Trinity River Fly Fishing Report

Dave Neal reports on 1.26.2017

Flows on the upper Trinity River have dropped into fishable shape and the river is green and looking good. It’s still a bit big below Canyon Creek but the upper river from Lewiston to upper portions of JC is driftable. Best wading access is probably going to be in DC and Lewiston areas right now. The water was green up high but will be clearing the further downriver you travel with clearer trib influence. I would look for the best water color and fish there… 

The earliest I was able to get on the river this week was Tuesday and the amazing thing is that we actually had a river to fish! I had my doubts on Sunday night when trying to confirm we were fishing or re-scheduling. After all the rain and snow we have received this month it’s remarkable that the river was dropping into shape by Monday night. 12-24 hours of no rain works wonders on this resilient little river.

Luckily my clients were gamers - willing to roll the dice and commit for the opportunity to find winter steelhead. That’s what it takes this time of year, a lot of commitment and willing to just go. We managed to hook up twice and had a nice, wild fish pop off at the net. There’s always tomorrow…

With a break in weather, this week hopefully the flows continue to drop and present more options for us while spreading anglers and boats out. However, if we get a few warm sunny days that might melt snow in the high country… so if you see flows bump up on a sunny day that would be the reason.

It’s possible there are more wild fish somewhere in the river and the next few days I hope to locate them.

In the high water conditions, fish have a lot of hiding spots and can move in paths different from where we are used to finding them. Don’t overlook the “nooks n crannies” - We’ve hooked fish lately out of places we typically don’t fish in lower water. If it looks fishy, put a fly through it!

Winter steelheading is never easy and it’s not a numbers game. Only you can decide if it’s worth it or not.

My next available days are in February and would love to take you down the river… February 6, 7, 8, 9