Lower Sacramento River Fly Fishing

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10/26 -- GOOD

10/23: "The fishing continues to be good to very good! Strong south winds have made the fishing a little tougher, but that will change Thursday with the winds coming out of the north. No big deal for our guides. Well, actually, wind makes the job harder, but we know were to focus. The "good fishing" should last well into November and beyond. One of the driving factors is the high numbers of King Salmon spawning between Redding and Red Bluff. The salmon eggs are the big meal for the trout this year. November fishing on the Sac should be considered."

10/19 -- EXCELLENT

10/15: "I hear from my guide buddies that the fishing is outstanding right now, and the egg bite is on full swing. Some say it's better than it's been in years. We'll see how long it lasts.... some years the 'egg bite' lasts two weeks, some years it lasts two months. (Back in the day, we had 'egg bite' until February!!!) Right now is an EXCELLENT TIME to be up here fishing."

10/12 -- EXCELLENT

"The fishing has been amazing. Big rainbows all day. Every day. There are steelhead in the lower river. And King salmon are spawning in Redding waters! More this year than we have seen in recent years. Egg patterns like Micro-Spawns, Boles Bazookas, Clown Eggs should be on the end of your fly rod all day. And Caddis! Caddis, caddis caddis.. mid day caddis can produce surface feeding rainbows. It's on!" "Fishing is good to excellent. The egg bite should start any day! Salmon are throughout the river holding in riffles and tailouts staging to start the spawn. In the morning, fish small midge and BWO nymphs under an indicator. Midday, switch to an attractor nymph (amber wing prince is hot!) with a caddis pupa dropper. Lots of crane flies around in the afternoon. More BWO and caddis will come out before dusk. Reports and pictures of some nice steelhead coming from Los Molinos to Anderson."

9/28 -- GOOD

"The recent bite has been on mayflies early and late in the day with a hot grab for caddis in the late morning and early afternoon. The fall migration of Salmon looks to be the biggest in nearly a decade and the egg bite has just begun, which along with the flows dropping will make finding, hooking and landing trophy Rainbows easier, particularly for less experienced anglers. If you have enjoyed this drama in the past you know this is prime time, if you have not yet experienced a day drifting over fall run Chinook and casting to trophy trout and steelhead on the Lower Sac , we recommend scheduling your trip now."

9/21 -- FAIR

"Fishing has been fair to good. Depends on what you want. Big fish? Or numbers of fish? The big'uns are up in Redding and the numbers are found below Anderson. Saw a few King Salmon sitting near their typical spawning beds today. The few paired up Kings between Posse and Anderson will start digging redds tomorrow or by the weekend! The October egg bite could be going full swing by October 1st." "Not a ton of fish, but not a single fish under 17"."

9/14 -- GOOD

From 9/8: "The fishing has been great all afternoon. The mornings can be slow, but not always. We are seeing some pretty big rainbows this September. One angler mentioned the fishing on the "Sac" was as good if not better than he had ever seen it in 15 years. If you can come right now, do it." Flows still droping -- down to 8000 CFS.

9/7 -- VERY GOOD

"The fishing has been great this week. It's a nymphing game all day producing 16"-18" rainbows that can be tough to land. In the late afternoon, rising fish can be found and cast to. There's a pale evening dun hatch occurring in patches of river." "The fishing has been outstanding on the Lower Sac. Lots of fish from 17-20" being caught. And they are tough. We've seen some backing over the past two days. Lots of caddis-eating fish out there !!! This could be better than what we'll see in October. Don't say I didn't tell ya..." "The Caddis grab is on!"

8/31 -- GOOD

"Fishing GREAT. Late August days on the lower Sacramento river are known for big rainbows and perfect fly fishing conditions. The fishing has been very good this week." "Fishing is fair to good. Reports of some big fish coming from the top end around the Sundial Bridge but not great numbers. Better numbers of trout below Deschutes bridge eating caddis pupa, PMD nymphs and rubberleg stones. Dry fly action is good just before dark. The hatch is short but find a pod of big fish in the riffles."

8/24 -- VERY GOOD

"Late August days on the lower Sacramento river are known for big rainbows and perfect fly fishing conditions. The fishing has been very good this week and looks like it will continue to fulfill all our fly fishing hopes and desires through the rest of the summer."

8/16 -- GOOD

"The fishing is always great on the Sac in August. The river flows have dropped to about 12,600 and that means...more good fly fishing! How do we know? Because the few anglers that have been out on the river keep coming into the shop with a different fish story everyday!" "August produces hot fishing on the Lower Sacramento River every year. This month has been just like all the other past. More good fishing! Not crowded at all! There is good water all the way to Balls Ferry."

8/3 -- GOOD

"All depends on where you are at on the river between Redding and Bend. The upper river doesn’t turn on until the afternoon. But, lower river fishing has been steady all day and productive near sunset. Reports of rolling salmon and steelhead in the net have become common." "River flows are still 15k, but look for lower conditions by the end of August, if not sooner. The fishing in Redding, CA. has been good! Best action occurs in the afternoons going into early evening. The lower river, below Anderson CA., seems to fish best all day and then taper near sunset. There is a slight dry-fly caddis window between 8:30-9:00 PM."

