Trinity River Fly Fishing Report

Aaron VanSchyndel Reports on 11.9.2017

Tyler, our friend Dan, and myself hit the Trinity last weekend to chase a little fall chrome. We drove up from SF Friday night, with the plan to float the river in small boats and swing flies all weekend. These one-man rafts are a great way to get between productive water.

Saturday we floated about 8 miles of river near Hayden Flat. The weather was perfect “steelhead weather”, making for dramatic views around every bend. I hooked and lost my first (and only) steelhead of the trip on my third cast, just after sunrise. Damn. We hooked and lost another one before finally landing a nice wild fish on Sunday morning. 

We had quite a few friends on the river last weekend, and even met some fellow LCO fans on the water. The upper river near Douglas City and Junction City seemed to fish well despite the usual fall boat traffic. One group netted 5 fish, all nymphing on egg patterns and pheasant tail variations. Swinging flies isn’t always the most productive, but sure makes for a zen day on the water. Overall, it was a great weekend away from the city.