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The lower Sacramento is the “go to” fishery in Northern California. The lower Sac originates below Shasta Dam where water temps remain constant year round to provide aquatic life for trout even during the warm summer months. The fishing trips are between Redding and Red Bluff. Fish average between 16 inches to 22 inches. Along with the prolific rainbow trout population there is a salmon and steelhead run from September to mid-November. The lower Sac is great for new anglers or anglers targeting big rainbows!
The Lower Yuba River is one of the best dry fly fisheries in Northern California. One of the best ways to fly fish there is from a drift boat. The float is 4 miles long and starts at the Highway 20 bridge and ends at Sycamore Ranch. The fish range from 12 to 18 inches and are the hardest fighting rainbows you will find. There are also steelhead in the Yuba that will be caught from time to time. January through March the lower Yuba has a great Skwala hatch. March Browns, PMDs, and caddis hatches occur in the later months and at times can be epic. The fish in the Lower Yuba see a lot of pressure throughout the season and quickly wise up too many fly patterns.
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The Feather River is one of the best steelhead fisheries in California. The Feather River flows below Orville Dam and has two main sections. The high flow section and low flow section. The low flow section is above the Themalito Afterbay and can be accessed by foot for most of the year which makes for a really fun walk and wade outing. The Feather has two runs of steelhead. The winter-run and summer run. The best months are typically October to mid-Decmber. The steelhead start showing up in the system and they begin to focus on spawning Chinook salmon. The steelhead can be hooked on egg patterns along with a variety of bead heads. The size of steelhead in the Feather range from half-pounders to massive 21 inch plus full-grown adults.
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The lower American River provides some of the best steelhead fishing in California. The lower American River originates below Nimbus Dam and flows into the Sacramento River. The American is home to four distinctive runs of salmon, steelhead, shad, and stripers. On November 1st, the American River is closed on the upper section to protect spawning salmon. The steelhead season opens from January 1st through October. Steelhead can typically show up anytime during January on the American. They can be caught on both “swung flies” or on nymph setups. The American River also has a shad run from mid-May to mid-June that can provide some non-stop action on a fly-rod. These are half-day trips in the morning or evening.
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BEAN’S ORANGE CRUSH
Mike’s very own fly sold in shops around the world
This orange Chernobyl Ant is a great indicator fly for riffles and pocket water.