Current Fishing Report

I had a great time today with my guest Gary. He is recently retired and has become obsessed with steelhead, like most of us. Gary’s desire to chase unicorns has led him to spend a lot of time on the water this season, but without much success. Well, his luck changed today! Gary had a new switch rod and wanted to learn how to swing flies, so that was our focus. He was quick to learn the basics of casting and was rewarded with a solid grab on the swing. He nymphed between runs and hooked into two very large adults that managed to come unpinned after some epic battles. The stars aligned for Gary and the third time was the charm, as the beautiful wild steelhead came to net!  

Gary with a well deserved steelhead

My favorite time to fish the Upper Sacramento River is in the winter. There's something about walking up and down the river looking for big fish that excites me. The theory is that there are fish from Lake Shasta that make their way up river for a little vacation, but who knows. The largest fish I've caught up there was taped at 26 inches and I've seen a few 24 inch fish too. My point? It's a thing. So I was excited to make my way to the Upper Sac for a little exploratory trip, specifically to use my Redington 4 wt. switch rod. Using a switch rod up there isn't necessary by any means, but it was nice to do a simple roll cast with indicators and then to be able to take the bobber off and throw some streamers. Well the river was as beautiful as ever and the floats were a tad over 700cfs. Once the river gets over 1,000cfs, there seems to be larger fish in the river, so that's usually my que. This trip didn't produce any fish over 18 inches, but I caught a handful of fish between 15 and 17 inches on tiny may fly nymphs. I also had one monster grab on the swing, but didn't connect. This week I'll be mostly on the Lower Sac, but for those of you who like the adventure of walking and wading and exploring, the Upper Sac is a great option! Not only are there nymphing and streamer options, hopper-dropper methods work great too!

A handful of trout.

Miles of beautiful water!

Beautiful spots.

Our guest Lanny forwarded this photo from today's Eagle Canyon trip.  Nice double hookup!  Lanny says it was "a great day of fishing"!

Lanny and Ken with a big double

Some weather arrived late this week and moved some fresh winter fish into the Trinity River. I guided the last three days and found fish each day. Wster was high with a little color Rubber legs,golden stones, and egg patterns all produced bites and fish. Reports throughout the fleet were good this weekend. In the bigger water in the JC area better anglers excelled. The upper river has quite a few fish also with a mix of new fish and some down runners on there way back to ocean. The push of fish and more rain in forecast shoul put fishing conditions in good shape for the coming weeks in February and March. Hopefully with a bit of warmer weather we may have some dry flies opportunities on the upper floats. We have the availability to get you out on the river. This time of year we can do combo trips to between the Trinity and Lower Sac on multi day bookings. Book a date and come out and play! Don't miss out!

Guest report from Jeff who fished Eagle Canyon today: "My son and I had a great trip, caught mostly stripping 2 woolly buggers or woolly followed by a nymph"

Today was just amazing for my guests Geoff and Tom. After a tough day on the Trinity, we decided to fish the Sac and it was a great decision! The grab was spotty until about 11:00, then it really turned on and stayed consistent throughout the afternoon. The caddis hatch was nothing like I experienced on Wednesday, but there were some around with very few fish feeding on the surface. By the end of the day, Geoff and Tom both landed quite a few very nice fish. This was their first time fishing the Sac, but I’m pretty sure it won’t be their last. 

Geoff with a very nice fish

Tom with a nice one

These cookie cutters were in the net all day

Geoff with another nice fish

It was a cold and wet day on the Trinity for my guests Geoff and his father Tom. The fishing remains tough due to the lack of fish in the system and as a result, the fishing pressure is pretty light. Geoff had one solid grab and also landed a 15” brown trout that put up a pretty good fight. This time of year you can expect a mix of new fish and downers.

I enjoyed a beautiful winter day on the Sac with my guest Steve. Sunny and 69 degrees in February! The grab was slow to start but picked up by mid-late morning and stayed pretty consistent until 4:00. Around noon, we got to experience an insane caddis hatch that lasted most the afternoon. There were some fish feeding on the surface, but that’s when the nymph grab really turned on. Steve landed several feisty fish in the 14” – 16” range and one chunky 18” fish. Caddis pupas and mayfly nymphs were the hot ticket. The fishing is going to continue to improve and spring is right around the corner – it’s time to start thinking about booking your spring fishing trip!

