Lower Sac

An angler with a wild trout caught near the Sundial Bridge

Guided Float Trips

Full Days: $600 for 1-2 Anglers or $650 including hotel pickup and shuttle

Half Days: $450 for 1-2 Anglers or $500 including hotel pickup and shuttle

Year-round
Drift Boat Trips

The Lower Sacramento River between Redding and Red Bluff is California´s premier wild trout fishery. It is one of the few destinations where anglers can expect to hook into 18+" fish on a regular basis. Clear, cold, consistent flows coming out of Lake Shasta provide excellent conditions for the aquatic insects that trout eat. The Lower Sac is open to fishing year round. The Confluence Outfitters guide team can get you hooked up with quality wild trout on the Lower Sac at any time of year!

Lower Sac guide trips usually start between 7am and 9am depending on arrangements made with your guide. Most of our Lower Sac guide trips are drift boat trips, although we also do a lot of jet boat trips for folks who want to use Trout Spey techniques. Most of our guests opt for the shuttle-included rate, which means your guide can pick you up at your hotel and then drop you off again at the end of the day. If you opt to not include a shuttle, then plan on following your guide to the river in your own vehicle and assisting with shuttling the guide's vehicle to the take-out. You can hop into the boat in regular street clothes most days - waders are only necessary in inclement weather. Our guides can put more fish in the net by keeping their guests in the boat all day, but will definitely accommodate you if you want to do some wade fishing. Most days we fish nymphs and indicators all day long. Lunch is served on the river and trips usually wrap up by 5:30pm. On any given day you could be on one of six full-day floats - well over 60 miles of river. If fishing is red-hot in one area, our guides will sometimes do the same short float twice in one day.

Dry fly fishing can be very good almost any time of year. Our guides are always on the lookout for splashy rises in shallow riffles and stealthy risers in the flats. The best time for dry fly fishing is usually after lunch when water temperatures are warmer and there is more bug activity. If you have an interest in dry fly fishing please let your guide know so he can plan the day accordingly. The fish don't rise everywhere - you really have to be in the right place at the right time.

Lower Sac Guide Team

Our Lower Sac guide team includes Andrew Harris, Brian Kohlman, Kevin Kay, Luke Geraty, Ben Thompson, Peter Santley, Colin Coogan, Mike Wright, Scott Saiki, Mat Squillante, and Andreas Fuhrmann.

Recent Lower Sac Fishing Reports

August 21, 2024

Lower Sac Report by Luke Geraty

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

June 2, 2024

Lower Sac Report by Andrew Harris

Shad are plentiful in the Sacramento River below Red Bluff right now. These fish run from 1-5 pounds with most in the 1-2 pound range. They like to hold in swift water and fight really hard. They also like to eat ridiculous brightly-colored flies that no other fish would eat. Luke Geraty is doing PM Shad trips this summer. The shad will be around at least through the end of June and probably well into July. Book an afternoon trip and see what it's all about!

May 23, 2024

Lower Sac Report by Luke Geraty

Well the shad have started showing up and we have been getting into them! While some are using nymphing techniques, the primary way we have been hooking shad has been swinging flies! This is a GREAT half day evening trip and the shad pull SUPER hard. No wonder they are called the "poor man's tarpon" :) If you wanna get out for an evening of shad, hit me up! We should have shad for the next month or two! First timer's are welcome and this is a kid friendly experience!

Lower Sac Hatch Chart

Mayflies
March Browns
Baetis
PMD
Callibaetis
Caddisflies
Brachycentrus
Rhyacophila
Hydropsyche
Stoneflies
Golden Stones
Giant Stoneflies
Little Yellow Stones
Other
Salmon Eggs
Steelhead Present

Jan		Feb		Mar		Apr		May		Jun		Jul		Aug		Sep		Oct		Nov		Dec

Lodging Recommendations

The Lower Sac runs right through Redding and Red Bluff. Please visit our Redding Info Page and Red Bluff Info Page for ideas on lodging, logistics, and other activities in the area.