Current Fishing Report

Kevin Kay and I took our wives out for an afternoon float to do a little recon. Truth be told, my secret goal was to have Kevin teach my wife how to cast a fly rod because the last time I tried to do that, I think we almost ended our marriage (husbands are generally NOT recommended to teach their wives, ha ha!). We had a great time, hooked some fish, lost some fish, and landed some fish. The flows are around 7,300cfs and though the river has a bit more traffic due to the opportunity for larger fish right now, there's still plenty of water and lots off fish to chase. The prime time egg bite is just around the corner, so you need to book a trip with Confluence today. I'd love to take you and your special someone, son or daughter, or friend out and all of our Confluence guides specialize in teaching people how to fly fish! The majority of the fish we hooked yesterday were hooked on rubber legs, eggs, or on small top-secret flies :) Hit me up and let's get on the water... now's the time for the fish of a lifetime! 

Dawn's cute little trout that she named Charlie

Kevin got a hog that jumped and pulled hard

Clearly my fish is the biggest

Dawn hooked up with a number of quality fish!

A friend once said “It started out slow, then tapered off”. The grab never really got going today for Vincent and Beth, who came up to celebrate his 50th birthday and her introduction to drift boat fly fishing. Beth was a quick study and did a great job learning the necessary skills. The bite was pretty sporadic throughout the day but Beth was rewarded with some beautiful wild trout for her efforts. Vincent hooked a real pig of a fish which we saw numerous times during the fight but with one final splash he was gone. The weather is finally cooling off a bit and we look forward to a great fall season of fishing so book a trip and let’s get out there!

Beth was a quick learner.

Nice one Beth!

A big splash and gone, Extendo-Net notwithstanding.

I just spent the last two days with client David on the Lower Sac. Weather was nice and air quality pretty good. Our first fish of the trip was aprox 22 in Rainbow that put up quite a battle. We had a slight change in weather and fish were not eating well.We caught fish on various may Fly and caddis patterns. David did take advantage of his opportunities and landed the fish he hooked. It looks like a pre egg bite lull with OPfish being picky. When fish are in this mood good drifts are a must. We enjoyed our two days on the river. As fall is now upon us I am looking forward to it.It's been a tough year come on out and treat yourself to a day or two on the river. I will be starting my Trinity Steelhead season later next week.Come out and play we have the guides to put you on fish. Hope to see you soon.Good fishing,Peter

You can now place a bid on our Opening Day eBay Auction! The winning bidder can bring a group of up to 8 anglers on Saturday, November 21st, 2020. Opening Day is usually the best day of the year since the fish have been rested for well over six months! Bidding starts at $1,360, our standard fully-guided rate for a group of 8 anglers. The auction ends at 3pm on Sunday September 20th.

Henry David Thoreau said, "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it is not fish they are after." While I can't deny the philosophical truth to those words, sometimes when you go fishing, you DEFINITELY want to catch some fish! Steve and his son, Alex, came up for a couple of days to fish the North State and the Lower Sac did NOT disappoint. We did a super long float and fished hard from start to end. This was both of their first times fly fishing, so we spent some time learning how to cast and mend the line and then got started. The smoke was pretty bad but we've all decided it's "manageable," especially since the fishing has been so good. We started the morning using the typical midge stuff and as the day progressed saw a few caddis and PMD's, so we put the appropriate patterns on (Peaches 'N Cream, etc.). The grabs were pretty steady throughout the day, though definitely the "hot" peak was from about 12:30 until 3. Steve (Dad) hooked a monster as a bunch of rafters were passing by and the fish gave up three nice jumps before breaking off. Heavy fish on 4X tippet make landing pretty challenging sometimes, especially when those fish decide to take off right when you start reeling (or so we learned). Alex also hooked a couple of big boys and one in particular destroyed us by swimming into a log jam before we could even begin to THINK about trying to turn it. Such is the life of fishing! But after we hooked some good fish on the rubber legs, Alex asked a really good question. "Luke... can we put TWO rubber legs on?" Why yes, Alex... we can. Annnnnnndddddddd that's when the fishing continued but the catching stopped. Total river shut down by about 4pm. But we put a good amount of fish in the net and lost some big ones and all in all it was a smashing success. In regard to the river, the flow is coming down and is still pretty clear. Lots of Saturday traffic and I'm sure that'll only increase as we get closer to "hero season" (aka, egg bite). You mine as well book a day and not miss out because memories are being made and big fish are showing up in force. Bring your "A" game and a good attitude and you'll have a great time!

