Guide Notes

October Report

October 02, 2026Bob Grace

10/1/2026 Ted Fay Fly Shop Report

Greetings from the oldest operating fly shop in California, located in the heart of Northern California’s fabled trout-filled rivers! A gathering place for flyfisher folks for 76 years, where you can always depend on hearing the honest truth about the latest lies.

A Successful River Cleanup - 80 participants showed up this year!!! Thank you to everyone who participated in the annual river clean up! About 1 ton of trash was removed from our beloved Upper Sac. Some participants even made it down as far as the Lakehead area. This event will be held on the last Saturday of September every year. Judging by this year’s turn out and the enthusiasm that was received, this event is going to grow exponentially in its river cleaning success!

Shop Talk: Yesterday evening, near Box Canyon, I saw the first October Caddis of the season! It will still be awhile before they will be on the main menu, but a couple more weeks and the magic will happen. This is the time of year that the locals wait for. When prodigious hatches of the largest of caddises are anticipated to fill the air and trout forget their late summer wariness and gorge themselves in preparation for the leaner months ahead. October is when the streamsides are flush with the palette of fall colors with wild grape, cottonwoods, alders, dogwoods, black oak, willows and elephant ears showcasing their vibrancy in the cool mists of fall. It’s a beautiful time to be on the river!

Tip: When you place your rod down make sure not to place it in the dirt or sand. The grit can get into your drag system, and overtime, it will ruin your reel.

Upcoming Events:

Dunsmuir 2nd Saturday (Oct 10): Downtown Dunsmuir shops, art galleries (like Siskiyou Arts Museum), and restaurants stay open late with live music and special menus from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM
Dunsmuir Octoberfest (Oct 17): The signature annual fundraiser for the Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens running from 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM, featuring German food, a pretzel bar, beer and wine, yodeling and stein-holding contests, and live music by Scott Joss and the Side Men.

THE REPORT

Upper Sacramento River

Water Temp: Mid 50s in Dunsmuir area

River Flows at Delta: 208 CFS

I’ve been out on the Upper Sac a couple times this week. I’ve used a #12 CDC Tungsten PT and had great success, including 3 browns. The browns that I caught were holding deep and one took the PT while swinging at the tail end of a deep hole. Others are finding success as well with rainbows and a few browns, using perdigons, baetis style nymphs, midges, etc. By catch rates, the Upper Sac seems to have about a 1 brown to every 20-25 rainbow ratio, but that number narrows in the fall, especially if you focus on them.The migratory lake rainbows are moving slowly up river, but when the rains of fall come, they will come upriver in greater numbers. Simms, Gibson, Pollard Flat, Lamoine, McCardle Flat should be a good bet for lake fish. Some small caddis, midges and a few PMDs are hatching. My observations have been that mostly smaller fish are feeding at the surface right now, generally in the evenings. Rubber leg stone flies, Posse Buggers, caddis pupas, and size 16-18 Lil Amigos have been working well also. When the October Caddis hatch happens, switch to dries only, or a dry dropper set up. Don’t hesitate to twitch the dry a bit to entice strikes.

Nymphs

Rubber Leg Stone Nymphs (I prefer the Tungsten Bead Stone at Ted Fays)

Posse Buggers #10

CDC Tungsten PT #12-14

Birdnests Tan/Brown #14-16

Little Amigos #16-18

Weiss Nymphs #16-18

Baby Assassins #14-18

Copper Johns #14-18

Blowtorch #16

Dries

October Caddis

Parachute Adams #14-18

EC Caddis #16

Light Cahills #14-16

BWOs #18

Stimulators

Yellow Humpies #12-16

McCloud River

Water Temp: Upper 40s

River Flows at Ah Di Nah: 190 CFS

Sporadic hatches of BWOs, Midges and Small Caddis should be in the mix in the evenings. When the fish are rising, it might be a good time to put away the nymphs and have some fun pursuing the risers. The October Caddis will be arriving soon and the fishing will really turn on then. Limited reports are coming out of the McCloud lately, but those who put in the time are finding chunky browns and hard fighting rainbows. Rainbows are caught on the usual fair: Weiss Nymphs, Birdsnests, Little Amigos, Prince Nymphs, Brush Hogs, Variations of Pheasant Tails and Perdigons Browns are getting ready to spawn and are becoming more visible. The low waters and clearer waters make stealthy approaches more necessary. Use rubber leg stones, large caddis pupas or streamers to target the browns.

