Current information on river flows, fishing conditions, fly selection, and closures for Northern California including the Upper and Lower Sacramento River, the Klamath River, the McCloud River, the Pit River, the Trinity River, and Hat Creek.
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Fly fishing creeks in search of trophy trout in the shadow of Shasta
August 2010
Craig had a cancellation on Sunday so after playing on the computer during the morning he decided to get out of the office and explore a few creeks for trophy trout while circumnavigating Mount Shasta with a fly rod. While most anglers consider a twenty inch Rainbow or Brown Trout on one of our legendary rivers a true trophy, the fish sought on this day were even rarer, and the game played with only the essentials, with the lightest fly rod, a floating line, leader to 6X and a dry fly, perhaps a spare fly or two in a hat.
First up were McCloud Redband Rainbows, a California Heritage Trout found only in tiny creeks in the McCloud drainage. Most of these fish have been extirpated from their natal streams but a few local creeks still harbor fishable numbers. One creek has a fish in nearly every spot capable of holding a trout. The first fish caught that day was an amazing lunker, eight perhaps even nine inches that came to a #16 Yellow Skimpy (a skinny humpy). Honest! You'll have to take our word for it as it escaped during the picture taking process...but we know where that lunker lives now. A few more Redbands were caught and released before moving on to Brown Trout Heaven.
The next local creek on the agenda is a meadow stream known for finicky Brown Trout that are willing to take perfectly presented dry flies. Many local creeks have native Rainbows but few are known as Brown Trout fisheries. A few wily small ones darted for cover while searching for the big 'un. In an act of faith rather than logic we switched flies and tied on a #16 Parachute Adams. Finally a perfect drift up against a log and undercut bank found it's target, a sighted ten inch trophy Brown Trout. See the photo above if you don't believe us!
The third and last stream of the day is a mini version of the Deschutes, a desert stream with abundant lava rock. Unlike the Deschutes which is known for Redside Rainbows and Steelhead, this local gem harbors Brown Trout. Again they are surprisingly willing to take a well presented dry fly. After eyeing all three flies, we went with our instincts and selected a #14 Rusty Skimpy. Though we made a number of perfect presentations, each only managed to frighten these wily trophies. In a last ditch effort we finally aired out a cast against the far bank and completely across the creek. This cast was an honest twenty footer and even at that distance the fly landed with a delicate kiss on the water. The fish rose and the game was on. The brute fought brilliantly, heading for downed logs and behind razor sharp rocks but after a lengthy battle lasting nearly ten seconds the hawg was finally brought to hand.
Final score, three different creeks, three different flies, three trophy trout and one happy angler. If you are interested in fishing these trophy trout waters they are quite easy to find. Just grab a Shasta National Forest Service map and enjoy circumnavigating in the shadow of Shasta. If we shared the names of these creeks, we'd just spoil all your fun!
Northern California Fly Fishing Guide Trip Reports
August 2010
(Click on any photo for more pics of recent adventures in the shadow of Shasta)
The Upper Sacramento, Pit and McCloud Rivers continue to fish well particularly early and late in the day when the sun is off the water. Afternoon is a great time to have a cold drink, take a nap and feast on ripe blackberries picked streamside! Though the average fish tend towards smaller sizes in summer, it is also the time when we find a few trophies that make our day or even our season. We primarily nymph early in the day and look for hatches of mayflies and caddis that provide dry fly fishing opportunities in the evening. If we fail to find a hatch, it often turns out to be an ideal time to break out a sinking line and streamer and hunt for one special fish. Water clarity is at the norm for this time of year, the Upper Sac is ultra clear while the McCloud and Pit have three to six feet of visibility, which is ideal. With PGE road construction continuing on the Pit, access has been limited, call 406-586-2206 ext. 703 for the latest closures.
The Lower Sac has been fishing well, with anglers picking up good numbers of fish nymphing mayfly nymphs in the morning and caddis nymphs late in the day. There have been some evening dry fly opportunities at dusk, particularly on the very warmest days. Preliminary reports on the Salmon run are not good. Last year was one of the lowest returns reported and this year's numbers appear to be down an additional 20%. Fewer spawning salmon will likely hamper the egg bite for trout this fall which has historically been an outstanding time to target trophy Rainbows.
