Current Fishing Report

Klamath Basin Fishing Report 5/4None-Residents can fish and hunt in Oregon again beginning May 5th! Southern Oregon fishing is back on baby!!!  We have been hitting the lake hard this spring with great results. Klamath Lake temperatures are in the mid to upper 50's and fish are feeding aggressively. After the long haul of winter isolation the redband of Klamath Lake are making up for lost time by savagely attacking minnow and leech patterns that cross their path. Fishing will remain hot for the rest of May on the main lake. I would suggest focusing your time along Eagle Ridge for the remainder of May.  Starting in June many trout will make their way into Rocky Point (Pelican Bay) and the mouth of the Wood River where fish should be stacking up in the cool water. Try targeting these fish with a full sink intermediate line with leech or Damsel patterns. With the right wind chop, a Balanced Leech is always a good bet! Historically, this is an amazing time for world class still-water fishing.  The Williamson River opens May 22nd. May and early June, Redband will be found in the riffles gorging themselves on sucker eggs and golden stone nymphs. Because of the mild Winter and Spring I am expecting lake temperatures to rise quickly this year sparking the yearly migration of redbands up the Williamson River 2-3 weeks earlier than usual. Many years the best fishing on the Williamson doesn't begin until the end of June. This year is bound to be an exception. Fishing on the Williamson should be great from opener to close!  May/June - Bring your nymph game! Golden Stones, princes and copper johns in sized 12-16. Try swinging size 8 seal buggers and damsels  Hex Hatch - The Hex hatch on the Williamson River typically starts the first week of June and runs through mid July.  The Wood River is currently open. Floats from Weed Road to Petric Park have been producing Brown Trout taken on Balanced leeches and nymphs. A sink tip with your favorite Kelly Galloup streamer swung under cut banks will net the largest Brown Trout on the Wood River this time of year. This fishery only gets better as we come into summer.  By nature, humans are not meant to be cooped up inside! We have lived through some extraordinary times as of late, and I think now more than ever we need to get outside and lose ourselves. There is no better place to get a little peace of mind and normalcy than the Klamath Basin.  Stay safe,Dylan Woodrum 

Klamath Lake Redband

With all that is going on in the world, the river has been a great place to relax, find some normalcy and recharge. Lura and I enjoyed Sunday on the Lower Sac. The weather was gorgeous and PMDs and Caddis were popping off all day. We had the big river pretty much to ourselves. Fishing pressure is probably being spread out on the ample options to fish right now in the North State. Hope everyone is doing well and we are looking forward to opening up again in the near future.

Lura keeping busy.

All smiles

While we are waiting out Shelter in Place order there is plenty to do. This is a great time to do gear maitainence and get organized for fishing to come. Check and clean or replace flylines, organize fly boxes, clean and organize packs, vests, boat bags. Take inventory of flies, leaders, tippers, fly tying materials. Tie flies and restock your boxes. Do your best to support your local fly shops by ordering needed flies, tippett, fly lines gear and supplies. This is a good time to contact your favorite guides for tips on fishing , rigging, rod or gear recommendations or just to say hi and see how they are doing in this tough time. As we look forward to getting back to work doing what we love. The fish will be ready. Also good time to purchase gift certificates or book future dates. I miss being out on the water with clients and look forward to seeing you in near future.Thanks and good fishing,Peter

Due to the coronavirus crisis, we suspended all guide trips as of last Friday.  For more information, please read today's email newsletter to our guests.  We will keep you posted.  We will get in touch to help you book a trip or reschedule your trip as soon as we have a firm date for getting back to work.

Fishing conditions have improved considerably over the past week with the first decent rainfall to find it's way to the North Coast since early February. While most rivers still remain low, the rains that fell have put a healthy stain into most. The Eel basin has benefited the most from the recent precipitation giving the few of us who are still out fishing our last glimpse of steelhead green water before the closure on March 31. My past few outings have met with big rewards with clients shaking hands with some very nice fish. With more rain on the horizon for the North Coast, fishing should remain strong until the end of March. (Just a reminder that on April 1 most North Coast rivers will close to fishing, two notable exceptions are the Smith River and the Main Stem Eel below the SF confluence.)I still have available dates on my calendar, but with everything going on it seems very plausible that this might be one of my last fishing reports for the winter season. Thanks to everyone who made the journey to fish the rivers of California's Redwood Coast with me this season. There were some tough days with some that were the stuff of legend. I hope everyone stays safe and healthy through the weeks and months that lay ahead. I'll see you on the water!

