Nor Cal guide reports: LSac, USac, McCloud, Pit & Hat Creek

We still haven't decided if it is still winter or if spring has arrived in the shadow of Shasta. The weather sometimes decides to change seasons overnight. There is a slight chance of showers in the forecast for the weekend, otherwise a somewhat sunnier and warmer trend into next week.

With the exception of the Lower Sac which has varied only between good and silly good, fisheries including the Fall River, Upper Sac, Pit, McCloud and Hat Creek have been best during the warmer calmer spells. In most years a little spring squall will get the bugs going and the fish on the grab but this season, the reverse seems to be true, our best hatches and the best bite has been on the warmer and sunnier days.

The Lower Sac has been exceptional for us lately. Flows have been low, clear and constistent. Today flows are scheduled to bump up to 8500 cfs and 9500 by the 20th and will likely continue to climb in the coming weeks. We have enjoyed some outstanding days with the average size of the fish surprisingly large, on a river known for large fish. Most fish have been coming midday on small nymphs during the mayfly hatch when the bite has been best but several fish continue to be caught on rubberlegs and eggs. Anglers should be alert to look for pods of late spawning fish this season so they might avoid disturbing their important annual ritual.

We have been finding a midday hatch with mostly Pale Morning Duns on the Fall River. Nymphing small nymphs or swinging streamers and small mayfly and caddis nymphs produce fish, including some nice ones during non hatch periods. Windy days have hampered the bite and made fishing and casting difficult a times.

Flows on the McCloud, Pit and Upper Sac have dropped a bit and while still high have become fishable, particularly if you are familiar with the high water runs. The bite remains best midday on a mixture of small mayflies, caddis and our first drakes of the season. Some surface action but most fish are coming on nymphs along with the occasional fish on a streamer.

Hatches on Hat Creek have sputtered being light some days and non existent on others. Mostly small caddis and mayflies but some Green Drakes and Grey Drakes have recently begun to show though the fish have not yet gone crazy for them. Nymphing midday has been superb and when heads finally do show they are grabby, not yet showing their highly selective side.

Check our website for a complete report along with trip pics. Drop us a line if you are headed our way, we are happy to share all we can about current conditions.

Thanks Craig

The recent rains and incresased flows (8500 cfs) out of Shasta/Keswick muddied the river yesterday and everyone I talked to had a slow day.

We were spey casting and swinging an assortment of bugs and expected things to be slow but we didn't get a bite......

The flows seem to be dipping back down (7500cfs) and the all the feeder creeks will clear and things will most likely pick up over the next few days and make for a good weekend...enjoy!

The other surrounding creeks and rivers are still high and difficult at best with some being downright dangerous....

If you want to try something different and interesting... try Clear Creek, above Whiskeytown Lake. Give it a few days to clear (no pun intended) then follow #299 west of Redding and fish between the powerhouse and the #299 bridge. There is a lot of pocket water and 12 to 15 inch rainbown trout and an occassional brookie. Don't be suprised if you hook a 5lb squawfish either.

Curtis Cole
California Guide Licensed and bonded
NorCaldrifter@yahoo.com

A few of us were back on the Lower Sac today and it fished very well. Water clarity was four to six feet down to Anderson despite the weather and increased flows.

The grab was consistently good all day with an exceptional bite on PMD's midday. Most fish are coming on the little bugs so our hooking and landing rate has dropped noticeably as a result, particularly for the biggest fish. The upcoming weather forecast is for sunshine with a slight chance of showers this weekend, more warm and sunny spring days! Good time to get here before the summer heat arrives!

Feel free to drop a line for details.