Judy and Tim This delightful couple traveled over from the north coast for a day of driftboat fishing on the Lower Sac. They fish with us a few times each season including a spectacular adventure at Fishing Bear Lodge in Alaska this summer. On this warm summer day we opted to float our favorite upper [...]
Bill Bill has fished with us a few times before but just returned from London so it’s been nearly two years since we’ve shared a river with him. He was anxious to return to the McCloud so we decided to fish some water he hadn’t seen before. Very few folks are fishing the Mac this [...]
Ed & Ned John and I spent three cold but productive days fishing with Ed and Ned, a father and son on their annual Klamath trip. Mornings found ice in our guides and a slow bite but warm afternoons more than made up for it. Most of our fish came on eggs but we had [...]
Last season, for California Fly Fisher, I queried a number of local upper Sac guides on their expectations for the first-ever winter season, opened under special regulations by the Fish and Game Commission on November 16, 2004. Then, the locals’ theories on winter fishing the upper Sac were pure speculation. We now have a year’s experience behind us. While one winter of fishing doesn’t bring certainty, the locals did come to understand a bit about the winter fishery, while managing to get in some quality fishing.
First Published in California Fly Fisher Magazine, April 2008. I believe in magic. Deceiving a fish with an artificial fly is all the evidence required and I consider fly rods the wands that allow anglers to perform this bit of magic. Some rods are best suited for performing particular magical acts. Rods with smooth classic [...]
First published in California Fly Fisher, February 2007 “Boys and their toys,” Jerri said as I hung up the phone. “How many Spey rods do you own?” Uh oh, I hadn’t realized my wife was listening. “Five,” I offered weakly, “but one is for sale and two are actually switch rods.” “Switch rods?” she asked. [...]
On June 25, 2004, the California Fish and Game Commission adopted a City of Dunsmuir proposal to revise regulations on the upper Sacramento River to allow year-round angling. Beginning November 16, anglers will have their first opportunity to pursue wild trout on the upper Sac during the winter season. In anticipation of this event, a group of prominent local guides, Ron Hart, Alan Blankenship, Wayne Eng, Rick Cox, Stephen Bertrand, and Charlie Costner, gathered this fall in a roundtable format to share their views regarding the angling opportunities this new fishery will offer, including their views on the potential effects on the fishery and the local economy.