Shasta Area Fishing Report

[Craig Nielsen]

The summer heat has subsided and the bite is beginning to pick up. We're starting to see a little color in the trees along the river as well. Flows on the Upper Sac and McCloud continue to be low and clear which makes it a bit technical but for those in the know it has been quite good. Some large lake run rainbows and browns have been showing up with increasing frequency.

The Lower Sac has dropped to 8,000 cfs and as the few Salmon that are in the river are arriving the egg bite has picked up which is your best opportunity for a real trophy. The warm weather still has the afternoon caddis popping so the bite has been pretty steady throughout the day.

The Pit continues to have access and water issues but when it is open and clear some folks have had epic days. The Fall River has been fishing well and traffic has been light on all rivers, that will change in October as folks head out for their season finale.

For a full report check out the fishing report at ShastaTrout or better yet drop us a line for the very latest. We would like nothing more than to point you in a direction you are likely to enjoy whether you are interested in guide service or not.

[SLOwag]

I'll pile onto this report, I hope the OP doesn't mind. I fished the day after Labor Day from 1:30pm to 4:00pm with air temps at 95 degrees. I started by wet wading and throwing a heavy black cone head streamer, believe it or not, prospecting for smallies....

After 1 hour of no action at all, I switched to a lighter olive krystal flash wooly bugger and was debating whether or not to wait a few minutes after a train rumbled through to start fishing. Well, I decided to see how deep the streamer was running when I "got snagged" on a rock my first cast, lifted the rod and a large trout realized I was on the other end, he exploded out of the water and took line before I brought him in. I was a little concerned about the high water temps but all of the fish I hooked appeared to be well oxygenated and kicked away hard after a short revival.

I didn't snap any pics but I would say the next few weeks should improve greatly as the fall season takes hold. Oh yeah, I also caught some raspberry thorns across my shins as I attempted to get up to the RR tracks to walk back downstream...I took my anguish out by devouring a clump of wild grapes, they were ripened to perfection. Can't wait for the fall season.