7/26 -- GOOD

"The afternoon fishing has been the best! Expect slow results before 11:00 AM and then after about 11:30 AM, BAM!! Fish-on!" "The fishing has been great. Late July never disappoints." "Fished it the other day with some buds in a jet boat - and we did pretty good in a couple select spots, but overall, not huge hatches, so feeding activity was spotty. Fish were all really, really fat. Super healthy fish right now. Heads on 18" fish that could be from a 10" fish. Huge bodies. It does not suck."

7/20 -- GOOD

"Flows were high at 14000 cubic feet per second, but trout fishing was excellent, especially for some very large trout which were taking everything from crickets to even caddis-imitating dry flies in the evening." "Dave Jacobs reports that the trout bite is still good on the upper river. he says most days they are seeing 15 to 25 fat and feisty fish in the 2 pound class."

7/13 -- FAIR

"the river fished pretty o.k. today. Some fish on mayfly nymphs, but most on caddis patterns. We didn't get huge numbers of fish landed, but we landed plenty. We hooked 8 in one riffle.... 6 in another... and so-on. Riffles were good today. We did, however, get a HUGE fish today. I have not seen a wild LowerSacTrout this large in months. We taped this fish at "a hair over" 25 inches." "The fishing has been mostly good this week! We have received a few fair reports from some anglers thanks largely to the high flows." "The window for dry fly fishing before dark is getting smaller but can be good with numbers of rainbows rising in pods."

7/6 -- GOOD

"You should find good to great fishing on the Lower Sac this week! The rainbows have been big! Hatches of PMDs and caddis keep the fish healthy and aggressive! From Redding to Red Bluff, the whole enchilada is fishing great! Thinking of wade fishing? It's a tough and dangerous game at these elevated flows (14,200 CFS)." "Today, George landed a pig - I gotta try to get him to send me a copy of that ! About 19-20", but around 4 pounds!! DEEP bodied fish. It's been the norm lately..."

6/29 -- GOOD

"Don't sweat the high water. River flows are at 14,800 cfs and fishing was good today. We are seeing those big, fat, football shaped rainbows, some going over 20"! If you stick around until after dark, you might find some good dry fly fishing. A little inside info: When the Sac goes through these flow fluctuations like it has over the past couple weeks, it's usually about the middle of July, the bite starts to pick up, and the August fishing is excellent. Coming or not?"

6/21 -- FAIR

"Lower Sac has been finicky because of the flow changes. The river is at 13,400 as of this a.m., but it was under 13,000 all last night. It seems to be moving around a little. (See link to real-time flows on my LOCAL RIVERS page) Best fishing has been in riffles and on drop -offs. Mayfly, stone, and caddis nymphs produce in the right spots... with the right drift."

6/15 -- FAIR

"The mayfly hatches have been epic. Amazing. All day and into the early evening. The flows were jumped up today to 11,200 CFS. So the bite died off today. Up until today, the fishing has been good. Don’t fret! As long as the flows remain stable, the hook ups will start to add up!" "Fishing has been fair to good."

6/9 -- GOOD

"Look for rising rainbows between 11:00-2:00. Steady flows have produced some great reports this past week."

6/1 -- VERY GOOD

"The fishing has picked up over the past few days. The fishing has been great."

Older Reports

Lower Sacramento River Fly Shops and Guides		Fly Shop	Guide Service	Lodging
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	American Fly Fishing Company Sacramento, CA \| Phone: 800-410-1222
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Barry The Guide Redding, CA \| Phone: 530-524-4186
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	BK Fly Fishing Santa Rosa, CA \| Phone: 707-481-0460
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Chico Fly Shop Chico, CA \| Phone: 530-345-9983
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Eagle Creek Fly Shop Red Bluff, CA \| Phone: 530-529-4799
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Fish First! Chico, CA \| Phone: 530-345-9983
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Hook Em Heckys Redding, CA \| Phone: 530-515-5918
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Jack Trout Fly Fishing Guide Service Mt. Shasta, CA \| Phone: 530-926-4540
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Kienes Fly Shop Sacramento, CA \| Phone: 800-400-0359
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Lance Gray & Company Willows, CA \| Phone: 530-517-2204
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Leland Fly Fishing Outfitters San Francisco, CA \| Phone: 415-781-3474
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Lower Sac Trout Redding, CA \| Phone:
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Mike Bogues Guide Service Redding, CA \| Phone: 530-246-8457
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	MoJoBella Redding, CA \| Phone: 530-333-3484
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Nor Cal Fly Guides Sacramento, CA \| Phone: 530-354-3740
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Off The Hook Fly Fishing Napa, CA \| Phone: 877-228-2477
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Orland Outfitters Orland, CA \| Phone: 530-345-7214
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Outdoor Adventures Redding, CA \| Phone:
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Pacific Adventures Woodbridge, CA \| Phone: 209-367-5997
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	River Valley Guide Service Anderson, CA \| Phone: 530-365-2628
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Riverbend Adventures Douglas City, CA \| Phone: 530-778-3540
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Sac River Outfitters Palo Cedro, CA \| Phone: 888-722-7483
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Shasta Trout Mount Shasta, CA \| Phone: 530-926-5763
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	The Fly Shop Redding, CA \| Phone: 800-669-3474
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Trinity Fly Fishing Guide Trinity Center, CA \| Phone: 530-266-3276
Email Email Fly Shops and Guides Get conditions and guide availability from participating shops. Simply fill out this brief form and they will contact you directly! View the list of fly shops you can contact. Required Required Required Message	Trinity River Adventures Lewiston, CA \| Phone: 530-623-4179

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