Winter Fly Fishing in California

The crowds are gone from the Lower Sacramento River in Redding California having moved over to the Trinity & Klamath to chase steelhead.   As a result, the winter trout fishing has improved.  We continue to see ample opportunities (1-5 chances per day) on the Trinity & Klamath for catching steelhead and the quality of the fish landed is steadily improving.  Join us on a trip and enjoy the warmth of a heater to take that winter edge off while enjoying the pursuit you love so much.

On the Lower Sac (Top Section), the dark cloud cover and drizzle can produce good hatches of Blue Wing Olives (BWOs) providing opportunities to cast dry flies to rising fish.

We’re also seeing decent PMD hatches as well.

If you’re new to fly fishing and would like to learn more about bugs (entomology) this is great site for learning: https://www.west-fly-fishing.com/index.php/fishfood  I like the site because it does a thorough job of explaining various fish foods.

It not only includes the 4 basic food groups for trout: Mayflies, Caddis, Stoneflies and Midges; it also explains where they’re found and the appropriate fly to match the hatch.  I’ve been a fan of the site since 1994 (yikes!!!! Where did that time go?)

Middle river on the Lower Sac is quiet (hosting very few anglers) and good nymph fishing is happening with the reduced angling pressure.  Rubber legs, midges and red copper have worked well.  We’ve even seen some very large steelhead moving through.  

Come enjoy the Lower Sacramento River in a warm heated boat and have the opportunity to land a very nice quality fish.