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Good Delta report from Captain Bryce Tedford:Sept. 15.-Dec 15- Striper "Solid day on the water with Michael. Nothing was crazy good but Michael caught solid Topwater Largemouth/Smallmouth & Stripers on streamers so he pulled off the “Delta Slam”! Also, he hooked an absolute beast that bent out the hook, all around a solid day. Sept. should be more of the same, a chance to catch all 3 species. Still some open dates in latter Sept. if people want to get out; Sept.: 14, 20, 21, 22, 23, 26, 27, 28, 30Oct.: 21Nov.: 29, 30 Dec.: 1, 6, 7, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15General Season Outline:Feb. 15-June 1 Striper Jun. 1 - Sept 15- Lg/Smallmouth Bass 1/2 Day |
Good Brad lives in Missouri and was visiting his son who was working in Red Bluff. He found us thanks to Google and spent the day with me on the Lower Sac. Early morning was slow but the fish turned on mid-morning and we had a period of great fishing. We broke for a relaxing lunch and hit the water again. Uh, where did the fish go? We had a hard shutdown in the afternoon, almost like the fish disappeared! There was nothing obvious to turn them off, although there was zero bug activity in the stretch we were in. We scratched out another couple of beautiful fish and headed for the barn. Overall a fun day on a beautiful river, can't beat that. |
Great The Lower Sac continues to fish very well! The Harris family enjoyed a nice outing on the river today and managed to land some very large rainbow trout. Book a trip with a Confluence Outfitters guide soon to enjoy some excellent wild trout fishing in the Redding area!  Katie and Madison Harris with Madison's big fish  Mackenzie Harris with a great fish |
Good We have the following openings in our 2022 Lower Klamath River Spey Camps:Sep 9-12: 3 spotsOct 6-9: 1 spotContact Andrew Harris for more information about our Spey Camps! |
Great I took Dave and his son Chris out for a late afternoon float. Fishing was pretty good from the start but as the sun started to set the fish went absolutely bonkers. Too bad dusk only lasts for a short period! We quit when we couldn't really see the bobbers any more. Summer evenings can be a great time to fish on the Lower Sac.  Time to call it a night  Spiders and more spiders |
Great I had two really fun days working with the Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club’s Learn to Fly Fish program. The weather was HOT and so was the fishing. My guys hooked into quite a few fish both days and the upper section produced some really big fish! Fall is right around the corner, so now is the time to book your fishing trip with us! |
Good Here is a Delta fishing report by Captain Bryce Tedford:September is approaching and with that comes an interesting fishing period on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Kids are going back to school, summer is winding down & Fall is coming but not quite here yet. Fall is a great time for Stripers on the Delta but September is a good time for multiple Delta species on a fly rod!September on the Delta is an interesting time of year as Smallmouth, Largemouth & Stripers are all on the table. The biggest challenge is what to focus on & which species to hunt. These three Bass species generally require different tactics, areas & focus but this past week on the Delta we have found all 3 species & sometimes all 3 on the same day. My October & November for Stripers is all but filled up, if you are looking for a Fall date you need to book ASAP as there are a few dates left as I write this. That said, September is an very interesting crossover month where you can target all that the Delta has to offer. We can strip Clousers for Stripers & Largemouth looking for bait fish, we can throw large Topwater frogs & Topwater baitfish for Largemouth or we can fish light rods with sz 6 poppers & light jigs for eager Smallmouth. Frankly, we can do whatever you are into & just have fun chasing & catching fish. I have plenty of openings this September if you want to jump on the boat & see all that the Delta has to offer. Book your adventure soon through Confluence Outfitters & let’s go fishing! |
Red Hot Been on the Lower Sac a LOT lately. Morning... afternoon... evenings. Feel like I have a pretty good idea on when the trout are chomping and then you learn something new. Certain days have been really good in the morning and others it's better in the late afternoon or evening. Even the mid-day has had some outstanding moments. Hard to complain about the fishing though, especially when we've been getting into 'em. Depending on where you fish on the Lower Sac, the bug activity can be PMD's, BWO's, caddis, a few stoneflies here and there, or all of the above. I'm not an entomologist, so I'm not sure why one day there's a prolific hatch of one bug and the next day, with seemingly NO difference from the day before, either another bug or less bugs. Sunlight? Temperature? Mood? I don't know... but either way, the fish seem to go crazy when there are certain hatches at certain times.Anyway, our day started out with an immediate hook up and we could tell the fish was BIG. Into backing big. Finally, after a long fight, we put a 24 inch fish in the net. Wow. Stellar. But guess what? That wasn't the only one. I don't think we landed a fish under 18inches in length. Almost everything was on caddis or a mayfly, which is why I'm throwing both at all times. Saw a few guys swinging flies and hooking some monster trout. Wouldn't be a bad idea to get out and do some trout spey, especially with those dang caddis around. By now you are probably catching my drift about the caddis, ha ha! I got Wednesday and Thursday open this week, so if you wanna get out and chase some huge fish, now's the time.  One of the “smaller” ones.  24 inches! Way to go Cyril  ABSOLUTE HOG of a fish. |
Good Tom fishes with me a lot, generally in the fall during our infamous "egg bite." But he decided to come up and check out the Lower Sac during the late summer. I think he made the right decision! Some really beautiful quality fish and one really great fish story. Things started out slow with only a couple of grabs and then one decent 17inch fish. It wasn't huge but it sure was pretty. Later in our day, the fishing got much better and we hooked fish, lost fish, landed fish, and had a great time. But the highlight (and low) was when Tom hooked a 24+ inch fish that we fought for a very long time... only to be lost RIGHT at the net. Barbless hooks make for some heartache. Right when we were about the net the fish the hook just simply pulled out. We saw it... slow motion. Argh. Man this river is amazing. Beautiful weather... cool on the river... and bugs for dayzzzzzzz. Let's get after 'em!  Slab city!  First fish |
