Northern California Fly Fishing Report 5/10/25

Fly fishing in Northern California has been great over the past few weeks. Some highlights have been the flurries of dry fly action on both Hat Creek and McCloud River, along with a phenomenal spotted bass bite on Lake Shasta. Fall river is also beginning to take off, making now a great time to head to the mountains.

River Reports:

Lower Sacramento:

The Lower Sac has been producing really great fishing on most days as is usual for this time of year. There were a few scattered days where wind or abrupt flow changes dampened the bite for a few hours, however even on those days anglers still had some action and flurries of bites. Looking forward, we expect the bite to continue being great. The river recently jumped up to 15,000 cfs after hovering around 8,000 cfs. Fishing in these flows is still good, especially in the soft water edges. These are the conditions where the guide / angler connection is key. An angler paying very close attention to the drift can have an amazing day, however the bites can be fast and subtle in these conditions making it very important to stay engaged with your drift. In the faster current, mending your line on time can be the difference between a day filled with bites, or a day struggling. Our guides reported a large variety of nymphs working. There was a hot yellow-sallie bite last week below town, and in town it sounds like the larger stonefly nymphs and standard PMDs are all working. Each day there is a smorgasbord of PMDs, Sallies, Caddis, and Stoneflies hatching. Also, we are entering the time of year where there are spawning trout in the redds, if you fish an egg pattern, please do so responsibly and avoid these shallow gravel spawning areas. We have been receiving reports that our guides have witnessed other boat anglers targeting these sensitive areas.

McCloud:

The McCloud is now entering it’s peak spring season. The flows and clarity are ideal right now. If this river is at all on your radar, now is go time. Our guide Devon reported recently having an outstanding dry fly session fishing green drakes. They also saw some salmonflies and golden stones. Looking into the coming weeks, the salmonflies and golden stones will take center stage and create some epic dry-dropper conditions in the pockets and pools of this world famous river. We expect to see the Green Drakes fade out and more Salmonflies and Golden Stoneflies show up, along with some caddis, PMD, and Baetis action sprinkled in. Surface attacks on big salmonfly imitations has us all very excited to fish the MCloud in the coming weeks.

Hat Creek:

Hat Creek is also entering its peak spring season. Over the past week we’ve had reports of epic salmonfly action on the surface in a foot or two of water down in the wild trout section. The riffles below 299 are some of our favorite water to fish during these hatches. There’s not much more exciting than seeing a fish appear out of nowhere in shallow water to inhale a huge bushy dry fly. The next month will be the best window of the year to throw these giant dry flies, after that it’s back to the small subtle presentations hat Creek is known for.

Fall River:

We’ve had some fresh fall river reports come in over the past week and we are hearing great things. It’s finally go-time on our favorite spring creek after waiting all winter for conditions to warm. The fish have been keyed into a Calibaetis hatch that produced great nymphing action most of the day with scattered fish rising on top as well. We did have an exceptionally windy day last week that made it more challenging, however fish were still caught even in these conditions. Looking forward, we are entering peak season for fall river fishing and are expecting the PMDs to begin hatching soon taking center stage while the Calibaetis continue hatching.

Upper Sac:

The Upper Sac is still flowing around 1,000 cfs from runoff, which is higher than is ideal for this river. With so many other great options over the past two weeks we simply didn’t fish it. However, there is no doubt that certain soft edges would likely be producing. The Upper Sac is on the top of our radar, because as soon as the flows drop a little more we expect it to be on fire. This is the time of year when salmonflies and golden stones are the supreme bug of choice, especially with high flows. Also, swinging streamers in the lower end can be a very fun option targeting the larger, hot, lake run fish from Shasta. Not many folks have fished this river for many months, we can’t wait to see what it brings when conditions are right.

Lake Report:

Lake Shasta is still producing wide open spotted bass fishing. Topwater in the mornings, and float n fly all day along with many other tactics working as well. It is a nuanced game, meaning you need to know where to look, as it is a massive body of water and changes frequently with lake level and water temperatures. Our guides have been dialed in on these hard fighting biters. This has been a guest favorite over the past couple weeks with some folks reporting it’s the best fishing they have ever experienced, a perfect experience for beginners. We expect this to continue through the rest of spring.

< Older Post

Newer Post >

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!