The Fall River continues to fish fair though the majority of activity has moved subsurface. On the other hand, fishing pressure has been exceptionally light. Dead drifting or swinging small mayfly nymphs has been the most productive. Some good opportunities for dry fly fishing but it's no longer an everyday affair. Grabs are very light as the fish have seen it all by now, so seasoned Fall River anglers have better luck than those new to the game. For bigger fish but fewer on average, swinging leeches is the ticket.
It is the time of year when local guides experience a bit of a lull. While the fishing on most rivers in the shadow of Shasta remains good, many of our regular guests opt for a different flavor and travel to far away destinations for their fishing, perhaps Alaska for Rainbows and Salmon, British Columbia or Oregon for Steelhead, or the Rocky Mountains for trout. So what do fly fishing guides do with their time off? Go fishing of course ;>)
Craig recently hosted a number of anglers on the Upper Sac, Upper and Lower McCloud and Lake Siskiyou. Many folks this time of year are new to fly fishing and this in an ideal time for an introduction. Wayne, Kathleen and Lisa enjoyed a morning clinic on the Upper Sac followed by an evening on the Upper McCloud with everyone finding their first ever trout, on dry flies no less. Wayne was a natural and ended up landing several wild trout on dry flies on his own to cap his first day! Dennis who hadn't gotten out for a a few seasons enjoyed a couple evenings of dry fly fishing on the Upper Sac while the Engle clan introduce their young children to Lake Siskiyou for a few days of swimming and boating along with some good fun fishing.
A local longtime friend, Stan and his son recently joined Craig to paddle inflatable kayaks down the Upper McCloud. Craig posted an individual trip report on kayaking and flyfishing the McCloud. The river passes through Wyntoon, part of the Hearst Estate and down to the McCloud Reservoir. While the fishing was fair, they caught mostly small Rainbows, the place is stunningly beautiful. For whitewater enthusiasts the river is not too difficult, Class III. However recently two trees have fallen across the river creating strainers. One is perhaps in the most dangerous spot possible, just below Big Springs at the very end of the most challenging whitewater. Craig has also been exploring local rivers with streamers to good effect and enjoyed a couple days swinging flies for steelhead in Oregon on the Rogue. Sunset picnics spent on lake Siskiyou with Jerri, family and friends have been magical.
After treating guests to some fine days on the McCloud and Pit, local guide Alan Blankenship escaped, with his favortie fishing partner Diane, to Oregon where he joined fellow local guide Fred Gordon. The camping, feasting and company could not be much better. They even discovered some finicky Brown Trout that if cast to just so would take dry flies. Alan also takes time to camp out on local rivers for several days at a time each summer to fish his home water, including an August trip on his beloved Pit River.
Fred Gordon continues to enjoy great luck on the Lower Sac as well as the Upper Sac. Though overall numbers are down, several trophy fish have come to net. He reports the bite on McCloud Reservoir has slowed at the same time the fishing pressure has increased. Gabe Duran has also been fishing the Red Bluff reaches of the Lower Sac where he has found a good number of fine Rainbows and an occasional steelhead.
Local Guides Rick Cox and Wayne Eng have enjoyed some fine days on the McCloud, Upper Sac and Burney Creek finding mostly smaller Rainbows while Rick has also had good luck hooking but not always landing some trophy Rainbows and Browns on the McCloud. Not to be left out Rick also took a few days over the border in Oregon to steelhead on the Umpqua and escape the heat on the coast. After a few days satisfying days on the Fall River, Tom Peppas left the state for a trip to the Rocky Mountains. The fishing was exceptional on all the waters he sampled including the Madison, Gallatin, Yellowstone Rivers and Armstrong's spring creek. Nothing quite like throwing hoppers and attractor dries to eager trout. He enjoyed himself so much he's heading back soon for more!
Kayaking and Fly Fishing the Upper McCloud River
Click on any photo for more pics of this exciting adventure
We have fly fished the Upper McCloud River below Fowler's camp many times and put in kayaks and floated to McCloud Reservoir a few times but we have never combined the two activities until this day. Craig invited his good friend Stan, who brought is son Storm, who had yet to see this section of the river. In summer the McCloud is a trickle at the put in below Lower Fowler's Falls campground and the first mile or so we spent dragging, pushing and carrying our boats perhaps more than we paddled them. Once we arrived at Muir Springs the volume increased and downstream only a few more places required getting out of the boat.
