Current Fishing Report

After receiving several emails and phone calls in the past few weeks with folks eager to get in some early winter swing sessions for steelhead I figured it might be time to throw out a quick update on the state of our coastal rivers here in northern California. December has seen a few brief windows of opportunity for getting into an early winter run fish.  Earlier this month we had a decent dry spell between major weather events to give all coastal rivers open to fishing a chance to drop into good shape. Even the lower mainstem Eel dropped down to fishable conditions for the first time in who can remember how long? Unfortunately is was short lived, and now with a lot more rain on tap we're back to a typical winter holding pattern. Time to organize fly boxes, go through your sink tip wallets and throw on some fresh running line. As we head into the new year let's all keep our fingers crossed that we have a slightly less wet winter compared to last seasons near shutout. One particular note of optimism for what might be in store going into this winter steelhead season is the fact that our North Coast rivers have seen an amazing return of fall run salmon. Both Kings and Coho have made a notable comeback after two consectuve years of an offshore moratorium. Will this translate into an above average year for returning winter steelhead? There's only one way to find out! For those of you interested in booking a swing trip for winter steelhead this season there's still some prime open dates available in January and February.  Happy Holidays folks, and remember to fish well and often! 

fresh bait

Coastal winter light

I spent a really nice day on the Trinity River with some of my regular guests from the Mother Lode area of California.  The river is in great shape and there are some quality steelhead around!  Flows are elevated but the water is clear and the fish are fairly grabby.  Book a trip soon for a chance at a fish over five pounds!

Winter's here and someone on the team's been fishing everyday. The Lower Sac slows down a bit, so we run more trips on the Trinity. Trinity weather isn't always balmy but the fishing can make up for chilly, wet conditions. We see some of the state's largest steelhead and periodcially, we bump a sea run brown while we're at it - pretty cool. The Feather is cycling down for a few months, until the spring run kicks into gear. If you haven't fished the spring run, it's a lot of fun. The Yuba's been fishing well, which should continue through the winter. Starting late January and running through March, sunny days offer you a chance to throw big dries when the annual Skwala Stones start popping. If you want to get out, there's good fishing to be had now and on its way!

Steelheading on the Trinity has been Solid ! The Trin got off to a bit of a slow start in October but has been fishing very well since early November. The Trinity is currently on the rise and most likely will blow out for a day or two, we'll see ?I have dates available in Late December as well as January and February for both Swing/Spey trips as well as Side Drift trips with Indicators, feel free to hit me up with any questions you may have about available dates as well as general questions about Guided trips on the Trinity.Tight Lines and Merry Christmas !Randy T Hamann 

another Nice One !

Nice One

I fished the Trinity today with fellow guide Randy Hamann.  It was a beautiful day on the river despite heavy rain in the morning.  The fall colors are amazing right now and the steelhead are grabby!  The river was up a little due to the rain.  We hooked quite a few smaller steelhead in the 2-3 pound range and finished strong with a much larger fish.  Our fish were all holding in the fast water and were great fighters.  Come on up and get your steelhead fix!  The good fishing will continue through December, January, February, and beyond!

Andrew Harris with a great Trinity River steelhead.

Captain Bryce Tedford said he had a decent day with Ricardo & Brian, managing about 15 fish to the boat up to 5 pounds.  The weather was excellent, the wind stayed down & fun was had.

The entire crew's been on the water chasing gorgeous rainbows and bright chrome steel. The weather's largely cooperated and so have the fish. We've been on 5 different rivers guiding, kids, adults, seniors and families because fall's just a great time to be on the water. 

Trick or Treat!  We have a nice storm heading our way tomorrow that is forecast to bring about 3/4 of an inch of rain in the Weaverville area.  That should be enough to saturate the ground and give us a small bump in stream flows.  The steelhead usually respond well to any change in flows this time of year by moving around.  Any time these fish are on the move and settling into a new spot, they are a lot easier to catch!  Check guide availability and book a trip this coming week if you can get away!

