Results 1 to 1 of 1

Thread: Guide report, USac, LSac, Klamath Rivers

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Mount Shasta
    Posts
    259

    Default Guide report, USac, LSac, Klamath Rivers

    Much needed snow continues to fall here in Mt. Shasta with about three or four inches on our lawn. The spring snowstorm is welcome as we experienced another dry winter, the last snow we saw in town was on Christmas eve. The good news is that the low flows on the Lower Sacramento and Upper Sacramento Rivers have created good to great fishing while the Klamath River still has a few steelhead hanging around for those who want to sneak in their last trip of the season. While Sierra streams will suffer mightily this year from the drought, water for streams in the shadow of Shasta will fare well as our base flows come from springs, water that fell out of the sky more the 30 years ago. River conditions could not be much better with low and clear flows which should make for another exceptional spring when the opportunity to take advantage of the biggest hatches of the year is best.

    Water conditions on the Lower Sacramento River, which just weeks ago were muddy and unfishable, have cleared to about three feet which is ideal for nymphing but poor for dry fly fishing. Flows from Keswick are currently extremely low at 3330 and are scheduled to drop to 3250 tomorrow. Hatches have been very sparse with the clouds of spring Brachycentris we typically see this time of year never materializing. However, the action remains good as there is a smorgasbord of bugs including a few lingering March Browns, a sprinkling of Epeorus Mayflies (Pink Alberts) along with the on and off spring caddis with large Stoneflies and summer caddis starting to show. Most fish prefer eating the smaller nymphs making for a soft, challenging bite with quick hooksets being key to success most days, but of course our land rate is higher when they eat our large rubberleg patterns as a good number of the bow's we've seen have been big and hot!

    The Upper Sac has been mostly a midday nymphing affair with a Rubberleg or Goldenstone and small nymph combo as water temps are still in the 40's. Similar to the Lower Sac, most fish are eating the small Mayfly and Caddis offerings but our land rate on the bigger bug is better, particularly on the largest fish. Dry fly fishing is just around the corner, we've seen our first Stoneflies of the season and the big Mayfly Drakes are on the way as well.

    Flows at Delta on the Upper Sacramento River have increased from below 400 cfs to just under 700 cfs, with the storm, but we expect levels to drop quickly and clear by the weekend as fair weather is in the forecast making access ideal with most crossings open. We enjoyed several successful Upper Sac trips in the past few weeks with the vast majority of fish in the teens, real trophies on this river. We hope to find that illusive twenty incher in our net soon as this is the time of year we get a shot at the biggest fish in the river while enjoying some solitude, as there are few if any other anglers around.

    The Klamath River has enjoyed an influx of bright spring fish, both half pounders and small adults from two to four pounds. Some larger winter fish continue to linger but will be spawning soon. Flows at Irongate are a bit under 1600 and clarity is around three to four feet making conditions ideal to swing up another steelhead to complete your season.

    With the low flows, we hope and expect this spring to be outstanding, similar to the past two seasons and recommend scheduling your spring dates on local freestones, the Pit, McCloud and Upper Sacramento River soon! The Upper Sac and Pit are open year round, McCloud and Fall Rivers as well as Hat Creek open April 25th. Look for our preseason preview post a week or so before the general opener.

    For a complete report including trip pics, visit our website. Drop us a line if you are headed our way, we are always pleased to set you up with the finest local guides or send you in a direction you might enjoy on your own.
    Last edited by Craig Nielsen; 04-07-2015 at 02:17 PM.
    Craig Nielsen
    __________________________
    ShastaTrout
    Legendary Rivers, Local Guides

Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •