Current Fishing Report

Conditions were bad... real bad. But due to the schedules, we couldn't move to another day. So we gave it our all and did our best to not get skunked. In that regard, Art and Tom were successful.Water is super muddy on the Lower Sac, but I imagine it will bounce back pretty quick. Though we tried EVERYTHING, we only seemed to manage hooking fish on eggs and a black caddis. Didn't see a lot of bugs. Considering how muddy the river was, I'd say that the half dozen fish we managed to hook was a decent measure of some sort of success. Usually it's hard NOT to hook a dozen plus fish on the Sac, it felt like hooking ANY was above expectations. But fishing hard and keeping a positive attitude surely makes a difference... and that we did!I'm sure the rivers around here will be back in order soon and I'm looking forward to hitting it hard this Spring. Now is a good time to be thinking about getting a day on the books because April is some of our finest fishing! Let's go!

I spent the last two days on the Lower Sac and fishing was fantastic. My guests caught great numbers of fish, quality fish, and the hatches were absolutely going off in proper spring fashion. There was bwos, pmds, sallies and midges hatching throughout different parts of each day and the fish were on the chew. We saw some rain, some wind and some hail but it did not negatively affect the fishing. Rain often kick certain hatches into higher gear making the fishing even better. We have some more sporatic rain in the forecast for Redding but most days it just here and there, most days are just scattered showers and some overcast and some sun. 

Had a fun day out on the Feather with these two. From the first cast to the last we had a ton of action all day. Tons of smaller fish were chewing with a few bigger ones in the mix. The rains have pushed up a bunch of early spring fish and it should only go uphill from here. We have a perfect break in the rain this Thursday and Friday the 2nd and 3rd and they will be great options to get out there. For the next few months fish will be grabby on the swing which makes for a fun swing trip or a nymph/swing combo trip.

Kathleen and Rich came up to fish the Trinity but we were forced to switch over to the Lower Sac after the weather turned. While we had wanted to chase steelhead, we decided we'd do our best to put some nice fish in the net and make the best out of the weather forecast. Day one fished pretty well and we put a decent amount of really nice fish in the net. There was a REALLY good BWO hatch in the afternoon and we spent about two hours hooking fish after fish. When the Lower Sac is fishing, it is a very impressive fishery. Day two was a different story altogether. But before we talk about the fishing, have you ever heard of graupel? Well apparently snow pellers (or soft hail) have a name! And we got HAMMERED by it, ha ha! The fishing was REALLY tough today, largely due to the significant weather change, but we still made it into a fun adventure and got into fish. Surprisingly there was STILL a decent BWO hatch in the afternoon, so while we were getting pelted by graupel, BWO's were floating down the river. Despite there being mayflies around, the fishing was still pretty tough and it felt like we had to force feed 'em to get 'em to eat! But we kept at it and we ended the day with some beautiful fish in the net and a great story about that one time we were crazy and still went fishing when everyone else got off the river :) 

Had a great day on the lower sac with these two including a first timer. After going over some basics in the morning the first timer picked it up pretty well and we had a fun day. Properly teaching a beginner how to cast, mend and fight fish is important for them to have success that day and onward. The hatches were not as prolific as the day before but plenty of quality fish were caught and they both caught their PB sac fish. Fish ate a bunch of different bugs mostly caddis and mayflies. The current storm rolling in should be over by March 1st which will get the bugs fired back up and we should have some excellent fishing throughout March up top before the sundial section closes April 1st. 

Shang and I hit the Lower Sac for a full day of fly fishing. In addition to chasing after some trout, we planned to spend some time throwing big streamers for some stripers that sometimes hang around some various spots. The river fished well for trout and we got into 'em pretty much right away! His first fish was a healthy 18inch fish that ate a caddis and we were off to the races. We ended up catching fish on an assortment of flies and spent a good hour tossing one of his hand-tied striper flies but alas... no eats. But that's okay, it's fun casting anyway! And Shang CAN cast! The fishing died off around 3:30, but the lower section of the river that we fished looked great and kicked out some quality fish throughout the day. The Lower Sac should start to really heat up come March, so it's a good time to book a trip!

With a bump in the flows and two full of energy clients, Aubrey Bre and I set out excited for a great day! Fishing various stone fly patterns and smaller nymphs we came in contact with a few half pounders right off the bat which was very exciting for Bre being it was her first time ever fly fishing! The runs were beautiful at the higher flow and the sun came peaking over the mountain tops mid morning making it a picturesque day. We ended up hooking a few beautiful adult steelhead that put the cherry on an awesome day. If your looking to experience one of my favorite rivers and have a shot at steelhead I wouod love to get out on the water with you!

Bre's first ever fish on a fly rod!!