The McCloud River flows through Wyntoon, part of the Hearst Estate, until it reaches McCloud Reservoir. Few anglers are able to fish this section other than the Hearst's guests. For those who are not invited, the price of entry are Class III paddling skills and a willingness to bang a shin or two over some rough portages. The whitewater was more dangerous than we had anticipated. In two rapids, including the most challenging just below Big Springs, trees have fallen completely across the stream and created "strainers", places where boaters, or worse yet swimmers can become trapped by strong currents. Fortunately we had no mishaps, only a few tense moments as we paddled and portaged around these obstacles.
Once below the strainers and past the heaviest whitewater we began fishing. It was the middle of a hot summer day and the prospects were not great, but the water coming in from the springs is very cold and we found fish willing to grab dry flies in the first few runs we sampled! The Rainbows were not large but brightly colored and energetic. As we moved downstream sampling a few more runs the dry fly bite slowed but nymphing produced well in several runs but for some reason we could not figure. not at all in others? We paddled past the incredible Wyntoon estate and the long last leg across McCloud Reservoir. A very fulfilling and enjoyable day, but we might wait for our shins to heal and a few trees to dislodge before we return.
Northern California Fly Fishing Guide Trip Reports
Mount Shasta Area Fly Fishing Guide Reports for July 2010
(click on any photo for additional trip pics)
July was a fabulous month, our most successful ever. Thank you! The fishing of late has been terrific, though with the warm daytime temps, the catching has slowed a bit, particularly midday. It's the time of year were many of our guests opt to split their day. We get out early while water and air temps are cool, take a leisurely lunch, pick some ripe, juicy, wild blackberries and enjoy a nap before heading out in the evening to find a hatch and sample some dry fly fishing. If summertime is your favorite season, check out our recent post on "Five Secrets to Summertime Success!"
Both the McCloud and Upper Sac have dropped to summer time low flows and are as wadable and fishable as they get. The Pit River fished well in July but with increased water temps we utilize a thermometer to fish sections where catch and release angling is still practical. Water clarity on the McCloud has been an issue this season but currently is hovering between three and four feet which is nearly ideal, and makes presentations much less technical and easier for the average angler.
We've been nymphing these freestone gems midday and manage to dredge up a few fish but it's a great time to toss streamers with the hope of a finding a fish that can make our day if not our season. The evening dry fly fishing on the Upper Sac has been consistently good while hatches on the McCloud have been a bit more hit and miss. Fishing on the Lower Sacramento and Fall Rivers continues to be fair to good primarily with nymphs, either dead drifted or swung. We've found some opportunities for dry fly fishing, which can be superb. We'll be back on the Klamath and Trinity in October when water temps drop and Steelhead arrive in fishable numbers. Now is the time to drop us a line and schedule your fall trip as calendars for the finest local guides are quickly filling!
Last week some old friends as well as some new ones enjoyed outstanding days on the Upper Sac, McCloud and Fall Rivers. Bob, who fishes regularly with ShastaTrout owner, Craig Nielsen introduced one of his regular fishing partners, Keith to the Upper Sacramento River. They enjoyed some nymphing in the morning, finding some exceptional fish, including a few to hand along with some that were just too hot to net. After a midday break they returned to fish dry flies to eager trout until it got too dark to see the fly or the take. Local longtime guide, Rick Cox treated Gary to a morning on the McCloud where they found the nymphing solid if not spectacular, finding mostly smaller fish along with a few bigger ones.
Craig and local legend Tom Peppas also hosted some good friends from the wine country, Paul from Wine Cult Central, and Axel from Schug Winery. Axel brought his son Steve, along with his good friend Ben while Paul introduced Will, who had never fly fished, to the shadow of Shasta. Will spent three days with Craig learning the craft on the Upper Sac, while Paul and Axel opted to sample both the Upper Sac and the Fall River. Stevie arrived in time to join his father on the Fall River with Tom Peppas where they enjoyed good action technical nymphing, hooking several fish, including some big 'uns. Ben had terrific success nymphing as well as with dry flies on some seldom visited rugged sections of the Upper Sac. Will concluded his intro to fly fishing visit with an evening that included a trophy Rainbow on a dry fly.
