Northern California Fly Fishing Report - June 2025

A quick re-cap of the fishing the past few weeks as well as an outlook to what’s ahead..

Lower Sac

The Lower Sac has been very good for those who are dialed in to the game over the past few weeks. It’s been highly specific, meaning you can have an epic day or a tough day depending on many factors such as fly patterns, feeding windows, and fish location within the river. This is when having lots of experience in this river comes into play and pays off in dividends. Our guides are reporting some of the best fishing taking place in the skinniest 1-3 ft of water. On a huge positive note, we are also seeing a much stronger showing of Caddis than we did last year, all the way downriver past Anderson. The fish seem to be preferring them when possible, however the full smorgasbord of PMD’s , Sallie’s, and Stones are also still in effect. The flows have been bumping up and down, but it seems to affect the fish less and less each time as change is becoming the norm for them. The presence of these Caddis creates a very positive outlook on the summer ahead. The evenings and mornings should continue to only get better. This is a great time to hop on the “Beat the Heat” special we are running, so that anglers can take advantage of these prime bite windows and avoid the hottest parts of the day on the water. Last year our Caddis were simply not showing up as consistently which made the fishing tougher, this year it seems we are blessed with a much stronger showing of these crucial insects so far. 

Fall River

We are entering the heart of the Fall river season. The past couple weeks have been great fishing on our favorite spring creek. With the coming weeks of stable warm weather, we can only expect this fishery to improve as we stride into it’s peak season. The game is still specific day by day, meaning you have to pay close attention to what is hatching and what size. When in the right place at the right time on the Fall, magic is happening. We are seeing plenty of bug variety, including several kinds of Baetis, PMDs, Midges, and Caddis. It also sounds like the the Hex hatch has begun in the late evenings!

McCloud

The past couple weeks on the McCloud have been Golden Stone time. Each spring this hatch produces some really fun fishing with dry-dropper setups and it has been no exception lately. A large Golden Chubby-Chernobly with any Golden Stonefly nymph below is sure to get some action right now. This is the perfect time of year to hike into the lesser traveled stretches of the canyon and experience some solitude paired with epic dry-dropper fishing. As is usual on this river, more walking = more reward. In addition to Golden Stones, there are also still some Caddis, PMDs, Sallies, and Baetis mixed in. 

Upper Sac

The flows have finally receded on the Upper Sac! As of this writing, it is 500 cfs at Delta. A large drop from the 1,000 cfs it was at this time last month. For the first time of the season, we can say it really is go-time for this river. We haven’t had a ton of reports yet as the river only recently dropped into prime shape and we have been busy on all the other awesome venues close by, but what we have heard so far has been great. That being said, we can’t imagine it not being great right now on this river. The fish haven’t seen much angling pressure for many, many months. A Golden Stone nymph or a Pat’s Rubberlegs paired with a prince nymph of any kind fished into the soft edges and pools is a very safe bet. Also, a dry-dropper setup will have some fish looking up much like on the McCloud. 

Hat Creek

The past few weeks have been awesome dry fly fishing in the shallow water (1-3ft) downstream of highway 299 when looking in the right places. As temperatures continue to warm things up, the game will likely shift back over to the Baetis, Caddis, and PMD varieties. For now, Golden Stones and Salmonflies are still in play. How long they last, we don’t know for sure. The wild trout section of this little spring creek is a technical fishery, luck here typically requires some knowledge, practice, and awareness. 

Pit River

Now is the time to think about the Pit River. We love wet wading this river as summer temperatures increase, especially the popular “Pit 3” section. It’s time to start thinking about the Pit. We have some trips scheduled here over the next couple of weeks and will have some updated reports soon. 

Lake Shasta

Lake Shasta has still been a great option over the past few weeks. Our guide Travis continues to be locked in on the pulse of this amazing and dynamic fishery consistently delivering sore forearms for our bass fishing anglers. Recently, the attention has shifted to the arms of the lake where the cool waters from the Upper Sac, McCloud, Pit rivers come in. This has created some unique options for trout / bass combo trips on the lake. We are seeing some really nice trout caught along with our spotted bass on most recent days. As summer temperatures warm the lake water, the cold water influence from these tributaries will become increasingly important.