Mt Shasta area guide reports: Klamath LSac, USac, McCloud, Pit & Hat Creek

Warm sunny weather has turned the fly fishing in Northern California hot! Dry Fly fishing on the McCloud River remains outstanding. Pale Morning Duns and Large Drakes hatching in the afternoon have all the fish including some big 'bows looking up. Salmonflies and early Goldenstones are currently sputtering but should soon be in full swing. The flows remain low, very clear and stable, well below the norm, particularly for a high water year but PG&E has warned they may not last long. The weather forecast is calling for continued warm, stable weather in the coming week, so we recommend you get here now to enjoy the magic while it lasts!

The rock blocking the road in between Ah Di Na and the Nature Conservancy that was scheduled to be removed by blasting on May 26th has finally been removed, however the road has not been graded for a few years so a high clearance vehicle is recommended.

Flows have finally dropped on the Klamath and the big bugs are out. We enjoyed a few outstanding days with guests casting Salmonflies to the bank and found some hold over bright steelhead along with the juveniles. A couple of young brothers, 7 & 10 years old landed adult steelhead on dry flies this week!

The Upper Sac and Pit continue fair to good as flows continue to be high and fishable water is limited. The bugs have begun to pop but it is still a challenge to access the very best water in these flows. Some midday hatches and dry fly fishing can be had but it has not been the steady affair we've experienced on the McCloud or Hat Creek, so nymphing is most productive.

We hosted a number of fly fishers on the Lower Sac who enjoyed an outstanding bite in the past few sweek despite some radical, unpredictable flow changes. Incredible hatches begin in the morning with spring Caddis (#16 olives) and continue with heavy midday Pale Morning Duns creating a feeding a frenzy that gets silly good at times. As the PMD's start winding down the summer Caddis (Hydrophysche) start hatching and the fishing doesn't miss a beat. Not as many fish looking up as we might hope. Continued warmer weather in the forecast will hopefully get the fish looking up?

Warmer temps on Fall River still have not gotten midday hatches of Blue Wing Olives and Pale Morning Duns into full swing, with shorter sessions of good dry fly action than we would like. Nymphing and swinging continue to find fish and more fish are entering the system from spawning tribs everyday. Hopefully continued warmer weather in the coming week will steady the hatches and the dry fly fishing that typically peaks this time of year. A few Hexagenia have hatched so we expect that hatch to get going in earnest in a few weeks as well.

Hatches on Hat Creek are taking off with Big Drakes taking the main stage. Fishing are keying on midday hatches of PMD's as well. Salmonflies have hatched and the fish are looking for them particularly under overhanging shrubbery. The warmer weather in the coming week should have them taking off to egg lay and get the fish looking up throughout. You may want to consider planning a trip to this spring creek gem in the next week or two to enjoy the bounty.

Visit our website for a complete report including pics. Do drop a line if you are headed our way, we are always pleased to share all we can whether you are seeking guide service or not.

mccloud was pretty slow on sunday for everyone out there, but there was a decent hatch for the last half hour of light

Dustin:

Thanks for the update! Sorry the catching on the Mccloud wasn't great for you on Sunday. We had a slow morning on Saturday but found some Green Drakes and fish that wer on them in the afternoon on Saturday that made our day.

I was back on the McCloud at the Bollibokka Club the last two days and the flows went up, it was pretty tough. Some Goldenstones were out and we got a few on dries late in the day along with a few on nymphs and streamers earlier.
Flows bumped up significantly which did not help. Flows have dropped back down some, hopefully tomorrow will be better. I am headed back for four more days in the morning and hope to get a report up again early next week.

I'll try to ring you on Tuesday when I will be back in the office. Until then, wishing you tight lines and singing reels!

I fished it on Mon about 3/4 of the upper conservancy. Nature pool fished really well with flows near 450 cfs, fish looking up from noon till 5pm, got our film footage, advanced casting instruction, fish, deer, bugs, incredible scenery and even one turkey (me), then hauled out about 80 lbs of camera gear, fishing gear food and water. Don't think my guys (or myself) will be doing that ever again. I went swimming (one major yard sale) 4 times in the first 3 hours of filming as I was trying to to cross the river, thanks goodness only one was caught on film and no equipment was ruined. BRING A WADING STAFF! (unlike me. And bring a floatation device and maybe even a mask and snorkel) Thanks to Wayne Eng for all your help (great upper sac guide and friend). Also thanks to Aaron owner of the "Dunsmuir Brewery Works". Great beer made from some of the finest water on Earth.
DVD "Techniques that catch trout" should release around July/Aug). And no, we'll not mention on the DVD where it was shot. Tuesday when we finished the flows increased to over 600, I think its done for a while. We hit the perfect two days. What did I do for the fish gods to deserve such a great filming experience? Never mind... I did take way too many spills and got my@$% kicked! Its been two years since I've fished it (first time in 85) and I remember a word called "respect". Nowhere like that place on earth! JP