David and Kim came up to do a half day on the Lower Sac with me and we got to it. Our first couple of drifts didn't produce anything, so I pulled over, change up some bugs, and it was game on. We hooked some really nice and healthy trout on the tiny stuff that I can't believe trout can see, TBS style. The fishing was pretty steady until around 2:30pm and then it went downhill. Seems like the bite has mostly been between 10-2, but you can still get 'em if you work hard before and after. And sometimes the bite is COMPLETELY different. Makes fishing fun trying to crack the code! I don't think we lost any of the fish we hooked, so David and Kim get two thumbs up! 

Dar and I hit the Trinity on a cold Monday morning in search of Trinity steelhead, but the fishing was TOUGH. Dar is one of the best anglers that I have guided, so it wasn't a matter of being able to get good drifts. The fishing was just your typical steelheading, but we've been so spoiled lately it felt agonizing! Throughout the day we hooked two halfies and one adult that came unbottoned pretty quickly. But we kept at it. It wasn't until the LAST spot, at the LAST SECOND, that we found a small adult. Phew. While the fishing was slow, it was really fun talking with Dar about various fly fishing techniques and doing some different things throughout the day... like attempting to euro dork a juicy run. 

Had a fun trip on the Lower Sac yesterday. There are some quality fish around and eating. We had varied weather throughout the day with a little rain. There was a pretty good sized bwo hatch and a decent sized pmd hatch in the afternoon. Fish keyed in on these and the fishing is only going to get better as the month continues. February and March are great months to chase big fish up at the top of the river before it closes. 

Fishing is good on the Trinity River right now!  I assisted with a 3-boat trip along with fellow guides Luke Geraty and DJ Spivey.  My guests had great fishing from about 9am until 2pm, each hooking and landing multiple wild steelhead.  The river has a great greenish tint, the tributary creeks are all flowing, and water levels are great!  We're still catching fresh fish on their way up river.

Mike started strong

Doug pillaged today

The Drift 6 boys came into town and Confluence had a three boat trip on the Trinity. I had John and Sean with me and we went to work chasing these elusive sea-run rainbow trout that we all love. Right off the bat we hooked a fish in the first riffle, but just as quick as it grabbed Sean's fly, it came unbuttoned. No! That being said, sometimes getting one in immediately feels like the "kiss of death" because sometimes that's the only fish you touch. Luckily that wasn't the case because John hooked into a REALLY nice fish about twenty minutes later. And boy did it bull dog him. Runs and head shakes and more strong pulls. The fish went from one side of the boat to the other, but John played it perfectly and we finally got to see the fish as it slowly worked its way up toward the surface. Low and behold, it was a brown! A big brown! YES! While not being the steelhead we were chasing, catching a unicorn like that was awesome! That brown was planning on a stonefly breakfast, but John smacked it in the face and put it in the net. Excellent!A couple hours later, while floating under a bridge, we struck trout-troll gold and Sean hooked into a fish that would... not... give... up. Runs and head shakes and more runs and swimming in circles and when it finally came up, we saw it and it was big. Just over 27 inches of steelhead love that ate a frenchie. The rest of the day had Sean speaking French and saying, "Oui Oui." It might be his favorite steelhead fly now.We hooked a few more adults and landed some of them and we also had a handful of half-pounders eat some flies. The action was steady throughout the day and just when it felt like we were in a slow lull, the bobber would go down!The brown made the day. The big steelhead made the day. Everything else was a cherry on top and I was really happy to be a part of such a fun day with some cool guys. Drift Six is a cool group of guys, but maybe it should be Drift Seven and they should let me in!

While I've mostly been on the Trinity chasing steelhead, I've had a few days interspersed over on the Lower Sac. Avi and Vic came up from LA and after I picked 'em up at the airport, we hit the river. While the boys were completely new to fly fishing, after some instruction on casting (aka, the Lower Sac flip flop), mending, and overall line control, we started fishing. Two minutes into the float, Vic hooked into a REALLY big fish that CHOMPED one of his flies and made a bee line up river and wrapped him into a snag. With a deep sigh, everything broke off. Bummerville. But you can't learn how to fight fish if you don't hook fish and loose 'em, right? The bite didn't really get going until around 11am, but for the next four hours, it was solid. I think we figured out the bugs they were eating when I threw an audible and went searching through the fly box. I can't tell you the name of the fly but I will tell you that it rhymes with paddis. Which one, you ask? For job security purposes, I can't say. But it was game on.As a reminder, avoid fishing clear spawning spots right now because the trout are definitely on the spawn. If you see gravel, don't cast. I saw a few pods of fish that were obviously spawning but if you happen to be new to the sport, do a little research on trout spawning and try and avoid targeting those fish.Also, wait until you see the mouth of Clear Creek. Wow. Huge change. Exciting. But wow. That's all I'll say.Anyway, the Sac should starting pick up with PMD's soon. We didn't see a lot of bugs, unfortunately. A handful of BWO's came off and a couple caddis, but mostly it was a guessing game. That should all change as the weather warms up.