The previous week ShastaTrout hosted three family groups. Laura celebrated an adventure with her father Fritz, an avid angler, with a multiday tour of local waters with Tom Peppas and Craig, taking in the Upper and Lower McCloud, Upper Sac and Fall Rivers. While they had some slow periods, on a few occasions the fishing got just silly good, catching fish after fish on dry flies! What a terrific treat, they are delightful anglers who truly appreciated the beauty as well as the bounty. On another family trip, Steve shared an adventure with his teenage son, Neely on the Upper Sac, with some good action and notable fish. Steve found one of the biggest Rainbows we've ever seen at Mossbrae Falls while Neely, a naturally gifted angler, landed his first ever fly caught fish which was a trophy Upper Sac "bow! At Digger Creek Ranch, local guide Gabe Duran shared his expertise with Kurt's extended family who had an exceptional experience just a stone's throw from Gabe's doorstep.
Craig and family enjoyed a week long retreat from the business, taking a whitewater trip down the Wild and Scenic portion of the Rogue River. It was one of our most enjoyable river trips even though there was not much to recommend in the way of fishing this time of year. Craig managed a few tugs while swinging for steelhead but spent the bulk of his time relaxing in camp recovering from a relapse from a stomach bug he picked up earlier this spring. While it was nice to get away from the phone and computer, Craig's camera broke on the second day of the trip which prevented downloading pics from earlier fishing trips upon his return and delayed this trip report. We apologize for our tardiness and appreciate your patience and willingness to revisit our posts.
Early July has become just a blur by this time. Flows on local freestones dropped into summertime conditions, the unusually cool weather we experienced in June turned to unusual summer heat as we hosted multiple groups most everyday heading to all points on the compass. Good fun was had by all. Craig treated new guests Jack and Wendell to a split sampler dry fly fishing on the Upper McCloud early in the day followed by an evening on the Upper Sac. Another new guest, John accompanied Craig on a successful day on the Upper Sac, while Bob a regular guest, brought his good friend Ron up to the Spinner Fall Lodge for a few days chasing hatches and Rainbows with Craig. Paul Roberts a Master Sommelier with Bond and Harlan Wineries opted to sample the fishing on the Lower McCloud with Craig as did Ben Branch on a return trip. Ben again found good success as did his buddy Brian who he introduced to the McCloud. Ben and Craig enjoyed hearing Brian's reel singing on more than one occasion!
McCloud master guides Rick Cox and Alan Blankenship treated their guests to some exceptional times on the McCloud River, including an extended weekend on the Nature Conservancy with Peter and a group of his friends. Fred Gordon entertained his guests on the McCloud Reservoir as well as the McCloud and Upper Sacramento Rivers where he encountered a Mountain King Snake. Chuck Volckhausen along with Gabe Duran kept busy on the Lower Sac where they found good action with their groups, who hooked a few real trophies. Gabe reports that a few Steelhead have already found their way to his net on the Lower Sac as well as the Trinity, now is the time to schedule your fall trip to target these chrome beauties!
The National Weather Service is calling for continued fine weather, with this week's daytime highs in the 80's and night time lows in the 40's and 50's. With low very wadable summertime flows on the Upper Sac and the McCloud and some good evening dry fly fishing, we expect to have some very special days on the water in the coming weeks. Fishing continues to be good on the Fall River, Pit and Lower Sac and you can enjoy them in relative solitude as many anglers have headed for the hills. We hope you join us soon! For the very latest on conditions on the legendary rivers we call home and to check availability for any of the finest local guides drop us a line!
Northern California Fly Fishing Guide Trip Reports
Fly Fishing Reports for June 15th - 29th
Fly Fishing in Northern California continues to be outstanding as we enter summer from the peak of our spring season. Fine weather has arrived and our guests enjoyed sunshine on a host of venues that have fished very well with several folks finding memorable fish and the finest fishing of their lives. High water on the Upper Sac (but dropping fast) and the off color of the McCloud means fish will be rested and hungry as conditions improve. We are a bit delinquent again with our trip reports as we've been spending our days on the river and evenings refilling boxes with flies, answering your phone calls and emails, leaving precious little time for the computer, but we wouldn't want it any other way. We thank you for your patience and are glad you checked back and hope you find our reports worth the wait.
