Upper Sacramento Fly Fishing Report

Brandon Worthington reports on 5.3.18

Upper Sac

For several weeks the fishing has been good to great with most wild Rainbows in the teens and we have even seen a few fish dry fly fishing with March Browns and small Mayflies (Tibialis). Flows are low and crystal clear for this time of year, making it very wadeable and fishable, but stealthy approaches and presentations are essential for success. This spring looks to be similar to recent low water years as conditions will allow us to fish during the biggest and best hatches of the season, including the big Green Drakes, Brown Drakes and of course Goldenstones and Salmonflies.

Hatches appear to be unfolding early this year as we’ve already seen the beginning of the Salmonfly, Goldenstones and March Browns, with the peak of the hatches and the big Mayflies of spring soon to follow. We’ve also be seeing an abundance of smaller bugs, including PMD’s and spring caddis with an increase in their activity expected in the coming weeks. The bite has been best on small caddis and mayflies nymphs with light midday hatches of March Browns and Brown Drakes getting the fish looking up. Big nymphs in sizes 4 to 10 have been productive particularly for the larger fish, though typically more fish come on the smaller offerings.
There are spawning Wild Rainbows this time of year. If you spot fish in shallow water in groups or pairs enjoy the show but please avoid spooking or fishing to them as they are exceptionally vulnerable in the low water we are seeing this season.

Flows at Delta have dropped to nearly 700 cfs which is ideal for fly fishers. The norm for this time of year is 2,000 cfs and we typically don’t see flows this low and fishable until the end of June for most seasons. Water clarity is exceptional and with water temps in the mid to upper forties expect fish to be taking well. With a snowpack well below the average and warm weather in the forecast, we expect these great conditions to continue into the coming weeks when our biggest hatches of the year will peak.
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