Current Fishing Report

The Yuba continues to fish well. The past few weeks have been a lot of fun. Less well known than the Lower Sac, the Yuba is a fun, dynamic river that's full of wild rainbows. Soon we'll start throwing dries, streamers and nymphs in the same day. Hoppers aren't too far off and provide fun top water action. If you're looking for a new experience give the Yuba a shot. 

I spent a very nice spring day today scouting a "new" reach of the Klamath River with my buddy Mark Tompkins.  Iron Gate Dam was removed one year ago and you can now float through the area that was formerly inundated by the reservoir.  We launched from the temporary Fall Creek access which is at the upstream end of the old reservoir.  This access is pretty rough and suitable for rafts only at this point. You have to drag your raft over numerous large boulders to reach the river.  However, the still-under-construction Fall Creek Access across the river looks very nice and should be suitable for drift boats on trailers when it's finished.  The float from the Fall Creek Access to the Iron Gate Access (where we use to launch below the dam) is about six miles and is entirely class I and II.  This float can be done in two hours if you don't stop, but someday when fishing is allowed in this stretch, I think it would make for a full day of fishing.  There is great water for nymphing and swinging in this stretch.  When the sediment washes out, I also think a lot of salmon will be spawning in this reach.  The water types on this float are similar to what you see from Iron Gate to Klamathon Bridge, but there are more riffles, some of which are extensive.Just above the Fall Creek Access is the Ward's Canyon whitewater run.  This is the section between the old Copco Dam and the head of Iron Gate Reservoir.  It's very steep and consists of class IV and V rapids one after the other.  Make sure to avoid this stretch unless you're floating with experts or on a commercial whitewater rafting trip!The Fall Creek - Iron Gate float has amazing scenery due to the geology of the area.  There are several areas with columnar basalt formations similar to Devil's Postpile.  The California Poppies really stole the show on this trip.  They were in full bloom and were worthy of an invasion of super-bloom-seeking instagrammers.  Thankfully there were none of those around!  Most of the bottom of the lake has been revegetated with native plants, although there are some invasive plants making some headway, too.  If you get out and walk around you may find cakes of dried mud that have cracked and separated.  If you grab a piece, you can throw it in the river and which it float like a cork.  If you walk up higher you may encounter areas that appear solid but are actually made up of individual pillars of soil separated by cracks up to three feet deep.  Watch your step!The river has about a foot of visibility in this stretch.  Be careful stepping into the river because you may sink into the fine sediment.  Fishing is not currently allowed in the footprint of the old reservoirs, and the clarity is sufficiently bad right now that I don't think I would be tempted to try.  Salmon and steelhead will be traveling through this area come fall.  The river is currently open to fishing year-round below the Iron Gate Access.  It's really hard to predict how long it will take for all the fine sediment in the river bottom to disperse.  If there is still just a foot of visibility this fall, then it should be possible to do some steelheading below Iron Gate.  It will get much better if the visibility improves.I think the outlook for fishing on the Lower Klamath is better, though.  Last August the river was fishable at the mouth even when the visibility at Iron Gate was only a foot.  It only became fishable once the final coffer-dam removal began and the water at Iron Gate looked like chocolate pudding.  A lot of crystal clear water flows into the Klamath between Iron Gate and the mouth.  The Shasta, Scott, Salmon and Trinity Rivers contribute almost two thirds of the flow during the fall months and will hopefully dilute the turbid water resulting from the dam removal.  The Lower Klamath also experienced flows of over 100,000cfs this winter.  Those high flows help move sediment out to the ocean.  We'll be taking a look at our Spey Camp site soon and we expect to be fishing this fall!  In the meantime, I encourage you to check out the river up around the old dam sites.

The California poppies were in full bloom!

The new Fall Creek boat ramp near the head of the former Iron Gate Reservoir, under construction

The scenery on this float is top-notch!

Columnar basalt formation

The raft worked great but a drift boat should be fine when the new access is built

More of the poppy super-bloom

When the Cottonwood's drifting around you can count on the shad being in town. If you like shad, you can book Luke, Ben or Andrew on the Feather and/or Lower Sac. Colin's been on Hat Creek and Fall River. Hat's been hot and cold for both of us but Fall River's been red hot for Colin. Brian's been on the Lower Sac and had mixed results with a good day recently. Give the big river some time to settle down and it should come back into shape. Flow changes have impacted fishing but they're supposed to stabilize in the next week or two. Consistency should improve fishing. The Upper Sac flows are still a bit high which makes the fishing and wading tough. Flows are dropping and trips will be a safe bet in a week or two. It's game on just about everywhere. 

I got to share a great day with a nice couple early in their fly fishing journey. They combined their positive energy with great attitude and were rewarded. With only a few lulls, action was good from start to finish. Some picky fish snubbed our dry offerings but maybe next trip. All around, a great day! Thanks you two!

Captain Bryce Tedford reports another solid day of striper fishing with the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club today!

I was on the Yuba a few days this week and it went from good to really good. Flows are still on the high side but we're finding decent numbers of hard fighting rainbows willing to grab a nymph. In a few places, we've spotted fish rising and had a few eats with a well presented dry. Flows should be dropping and temps should be rising which means hoppers and streamers aren't too far off! More fun is coming!