Okay Zach and his dad Jason jumped in the boat and we went out to chase some wild Northern California rainbow trout. While we've had some absolutely STELLAR days lately, some days are slow and this just happened to be one of those days. Zach hadn't really done much fly fishing, so we spent a bit of time learning the art of casting a huge bobber and multiple flies and I no time we were out there fishing. Zach's casting was great... his mending got better... and the hook setting... that was the challenge! Some days the fish seem to SMASH flies and other days it's like the grabs are a little softer. Zach kept after it though and after missing fish and hooking fish here and there, he finally, in the bottom of the 9th inning, set the hook, fought, and landed a trout donkey! Good job, Zach! I think he's hooked. His dad and I were pretty happy for him and his smile says everything.Take a kid fishing. You won't be sorry and I absolutely LOVE introducing them to the wonderful world of fly fishing.  Go Zach!!! |
Great I took Mr. Confluence Outfitters, Andrew, and his wife Katie for an evening float to try some flies out and test them for effectiveness and durability. I think it's safe to say that (1) they work and (2) they last. We got doubles, we got big fish, and we got to enjoy the end-of-summer weather that's a welcomed commodity here in Northern California.Anyway, here are the details. First, everyone knows Andrew can fish. If you've ever called Confluence you probably have talked to him and he's a fishing legend. He's seen it all... done it all... and a really great guide. That being said... KATIE IS A STICK! Katie was wrecking shop from the front of the boat. Casting? No problem. Mending? Pro. Hook sets? Stellar. Playing fish? Easy like Sunday morning... or evening in this case.The fish are healthy. The fish are strong. The fish are eating. I wanna say that most of our fish were on a caddis imitation... and maybe a couple of mayflies. While I think you're probably okay with a handful of caddis flies, there's definitely some that are better than others and I've noticed that size seems to depend on the particular hatch. I've been running anything from size 14 to size 18, depending on the caddis fly in question and the day. Size 14's hard to beat, but sometimes they seem to like the smaller things. Typical upper section of the Lower Sac.I think I'm gonna stick around here for awhile. Wanna get in on the fun? Let's go! Hit me up!  Doubles!  First fish was pretty decent  Such a tiny one |
Good Some days you have it figured out and other days the fish are laughing at you. The fish seemed a bit more grumpy than usual and I"m sure part of that is because there's been a lot of river activity. The good news is that everyone plays well together and we can all enjoy this amazing river. The bad news is that sometimes the fish don't get the memo about why we're here.We hooked some really big fish and they schooled us a bit. It's worth mentioning that you have to be on your A-game when you hook into some of our larger fish because they will rip off 50 feet of line and break you off faster than you can say, "I got one." Tiny flies... smallish tippet... and big fish can be a easy way to experience heartbreak.The good news is that if you keep at it like Jake and Keri did, you'll end up with a reward in your hands. Want to try your luck? Let's go!  First fish…  Big fish… |
Great Half day trip... afternoon... caddis everywhere... BWO's showed up too. The fishing on the Lower Sac is crazy lately. There's definitely peak times, but when a bunch of bugs start popping off, the trout seem more than willing to participate. We threw a lot of caddis and mayflies and caught a lot of 18+ inch fish. It was pretty hot, but that doesn't seem to bother the trout since the water is FREEZING COLD! I only know it's cold because I decided to take a quick dip to cool off and decided it was much colder than anticipated! It's going to just get better and better as we head into October. It's time to book a trip or two. |
Okay Andreas and I jumped over to explore the Trinity and swing some flies for steelhead. Let me just say that the river looks AWESOME and was running around 1,000 cfs. I don’t think one could ask for a better looking river right now. There wasn’t much smoke from those fires that have been burning either, so that was a welcome sight. We caught some half pounders on a variety of flies and one small and skinny adult that looked like it needed to eat some bugs to bulk up for the fall. The fish are definitely moving around and it would be a great time to book a trip on the Trinity. |
Red Hot
The August 1st opener of the top section of the Lower Sacramento River fished about as good as it could. Despite there being a massive hatch of drift boats, the fishing was INCREDIBLE. All of the fish were healthy and munching on bugs all. day. long. Multiple doubles, monster fish, and STRONG fights marked the day. The average size fish was about 20 inches and we put four fish in the net that were over 24 inches. Yes, we taped them. But what was REALLY impressive was just how thick those fish were.The fish were grabby with just about every bug we threw their way, though we saw a LOT more activity throwing certain types of flies, which I'd be happy to share with you if you book a trip (ha ha). But seriously... mayflies... caddis... egg imitations... and some of those fancy little euro-dork flies too. For the most part, everything was working to some degree... although we did NOT get a fish on a rubber legs, which seemed blasphemous. But we didn't spend a lot of time with one on, so I wouldn't ignore the good 'ole steak fly. Speaking of which... I don't understand why our Lower Sac trout won't eat flesh flies. I've tried them on occasion and just haven't seemed to find any willing participants.I imagine the fishing up at the Sundial Bridge is going to slow down a bit and go from "red hot" to "great" and "good," so you'd be wise to book a trip, ha ha! I have August 8-9, 11-12, 15-18, and 29-31 open this month. If you want to get into some HUGE wild rainbow trout under the scenic Sundial Bridge, let's go! I don't think you'll be sorry.
