Current River Conditions:
Insect hatches of small green mayflies like Blue Wing Olives, Pale Evening Duns, small tan Sedges in the afternoons and October Caddis in the early evenings has kept the fishing good. Even great for those anglers finding one of the McCloud's famous Fall-run Brown trout! The Fall-run browns can be pretty big! Anglers fishing caddis nymphs like #14 Cinnamon Fox's Poopahs, #16 Tan Bird's Nests, any #16-18 olive mayfly nymph have been into the world famous rainbows that have roamed these waters for more than a millennia! Orange Stimulators suspending #18 copper John's has been effective! When you stop in at The Fly Shop, ask John Dietz about his Sculpin pattern. The Dietz sculpin is popular with the bigger rainbows and brown trout that swim the McCloud river.

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 ([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
• Fox's Tan BH Poopah #14
• 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:
• Dietz Sculpin Natural
• Beaded Micro Bugger Olive
• Beaded Micro Bugger Black
• Double Bunny

Eggs:
• Micro Spawn Oregon Cheese