The weather in the mountains has been just about perfect. Not too hot, not cold. Hat Creek's been fishing good, both nymphing and with dries. The big stones should be popping any day and we've already had a few fish show some interest in grabbing our dries. There's plenty of insects hatching in the afternoon to keep noses poking up here and there. Hat will continue to fish well over the next several months. Colin and Mike are on Fall River which is also kicking into gear. Although recent trips to Baum Lake were lackluster for both Colin and me, it always turns back on sooner or later. Today was a nice surprise when, despite high flows and high wind, the Yuba fished well. We had acton start to finish, both sub-surface and on top. The Yuba should fish well for the rest of the year. 

Delta Striper report by Captain Bryce Tedford: "Solid day with Ricardo & Brian, landed some solid fish & broke off a beast!  Lots of fun was had!"

Ben, Colin and I had a fun trip on the Feather today. Action was modest but consistent from top to bottom. We never went too long without one of us hooking a fish. We bumped mostly half pounders but each boat hooked into a few bigger ones. Colin's clients wanted to swing and they connected with a good number of fish. At lunch I heard, "it was the best day of swinging I've ever had." We also got surprised by an early shad. Ben and Luke will be running shad trips soon so now's a good time to book. If you haven't fished for shad, they fight like crazy on a fly rod. Luke's been having banner days on Lake Shasta chasing spotted bass which is a fun way to spend an afternoon. Colin will be running trips on Fall River along with Mike Wright and Scott Saiki. Several of us will be on the Yuba, Upper Sac and Hat Creek in the coming weeks and of course, we'll all be on the Lower Sac. Check in for updates as spring kicks into gear.  

Friday was my first Lower Sac trip of the season! It felt great to be back on the river with the father/Son combo of Rick and Rick from thr RRFF ! We had a good day of playing with rainbows! Some nice fish caught and good times were had! We were using eggs and pmd nymphs and the fish were cooperating! This is a good time to get out and play! I am trying to fill a few dates if you are interested May 13th, 14th, 16th, and 19th! Book a day and let's go fishing! This time of year has several options and we have the guides to get you on the water!Thanks and good fishing!Peter Santley

Finally, after a wet winter and early spring, the team's been able to get back on the water. Colin, Mike, Luke and I have all been on the Lower Sac with some nice fish brought to the net. Fishing should continue improving in the coming weeks as flows drop and then, stablize. MIke, Colin and I have been on Hat Creek and for the next few months it's go time. Spring on Hat can be awesome. Luke's also been running a few bass trips on Shasta Reservoir, so if you want a day full of action, it's a good bet and a chance to do something different. GUIDE TIP: Set the hook often and don't be disappointed if 8 out of 10 isn't a fish. You're not doing anything wrong. In fact, you're doing exactly the right thing. 

I just returned from hosting a week in the Yucatan at Tail Inn, a lodge situated at the southern entrance to Espiritu Santo Bay, or ESB.  Here is a short recap of the trip:Two grand slams on day 1: We had great weather our first day of fishing and two of our guests, Andreas and Mike, managed a grand slam, which means they landed bonefish, permit and tarpon in a single day.Lots of challenging weather: We had two days of pretty good conditions and four days that were a bit rough.  High winds, no sun, or both.  Fortunately the guides knew how to handle the rough weather.  Permit fishing was difficult but we still did well on bonefish and baby tarpon on the rough weather days.Great location: This was my first time to ESB and I was really impressed by the sheer size of the fishery and the diversity of habitat.  There are hard sand flats where you can wade for bonefish in ankle-deep water.  There are vast permit flats of all sorts, from the wadable kind to the boat-only kind.  There are mangroves with baby tarpon and snook.  There are flats inside the bay and then more ocean-side flats.  There was plenty of solitude as the guide boats spread out to different parts of the bay every day.Big permit day for Bill: On our fifth day we had great weather and one of our guests, Bill, managed to hook 7 permit - all before lunch!   Multi-species action: Throughout the week we hooked up with bonefish, permit, tarpon, snook, jacks, snappers, sharks, and barracuda.Great Lodge: We really enjoyed our time at Tail Inn.  The food was really good, the accommodations were comfortable, and the staff worked very hard to make a great experience for us.  The guides were all very good. I also love having the boats right in front of the lodge.  That allows each group to consult with their guide for the next day and pick their own departure time.I would like to send many thanks to my guests on this trip.  This group of anglers was determined to have a great trip, to enjoy eachother's company, and to see all the fishing possibilities that this destination had to offer.  I am looking at dates for a return trip and will post them soon!

You may have noticed a lack of Lower Sac reports recently.  That's because there hasn't been much to report!  Similar to last year we've had lots of rain and some big flow changes.  In February the flows went up to 60,000 CFS to make room in Lake Shasta for more rain.  That blew the river out and it resembled the Mississippi more than our trusty Lower Sac.  Flows came down pretty quickly to around 6000 CFS.  I was ready to give it a try last week and overnight the flows jumped to 16,000 CFS.  Jeez.  Now they're coming down again, targeted to be 6,500 CFS by the 28th.  I went out today to check it out and although the visibility is only 2-3 feet I caught some nice rainbows in a few hours of solo fishing.  More rain is forecast but the totals don't look to be massive.  Things should settle down pretty quickly so probably a good time to get a trip on the books!