A dreamy buck pulled from some dreamy water

The letting go

I had a great time with my guest Bob today. The morning was pretty chilly, but the grab started right away. Bob hooked into several really nice fish and ended up with one of his best days on the Sac! The flows are low, and the fishing is great, so this is a great time to self-isolate in the great outdoors! Fresh air, elbow-bumps only, and social distancing boundaries - we have it all!  

On April 1st the Fly Fishing Only section opens on the upper Trinity. If conditions are right this can be a lot of fun. Primarily walk and wade fishing in a bit smaller water than down river. With good hatches of BWOs , March browns, calibaetis, on the right day the steelhead will eat dries. You can also swing or nymph the area. Last year I spent part of two days there sight fishing with March brows and had a blast. I was fishing a 5wt with 4x leader and size 14 parachute Adam's and other March brown patterns. Over two days I hooked 6 adults and landed 4 all on dries. This section has a short window before the spring flush in later April.I have openings and would love to guide the first half of April there if interested I have available dates. The Trinity is currently fishing well with very little pressure.Get outside away from crowds and do some fishing with us. Book your trip soon.Peter Santley

We just had a cancellation for Tuesday March 17th.  This is currently the ONLY DAY left in our 2019-20 season.  First come first serve!

Spring steelhead is in full swing on the Feather River. We have been having some awesome days lately and some really good times. I have included a few pictures from recent trips. The sucker spawn is on and the fish are eating eggs, caddis, and a variety of other nymphs. This can also be a good time of year to swing and we have gotten some vicious grabs, though we will not have the same numbers as nymphing. Many of the runs on the Feather are spread out and a boat is by far the most efficient way to fish it.  

This photo was sent by our guest John who fished Eagle Canyon two days this week.  He said the fishing was outstanding both days.

John with one of many big fish

At long last we have some actual rain in our forecast for the parched North Coast. While it's nothing amounting to a gully washer it's a welcome change from the prolonged dry spell we've been going through since early February. Despite exceptionally low and clear conditions there are still fish coming into the rivers and over the past few weeks every outing has offered a handful of opportunities to find one of these fish before the season closes (mostly) for 2020. Scaling way down on fly profile and being selective to certain water types has proven to be successful, but conditions are tough on the days that are bright and sunny, and there have been more than a few of those over the past few weeks! Fishing pressure has seen a major drop during March as most rivers have gotten too low to drift. Hopefully this shot of rain will put some fish on the move that are kegged up in the lower stretches and give us a fitting end to our 2020 season. If you've been holding out on making the journey North you still have a shot at finding a fresh from the salt chromer. Tight lines out there! 

I had a fun day on the Lower Sac today with buddies Mark and Kirby.  They wanted a spey casting lesson so they got a full morning of spey instruction.  The double spey was looking pretty good and we just got into the snap-T when the fish started rising.  The risers didn't much care for nymphs fished on the swing so we switched over to dry fly rods and had a blast.  The fish were eager risers and ate every fly we tied on.  We hooked dozens of fish in the 10 inch range and then several larger fish.  The best was about 17" and put up a great battle.  The hatch lasted from 1pm to 4pm and was a mix of PMDs, caddisflies, and smaller mayflies.  This is a great time of year for a trout-spey/dry-fly combo trip.  Flows are very wading-friendly and the shallow water is where the best dry fly fishing happens!

butterflies

Mark playing his big fish

Big wild fish on a dry fly

My guests Ted and Zach had two amazing days on the Sac! We received some much-needed rain on Saturday, and it seemed to turn the bite on. After an incredible morning, we had a lull late-morning - but things really picked back up after lunch.  Sunday was very consistent all day and both hooked into a lot of really nice fish. The weather is very mild and the fishing just seems to get better every day. Spring is a great time to book your float on the Sac!