This Trinity steelhead ate a fly on the swing

The entire Confluence team has been on the water; Lower Sac, Upper Sac, Hat Creek, Trinity, Yuba, Feather and even Baum Lake. The weather's been comfortable and the fish have been cooperative. The mountains will see October caddis starting to pop, so look for the McCloud, Hat Creek and the Upper Sac to offer some fall dry fly action soon. The Lower Sac should fish well for at least the next two months and steelhead action is already picking up on the Feather, Trinity and Yuba. Take your pick, it's all a good choice. GUIDE TIP: Step number one for every cast is to load the rod with energy. If you don't, it's like an empty gun, click but no bang!  Load your rod first and then make your cast. Anything else, doesn't work and usually leads to a frustrated angler. 

A gorgeous day and a nice Lower Sac rainbow

A gorgeous day, on the beautiful Trinity river. Thousands of dragonflies gave an impressive aerial display above water, while the fish more than held their own below the surface. A day of 1/2 pounders can be fast action fun, especially when a few adults and a brown are thrown into the mix. Book any of our Trinity guides for the coming months, when the fishing turns on and the adults takeover the show. 

1/2 pounders are a fun warmup to what's ahead.

Well it's been awhile since I wrote a river report, so here's a quick update. First, the flows are still BIG but the river's been slowly creeping down. I think we're just around 11,600cfs. The fishing has been all over the map, from really tough to really good. When it's good, it's GREAT. When it's tough, you just got to work hard and be creative and hope things line up. The last two weeks have been more consistent and better, so it's starting to feel a bit more connsistent. The mornings have had some pretty big midge and small mayfly hatches. The afternoons and evenings may or may not have some caddis. Today was pretty consistent until around 1:30pm... then it slowed down. However, Chuck hooked all of the BIGGER fish in the last hour and a half, so I guess it was still successful. And actually... he landed 87.5% of his fish today, ha ha! Yes... we kept track in order to compare it to the previous day... which we wan't talk about :) Anyway, the weather is starting to cool down and the fishing is improving. I've got a bit of September dates available, in October, and then the steelhead season on the Trinity takes over. Give us a call at Confluence if you wanna get out! We've got plenty of guides to get you out for a fun day! NOTHING

I just got back from a busman's holiday on Fall River.  I fished with fellow guides Randy Hamann, Luke Geraty and Mike Wright.  Fishing is good throughout the day with occasional periods of greatness if you're in the right place at the right time!  The predominant hatch was PMD mayflies, both spinners and duns.  The spinners are creamy white and the duns were a pale olive color.  We had good dry fly opportunities from 9-11am, good streamer fishing throughout the day, and pretty good nymph fishing from lunch through the end of the day.  Callibaetis mayflies should start hatching in good numbers soon.  My favorite time on Fall River is August and September - there is plenty of time to book a trip still this season!

Andrew with a Fall River rainbow

Come July and August, most hatches are on a down slide or they're over until fall. It's now, that hoppers and terrestrials start showing up on the menu. Fish are looking up and if you've ever fished hoppers, you know it's a lot of fun. It's one of my favorite ways to fish. Working the water, searching for fish that want a big meal, you're hunting fish with well placed casts. I look for the hopper action to stay solid through August and into early September. If you want to play the hopper game, now's the time. 

Now's a great time to be in the mountains. The temps are 10 degrees cooler and wet wading feels great. Our guides have been on the Upper Sac the last month, enjoying the mountains and the plucky wild fish, who've been eating nymphs through the day and providing dry action toward evening. If you're looking to beat the heat and hit the water, now's a good time. Come join us, because we're having fun!

