July Fishing Report

The summer is here in full force. It’s time to ditch the waders and head to the hills, we have some lights out fantastic fishing going on in Nor Cal right now. Our walk n wade fisheries have been the highlight this week, with the McCloud, Upper Sac, and Pit firing on all cylinders. The Lower Sac, with a slight flow increase, is also fishing better than the previous week.

Lower Sac:

We have plenty of water this summer on the big river. Flowing at 14,700 cfs right now, the river is moving lots of water for the farmers downstream. This doesn’t mean bad fishing, in fact quite the contrary. We prefer it at this flow rather than slightly lower even, because it concentrates the fish. It definitely hasn’t been “easy” cast anywhere and get bit style fishing, but it has been outstanding at the right place at the right time. The softer edges of riffles and current seams have been very very productive, especially when the bugs are hatching. The bites are very “quick” meaning you could have tons of bites in a day but only hook some of them if you are super slow on the hookset, so pay close attention. The caddis are still showing themselves, and from the sounds of it, classic flies like the Tan Birdsnest (#14-18) or Cinnamon Pupa (#14-18) are getting plenty of love. The smorgasbord of flashy pmd nymphs, Perdigons, and the occasional Pat’s Rubber-leg are of course getting some bites as well. Now is a good time to fish the late evenings or downriver floats. Yesterday we received an outstanding report from the stretch below Anderson, huge numbers and complete solitude. If you’ve traditionally fished the stretch in town, now is the time to see it down low. It’s a totally different river down there, lots of wildlife, scenery, and less-educated trout.

Upper Sac:

The Upper Sac is flowing around 300 cfs on the Delta Gauge. Our latest guide report: “It’s on fire”. One of our guides reported hooking dozens of fish in a short stretch of river during a full day trip today, with many rising to the dry fly. 300cfs is perfect shape for wading this river. You don’t want it any lower or higher, and you DON’T need waders. Wading boots and Neoprene socks are perfect, it’s time to get wet and enjoy the cool water on a hot summer’s day. As always on this river when it’s in shape, go hiking and find happy fish and solitude. Fish are still taking the surface chubby chernobyl dry fly (golden stone imitation), as well as CDC style Jigged Mayfly Nymphs below it. One report we heard that the Rubber-legs are not working as well as usual, and it’s been more of a mayfly game during the daytime. In the evenings, the Caddis emerge which makes it time for dry fly fishing a missing link, or nymphing with classic prince patterns.

McCloud:

The McCloud report from this week is that it is also “on fire”. It seems like less fish are rising to the surface for the Chubby dry fly, but the CDC style mayfly nymphs with large beadheads are getting down in the fast water and getting bit constantly. Focusing on the pockets amongst the fast water, with a broken surface, has been the key to success. We have also heard that the stonefly nymph imitations aren’t working as well here either, and that a small jigged mayfly is almost a sure thing in the right spot. The evenings have been seeing much more dry fly action, with some unusually large Caddis already hatching for this early in the year. The clarity is reportedly back to the “Glacial Blue” the McCloud is known for. Not gin clear but plenty of vis for them to see your flies.

Pit River:

July might be our favorite month on the Pit. The fish that live behind every rock on this river seem to all be feeding! Our last few guide days out there have been outstanding. Nymphing reins supreme here, no doubt about it. The CDC style mayflies and other jigged mayfly variations have been the top producers. The river is in perfect shape for wet wading, which is really nice because if you fall in, you just get cooled off.

Fall River:

The Fall is still cranking out consistent results day in day out. The quality of the fish lately has been impressive. For most of the day, various types of Baetis have been the top game, whether it be small pods of fish sipping spent spinners, or tiny size 18 or 20 two-bit nymphs (or other small Baetis) under a small indicator. Moss has been a problem here lately, which requires much more fly maintenance. A stripped leech has also yielded a few results lately.

Lake Shasta:

Lake Shasta bass fishing is still absolutely a thing. It is more specific now that the surface temperature of the lake is rising, meaning finding the cold water influence is key. The McCloud, Upper Sac, and Pit arms have all been producing great fishing in the upper reaches. Additionally, many trout have been getting caught during our guided bass fishing days recently.

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March Madness in the North State

By Matt Formento • March 9, 2026

It’s March Madness time - basketball lovers and trout fishermen unite in a love for this month. March marks the beginning of spring, and the beginning of spring bug hatches that wake up nearly every trout in the North State from their winter sluggishness. It’s time to string up those 5 and 6wts. As the weather warms, the first streams to really “wake up” are the Central Valley streams, because that’s where it gets warm first. The Lower Sac and Feather River often have trout / steelhead fishing in the month of March that can rival or beat the madness of fall. The reason being, is that as temps rise significantly, the PMDs really start to hatch. Caddis, other mayflies, and even some stoneflies will begin kicking around in March, but on the Lower Sac it is usually the PMDs that take center stage. With this abundance of food on the Lower Sac, the trout tend to be willing to expend more energy to feed, and become far more accessible for the fly angler. This means they are out looking for food, rather than just taking the food that drifts by them. These same trout have received very little pressure all winter from anglers, and are thus less “educated” and more bold about how they take a fly, and less picky on the more popular patterns they will have seen plenty of by the time the month of June rolls around. On the Lower Sac, March is the last chance to fish the famous upriver stretch from the Posse Grounds down to Highway 44. While there is plenty of epic water below highway 44, this upriver stretch is known for plenty of big aggressive fish, and March is the last chance to fish it before it closes on April 1st. On the Feather River, March typically marks the beginning of more elevated spring flow releases in the “low-flow” stretch of the Feather River. This can make for some of the most epic fishing of the year on the Feather, and those who have experienced it will attest to just how hot and heavy the fishing can be for the Feather’s feisty Valley Steelhead due to these elevated flows. March also marks the beginning one of the better chances for dry-fly fishing on the Lower Sac. Although still rare, when the stars align on a cloudy day in March during the first strong PMD hatches, you might just find some mega-sized trout softly sipping PMDs in the shallow and undisturbed current edges, flats, or soft riffles. Another fishery which is often overlooked in March is the Trinity River. March is hands down the best month to throw single dry flies on the Trinity. March Brown Mayflies are hatching strong on the Trinity, and feeding one of the Trinity’s wild winter steelhead, or large resident browns on a single dry fly is an experience like no other. There are typically plenty of “half-pounders” mixed in during this time as well, so action is consistent. Right now, all of this is on the table. All of these great options for epic fishing are part of what makes up the madness of fly fishing Nor Cal in the month of March.

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!