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Trinity River: , by Andrew Harris: Steelhead Season Begins: 3 stars

I spent a fun day today on the Trinity River with fellow Confluence Outfitters guides Brian Kohlman and  Drew Griffith.  The air was smoky due to numerous fires in the area, but overall tolerable during the day.  River access was also an issue as all 18 National Forests in California have been closed due to severe fire danger.  The gate at Pigeon Point is locked.  Pretty much any roadside day use area, river access, or campground is closed.  If it can't be gated then it has traffic cones and flagging tape blocking it off.  The fish seemed oblivious to all of these problems, though.  We hooked numerous half-pounders, most in the 12-16" range, and then finished the day with a nice adult steelhead.  We hooked fish on skated dries, traditional wet flies, and small tube flies.

Stay tuned for more info on the smoky conditions.  We have guides out on the water today in Redding.  The air quality in Red Bluff and Redding is somewhat  better today compared to yesterday.  It's pretty much at the limit of being tolerable, in my estimation.

Flows on the Trinity are ramping up to 1200cfs for a few days.  The idea is to send more high-quality (cool) water down to the Lower Klamath River to improve water quality down there.  Some people say this pulse of water brings more fish into the Trinity.  Other folks say that it makes the water quality better in the Klamath, so the fish stay put in the Klamath instead of coming up the Trinity.  The truth is probably somewhere in between.  We have always considered September 15th to be the beginning of the season on the Trinity, when fishable numbers of adult steelhead are present.  Our early-season trips are usually spey-only trips on the middle and lower sections of the river, although we have had banner days nymphing the Junction City area as early as September 20th.   The bottom line is that there are adult fish around, you can catch them on nymph/indicator techniques and with spey rods, and you won't catch any if you stay at home!  We have expert nymph/indicator guides on our staff and several of the best spey specialists in Northern California on our staff, too.  No matter how you like to get 'em, we can help make it happen!

Drew Griffith swinging a muddler through a nice run
Drew Griffith swinging a muddler through a nice run
Andrew's first Trinity steelhead of the year
Andrew's first Trinity steelhead of the year
Steelhead are cool.
Steelhead are cool.
Brian Kohlman with a hard-fighting half-pounder
Brian Kohlman with a hard-fighting half-pounder
Next 10 open days for Andrew Harris:
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