Salmon on the fly

[timmosazz]

I live in the Sacramento Delta area and really want to catch a salmon on my fly rod this year. Can anyone share good techniques and fly patterns for fall run salmon on our river system. I will fish the American, Feather and Sacramento rivers.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Are you fly fishing from a boat?


On occasion while fly fishing for Stripers people will catch King salmon heading in from the ocean to the Valley rivers to spawn and die.


40 years ago the lower Feather river looked like Alaska with so many salmon that you tripped over them while wading for Steelhead.


50 years ago in the Fall people would come from all over with their travel trailers to spend a month fishing for salmon below Red Bluff

on the Sacramento river. An old timer told us to not come until September for salmon because in August there were still too many

Shad. This old timer stayed in a trailer park below Red Bluff and fly fished for salmon from an anchored boat.


Some years on the lower American river in the Fall we will get a run of King salmon in to spawn. I think it is Oct/Nov?

Andy Guibord is real good at wading for salmon in the America when we have some.




I will check with veteran guides Lincoln and Lance Gray to see how the salmon runs are on the Feather and Sacramento rivers.

[Lance Gray]

Feather River, 8 weight rod with sinking line and a standard black coment size 4 or 6, watch your hook gap. Swing for them. Need to start now for fresh fish. By September and October they will be rotten. High Flow section at Kester Riffle. You can't fish for salmon above the Outlet.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Wow......that is fantastic information......thanks Lance.


Lance and Lincoln Gray are like family for Marilyn and I.

They are twins and grew up in Chico, California. They guided for many years on the Feather and Sacramento rivers.

They also guided and fished Lake Almanor for a long time as well.


They know Northern California very well........












The earlier you can get these fall salmon and the furthest down river the fresher they can be.

[timmosazz]

I have a Kayak that I can fish from but I am thinking about wading for Salmon. Thanks for contacting Lance. That is some great information. Where is the Kester Riffle? Sounds like it is just below the thermalito afterbay outlet? Do you know? I will also message Lance.

[timmosazz]

Is the Kester Riffle below the Thermalito Afterbay? Not sure where that is. Thanks for the tips. I believe I met you once at a seminar at the Pleasanton fly fishing show fishing the Lake Almanor Hex hatch.

[Lance Gray]

Wow......that is fantastic information......thanks Lance.


Lance and Lincoln Gray are like family for Marilyn and I.

They are twins and grew up in Chico, California. They guided for many years on the Feather and Sacramento rivers.

They also guided and fished Lake Almanor for a long time as well.


They know Northern California very well........












The earlier you can get these fall salmon and the furthest down river the fresher they can be.


Kirsten and I love you guys as well!! Always looking forward to our chats good or bad!!!

[Lance Gray]

Is the Kester Riffle below the Thermalito Afterbay? Not sure where that is. Thanks for the tips. I believe I met you once at a seminar at the Pleasanton fly fishing show fishing the Lake Almanor Hex hatch.



Yes, send me your email address and I will send you a map.

[timmosazz]

I sent you a pm.

[Brian Clemens]

I've always had great success swinging up north, it's a drive. But on the Trinity, mid to lower river, as those salmon are moving up, they crush swung flies, especially if you target them. We get them as bi-catch when swinging for steelhead.

Feather would by my recommendation for being a close drive to try. Deep slower water is what id be fishing. Right now the fishing isn't great but never hurts to try.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

The Trinity river use to have big run of hatchery Silver salmon in the summer and early Fall.

Herb Burton, Trinity Fly Shop, said "back in the day" they used "tuna balls" for them.

Many thought these fish would not take a fly but that has been proven to be wrong.


Chuck Campana had a chartreuse comet he liked on the Trinity for Silver salmon.

Chuck used it about 60 years ago on the coast in the fall when the short rivers had runs of wild Silver salmon.

He gave one of these little comets to Lilly Wong and she went to the Trinity and did well with a sink-tip.


We would see lots of people fishing for these hatchery Silver salmon as we drove down the Trinity going to the Middle Klamath.



Joe Shirshac and I stopped one time to watch on a corner with a deep hole full of salmon and anglers.

A Native American fishing guide walked his client down to the top of this short deep hole to the riffle coming in.

With nightcrawler they caught a big fish and no one knew what it was? Someone yelled out, " It is a Tiger Trout".

Joe said it was a big old yellow Brown trout.....maybe 8 pounds. Most thought the river had only salmon and steelhead.


If you call, email or stop buy the Trinity Fly Shop, Herb or his wife Pat will be able to talk all about the Silver salmon fishing.



In August on the lower Klamath river we catch really fresh small Jack salmon while fly fishing for Steelhead.


If you fish at the mouth of the long coastal rivers like the Klamath and Rogue in August they can be super fresh and powerful.



Naturally all this varies from year to year.....and you have to read the Regs.