A thick Sac River 'Bow.

These fish are hard not to love!

Chomping on nymphs!

Steve was a great dad and took the back of the boat all day but still put fish in the net!

I spent a fun day today on the Trinity River with fellow Confluence Outfitters guides Brian Kohlman and  Drew Griffith.  The air was smoky due to numerous fires in the area, but overall tolerable during the day.  River access was also an issue as all 18 National Forests in California have been closed due to severe fire danger.  The gate at Pigeon Point is locked.  Pretty much any roadside day use area, river access, or campground is closed.  If it can't be gated then it has traffic cones and flagging tape blocking it off.  The fish seemed oblivious to all of these problems, though.  We hooked numerous half-pounders, most in the 12-16" range, and then finished the day with a nice adult steelhead.  We hooked fish on skated dries, traditional wet flies, and small tube flies.Stay tuned for more info on the smoky conditions.  We have guides out on the water today in Redding.  The air quality in Red Bluff and Redding is somewhat  better today compared to yesterday.  It's pretty much at the limit of being tolerable, in my estimation.Flows on the Trinity are ramping up to 1200cfs for a few days.  The idea is to send more high-quality (cool) water down to the Lower Klamath River to improve water quality down there.  Some people say this pulse of water brings more fish into the Trinity.  Other folks say that it makes the water quality better in the Klamath, so the fish stay put in the Klamath instead of coming up the Trinity.  The truth is probably somewhere in between.  We have always considered September 15th to be the beginning of the season on the Trinity, when fishable numbers of adult steelhead are present.  Our early-season trips are usually spey-only trips on the middle and lower sections of the river, although we have had banner days nymphing the Junction City area as early as September 20th.   The bottom line is that there are adult fish around, you can catch them on nymph/indicator techniques and with spey rods, and you won't catch any if you stay at home!  We have expert nymph/indicator guides on our staff and several of the best spey specialists in Northern California on our staff, too.  No matter how you like to get 'em, we can help make it happen!

Drew Griffith swinging a muddler through a nice run

Andrew's first Trinity steelhead of the year

Steelhead are cool.

Brian Kohlman with a hard-fighting half-pounder

I swung flies on the Sac today for a few hours. I’m looking to purchase a new trout spey rod, so I am trying out a couple different R.B. Meiser rods. I parked in one run and fished it for 2-3 hours while casting the rods with different Skagit and Scandi heads. I hooked five fish, landing one in the 16’-17’ range. I had a larger fish break me off, and had a couple missed grabs. My focus was more on getting out and casting the rods, but it turns out the fishing was pretty darn great. Now is the time to book your fall Trout Spey trips!

It's quite hard to land a fish and take a picture while keeping it wet!

Yesterday I spent time with Daniel and Sarah on the Lower Sac and we had a really good day. These two were brand new to fly fishing, yet really excited to get out and learn how to cast and see if fly fishing was something they'd want to spend more time doing. I think it's safe to say that they will both be picking up fly rods and will be back on the river soon. We floated a lower section of the river and spent the first hour going over casting, mending, flies, and a bunch of other things that many of us take for granted. After we got going, the fishing started off slow with only a few grabs here and there but just after lunch, when the smoke haze cleared and the sun started shinning, the fishing turned on. We caught fish on a variety of flies (caddis!) and had fun the whole time. These two picked fly fishing up quick and after the float was over, we had caught fish, lost fish, joked around a lot about the proper way to yell at someone about mending, and talked a lot about what future fly fishing trips could look like. If you are brand new to fly fishing or haven't ever had a chance to go, I'd love to invite you to come up for a day or two! We have a lot of river miles to fish, both in a boat or walk & wade, so whatever you're interested in doing, we can probably help! Get out and fish!

Daniel fished from the back of the boat and picked up casting quick!

Sarah was fun to watch as she excitedly stripped in her fish!

Beautiful fish and beautiful water make these days really enjoyable!

