Tom Mahan
Head Guide · Swingwater Fly Fishing
About
Tom Mahan is one of Northern California's most dedicated and experienced steelhead guides. Originally from Cottonwood, California, Tom guides year-round on the Trinity River via jet boat, drift boat, and walk-and-wade. He spends time during fall and winter on the Klamath and winters on the Smith and Eel Rivers too.
A lifelong student of steelhead and Spey fishing, Tom is obsessed with swinging flies for steelhead. When he began guiding he set out to become not only a better angler but a better teacher of the pursuing steelhead with a two-handed rod. If you've ever heard the phrase, "Sometimes the guide wants to catch fish more than their anglers," that guide is Tom Mahan. Knowledge, drive and obsession are hallmarks of Tom's fishing-or rather, "hunting," as he puts it.
While known for his ability to locate fish, Tom's true passion lies in helping anglers understand the deeper skills that lead to consistent success: reading water, fly and line selection, presentation, stealth, and understanding steelhead behavior. From skating Muddlers and Bombers in the warmer months to dredging marabou tube flies during winter, Tom believes steelhead are not difficult to catch, just difficult to find, and that successful anglers separate themselves through their approach, observation, and time on the water. For him, nothing in fly fishing compares to the moment a steelhead grabs a swung fly on a tight line, and sharing that experience with others continues to fuel his passion for guiding every day.
The biggest misconception is that Steelhead are hard to catch. When the reality is that they are easy to catch, and much harder to locate! Finding them and knowing their behavior is almost everything. That’s where Steelhead guides need to be elite!
Specialties
Rivers Fished
Trinity River
Upper, Middle, Lower, and South Fork— Jetboat, float, walk & wade
Klamath River
Jet Boat, or Float
Smith River
Float or Walk & Wade
How did you get into guiding and why? What motivates you on a daily basis to take people fishing?
Being a guide allows me to be on the water as much as I wanted and still support my family. I have guided in Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California. Having grown up on the Trinity River, I feel strongly connected to the history of angling innovation on our rivers. I’m continuing to build and keep that tradition alive.
When I saw somebody casting a Spey rod and swinging the right line, I told myself I was going to do two things: become the best Spey fisherman in the Pacific Northwest and become the best Spey guide in the Pacific Northwest. I was/am absolutely obsessed with guiding the Spey rod.
Guiding the Spey rod has an inherent element that forces you to be an elite hunter (at least if you want to encounter fish). So for me, the depth involved in teaching all the things outside of casting is what is the most rewarding. Fly selection, line/tip selection, editing water, reading water, situational presentations of the fly, line manipulation, situational hook setting, stealth... These are things that most clients are really bad at because they are so hyper focused on the cast and most guides are bad at as well! However, these things make a much larger impact on your time spent pursuing encounters, and to see them become better hunters is very rewarding.
Why swing only steelhead fishing? What's your philosophy behind the way you go about steelhead fishing?
I’m not in this for the numbers of fish I catch, I’m in this for the pursuit! The act of figuring out what works and what doesn’t is what drives us all-whether we realize it or not, it is! Swinging for steelhead forces you to be a real angler. You have to be good at everything to be successful out there. And, of course, being connected to a tight line when a steelhead smashes your fly is the pinnacle in all of fly fishing. Or, having a massive buck tail slap your skated fly 3 times before he engulfs it in 5” of water isn’t even close to being paralleled in other types of fly fishing… should I go I kept going??? The swing is the the pinnacle.
What's the biggest angling misconception amongst steelheaders?
The biggest misconception is that steelhead are hard to catch, when the reality is that they are easy to catch, and much harder to locate. Finding them and knowing their behavior is almost everything. That’s where steelhead guides need to be elite!
What's the top two or three things that you see successful steelheaders do that other anglers are not doing?
- Elite stealth
- Reading water
- Approach
- Fly presentation and understanding why
- Time on water
Are there specific conservation concerns in your area that you wish to draw attention to?
Yes, the Trinity River Restoration Program (TRRP) would like to drop summer flows from 450 CFS to under 150 CFS in our lower river to promote stratification in pools. I believe this will adversely affect the fish populations, river conditions, and the entire culture surrounding the Trinity River drainage.
What changes, for better or worse, have you noticed since you started guiding?
I have seen a decline in fish populations, both in resident and migratory fish, and an increase in new guides, but also an interest in people wanting to learn to swing flies and cast Spey rods.
What's your favorite trick or tip you like to teach people?
First, you can fish a Muddler 365 days a year, floating lines or sink tip. Winter fish on the Smith love them.
Second, there is more to the Trinity River than bobbing from Lewiston to Junction City. My client’s favorite aspect of swinging flies is that they take part in their day on the water, they learn how to approach the run, read the water, and present the fly in that given run. They love getting out of the boat and taking a role in hunting down that fish. The reward seems much more euphoric.
What are your favorite steelhead patterns? What are your favorite rod/reel/line setups for your fisheries?
- Sping/summer/fall it's the Muddler or Bomber. -
- For winter, I tie my own custom marabous for myself and my clients (Todd Herano Bombers are only fly I use that I don’t tie personally).
- All-time favorite setup-Burkheimer 6139-4 w/ vintage Dingley
- For summer dry line Trinity/Klamath-Burkheimer 5125-4 w/ Hardy St. George
- For winter on the Smith & Eel-Burkheimer 8142-4 w/ Saracione 3 3/4” Mark V
What was your most memorable catch and why?
Oof, it’s 28- to 30-pound Smith River steelhead that almost killed me...
But, probably the 18- to 20-pound chinook on the Trinity, with sea lice on it all the up in Lewiston, approximately 138 miles from salt. That’s the only fish I’ve ever seen with sea lice on the Trinity.
Tom's Favorite Line
Ultra supple coatings allow our Two Hand series of fly lines to literally fly! Energy normally absorbed in the process of casting/flexing the line is now transferred effortlessly for more powerful controlled deliveries regardless of temperature. The Rage Compact is designed to help you cast in tough windy conditions.
Pickup available at San Francisco
Usually ready in 1 hour
Airflo SuperFlo Max Rage Compact Shooting Head - Float
240gr
San Francisco
540 Jackson St
San Francisco CA 94133
United States
