The Upper Sac is one of California's great trout streams. It has 30+ miles of public access, a great variety of water types, and countless wild rainbows. We offer both raft and walk/wade trips on the Upper Sac.
Raft Trips:
Our raft trips are available in the spring when the water is high. May and June are the best times for rafting. Using a raft allows us to fish water that is hard to reach on foot, and hard to fish from shore when the water is still high. These are fun trips with great scenery, productive fishing, and plenty of white water. We fish a variety of techniques, including nymphs, streamers, and dry flies. We do our raft trips on the lowest part of the Upper Sac, just above Lake Shasta.
Walk/Wade Trips:
When flows recede to normal levels, we offer walk/wade trips on all reaches of the Upper Sac. Fishing can be excellent throughout the spring, summer and fall on the Upper Sac. The Upper Sac is a little easier to wade than the Pit and McCloud River, and access is very easy.
The average fish on the Upper Sac is about 10 inches. On most trips we hook fish from 8 to 16 inches, and they can get quite a bit larger!
Gear Recommendations for the Upper Sac
Rods, Reels & Lines:
Five and six-weight nine-foot rods are ideal on the Upper Sac. We primarily use floating lines. Nymph or Double Taper Lines are best for versatility. We occasionally use fast-sinking sink-tip or full-sink lines to fish streamers.
Leaders, Tippet & Indicators:
We usually use 3X-5X tippet on the Upper Sac. Come prepared with 7.5' 3X or 4X leaders. We use a variety of indicators, including corkies and yarn. For indicatorless nymphing we like the nymph taper fly lines with the bright red tip. Attaching a permanent butt section of 25# red amnesia also works well. We use split shot in sizes BB and larger on the Upper Sac.
Waders & Boots:
We use chest-high breathable waders on the Upper Sac. Spiked wading boots are not necessary. Wading staffs are recommended and are provided. Make sure to bring your own wading belt. All fishing on the Upper Sac is done while wading, except for our springtime raft trips. In the middle of the summer we frequently wet-wade.
Hatches & Seasons
The Upper Sac is open year-round. Some of the most popular hatches include the golden and giant stoneflies, caddis and little yellow stones on summer evenings, and the October Caddis hatch in the fall.
Flies:
Nymphs:
• BH Prince, 12-16
• Mercer's Micro Mayfly, all colors, size 16-18
• Fox's Poopah, tan, 14
• BH Bird's Nest, natural, 12-14
• Flashback PT, 16-18
Dries:
• Parachute Adams, 12-18
• Green Drake Paradrake, 10 (May)
• Burk's Extended Body Yellow Stone, 14 (mid-summer)
• Grand Hopper, tan, 10 (mid-summer)
• Rogue Foam Salmonfly, 6 (May & June)
• Rogue Foam Golden Stone, 8 (May & June)
• Madam X, 10 (October/November)
• Morrish's October Caddis Adult, 8, (October/November)
Streamers:
• Woolhead sculpin, dark, 4
• Egg Sucking String Leech, 2
• Tungsten Minnow, Tan, 4
Sample Itinerary
Meeting Time & Place:
We typically meet our clients at their lodge or hotel at 8:30am. On some trips we may arrange to meet on the river.
Vehicle Considerations:
We typically have our clients ride with us in our vehicles. However, be prepared to follow us in your own vehicle. On raft trips, we will need your help running our shuttle as there is no shuttle service on the Upper Sac.
Wading difficulty:
We offer both raft trips and walk/wade trips on the Upper Sac.
We offer our raft trips in May and June when the water is high.
We provide life jackets for our raft trips.
Waders and boots are required for all trips.
The wading is moderately challenging and wading staffs are highly recommended.
Felt soled boots are best. We do a lot of hiking on the Upper Sac.
Multiple Fisheries in one Day:
When we fish the Upper Sac, we usually spend the whole day on the Upper Sac. Sometimes we may spend part of the day on the upper or lower McCloud.
Length of the Day:
Most full days conclude around 5:30pm. Half days end around 12:30pm. On many full days we take a break around 2pm and reconvene around 7pm to fish the evening hatch.