Current River Conditions:
The McCloud is fishing well! Crowds are light. Expect warm days. Water conditions are clear, cold and wader friendly. Indicator nymphing with Mercer's brown or black Micro Mayflies in #16 has been working well. #16 beaded half flashback pheasant tail nymphs a working well. Throw #18-20 Zebra Midges in the slow water, looking for the "slightest" jiggle from your indicator. Those jiggles are McCloud rainbows spitting your hook! It's a good time to fish the McCloud right now. Best dry fly fishing seems to be around 10:00 AM and near sunset. The McCloud is a perfect choice for a northern California fly fishing experience! Take some time off from work and go. Just "x" off a few days. It's okay. "Sick Days" hello...

Upper McCloud River flows

McCloud River at Ah-Di-Na

Lower McCloud flows near Bollibokka

The Fly Shop's ? Tips:
Wading boots with studs, and/or a wading staff can be a good idea for the McCloud, which is full of bowling ball shaped rocks that can be very slick. The more water you can cover, the more fish have a chance to see your fly and the better your odds at landing a few nice ones. High-stick nymph the pocket water and deeper chutes, then switch over to dry flies in the flats and whenever you see a fish rising consistently. Re-fish all your way back to camp or the car throwing streamers into pocket water, next to downed trees/logs.

The Fight is on to Protect McCloud River Flows!!! Whitewater boating interests are also trying to hijack McCloud River flows for boating at the expense of angling opportunity.

River Fact:
The McCloud River rainbows (salmo Shasta) may be the most famous strain of trout on the planet Earth. At the turn of the 19th century, these were the fish used to first stock most of New Zealand, Argentina, Chile, and other potential trout fisheries all across the western hemisphere. Rainbow trout came from the McCloud and Yuba rivers.

Flies:

Dries:
• Mercer's Missing Link #14-18
• E/C Caddis Olive #14
• Yellow Stimulators #8-16
• Thing From Uranus Stone
• Thing From Uranus Salmon Fly
• Parachute Adams #12-18
• Yellow Humpy #14-16
• Orange Stimulator #6

Nymphs/Wet Flies:
• TB Pseudo Mays #18
• Micro Mayflies #14-16
• Burk's HBI #16-18
• Pat's Brown Rubber Leg #6-8
• GB Black A. P.
• Iron Sally #14-16 • Mercer's Golden Stones #8-14
• GB Half Flashback PT #12-18
• GB Poxyback Hares Ear #14-16
• Cinnamon Poopah #12-14
• BB Olive Bird's Nest #14-16
• Shafer's 3-D Black #8-10
• GB Birds Nest #12-16

Streamers/Leeches:
• Beaded Micro Bugger Olive
• Beaded Micro Bugger Black
• Double Bunny

Eggs:
• Micro Spawn Oregon Cheese