The crew's been on the Trinity, Lower Sac and Yuba in the past few weeks. Luke had a fair day on the Lower Sac a week ago. Winter weather is unpredictable everywhere but once February passes, the Sac should see fishing steadily improve. The Trinity's been fishing well, with adults and sub-adults brought to the net most days. Look for the river to remain viable until early March, when we start shifting trips to other waters. The Yuba continues to offer a nice option for something a little different. Throwing big dry flies in the middle of winter isn't viable in too many places but with the Skwala on the Yuba, February means game on. March browns, PMD's and Sulphers will soon pop and can offer some fun dry fly action. By late February, the Feather spring steelhead start showing up and will stick around through late May. These fish offer one of very few spring steelheading options and can be a lot of fun. While walk and wade trips are limited this time of year, March on Hat Creek is just around the corner and it should fish well. 

All the guys have been on the Trinity the past few weeks, with plenty of nice fish to show for their efforts. With flows still at 1500cfs, the fishing remains fast. Anglers able to put the flies where they need to be, when they need to be there, have the most success. The current storm will push flows beyond what's fishable for about a week. When it comes back into shape, fishing is likely to be good, maybe very good. 

Trinity Lake is a little bit too full at the moment so the powers that be are releasing a lot of water into the Trinity River.  The release from Lewiston Dam is 1,500cfs, which is five times the typical mid-winter 300cfs minimum flow.  I initially thought the river would be unfishable at these flows, but I was wrong!  The river is high and fast and crystal clear, but there are still plenty of good spots for fish to hold and for us to fish.  Don't get me wrong - I'm glad it's not always like this! - but it is kind of fun to fish a favorite river in a new way.  If you book a trip, be prepared for a lot of switching between left side and right side.  Bring your A-Game because it really helps if you can identify the productive water types in time to make a cast!  There is a healthy mix of trout-sized fish and adult fish in the river right now.  Boat traffic is moderate to heavy because the only place to fish is the top 20 miles of river.  However, with the speed of the current, the boats spread out really well and the boat traffic doesn't seem to be much of a factor when it comes to fishing success.

Colin with our first fish of the day

We've been getting lots of water this month, combined with some flow increases. We dislike asking you to change your plans but sometimes weather and river conditions make it unavoidable. But know, if your trip gets intrupted by rain and a swollen river, you're not out of luck. Baum Lake's a fun winter option you may be unfamiiliar with, that's not affected by flows and can offer a day full of action. Colin and I had clients on the lake yesterday and enjoyed a great day fishing nymphs, streamers and dries. It's rare that all the rivers we guide blow out at the same time but it does happen, so keep Baum in mind if you still want to fish.

After receiving several emails and phone calls in the past few weeks with folks eager to get in some early winter swing sessions for steelhead I figured it might be time to throw out a quick update on the state of our coastal rivers here in northern California. December has seen a few brief windows of opportunity for getting into an early winter run fish.  Earlier this month we had a decent dry spell between major weather events to give all coastal rivers open to fishing a chance to drop into good shape. Even the lower mainstem Eel dropped down to fishable conditions for the first time in who can remember how long? Unfortunately is was short lived, and now with a lot more rain on tap we're back to a typical winter holding pattern. Time to organize fly boxes, go through your sink tip wallets and throw on some fresh running line. As we head into the new year let's all keep our fingers crossed that we have a slightly less wet winter compared to last seasons near shutout. One particular note of optimism for what might be in store going into this winter steelhead season is the fact that our North Coast rivers have seen an amazing return of fall run salmon. Both Kings and Coho have made a notable comeback after two consectuve years of an offshore moratorium. Will this translate into an above average year for returning winter steelhead? There's only one way to find out! For those of you interested in booking a swing trip for winter steelhead this season there's still some prime open dates available in January and February.  Happy Holidays folks, and remember to fish well and often! 

fresh bait

Coastal winter light

I spent a really nice day on the Trinity River with some of my regular guests from the Mother Lode area of California.  The river is in great shape and there are some quality steelhead around!  Flows are elevated but the water is clear and the fish are fairly grabby.  Book a trip soon for a chance at a fish over five pounds!

Winter's here and someone on the team's been fishing everyday. The Lower Sac slows down a bit, so we run more trips on the Trinity. Trinity weather isn't always balmy but the fishing can make up for chilly, wet conditions. We see some of the state's largest steelhead and periodcially, we bump a sea run brown while we're at it - pretty cool. The Feather is cycling down for a few months, until the spring run kicks into gear. If you haven't fished the spring run, it's a lot of fun. The Yuba's been fishing well, which should continue through the winter. Starting late January and running through March, sunny days offer you a chance to throw big dries when the annual Skwala Stones start popping. If you want to get out, there's good fishing to be had now and on its way!