Fly Fishing The Upper Sacramento River

By George Revel

North of Redding, The Upper Sacramento River consists of 35-ish miles of trout filled river that is open all year long. Plenty of public access, created by the train tracks that parallel the Upper Sacramento, make it a fly fisher’s delight. Diverse in features, the Upper Sacramento River boast breath taking waterfalls, trout filled pocket water, and crystal clear pools. Below Lake Siskiyou, the Upper Sacramento is much smaller gaining in size from springs and creeks. The upper river has carved out the steep Box Canyon which creates a much more treacherous wading environment than the lower reaches.

The Upper Sacramento River fills Lake Shasta with help from The McCloud River, The Pit River, and various other creeks. Lake Shasta supplies the water for the Lower Sacramento River and most of the power in the Northern Ca.

The Difficulty Rating of the Upper Sacramento River – Intermediate
The Upper Sacramento River can be so kind, yet so cruel sometimes. During the heat of the incredibly hot summer days the Upper Sacramento can be quite cruel, while the cool mornings and evenings can be very productive. The wading and access is pretty easy with I-5 paralleling much of the river. Fishing in the town of Dunsmuir is perhaps the best place for beginner anglers as it is stocked often.

Tips for Fly Fishing the Upper Sacramento River:

• Fish the soft edges of the river during high water and spring runoff months. (spring)
• Look out for rattlesnakes on the bank of The Upper Sacramento River. Here is a link on avoiding a rattler bite.
• Fishing is best during the mornings and evenings of the hot months (July and August)
• Fish terrestrials like grasshoppers during the heat of the day.

• When nymphing, if you are not snagging bottom you are fishing a long enough leader or enough weight.
• Fish smaller flies and light tippet to catch more fish.
• Make short cast and high stick the pocket water without an indicator

Camping and Lodging near/on the Upper Sacramento River:

• Sims Flat Campground – On the Upper Sacramento River 530-926-4511
• Castle Crags Campground – on Castle Creek a fishable feeder creek of the Upper Sacramento River (530) 235-2684
• Lake Siskiyou Cabins and Camping- On Lake Siskiyou great stop for families and fishing the upper reaches of the Upper Sacramento River. 530-926-2610
• Cave Springs Vacation Rentals- I have rented the Rivendell House which has some good fishing right behind it. The Tree house is pretty cool too! 530-235-2721

Access on the Upper Sacramento River- Too many to list

• Ney Springs- You can wade about 2 miles upstream. This very unique section of the river is enclosed by canyon walls. Wading is tough but the scenery and fishing can be pretty amazing.
• Cantera- This is one of my favorite access points to the river. You hike up toward Ney Springs of walk the train tracks down river. While the water is small I have hooked some nice fish here.
• Mosbrea Falls- While I have never experienced too great of fishing here the 1-ish mile hike on the train tracks to falls is well worth the trip.
• Sims Road- This will take you to Sims flat campground and access to some great fishing. I prefer to hike a mile or so up stream on the tracks.
• Delta-  This is a great spot during the hot summer months. Large trout and even bass will come up from Lake Shasta.

Hatches on the Upper Sacramento River-

• Blue Winged Olive- Spring-Fall
• Midge- Year round
• Golden Stones- May- June
• Salmonfly- May and June
• PMD- May- June & September-November
• Little Yellow Stone- June and July
• Caddis- Spring-Fall
• October Caddis- Sept- October

Change in and out of your waders and boots without touching the ground! This smart bag is large enough to hold waders, a pair of boots, a 4 piece rod, a fishing pack, and more. Once unzipped it and doubles as a ground mat. The best  part is that it only sets you back $30. This is my fly fishing “go bag” and at this point I consider it to an indispensable piece of my fly fishing life.

1) Start fresh with a new organizational system.

Move out of that old pack or vest and into the well designed and ergonomic Simms sling pack. With two sizes the Simms sling pack is sure to satisfy most anglers. Increased range of motion, an unobstructed view of your feet while wading, and the ability to pack food and water are just a few of the advantages of a sling pack. The small pack is perfect...

By Master Guide Matt Koles

From its origin at Lake Tahoe, through the 106 mile long journey into historic Pyramid Lake in Nevada, the Truckee River is one of the West’s best wild trout waters.  The Truckee River is a classic big water “freestone” trout stream with long runs, pools, and, pocket water. You’ll find deep canyons where sometimes you might not see another angler all day. 

The Truckee...

Trout Opener is This Saturday! I’d like to invite to raise a glass with Lost Coast Outfitters and Western Rivers Conservancy at the shop on Thursday the 24th from 5:30-7pm. You will hear about how Western Rivers Conservancy is working to save our rivers and create public access to great fishing streams across CA and the West.