I've spent quite a bit of time on the Fall River and it's connected waters this Spring and early Summer, overall the fishings been Great ! The Hex has been going off most nights and when it does you have your best shot at some of the bigger fish the Fall has to offer. Durring the morning and day time we've had dry fly action on PMD's both Spinners and Duns,fishing intermediate lines mid day has been productive as well.I have some availability on the Fall river later this month, and much of August as well as very early September before I head over to the Lower Klamath for Summer Steelhead.  August can offer up some great dry fly action with Callibaetis Mayfly's emerging in the Lower River. Come join me on this one of a kind fishery !Feel free to reach out if you have questions.Randy Hamann

Flows are dropping, opening up more wading and fishing opportunities. The fish have been cooperative, with plenty of bugs keeping them actively feeding. Nymphing has been productive, both morning and evening. Stones, caddis and mayflies are on the menu, so switch bugs if you're not getting grabs. The entire team, Brian, Colin, Kevin, Ben, Luke, Scottie, Mike, Mat and even Andrew has been on the water. Fall River, Lower Sac, Upper Sac, McCloud, Hat Creek, trout, striper, bass or shad – take your pick. June is game on and a great time to book a trip.   TIP: Especially on smaller water, that's clear like the Upper Sac, stealth is your friend. Keep a low profile and stay back from the water's edge until you've fished close. Put less line on the water, high stick. Read the water carefully, break it down into small pieces. Fish thoroughly. You'll enjoy better results. 

Spent 3 days on the Fall, last Sunday-Tuesday, the weather was variable, had clouds and wind on both Sunday and Monday, fishing was a little Scratchy, Tuesday the clouds parted and the sun came out and the fish were grabby, I would rate the morning as, as good as it gets !  Fish are spreading out now, moving down river, occupying areas that were mostly void of trout a couple weeks ago. Hex hatch is right around the corner, with warmer temps should start the Hex off in the next week or so and go into July.I have openings available, please hit me up, would love to show you around this wonderfull fishery, One of a Kind ! Feel free to reach out with any questions or to check my schedule 775-781-1058 

Awesome views abound

Shad are plentiful in the Sacramento River below Red Bluff right now.  These fish run from 1-5 pounds with most in the 1-2 pound range.  They like to hold in swift water and fight really hard.  They also like to eat ridiculous brightly-colored flies that no other fish would eat.  Luke Geraty is doing PM Shad trips this summer.  The shad will be around at least through the end of June and probably well into July.  Book an afternoon trip and see what it's all about!

Andrew with a large American Shad

Shad are bait where I grew up but I've gained a new respect for them. They're great for a day full of hard fighting action. A recent trip on the American was beautiful weather and the shad didn't disappoint either. We also target them on the Lower Sac. This is a good fish for everyone but especially newer anglers, who'll have multiple opportunities at fish – so if you miss the first few, there's likely a bunch more behind them. Trout fishing is also coming into shape. the Lower Sac remains spotty due to flows but Fall River, Hat Creek and the Upper Sac are all fishing well. Don't miss our podcasts on iTunes (the confluence podcast):iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-confluence-podcast/id1624277773 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ConfluenceOutfitters

Our guides have been on Lake Shasta, the Lower Sac, Fall River, Hat Creek and the Upper Sac in the last few weeks. They've been chasing bass, shad and trout with clients looking to enjoy the spring weather and fishing. If you like chasing gorgeous wild fish, in crystal clear water, surrounded by a spectacular setting, while throwing monster dry flies, it's Hex time on Fall River. Now's the time to book Mike or Colin. These are very special trips you won't regret booking. Flows have been up and down on the Lower Sac and the trout fishing has corresponded. What trout haven't offered lately, shad have made up for. They're definitely in and are less affected by the changes. These little tarpon fight like hell and don't disappoint. Lake Shasta provided some fun, low key float and fly action for spotted bass as the spring bite winds down a bit. Hat Creek's been fishing well for several months and the Upper Sac flows are dropping, which means it's coming into shape. The weather's perfect and the fishing is good. TIP: If you're newer to fly fishing and intimidated by what seems like a confusing mess of fly choices, understand that the majority of flies imitate just three insects; mayflies, caddis and stoneflies. It's not an overly complex puzzle, you just need a little time and help to identify what's-what and to start making informed fly selections.