Current Fishing Report

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!

Steelheading on the Trinity has been Solid ! The Trin got off to a bit of a slow start in October but has been fishing very well since early November. The Trinity is currently on the rise and most likely will blow out for a day or two, we'll see ?I have dates available in Late December as well as January and February for both Swing/Spey trips as well as Side Drift trips with Indicators, feel free to hit me up with any questions you may have about available dates as well as general questions about Guided trips on the Trinity.Tight Lines and Merry Christmas !Randy T Hamann 

another Nice One !

Nice One

I fished the Trinity today with fellow guide Randy Hamann.  It was a beautiful day on the river despite heavy rain in the morning.  The fall colors are amazing right now and the steelhead are grabby!  The river was up a little due to the rain.  We hooked quite a few smaller steelhead in the 2-3 pound range and finished strong with a much larger fish.  Our fish were all holding in the fast water and were great fighters.  Come on up and get your steelhead fix!  The good fishing will continue through December, January, February, and beyond!

Andrew Harris with a great Trinity River steelhead.

Captain Bryce Tedford said he had a decent day with Ricardo & Brian, managing about 15 fish to the boat up to 5 pounds.  The weather was excellent, the wind stayed down & fun was had.

The entire crew's been on the water chasing gorgeous rainbows and bright chrome steel. The weather's largely cooperated and so have the fish. We've been on 5 different rivers guiding, kids, adults, seniors and families because fall's just a great time to be on the water. 

Trick or Treat!  We have a nice storm heading our way tomorrow that is forecast to bring about 3/4 of an inch of rain in the Weaverville area.  That should be enough to saturate the ground and give us a small bump in stream flows.  The steelhead usually respond well to any change in flows this time of year by moving around.  Any time these fish are on the move and settling into a new spot, they are a lot easier to catch!  Check guide availability and book a trip this coming week if you can get away!

This Trinity steelhead ate a fly on the swing

The entire Confluence team has been on the water; Lower Sac, Upper Sac, Hat Creek, Trinity, Yuba, Feather and even Baum Lake. The weather's been comfortable and the fish have been cooperative. The mountains will see October caddis starting to pop, so look for the McCloud, Hat Creek and the Upper Sac to offer some fall dry fly action soon. The Lower Sac should fish well for at least the next two months and steelhead action is already picking up on the Feather, Trinity and Yuba. Take your pick, it's all a good choice. GUIDE TIP: Step number one for every cast is to load the rod with energy. If you don't, it's like an empty gun, click but no bang!  Load your rod first and then make your cast. Anything else, doesn't work and usually leads to a frustrated angler. 

A gorgeous day and a nice Lower Sac rainbow

A gorgeous day, on the beautiful Trinity river. Thousands of dragonflies gave an impressive aerial display above water, while the fish more than held their own below the surface. A day of 1/2 pounders can be fast action fun, especially when a few adults and a brown are thrown into the mix. Book any of our Trinity guides for the coming months, when the fishing turns on and the adults takeover the show. 

1/2 pounders are a fun warmup to what's ahead.

Well it's been awhile since I wrote a river report, so here's a quick update. First, the flows are still BIG but the river's been slowly creeping down. I think we're just around 11,600cfs. The fishing has been all over the map, from really tough to really good. When it's good, it's GREAT. When it's tough, you just got to work hard and be creative and hope things line up. The last two weeks have been more consistent and better, so it's starting to feel a bit more connsistent. The mornings have had some pretty big midge and small mayfly hatches. The afternoons and evenings may or may not have some caddis. Today was pretty consistent until around 1:30pm... then it slowed down. However, Chuck hooked all of the BIGGER fish in the last hour and a half, so I guess it was still successful. And actually... he landed 87.5% of his fish today, ha ha! Yes... we kept track in order to compare it to the previous day... which we wan't talk about :) Anyway, the weather is starting to cool down and the fishing is improving. I've got a bit of September dates available, in October, and then the steelhead season on the Trinity takes over. Give us a call at Confluence if you wanna get out! We've got plenty of guides to get you out for a fun day! NOTHING

I just got back from a busman's holiday on Fall River.  I fished with fellow guides Randy Hamann, Luke Geraty and Mike Wright.  Fishing is good throughout the day with occasional periods of greatness if you're in the right place at the right time!  The predominant hatch was PMD mayflies, both spinners and duns.  The spinners are creamy white and the duns were a pale olive color.  We had good dry fly opportunities from 9-11am, good streamer fishing throughout the day, and pretty good nymph fishing from lunch through the end of the day.  Callibaetis mayflies should start hatching in good numbers soon.  My favorite time on Fall River is August and September - there is plenty of time to book a trip still this season!

Andrew with a Fall River rainbow