The North State got a push of rain recently and every steelheader got excited and started making plans for trips. We floated last week on a section of the river that gave us plenty of water to swing flies on as well as great runs to use the good 'ole bobbers on. We started off hooking three fish in the first fifteen minutes of the day -- two half-pounders and one adult. The adult escaped without seeing the bottom of the net, but we were really happy about the quick action! By the end of the day we had landed a few half-pounders and lost another larger adult fish. The fish we hooked were all in faster riffles or in the shadows and the fly selection was spread across the spectrum, leaving me to think it was less about a specific bug and more about putting something in front of a fish. The Trinity is a really beautiful river and there ARE fish in the system, so I'd recommend booking a trip before the season ends! I have days available there or on the Lower Sac in the next couple of weeks, so hit us up and get a date on the books! I'm hitting the Lower Sac next, so I'll keep you posted soon!

Lunch time!

 Here is a report from the group that fished Eagle Canyon today: "On our annual return trip to the Eagle Canyon, we had another  great time chasing those huge rainbows that populate the two lakes. The  best bite took place from the time we arrived at 8:30 am to around 11:00  am. Both lakes were producing. The fish were taking leech patterns in  black or purple (size 6-10) and copper johns in sizes 10- 14 stripped in  slowly behind an intermediate line. The bite slowed down during midday  (perfect for our lunch break) but then picked up again in the evening.  Dark leech patterns and hares ear nymphs were the ticket during the  early evening bite. The fish caught yesterday ranged from 5-12 pounds  with several in the 7-9 pounds range. They were very fresh and put up a  very good battle when hooked. We look forward to another return  trip to Eagle Canyon in the future."

Will with a beefy rainbow that took a dark purple leech pattern.

Dan with a nice rainbow caught with a purple wooly bugger.

Mason with a hard fighting rainbow caught on a #10 rubber legs copper john.

Rain snow and wind hit the Trinity this week. Snow on the ground and cool temps are testing anglers . There is another storm system approaching that could bring rain instead of snow. This would give the river a good flow bump as rain would cause snow melt and increase flows. I think this will set us up for good fishing in February and March. In my experience the low water years fish well later in season. I hope to be back on the river later this week. There have been some nice steelhead being caught both swinging and nymphing lately. February and March can also offer chance to get steelhead on dry flies. Hatches of March Browns, BWOs, Callibaetis and Skwallas on warmer days to bring fish to surface. Time to carry a dry rod in the boat so you are ready if the opportunity presents itself.The weather shoul reset the Trinity for some good fishing ahead and much needed Covid relief. One thin for sure is you cant catch steelhead from the couch. Time to book a trip and come put for some winter steelhead action.Come out and play!Peter Santley

If every winter steelhead season was a play of three acts then this next storm is the final scene of the first act. The past 10 days saw every system fall into shape after a big push of rain brought all of our rivers up to their highest peaks of the season so far. As the rivers dropped and turned green many of us who wait in eager anticipation for the chance to shake hands with a winter fish found ourselves traveling north to the rivers of the coast. My first handful of guide days were spent in the upper reaches of the river, hoping to find a fish or two up high. Angling pressure was high, as is to be expected early on in the season and especially during the first stages of a dropping and clearing river. The first four days on the water proved to be tough fishing. That is almost always true for us folks swinging flies, but I got the feeling from talking with other boats that fishing was just as tough for them as it had been for us. Simply put, there just were'nt that many fish around. It wasn't until the lower end dropped into shape that we saw our fortunes shift. I fished with husband and wife duo Jim and Vivian midweek on an abnormally pleasant and sunny day for January on the coast. Just before 9am Jim hooked into a good fish in the first run of the day. We landed her by the skin of our teeth and were all three of us excited to see what turned out to be a truely impressive specimen. Swinging flies for a winter fish is a game of long odds, mostly you end up with nothing to show for your efforts, but sometimes you shake hands with something that will stay with you for a lifetime. The fishing continued to be productive heading into the end of the week. I was lucky enough to have a few more considerably good days on the water with one time Confluence guide Tyler and his longtime friend Steve. On the last day we fished together they tied each other with each a fish landed and each a fish lost. All said and done, it was a whirlwind of days spent searching for something that is exceedingly hard to find, but once found is always worth the effort. Thanks to everyone who came out to fish with me. It was a pleasure being on the water with you all. Looking ahead into the month of Febuary we are set to see another massive rise for all of our local rivers. Right now as I type away the coast is being lashed with heavy winds as another big storm moves off of the Pacific. If last season is an indicator for what is instore for the second act then we should see a major improvement in fishing as we head into this next month. Lets all keep our fingers crossed for good river conditions after this next round of storms has passed. Stay tuned for more. 