The day started pretty cold on the Trinity, with the temperature hovering around 27 degrees. With the weather being so cold, things were slow to start, but John and I kept at it. Did I mention that John is 91 years old? NINTEY ONE! I hope I can cast, mend, hook set, and fight fish as well as he does when I'm in my 60's, not to mention my 90's.So while the first couple of hours were slow and the usual haunts where I get 'em didn't kick out any fish, we just kept casting, kept mending, and kept doing our best to put our flies in front of fish. Low and behold, around 10:30am, the mist finally burned off and the sun began poking out and we connected! In fact, we connected a handful of times throughout the day, landing a few adults and a few half pounders.The flows are back to low, low, low, but the color is still pretty nice. Our top flies were stonefly imitations and small BWO nymphs (size 16 and 18). The grabs were very subtle this day, so John's quick response was definitely the ticket. When the bobber would slightly tick, he'd be on it and we'd be connected. The largest adult was around 22 inches and the others were all around 20. Nothing huge in size, but the fish all fought well and any time you connect with a steelhead, you should be happy. Well done, John. Well done!

The Trinity river being a migratory steelhead river is met with a no expectations attitude while you step into a run or boat each morning. Today began the same as any others but after some great rainfall the water clarity was great and we set off with high hopes!! As the day went on and we had only came in contact with a few half pounders in the morning we were met with an amazing afternoon filled with many grabs and great fish! Golden stones, rubber legs, and beads of different sizes and colors worked the best for us today! Im quite flexible throughout February for trips on the lower sac and trinity, with the rivers refreshed from all the precipitation the north state has been receiving some great fishing lies ahead!!

Bill with a beautiful wild steelhead!

My uncle Bob and his cousin Dennis took a trip up from Los Molinos to come spend a couple days with me on the Trinity River. Our game plan with 2 days ahead of us was too fish in the junction city area our first day and the Douglas city area our second day. Both floats did not let us down withholding fresh winter run steelhead and even a few browns along the way. The weather has been great in the afternoons while still holding that steelhead fishing chill in the mornings as you push off the bank into the foggy river every morning. All in all these last few days have been nothing but a great time enjoying what the trinity has to offer from its stunning fish to the spectacular landscape that surrounds you.

Had the pleasure of spending two days with counsins, Chuck and Mark, on the Trinity. The water color is still FANTASTIC, but the flows have definitely dropped and we're back to working a bit harder than a few weeks ago. Our first day started out excellent. We hooked a number of smaller fish and one nice adult... all in the first couple of hours. The rest of the day, however, was no bueno. Temperature wise, it was cold. And by "cold" I do mean that our rod guides were freezing. The mist never really burned off completely and the afternoon or casting and casting set us up to fish hard the next day. And fish hard, we did! Day two was much better and we hooked a good deal of adults throughout the day, including Chuck's unicorn brown trout and Mark's 26+ inch wild hen. Guiding these two is ALWAYS a lot of fun and we definitely had a great time. Most of the fish were caught on stone flies or mayfly patterns. We got a few more weeks of really solid steelheading ahead of us, so make sure to get a day on the calendar!

Floated the Lower Yuba yesterday, and the river is looking good. The storms drastically changed certain runs and some of the normal routes have changed. Water was a nice tint of green with 3+ feet of visibility, sitting around 3200 cfs flows. We got into over a dozen trout and mostly caught them on big bugs and eggs. We found our first skwala adult of the season and hopefully this is a good sign for the skwala hatch in February. With the big water that came through there certainly is some steelhead that pushed up and we will be chasing and patterning them hard over the coming months. Flows are likely going to stay around 3k through next month so the walk and wade skwala game is going to be tough for most. Your best bet will be to fish it from a drift boat, ideally with someone who knows the river well. I have availability in February and would be happy to get you out there. 

The Trinity River is in absolutely perfect shape right now, emerald green water and brisk mornings make it scream winter steelhead. There is an abundance of fish in the system right now, lots of fresh fish right out of the ocean and Kelts making thier journey back to the salt. This is an amazing time to be on the water chasing steelhead with a two handed rod. With not alot of rain in the extended forecast, the next couple weeks will be your best opporotunity to tangle with a shiny trout. I have days available on the calendar and would love to get you out on the water, give us a call or book a trip online.  

A last minute afternoon trip out to the lower sac turned into a fun day of fishing under the sundial bridge when pmds started to hatch around 2pm. My friend Allie and cousin Shiloh both joined to take some shots at the wild trout the Lower Sac holds. Size 16 peaches and cream followed by other smaller pmd nymphs worked great for us to pick up quite a few great fish. If your looking to get some trout fishing in I'm available for trips!