I took my wife Cathi out on the river for lunch and a little fishing. We had sandwiches but the fish were eating caddis. In a short time Cathi had multiple hookups and landed some beautiful wild trout. Grab your wife, girlfriend, or significant other and book a trip with us. The Lower Sac is a very user-friendly place to learn how to fly fish. It’s a great father/son or father/daughter experience also.

Summer and Miles recently took up fly fishing and wanted to try the Lower Sac drift-boat style. Being Labor Day weekend we decided to mix up our drifts a bit in an attempt to avoid the flotillas of tubers, rafters, kayakers, and guys from Waterworld on beat-up Jet-skis with open exhausts. We were mostly successful! In the morning we did a section of river that provides long drifts where learning the special techniques comes a bit easier. They were both willing and able students and were casting, mending, and hooking fish in no time. In the afternoon we moved to a section of river with more complex currents, which they handled like pros. Fish were hooked, landed, and lost so overall a typical day of fishing!

Fish on.

Happy Couple!

Can’t beat the wild trout on the Lower Sac.

Although it’s still really hot up here, the “dog days” of summer appear to be over at least as far as fishing is concerned. We’ve had some great days on the river recently with lots of beautiful wild rainbows finding the net. Flows are dropping and fishing will continue to improve so now’s the time to book a trip or two!

Summer made her way up to the Sacramento River and she definitely brought her "A" game. After missing two fish early in the day, she shook it off and then began pillaging big fish. We boated a 22+ inch certified #troutpig along with a handful of 18+ inch toads. The fishing AND the catching was really good today, which brings me to an important observation. If you take you drift serious and take the time to mend well, you'll get your flies in front of more fish... and if the stars line up you just might put some big fish in the net. Fishing is obviously a bit of luck, but Summer demonstrated that all off her casting practice and fishing experience was worth it! The highlight was definitely Summer's 22+inch fish taking her into her backing and us chasing the fish down river and finally getting it in the net! Epic!!Flow wise, the river is coming down and I think it was around 8,000cfs today. I think I saw one caddis all day but despite the lack of bugs fluttering around, the fish were all caught on rubber legs, caddis, and some tiny top-secret micro-sized flies, ha ha! The river is super clear and fish seem to be in riffles, deep runs, and lots of in-between locations. Changing up your depth isn't a bad idea, especially with the dropping river and wading is definitely more of an option. That will only continue to develop as the flows keep coming down. The egg bite is just around the corner but truth be told, the fishing is great, so why wait? Book a trip today because I'd love to take you out. Whether it's your first time on the river or you've been out a lot, let's get on the water!

I just spent a highly productive morning session on the Lower Sac with Confluence Outfitters guide Kevin Kay.  I can't remember the last time I hooked so many fish in 3 hours!  The size of fish was impressive, with many in the 18-20" range.  Get in touch with Kevin or check his schedule online to book a trip!

This one ate a secret fly pattern

Kevin hooked up

We just had a cancellation for this weekend.  Art Teter is now available this Saturday, August 29th.  Please let us know if you'd like to jump on this open date!  This is a great opportunity to fish one of California's best rivers with a truly experienced guide! 

In the last few days the hopper fishing has peaked on the Lower Yuba in my opinon. These photos are all client fish caught on hoppers from recent trips this month. I have had three trips cancel in the next week because of fears of smoke. The smoke is not that bad on the Lower Yuba, I have had clients over the age of 70 in the last few days and they have been fine. At times the sky is blue and you can see the sun, other times the sky is hazy which acts like cloud cover and turns up the bite. Additionally I have recently secured private access water to float both a little bit above highway 20 and then all the way down to Daguerre Dam, which has some prime hopper water.

Luke and I hosted a great group of guys who came to sample the fishing on the Lower Sacramento. First we did an evening drift from 4 until dark. Fish were hooked, landed, lost, and broken off, all in preparation for the second day, which was an all-day float. In between giving each other a hard time these guys hooked and landed some great fish. We played musical drift boats so by the end of the second day everybody had fished with everybody else. These are great buddy trips, no experience necessary, so grab your friends and book a trip or two!

All smiles for Mike!

Alan with a nice wild ‘bow

Alan with a bigger one!