Colin swinging the green ditch

Jim with his prize doe

Sometimes the clients let me pretend I swung up their fish

Tyler with a early morning hen

Tyler on the board early for day two

There are some fish to be caught on the Trinity River now.  I fished the Junction City area with guests Dan and Pete today.  We had a slow morning but started connecting with fish around 11am.  We started with a trout-sized half-pounder that would have been a nice fish on the Lower Sac.  Then we got into some wild adult steelhead in the 2-3 pound range.  These smaller wild fish are common in January on the Trinity.  At the end of the day we connected with a real quality fish in the 6-8 pound range.  There is virtually no fishing pressure on the river right now.  We saw one boat and one bank angler today.  That will change next week as we are about to get a serious winter storm.  The forecast is currently calling for lots of snow in Weaverville, but that could easily turn to rain.  The river needs a bump in flows and this storm is much anticipated.  The storm will also blow out the coastal rivers and that will bring more fishing pressure back to the Trinity.

My guest Don is new to trout spey and was hoping to improve his casting skills and learn more about this new method of trout fishing – with no expectation of hooking any fish. Simply put, we had an amazing day! This time of year, we’re at minimum flows, so that opens up more water and makes the wading easier.  On top of that, it’s mid-January and our daytime high was in the mid-70’s. The stars were perfectly aligned for Don as he got a ton of grabs and landed a whole bunch of hatchery steelhead in the 10” – 13” range. I’m sure there was a release from the hatchery and the smolts were out-migrating, but it made for a super fun day!

I just had next Wednesday, 1/20, open up next week for anyone looking to venture North for a day of hucking wiggly bugs for winter steelhead. River conditions should be in top form after the big rise currently taking place on all of our North Coast rivers. Coupled with some of the highest tides of the winter steelhead season taking place over the last few days I'd say stars are aligning to usher in a fresh batch of dime bright metal heads into all of our local systems here in Northern California. If you've been jonzing for the pull next week is looking like a good one.  I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy out there. Here's to bent rods and screaming reels coming soon to a river near you!   

A few squids for the prince of tides

Matching the hatch on the Pacific Coast

Here is a guest report from Dave who fished Eagle Canyon today:Bite was good  with a little help from the wind but got tougher in calm periods.  Changing tactics throughout the day was key to staying in the zone. This  year has been great for fish over 10 pounds. ECL, one of a kind  fishery!!"" 

Dave on the lower pond

Nice fish Scot!

I had a really fun time with my regular guests Chip and Matt from Red Bluff. The recent rains provided a much-needed flow bump, but the water is still gin clear. The fishing remains tough, but good. Chip struck chrome first with a bright hatchery “tweener” and then a feisty half-pounder a few minutes later. Matt hooked into a small adult that fought well above its weight class and helped cap off a great day! We have rain forecast for Tuesday, so hopefully that will add some color – and some more fish! 

Matt with a small adult hatchery steelhead

Fishing was pretty good at Eagle Canyon today.  I left early, but father/son duo Patrick and Sean had already hooked 2-3 fish each and landed some nice ones.  Action was best on copper johns, pheasant tails, and princes all in a size 14.  These were suspended about 18" below an indicator.  Open dates are vanishing quickly - get in touch soon to reserve your spot!

Sean's first fish of the day

Here is a guest report from Rocky who fished Eagle Canyon today:The morning was incredible. Beautiful  weather and steady takes from the time we started until around 1pm as long as we kept changing flies. No standout fly with the exception of  maybe red and orange Squirmy Wormies and bead head princes. Had a lull  mid-day, just in time to kick back and have a great lunch while viewing  Mt. Lassen. Quite a few really BIG fish! Fishing picked up a bit late afternoon and shut down just in time for us to sit and view the amazing sunset. Can't think of a better way to welcome in the New Year!""

Rocky with a big one

Nice Fish!

Sunset at Eagle Canyon

It seems like it’s been forever since I’ve guided the Trinity, so it felt really good to be back on this holy water and it was a great day for my guests Steve and Scott. Our day started cold and it never really warmed up – so be ready for winter steelheading. I can tell you they instantly warmed up as soon as their lines went tight, and the water erupted! Scott hooked up first and his fish had several good runs before coming to net.  Steve hooked up a short time later and was rewarded with a really nice hatchery fish. The forecast is calling for some extended rain, so hopefully that will bump the flows, add some color to the river and bring a new push of fish! This crazy pandemic has had an effect on all of us in many different ways. Due to the uncertainty of the times, many of our guests have been reluctant to book their fall/winter steelhead trips. The Northern California Region is not as restrictive as the rest of the State, meaning restaurants and hotels are open and very much welcoming guests. I have been following all the necessary health and safety protocols, so if you’re ready to go fishing – let’s do it! 

Scott with a nice native steelhead

Steve with a good looking hatchery steelhead