us. The Rogue River has had an excellent return of summer steelhead and the fall/winter fish are just starting to arrive. We have been doing beats from the dam down to TouVelle Park and finding fish. Chrome has also been giving us a good year on the Klamath with an outstanding run of half pounders mixed in with adults. Both of these rivers will only improve as we get into the rest of Fall and when we start getting rain. The Lower Sacramento continues to be just a solid choice for those wanting a day in the boat chasing the big rainbows that the river offers. The salmon are spawning now and the trout menu is all about gobbling eggs. The McCloud has seen crowded on the weekends but mid week has been much quieter as far as crowds. We have been seeing an outstanding year for the October Caddis and the big Stimulators and Chubbys have been the ticket. It closes on the 15th and the browns are beginning their spawning so caution when wading, give the redds a wide birth. The Upper Sacramento, which stays open all year, has been giving up some large fish and is fishing well from Ney Springs to Delta. The October Caddis seem more prevalent from Dunsmuir up to Ney so if you want to throw big dries this is where you want to be, particularly in the late afternoon.
 
Give us a shout if any of these tickle you, we would love to get you out on the river with one of our excellent guides.
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McCloud , Upper Sacramento, and Klamath Rivers Fly Fishing Report

McCloud , Upper Sacramento, and Klamath Rivers Fly Fishing Report

Rick Cox Reports on 10.16.2019

Well kids we are right in the middle of another great Fall season here in the north state. Our guides are in full throttle mode covering the McCloud, Upper Sacramento and Klamath Rivers chasing and finding some awesome fishing. The McCloud River has been giving up some beautiful bows and brownies producing big smiles from our satisfied customers. You can currently find the fish taking both nymphs and dries. The October Caddis are out and about in the mornings and late afternoon. The fish are just starting to key in on them and it will only get better as we get deeper into October and early November. An outing yesterday found top feeders almost all day grabbing Stimmies, Chubby’s and Adams. The Upper Sac has also been fishing great. Mornings are cold and the fishing has been on the slow side but as the afternoon kicks in the fish have been very grabby. Here too the October Caddis are making a showing particularly from Gibson up to Ney Springs. Our outings have had more success recently nymphing but the fish should be getting tickled enough any time soon by these big caddis and start thinking about these USDA choice morsels. Lots of smaller Caddis out too so think Poopahs as a go to nymph. Up on the Klamath we are seeing an outstanding return of half pounders. We have been covering the river from Happy Camp up to Iron Gate Dam and finding sizable half pounders and a few adults sprinkled in.
 
Will all these opportunities presenting themselves my recommendation is you folks get up here now before the train leaves the station and another great Fall season has slipped by. Give us a call and we can get you setup with one of our many Wild Waters Fly Fishing guides for a fun day on the river.
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Upper Sac, McCloud River and McCloud Reservoir Fly Fishing Report

Upper Sac, McCloud River and McCloud Reservoir Fly Fishing Report

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.

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Upper Sac, Pit River, McCloud, Fall River Fly Fishing Reports

Upper Sac, Pit River, McCloud, Fall River Fly Fishing Reports

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

🥇 First place went to returning champ Josh Udesen and partner Chad Alderson who reeled in 513" on day three where they fished the Pit and Hat Creek. Josh netted 29 fish on the Pit alone. Their three-day total came in at 123 fish and 1,356 fish inches.

🎣 Largest fish of the tournament was caught by Michael Parry - a 22" hog on the Fall River

We want to thank all the participants and guides for making the time to support CalTrout in this unique way. Huge shoutout to Clearwater Lodge at The Pit River for hosting the event! All proceeds from 5RC go to our work ensuring these five rivers and others across the state have healthy waters for fish and people.

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Upper Sacramento Fly Fishing Report

Upper Sac Fishing Report

6/21/2019

The Upper Sacramento river is just dropping into PERFECT shape.  With flows still a little heavy crossing can be a little bit of a hindrance but fish are holding in almost every pocket.  Golden stoneflies are just starting to get a little more mobile up there so it's the perfect time for throwing a big Chubby Chernobyl and a small dropper off the back. TAKE YOUR TIME.  Make sure you really fish each one of these pockets in the river.  I noticed that sometimes on my 30th cast through the same pocket I would finally get the grab from that big fish so make sure you really put in the time as your work your way up through the river. My best producing nymphs up there were a tungsten jig hares ear in a size 14 and a small caddis pupae in a size 16.  Also I would highly recommend through the hotter hours of the day focusing on these same pockets with a tightline nymph rig.  Sometimes throwing a little more weight and focusing in on a small section of water can really work wonders through the "non-traditional" hours of the fishing day. 

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Upper Sacramento Fly Fishing Report

Upper Sacramento Fly Fishing Report
The Upper Sacramento.
Flows are still very high but are dropping rapidly into shape. Its time to plan that trip and get on this amazing freestone river for its famed golden stonefly hatch. We will be wading and rafting this river in the next couple of weeks and can’t wait to share the results. Stay Tuned…
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Upper Sacramento Fly Fishing Report

Upper Sacramento Fly Fishing Report

Wildwater reports on 5.23.19

The Upper Sacramento River

The river has been bouncing around but has just dropped below 3000cfs. She’s a beast but its all about the edges and soft spots. Best to fish areas where it spreads out rather than the tight narrow ones you normally would fish. Be prepared too to see a completely different landscape in the lower river from the Delta Fire cleanup, fortunately, though the river itself survived. Again here expect a big turn around next week here, June should be dynamite! 

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