Hooked up

Luke and crew

Fish

and more fish

Ready to go

Nice one!

Last week I made a day out of scouting some runs on the Trinity River. After spending three consecutive summers in Alaska, I've missed out on the early part of the summer steelhead run back home on the North Coast. While I'm not sure how much I've missed setting my alarm clock to 4:00AM in hopes of being on the water as early in the morning as possible, I've sorely missed being able to swing a fly through some of my favorite water during the dog days of late summer. I was able to make it up the winding 299 from the coast before the sun had broken over the ridgeline, but was dissapointed to find a valley devoid of any morning fog. Also a surprise was to see the Willow Creek Valley smoke free on the morning I went up. There are two major fires burning in the hills between the Hoopa Valley and the Salmon River drainage; the Red Salmon complex. For this reason Big Rock river access in Willow Creek has been completely shut down for Heli fire crews. During past fire seasons they have allowed limited public access, leaving the boat launch open, but not this year. You cannot even park on the road and walk in to reach the river. I was able to walk into another favorite run a little further up river, and was greeted with water that felt very warm for such an early hour in the morning. Heading up river from WC I made a quick stop at the S. Fork confluence and was somewhat relieved to find the water noticably colder just above the confluence. I made my last few honest attempts to swing one up proper on the floating line with a traditional bug, but by 10:30 am with the sun racing high above the canyon walls, the Scandi head was off. The Skagit head and tip were on. Driving further up river through the gorge I ran into the mother of all road construction projects. It seems like the 299 is one of the worst local highways to be affected by this perenial annoyance, and this season will be no exception. Around Burnt Ranch one can expect delays of up to an hour while work crews install new caging to the cliff face to keep rock falls from impacting the roadway. By 12:30pm the temperature was on a steady rise and the sun was directly overhead. I knew I had to find some heavy fast water if I wanted to eek out a shot at a fish. I got lucky walking into a spot I'd never been to before, finding the water I thought would be most productive during this time of day. I few casts later and I was rewarded by a spitfire of a half pounder. A nice wild fish, just starting to display it's full array of rainbow coloration. Not bad. The water temps felt significantly colder the higher I went. I didn't carry a thermometer with me, but I would guess that they ranged somewhere in the low 60's to high 50's above the S.Fork confluence. Flows were stable just below 500 CFS and all the wading I did felt completely manageable (although I was in a bathing suit so there wasn't much at risk if I did fall in.) With one of the worst fire seasons already off to an early start here in California we will all have to hope for the best that the Trinity and Klamath do not see the destruction that has visited them in the past. For now, the crowds have yet to descend on the river en masse, and for a lucky few there are some fish around. Best fishing times are going to be by first light and last. Bring a scandi rig for the beginning and end of the day, and a skagit head for the constant mid day thermals.Tight lines out there! 

Beautiful spectrum on this one. Just don't tell him he's not a grown up yet!

My summer run fly box. All the best traditional offerings on tap.

High noon in the canyon.

Alan came to fish with me on his annual Lower Sac trip and was not disappointed. The morning was red-hot, hooking fish right out of the gate and continuing until lunch. After lunch was a different experience; we still found a good number of nice fish but the grab was not the same as in the morning. Also somewhat unusual was the fact that we never saw another boat all day, and we did a long 14 mile drift. Flows are coming down, fishing is improving, and October is not that far away so we’ll enjoy the solitude while we can. There were no bug hatches to speak of, maybe that’s why the fish were so hungry!

Ready to roll

He hooked them standing up.....

He hooked them sitting down.....

Wiley and I spent a hot but really enjoyable today fishing the waters around the Hat Creek area. We spent fishing time on Hat Creek and Burney Creek with good fishing on dries and nymphs. We spent some time exploring and seeing all the different fishing water that is available in the area. A great day all the way around.

Perfect.

I had a great time today with my guest Frank.  The grab turned on early and stayed pretty consistent throughout the morning, but became spotty this afternoon.  Frank hooked lots of "cookie-cutter" fish before landing a really chunky fish before lunch.  Tons of boats at the ramp, but everyone spreads out once you start fishing.  The fishing will continue to improve as the flows drop!

Frank with his best of the day