ShastaTrout owner and guide Craig Nielsen has seen Mt. Shasta from most every angle recently, from the north fishing the Klamath River, east from Hat Creek and Fall River, south from the McCloud and Lower Sac and from the west on the Upper Sac and Lake Siskiyou. Most recently he spent a day on the Lower Sacramento River with longtime friend Rob who brought his fishing buddy Ignacio. While the fishing was hot the weather was even hotter. We suffered well and found a number of fish, including several that made their weekend. We finally called it a day when the afternoon heat slowed the bite. Our good friends Pete and Cathy from Seghesio Winery brought their kids Will and Joe up for the weekend and enjoyed a fine day swimming, boating, and fishing on Lake Siskiyou with incredible views of snow capped Mount Shasta looming above.
A regular guest, Steve Starke, enjoyed a family reunion (all 27 of 'em) in Burney where he, Sam Sr., Sam Jr., Mike and Jon spent a few days with Craig and guide Tom Peppas on the Fall River where the hatches were exceptional though the fish were a bit fussy. We were able to get a number of grabs, hooked a few, including some trophy 'bows while landing our fair share. We also enjoyed the Hex hatch which was in full swing on the lower river and will be heading upstream in the coming weeks! We recommend scheduling a trip soon to take advantage of this exciting event!
Guests Mike, Bill and Gene spent the middle of the week up on the Klamath River with Craig and guide John Rickard dead drifting big Salmonfly dry fly imitations to adult and juvenile Steelhead. Gene, Mike and Bill all found trophies including Gene's entry to ShastaTrout's Hawg of Fame. The fishing was truly epic, they couldn't keep track of the numbers they were catching even though Gene tried with his fish clicker counter. Gene has been fishing his entire life and said it was the best fishing he has ever had, comparing it only to trips in Alaska. The week prior John hosted Father Frank with similar success, they also claimed a Klamath River ShastaTrout Hawg of Fame trophy. Wow!
John and Carlo joined Craig the previous week on the Klamath with fine weather and some fish looking up. Both of them got into many fine fish and enjoyed a solid if not spectacular dry fly bite. It turned out to be a great alternative to their annual trip to the McCloud and has them planning a return. Andrew and Kim returned with their kids William and Autumn to the Bollibokka Club. Craig served as a guide for them and their good friends, Don, James, Chris and Brian for a week that started with poor river conditions and ended with some of the best fishing we have ever experienced. The fishing was superb throughout the day with amazing evening dry fly fishing. Both Chris and William brought some remarkable trophy Brown Trout to hand including William's ShastaTrout Hawg of Fame entry. Others had great fish as well and of course, a few lunkers also got a away. When the McCloud clears upstream we expect it to turn on as well. Drop us a line for the latest conditions and to check guide availability.
Local guide Gabe Duran has been splitting his days between the Lower Sacramento River and Fall River with good success. Guests have enjoyed a great dry fly bite early in the day on the Fall River with the evening Hex Hatch rounding out the day. Gabe reports that Lower Sac has been nymphing well during the day, with a few dry fly opportunities late and some early summer run steelhead on the way.
Rick Cox, a local genius has been working his magic on the McCloud and Upper Sacramento Rivers, pulling not only rabbits out of his hat but big Rainbows as well, as evidenced by the picture of his guest Carrie with a big healthy McCloud 'Bow. The Upper Sac continues to be quite high even for rafters (though dropping quickly) while the McCloud continues to suffer from silt pouring in from Mud Creek. As conditions improve we are expecting fishing to be excellent as fishing pressure has been non existent. Give a ring before you head this way, hopefully we can help point you in a direction you would most enjoy.
Always clever and versatile, guide Fred Gordon has opted for some local stillwaters and his guests have been pleasantly surprised. They have found incredible numbers of eager trout, some with notable size. He even managed to fit in a little personal fishing and found some willing bass on a small local gem. Alan Blankenship continues to rein as the Pit River Pirate fishing the nooks and crannies only he can find for his guests as the river has been as crowded has we've ever seen on weekends.
The National Weather Service is calling for continued fine weather, with daytime highs in the 70's and 80's. With solid hatches and steady flows on the Fall River, Pit and Lower Sac along with conditons on the Upper Sac and the McCloud improving we expect to have some very special days on the water in the coming weeks. We hope you can joins us soon! For the very latest on conditions on the legendary rivers we call home and to check availability for any of the finest local guides drop us a line!