Liquid Gold from California Trout on Vimeo.

I love trout opener! In California, most of our creeks and streams open on the last saturday in April. I have fond memories of camping, friends, and of course fishing.

To see how happy trout opener makes you I am hosting a photo contest.

• Instagram ‘em with the hashtag #LCOTROUTOPENER & @LCOFLYFISHING
• Tweet 'em with the hashtag #LCOTROUTOPENER & @LCOFLYFISHING
• Email to George@Lostcoastoutfitters.com

Winners are chosen 4/29/2014

Categories Include:

• Best Photo - Redington Voyant 596-4
• Biggest Fish- Simms Taco Bag
• Smallest Fish- LCO Hat
• Women Fly Fishing- LCO Hat
• Best Campsite- LCO Hat
• River Dog- Fishpond Westwater Dog Bed

Good Luck! I can’t wait to see how you spend trout opener!

BOOK SIGNING : STOP BY TODAY AND MEET BEN TAYLOR

3pm to 6pm @ Lost Coast Outfitters

550 Montgomery (inside Wingtip)

Bill Schaadt was one of the most prolific anglers and unique individuals to ever cast a fly line in California’s North Coast rivers. Arguably one of the greatest anglers that ever lived, Bill was a legend long before he passed away in 1995, and anglers who knew Bill still talk about him today as if he were just around the next bend.

Now, in a beautiful tribute to this amazing individual is a collection of fascinating tales as told by 30 of his friends - those who had the unforgettable experience of fishing with him. With 208 pages, and over 100 pictures in full color, this hard-cover book spans the forty years that Bill fished - 1955 to 1995. These were the “heyday” years of steelhead and salmon fishing on the West Coast, and Bill’s passing may well have marked the end of that era.

I Know Bill Schaadt is available in a hard-cover Regular Edition or a special, Limited Edition of just 150 copies. The Limited Edition comes with a beautiful matching slipcase and will be personally numbered and signed by the author, Ben Taylor.

Let’s get this out of the way… Dry fly fishing is better, but often it is just a rare treat for many California anglers. In speaking with many of my customers I noticed a common theme of using tapered leaders to set up their indicator rigs. I don’t want to say it’s wrong… but there is a more effective method on how to set up and indicator rig.

Let’s first cover why I don’t like using tapered leaders in my indicator rig. The current pushes the thicker part more than the thinner part. This is compounded by the fact that the water current is faster near the surface than at the bottom. This results in your flies being pulled down stream. While the benefits of this include strike detection it not a dead drift.

So, Check out the diagram above for my preferred method of setting up indicator rigs. You will notice:

• Adjustability is key! In a addition to adding and removing weight I am constantly changing the positioning of my indicator to suit the water that I am fishing.
• I use progressively lighter tippet. In theory, when you snag on your bottom fly you should only loose that section.
• Finally that everything below the indicator is fluorocarbon and above is mono. This is because Fluoro sinks while Mono floats.

Now lets cover what each section of an indicator rig does so you can learn how to adjust based on your needs:

1. 20lb mono : this section serves two purposes 1st. It puts distance in between your fly line and the indicator. When you mend you will be less likely to move your indicator ensuring that you don’t pull you flies out of the zone. It also serves as a runner for your indicator when you need to get really deep. If you are not a poor fly shop owner use a 7.5 ft 3x leader and cut the tippet back 2 feet. The important thing is that you put your indicator just above the knot between 1 & 2. This setting should be set for the average depth you want to fish.
2. 4’-7’ of 3x : I try to set this for what I think the average depth of water I will be fishing is. I’ve heard so many people say that the you should set this for 1.5 times the water depth, but sometimes you want to fish areas than on the bottom. I have found approximately the depth  of the water to 1.25 times the depth to be a good length.
3. Splitshot : Most people don’t use enough… Don’t be one of those people.
4. 8" -24" of 4x : If you are using a light fly this will control how high your fly floats up from your split shot. Conversely if you are using a heavy fly this will control how much deeper your fly will sink than your split shot.
5. 8" -24" of 5x : If you are using a light fly this will control how high your fly floats up from your first fly. Conversely if you are using a heavy fly this will control how much deeper your fly will sink than your first fly .

I hope this helps! If you have any questions or need to buy some of this stuff call me : 415-483-2278

Let’s first start with the question, “When is it time to clean my fly line?”

Well, I clean mine any time my floating line starts sinking. If you want to be proactive, every 4-5 uses is a good rule of thumb. This will dramatically extend the life of your line if done properly.

Other signs your fly line needs cleaning:

• The line holds memory
• Small cracks begin to appear

For this Project you...