Rainbow's are active on the Lower Sac and the weather is producing a caddis hatch

Sacramento River - CA


by The Fly Shop
12-19-2011
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Current River Conditions:
River flows on the Lower Sacramento are 5,000 cfs. The weather has been fantastic! For the coming week, the weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and daytime temperatures hovering around a comfortable 60 ?f. The fishing has been fair to good. Angler's are catching rainbows!

Insect hatches include caddis! We saw a few hydropsyche caddis this week! Typically a summertime hatch, the hydro's emerge on sunny, warm days and it has been just warm enough. Fly patterns like #14 Bird's Nests, #14 Zaddis and #14 Cinnamon Poopahs do a great job of imitating this fluttering, moth-like insect. Adding to the list, we can't leave out BWOs and baetis. Tiny #16-18 mayflies in olive and brown are the most notable hatches at this time of year. A few rainbows out there are looking for eggs. Try egg patterns in orange, peach, shrimp pink colors. A few anglers have been doing well swining alvins, leeches and matukas in the riffles and tail-outs.

If you plan on wading the Lower Sacramento here in Redding, CA., consider purchasing a PFD and a wading staff!

Click here for up to date Lower Sacramento flow

"Good fishing can be found at these private water destinations this winter: Luk Lake and Steiner Lake"

The Fly Shop's ? Tips:
Fishing a long, 9' leader tapered to 3x (the second fly can be attached using 4X) with a big indicator and an SSG split shot will get the flies down to the fish. If you are wading the river and not in a drift boat, add another AAA or even a second SSG to your rig. The sooner the flies get to the bottom of the river, the more time you spend "fishing". At this time of year, look for hatches of Baetis, BWOs and midges. The "egg" bite is slowing down and mostly done.

Bridge News:
All of the construction projects have finished their in-river work, so there are no longer hazards in the river at any of the bridges, and there are no longer flow-related boating restrictions anywhere on the river. Yeah!

River Fact:
How did the Sacramento River get it's name? In 1808, Spanish explorer Gabriel Moraga, on a journey to find suitable sites for the construction of missions, became the first foreigner to see the river clearly. Judging its huge breadth and power he named it Rio de good Sacramentos, or "River of the Blessed Sacrament".

Flies:

Dries:

• Mercer's Missing Link #14-16
• Parachute Profile Spinner BWO
• Norman's Loop Wing BWO
• D&D Cripple-Any!

Nymphs/Wet Flies:
• Mercer's Sac Fry
• Pale Alvin #6-12
• Zack's Soft Alevin
• Zack's Zaddis Amber #12-14
• Fox's Beeottis
• Fox's Cinnamon Poopah #12-14
• Drifting Flashback #18
• Eng Thing #14-16
• Mercer's Gidget
• Pat's Rubberlegs #4-8
• Zack's Thurmantor Stone
• CB Birds Nest #12-16
• S&M #16-18 (Any Color)
• Pseudo May #18 Olive
• Red Micro Mayfly #16-18
• Skip Nymph #16

Streamers/Leeches:
• Muddler Minnow #10
• Freshwater Clouser Olive/White
• Spruce Matuka

Eggs:
• MC Redd Reaper
• Micro Spawn
• Single Eggs
• Surreal Eggs
• Boles Bazookas
the weather is caus