Ted with a beauty!

Ted with another really nice one

Zach was roping these all day

They doubled, but Zach couldn't quite hand onto his

It's almost spring and it's time for the Lower Sac. Springtime on the Lower Sac is prime time. Hungry rainbows eating a variety of hatches. Good weather and great fishing. Fishing on the Lower Sac is less technical fishing than some of our venues. If you have a wife or girlfriend or kids that would like to try this out booking a float trip on the Lower Sac is a good learning experience. A great place to learn with hungry trout to build your skills. This is also the place to bring your group trips. Clubs', corporate groups, groups of friends to fish the miles of productive waters of the Lower Sac. The Lower Sac can be fished in many methods, nymphing,swinging, dry fly and dry droppers rigs, streamers can all produce fish. At certain flows you can get out of the boat and do some wade fishing.There is something for everyone on this river. For the next three months I cant think of a better place to fish. With the outlook of a lower flow spring fishing should be great. We are already having good days now. It's time to get a friend or fishing buddies to book a trip on The Trout Factory for spring With that said it's time to get out and play. Book now and let's get after it. I would like to have you in my boat for some springtime fun on the Lower Sac.Thanks and good fishing,Peter

Sundial Bridge Lower Sac

 I'm back from roaming with the Great White Buffalo or working my #SS off elsewhere, however you prefer ! I've opened my calendar up for select dates on select venues, my schedule for 2020 is limited but I have made dates available at prime times on prime waters. If you're interested in fishing with me but don't see dates that work with your schedule feel free to reach out to me, I'll see what we can work out. All days will be spent swinging flies for Steelhead and Trout, other then time spent on Lewiston lake or hunting rising trout on the Lower Sac while wading. If you missed it I will be available on the Lower Klamath in Late July, can be a good time to find an early Summer Steelhead and get away from the Valley Heat !

Trinity Beauty

Lower Klamath Chrome

Battle Creek Steelhead

Chrome Wild Hen

Here is a photo forwarded by the Oakland Casting Club. They fished Eagle Canyon on February 29th.  They said they had a great time as usual!

Nice fish!

The lower Sac was incredible today for my guest Chuck. The grab was on right away and remained pretty consistent throughout the day. Lots of fish in the 14”–18” range and several really large suckers and pike minnows! The flows are ideal and so is the weather – spring is a great time to fish the Sac!

I spent a really nice day on the Trinity River today with my guest Chuck from Davis.  The weather was so warm I guided Lower Sac-style, without wearing waders.  I only regretted it for the last hour of the day!  Fishing was good and there are very few other anglers on the river.  Chuck hooked and landed multiple adult steelhead, all wild.  Most of them ate the fly the first time they saw it, right as we began fishing a new spot.  The fish seem to be concentrated in choppy riffles that have a depth transition.  Our fish ranged from 3 to 5 pounds and we also hooked some smaller trout-sized fish.  We saw good numbers of March Brown mayflies mid-day but we didn't see any rises.

Chuck with one of several steelhead today

There is still time to get some steelhead on the Trinity River. I had some good fishing on last weeks Trinity trips. Cool mornings and nice afternoons made for some good steelhead fishing. I had four good days and one slow day. I had some fairly inexperienced anglers. This meant first steelhead for most people that fished with me. We got fish in a variety of sizes from half pounders to 28in adults. We were getting plenty of chances each day. Overall river was quiet and fishing was good. I head back up this week for a couple days of guiding. I have plenty of open dates.Come out and play on the river.Petet Santley

We fought the north wind most of the day today but still hooked good numbers of fish on the Lower Sac.  Fishing pressure is light, hatches are good, and the weather has been great when the wind isn't blowing.  We saw size 14 caddisflies and size 16 PMDs hatching today.  We briefly got out the dry fly rod but spent the rest of the day nymphing.  Fishing was good when we were out of the wind and slow in the wide-open windy areas.  Both Dan and Justin landed a nice 18-20 inch fish today and we hooked plenty of other fish of all sizes.  The nymph grab isn't quite wide-open yet like it can get in March and April, but it's still pretty good.

Justin with an impressive California extension