Trinity River Fly Fishing Report

Dave Neal, Reel Adventures Guide Service

It’s been a while since I’ve updated a report – been an exciting time on the Trinity River. All in all the Trinity remains a decent option for late winter steelheading moving through February and into March. Fishing and water conditions have been improving each day since the big deluge of early February.

After flows around 9k pounded over lower Junction City, the river has been on a steady drop. We had to cancel/reschedule 5 days during the big storm - but we were quickly back on the water as early as 2/12 & 2/13. Fishing was a little scratchy those first few days with pushy water and limited options, but we still found a few willing adult fish. By Saturday & Sunday 2/15 conditions were even better and we found more grabby fish!! We experienced awesome fishing with aggressive fish throughout the day. Many of the boats I talked with or worked with reported similar experience. The weather was remarkable, too with highs in the low 70’s (how’s that for “winter steelheading”?)

In the higher water I like to run really long floats (like 2x the length of a normal day), covering a lot of water and not staying too long in any one spot. I also like to fish a lot of nooks and crannies that usually may not hold fish, or even have water flowing; it’s fun and keeps it exciting. We hooked fish in new places this week that I’ve rarely pitched a fly!

As the river slowly recedes I’m hopeful the fishing will continue to be solid, but you never really know. Every day is different. Maybe we’ll see some the dry fly fishing opportunities we experienced last season. Late Feb and March can be great for fishing different techniques!