Early August Fishing Report

August Fly Fishing Report

Overall, we’ve had great weather and great fishing over the past few weeks. We have a couple more hot days, then back to the 90s which is actually unusually cool for Redding in August, something we are all welcoming with open arms. Now let’s get to the fishing…..

Lower Sac

Our beloved trout fishing powerhouse is still kicking out great fishing as we nose into the dog days of summer. Our guides are reporting that right now, it’s been best in the mornings. It is opposite of how it normally would be this time of year, where evenings are typically the hot bite. The evenings have been fishing well also, but with less consistency than in the mornings due to the sporadic nature of the caddis hatch. A Baetis spinner fall and other spent mayflies like PMDS have been making up the majority of the food source during these cooler morning hours, and the trout having been taking keen advantage of it. Also, there has been a notable showing of Spring Chinook salmon spawning in the upper reaches. This means an egg pattern is very much a valid option when fished near spawning salmon. The August 1st (above highway 44) opener was reportedly fantastic, with lots of big fish and consistent action through the top stretch in both the morning and afternoon on a huge smorgasbord of flies as the fish have been unpressured since April 1st. We are also getting reports that the river below Anderson is fishing fantastic as well, especially in the morning. Overall, it seems like the river is healthier than it has been over the past two years and is trending more positively each day.

Trinity River

The Trinity recently got a flow increase up to 1,500 cfs which has greatly increased the number of fish pushing into it’s upper reaches. Right now it’s hovering around 680 cfs in Douglas City which is prime flows. With this flow bump, the summer steelhead fishing has been nothing short of fantastic. More and more, the Trinity is becoming recognized for it’s amazing early season fishing. It hasn’t been crowded, and there have been plenty of white-hot summer steelhead and half pounders around. The fish haven’t been picky with this higher water, so fishing with what you have confidence in should work great. Rubber-legs, egg patterns, copper johns, etc. it’s all on the menu with the right drift. Don’t wait until November to experience this.

Upper Sac

The Upper Sac has been a great wet wading option lately to get out of the heat. The water below Simms has been a bit too warm, so we are focusing our efforts above that point. The dry-dropper fishing has still been very consistent. The mornings and evenings have as usual been best for the dry fly fishing, and mid-day is mostly nymphing and a bit slower. Perdigon style nymphs and Two Bits are a very safe bet underneath a chubby chernobyl or small indicator. With this warmer water, the fast water pockets with foam on top have been the key producers. August is a very fun time to wade the Upper Sac.

McCloud

Following a brief blowout due to a thunderstorm and landslide, the McCloud is back in good shape and fishing well. In the coming weeks, we expect this to continue. Our guide Travis reported catching some very nice browns and solid rainbows over the past few days. Water temperatures on the McCloud are much cooler coming out of McCloud Reservoir, so this stream can be fished from Ash Camp all the way to the bottom of the Conservancy with no worries about water being too warm. Much like all the walk n wade streams right now, oxygenated pocket water is the ticket. The McCloud has lots of shade, so the bite window in the morning and evening is more extended than that of other rivers. Think Perdigons and other basic Jigged attractors like Duracels and blow torches. There are still some fish eating the chubby chernobyl dry fly as well. We are right around the corner from the Mega-Sized October Caddis appearing, but until then it seems the fish will not be going hungry as they are already feeding on their Larva, and some mop flies have been getting bit.

Pit River

We haven’t had many reports from the Pit lately, but we can assume that it’s famous slippery pocket water is fishing just as good if not better than the Upper Sac and Mccloud. Summer on the Pit is always fun because wet wading makes it a little more fun if you fall in.

Fall River

Our latest report from the Fall River is that the grass die-off has increased making fishing challenging due to constantly needing to clear the hooks from grass. Fish are still being caught, but the grass maintenance has been a lot to keep up with when there are so many other great venues to fish right now. Once we start seeing some cooler weather in September a few weeks from now, this should subside. Until then, we recommend focusing on the Sac or Trinity because they have been outshining the Fall as of lately.

Lake Shasta

The water is WARM in Lake Shasta right now with surface temps in the 80s and 70s up the river arms. The fish have pushed deep during the day, and are accessible in the mornings / evenings when they chase huge schools of Shad. Overall, this fishery needs a few weeks to cool down and will fish much better in September / October as the weather cools just a little. There are still fish getting caught here, but in our opinion the Lower Sac, Trinity, Upper Sac, and McCloud are all likely better options right now.

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Preparing for the Spring Transition in Nor Cal

By Matt Formento • February 23, 2026

A keen angler is focused on the present moment, but also keeps in mind what’s ahead so that they are ready when the time comes. Don’t get caught with your waders down. Right now, steelhead are swimming heavy through our brains, and for good reason. We have at least a month and a half, maybe even two months of prime steelheading left in Nor Cal. Often, the last part of steelhead season is the best part. Fewer people out targeting them, warming temperatures turning on the bite, and both inward and outward migrating fish in the systems. Looking ahead, we know that the transition from winter fishing to spring fishing will happen sometime in March, and when it does, an angler should be ready. It happens fast. Typically, these first few weeks of spring fishing ushered in by the warming weather will trigger some of the best fishing of the entire spring. The portion of the trout population that are relatively dormant in the winter come alive and start feeding ferociously at the first sign of a good Caddis, PMD, or BWO hatch. They haven’t been pressured, and they are hungry. The month of March can mean fishing on the Lower Sac that rivals the fury of the egg-drop in October. While there is always a small chance of rain showers in March, usually the weather is nice, and either way the fishing is usually great as soon as the temperature warms up just a little bit. On the Upper Sac, March also marks the beginning of some angler’s favorite season on this river. We see great numbers of large lake-run rainbows enter the lower portion of the river from lake Shasta in March, some of which can rival the punch of a coastal steelhead. They are aggressive, opportunistic, and hands down the best fighting fish you will find in this river. The transition from winter to spring also often creates a small window of ideal flows on this river, where snowmelt from Mt. Shasta has yet to begin in full force, and the rains of winter have subsided. Other great spring opportunities abound in March, and sometimes anglers miss out on weeks of good fishing with no crowds if they are not prepared for when spring begins. The Feather River, Lake Shasta, and McCloud River should also be on an angler’s radar in March in addition to the Lower and Upper Sacramento. April and May are when spring fishing is in full swing on nearly every body of water in Nor Cal and is by all means a fantastic time to go fishing. However, if you like taking advantage of every good opportunity, the winter / spring transition time in March should not be overlooked. Usually water levels are ideal, fish are unpressured, and memories are made. In the fly box, having PMDs, BWOs, and small dark colored Caddis are the key to being ready for these early spring hatches. If the stars align, you might even see some pretty epic dry fly action.

February Fishing Report

By Matt Formento • February 9, 2026

Fishing Report 2/9

Winter Steelhead

By Matt Formento • December 27, 2025

Winter Steelhead "The Pinnacle" of freshwater Fly Fishing

December Fishing Report

By Matt Formento • December 12, 2025

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! No crowds and epic fishing. Winter steelhead are showing up in good numbers, and the stable weather over the past two weeks has produced some epic trout fishing on the Lower Sac. The main focus lately has been on Lower Sac trout and Trinity Steelhead. Rain on the extended forecast means more of this, as well as an increase in steelhead numbers on all rivers!