Early September Fishing Report

The extended forecast shows temperatures dropping back to the low 90s, steelhead are showing up, the trout are turning on, there’s no doubt fall is right around the corner. Here’s a little snippet of what’s been going down lately. 

Lower Sac

 Flows just dropped below 9k cfs which is prime. We’ve had yet another great past two weeks on the Lower Sac. Our experience has been this: Almost no fishing pressure, and plenty of great fishing. One report from yesterday was that the river fished as good as it has in any of the years past. We are having great number days, and seeing quality fish hit the net. The Baetis Spinnerfall in the morning has been one of the most consistent producers, but a steady bite through the day on small jigged flies like the Weiss Nymph in a #18, or Olive Hotspot, has been the normal program, with flurries of hot bites in the mornings and evenings. Also, there have been some salmon spawning up in town which has made an egg bite turn on when fished in the right spots, a very good sign for fall. Below Bonny, the Rubber legs are also cleaning up. Some evenings, we’ve been seeing the fishing as good as it’s ever been. There are some subtle and extremely specific things our guides do to drastically improve our success, that in years past wasn’t near as critical. Boat placement, and fly placement has been paramount to keeping rods bent in the narrow feeding lanes. 

Fall River 

 We are very happy to report that the grass at the beginning of the month has cleared out. Since then, the fishing has been phenomenal. Our guide Travis has reported seeing no other boats on his last day out, and had some of the best fishing he’s ever seen up there. There has been a reliable Callibaetis Spinnerfall in the morning, and scattered BWO hatches throughout the days, PMDs are on the forecast to return for September as the weather cools slightly. This will be a great option until it gets colder in November.

McCloud River

 The McCloud has been the best walk n wade option in Nor Cal over the past two weeks and should continue into September. This is the perfect time to be in the canyon near Ash Camp, and it’s been great the past few weeks. The reason for this is the cold, consistent flows from McCloud Reservoir entering the river just upstream from Ash Camp. The clarity has also been excellent. Pocket water is great, but there are also fish in the pools. This is that classic time of year when any small dark Perdigon will probably be a top choice for flies. Mornings and evenings have been top producers with the mid-day heat slowing the bite a little. October Caddis are about a month or so away, but the fish are already eating their nymphs, so don’t be afraid to even fish a big mop fly. Looking ahead, the McCloud should be on everyone’s radar.

Trinity River

 We just received a fast flow bump last week, which shot a BUNCH of steelhead upriver into the stretches we like to fish from Lewiston all the way down below Junction City. Since then, the flows have dropped to 500 cfs. It has fished awesome on the drop. Yesterday there were a pile of fish around, and they were pretty good biters. Nymphing small egg patterns, or the classic Trinity flies like rubberlegs or copper johns have all been safe bets. These early adult fish have averaged 22-25” with some 28” + monsters getting hooked. These early fish are some of the hottest steelhead you’ll ever encounter. Over the next few weeks these early steelhead should be a great option.

Upper Sac

 We haven’t fished the Upper Sac much recently because of the warmer water and hot outside temps making it strictly an early morning / late evening bite. That being said, there are still plenty of bites to be had on the little Weiss nymph initiating a Baetis in the early mornings before it gets hot outside and the sun hits the water. We have also heard that the carpenter ant patterns have been producing some action. The McCloud is simply a better full day option right now. As weather cools later into September, the Upper Sac will become a better option again.

Feather River

 We are entering prime season for the Feather. There have been some really fresh early valley steelhead already starting to push in, in addition to the resident fish always present. There have also been lots of early fall salmon in the system, which has begun the egg bite on the Feather. In recent years the Feather has been a fish factory. The next three months should be an awesome time to be on this valley stream, which for many folks does not take nearly as long to drive to as other further north options.