Current River Conditions:
Insect hatches of Caddis, Baetis, Pale Evening Duns, Blue Wing Olives and a few October Caddis have signaled the outset of the Autumn season on the McCloud River. The fishing is good! Best bite is in the cool morning hours, subsiding mid day, then picking up again in the early evening. Anglers fishing #14-18 Pheasant Tail Nymphs, Zack' s #16-18 Pseudo Nymphs have been doing well. Various Mayfly cripple dry flies are fooling a few surface feeding rainbows and browns in the late afternoon and early evening hours. Bring a few October Caddis dry flies and nymphs. Hatches of October Caddis will increase over the next two weeks, and the fish will eagerly eat these big, giant caddis flies that come off the water near sunset. Fall colors are starting to pop! The fishing on the McCloud is a lot like what's happening on the Upper Sacramento.

Upper McCloud River flows

McCloud River at Ah-Di-Na

Lower McCloud flows near Bollibokka

For an update on the fight to preserve the McCloud River's flows, check out this recent announcement from the Anglers for Hydropower Reform (formerly McCloud RiverKeepers): Send an email to Dennis Amato at this email ([email protected]).

The Fly Shop's ? Tips:
Wading boots with studs and a wading staff are a must on the McCloud, which is full of irregularly shaped rocks that can be very slick. The best results are produced by anglers who move from run to run. The more water you can cover, the more fish have a chance to see your fly, ultimately improving upon your existing good fortune of being out on the river, fishing! Be on the look-out for rattle snakes. Use a technique called High-stick-nymphing in the pocket water and deeper chutes. 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. For more information, check out www.mccloudriverkeepers.org before it's too late!

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. So, that means we could trace Madison river (a river in Montana) rainbows back to the McCloud River!

Flies:

Dries:
• Mercer's Missing Link #14-18
• E/C Caddis Olive #14-16
• Mercer's Skating October Caddis
• October Irresistible Caddis
• Goddard Caddis #8
• Morrish's October Caddis
• 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
• Mercers October Pupa
• Zack's October Zaddis
• October Fox Pewpah
• Mercer's Golden Stones #8-14
• GB Half Flashback PT #14-18
• 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