 Trout Troll  Trout Troll  Trout Troll  Trout Troll  Trout Troll |
Good Nope, Dorthy, we’re not in Northern California anymore. My buddy Jason and I jumped in my truck and pulled my ‘ole Clacka to southwestern Montana. Our home base was the little town of Dillon and we fished a number of rivers, including the Beaverhead, the Yellowstone (below Livingston), and the Big Hole. The fishing was average, but the good news was that I got to catch some brownies, so I was happy. We were also able to connect with Confluence guide Mike Wright and I got to witness first hand him throwing a big hopper against a bank and a beautiful cutty smash it! One may be tempted to point out that I rowed him into that fish, but I’ll leave that for when we’re all sitting around a campfire again. Montana is great, but every year I head over there I’m reminded that I live in one of the best locations in the lower 48 as a trout bum. In addition to the Mighty Lower Sacramento River, I’ve got the Trinity, the Upper Sac, the Pitt, the McCloud, and recently have experienced Fall River. Rainbows for days and most of them are big. I think fishing with buddies is one of my favorite things to do because you get to learn new things from them, talk a lot of smack, and experience some incredible scenery. Book a trip today… let’s go catch some fish! |
Good Great day on the Fall! Wayne and Benson spent a great day throwing dry flies to some great fish! We were able to throw a variety of bugs until way into the afternoon. The guys did a super of job of making great presentations and having the patience to challenge these smart fish. We boated a number of fish and got our hearts broken a few times too. So fun putting 20" inch trout in the net with nothing but a dry fly! Great day!  Benson starting the day off right!  Wayne doing great work on some risers!  20”chowing on a #18! |
Good Had a a great day today with Chris who was a first timer and Seth who is from Georgia and never fished from a drift boat or caught wild rainbows. They were both impressed with the power and beauty of the trout they caught. We were also stoked to catch a small lost clip fin steelhead in July. The last 2 weeks we have been catching fish primarily on hoppers and nymphing. The flows are up for Ag purposes with plenty of water getting pushed down the river, it is a nice change of pace compared to how low and clear it often is nowadays. If you want to fish hoppers from a drift boat with only a 2 hour drive from the bay area, now or August is the ideal time. |
Good I had two really fun days on the lower Sac with my guests Liz and Brian, and then Zach, and his son Mateo. The grab was pretty consistent throughout the day with most of our fish coming on mayfly nymphs, caddis pupas, and rubberlegs. The temps are pretty hot, but it’s still comfortable while we’re on the water. I would sum it up as – hot, but fishy! |
Great A group of anglers came up from the Golden Gate Angling & Casting Club to jump in some Confluence boats and chase some rainbow trout! My guys were both “newish” to fly fishing but I think were sandbagging me a little bit because both could cast and mend just fine! Of course, the Lower Sac is a big tailwater and it can be pretty forgiving. So much so that though we lost the first eight fish we hooked, we managed to still put some REALLY nice fish in the net, and plenty of them too! The bugs still continue to be caddis and mayflies and every once in awhile I’ll throw some attractor type of patterns to do some exploratory fishing, ha ha! I’ve also been fishing hard and changing depths throughout the runs I’m in, going anywhere from a standard 7 foot drop to, *gasp*, a 10 foot drop! “Lift those arms up so we can put this fish in the net” becomes the rally cry when using the long drop. It seems crazy but it has been working well at certain spots. It’s a huge honor to have dudes from the GGACC with us because that club has been a great resource for people looking to get into fly fishing down in the Bay Area. And the Lower Sac is a great place for those people to get out, learn some things, and catch some stellar trout! |
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