I like everyone else have been cooped up in the house, wondering if we are going to be able to get out for the 2020 Trout season opener. Before PG&E closed Baum Lake we were having decent winter fishing on the lake. Although the wind played a major role in making the fishing challenging, we managed to land some of the biggest fish I have seen out there in years. With yours truly taking a brown trout in the 8lb range and measuring out to 25inches. Even though the catch rate was down a little … [Read more...]
Fishing Report: July 8, 2019
Upper Sacramento River The Upper Sac is in great shape, and the wading is no longer combat style. With more run off to continue for a while the water temp and level should remain exceptional for a little while longer. Not seeing as many Golden Stones as I had earlier in the season. But have been picking up fish on other bugs. Also, the evening dry fly fishing has been pretty good and worth sticking around for. Short line nymphing has been good and getting the fly down fast is the key. With the … [Read more...]
Fishing Report August 21: Fall River, Pit River, McCloud
FIRE, SMOKE & FISH I have been fielding a lot of calls lately about the fires. I want to thank all of you who have called to check on me and to offer assistance should I need it. The hat fire had me on edge for a few days, but the fire crews were able to get it under control quickly keeping it away from any structures. The fire coupled with the loss of power and road closures made it a little stressful. Things here at this end of the state are slowly getting back to normal. Despite the smoke … [Read more...]
Snow in April Evens out the Fishing
Fishing has been pretty good lately. The Pit River is doing well, not necessarily great but well enough to merit a trip or two on it. The weather has been one of those things: if you don’t like what is going on just wait ten minutes! It has really had the bugs in a quandary. Friday started out good but the snow hit by 2pm. It continued to snow through Sunday. Just as soon as the bugs started, the temperature would change and with that, so would the specie of bug. The ones that worked … [Read more...]
Fall Fishing Update
Wow...what a season we've had! We have fished through every type of weather from cold, rainy days through 100 degree heat waves and every system in between! The last few days have been warm, but for the most part I think we are well on our way to Autumn. With Autumn comes the tail-end of our general season, so I thought it was high time to post an update on the Nor-Cal fishing... Fall River- The Fall has been really good...we've picked up good numbers of fish, fairly good-sized, too. To … [Read more...]
“Off the Beaten Path”
The major fisheries - Fall River, Pit River, McCloud, and Sacramento River system – seem to get hit with the majority of the fishing traffic. However, there are many out-of-the-way destinations that do not receive the fishing pressure that blue-ribbon streams seem to get. The fish may not always be as big, but they are as plentiful and just as eager to take a fly! As with all trout fishing areas, these waters are often hidden away in the back country. They may take a little more effort to reach … [Read more...]
Spring Fever in Northern California
Well, it's hard to tell if winter is over or if it just hasn't yet got under way! Whatever it is, these spring-like conditions have been pretty good for the fishing and fishing conditions. The Lower Sacramento is fishing well and Baum Lake is doing EXCELLENT! I took a drive up to Lake McCumber and there was still a lot of ice up there. When it breaks up enough to fish, it looks like the lake itself will be low. The Trinity River is in dire need of rain in order to get a fresh run of fish coming … [Read more...]
Winter Fly Fishing on the Pit and Lower Sacramento Rivers
Ninety percent of the people fish ten percent of the time and ten percent fish ninety percent of of the time. Don’t be part of the crowd that puts their equipment a way in the winter. There is still some excellent fishing to be had at this time of year, the Pit River, upper Sacramento River and lower Sacramento River are open year around and offer you a great opportunity for winter fishing. The Trinity River is a sure bet for some winter steelhead. Also, there are a number of lakes in the area … [Read more...]