As always, the dry dropper is a killer combo here, especially for the rainbows.

Nymphs

Weiss Nymphs (Black) #16-18

BH Black APs #14-16

Dark Lords #14-16

Little Amigos #16-18

Brush Hogs

Posse Buggers

Tungsten Bead Black Stone

Dries:

October Caddis

Parachute Adams #14-16

PMDs #16-18

EC Caddis #14-16

BWOs #18

Chubby Chernobyls

Lake Siskiyou

Water Temp: Low 60s

Fish are being caught but it’s taking a bit longer this season for the lake to turn on with the double digit fish days that can be expected when it’s on.. The browns are moving along the weedbeds, near the stumps, in the creek arms and off points. They aren’t always easy to find, but sometimes you get lucky and find where they’re feeding. Smallmouth bass are near any structure. Rainbows are moving throughout the lake and can be caught in the top few feet of water with small streamers in blacks, browns and olive. Trailing a #12 0r 14 beadless natural hares ear behind a slow stripped leech can be a killer combo. Currently, at the surface, they are predominantly feeding on small midges. Look for rising fish and target them with small dries like Adams, Ants, Caddis or Griffith Gnats.

Current flows: https://www.tedfay.com/forecasts-flows

- Report by Michael Kielich

The reporter in action!

Upper Sac Brown caught on a #12 CDC Tungsten PT

Nice Fish Ezra!

A northstate local’s first McCloud Brown

Make it stand out

This fly (CDC Tungsten PT) has been working very well.

Locals give a hoot about a clean river!

The owl seems a bit creeped out be the orange vest guy though!

Mid-September Guide Notes

September 17, 2026Bob Grace

9/15/26 Ted Fay Fly Shop Mid-Month Report

Upper Sacramento River

Water Temp: Mid 50s in Dunsmuir

River Flows at Delta: 224 CFS

I went out this weekend, during the late afternoon to one of my favorite holes to see if I could catch some lake-run rainbows. It’s a fairly deep hole, so I set my indicator at 7-8 feet above my lead fly, put on some extra weight, and caught quite a few nice healthy fish out of that one hole. 4 or 5 were caught on a Black Tungsten Stone, but a couple were caught on a size 16 Olive Little Amigo. The sooner you can get your flies to dead drift near the bottom the sooner you’re in the sweet spot. Although they were on the smaller side (12-14”s), they were full of feist. As for the rest of the river, catch rates have been hit or miss, with some fishermen reporting good success, while others have sporadic success.. Ted Fay Fly Shop posted a pic of a whopper of a rainbow that was caught this week. Baby Assassins, Black Brassies, Rubber Leg Stones, Blow Torches, Little Amigos, Caddis Pupas continue to be some great patterns. As for hatches, they haven’t really started too much yet, but that will change soon. The river is moving into some of its prime months! Get ready!

McCloud River

Water Temp: Upper 40s at Ash Camp

River flows at Ah Di Nah: 195 CFS

I recently guided on the McCloud and had some success, 6 or 7 rainbows, to the net. I had remembered having success using a Robinson’s Hares Ear (orange) at the end of the summer a few years ago and that is what the fish wanted on this particular day. Two were caught on a tungsten black stone, the rest on the hares ear. We did see a large brown deep in a hole, but it showed no interest in anything that we tried to coax it with. Rubber leg stones are standard for this river and are a great fly for a chance of hooking a big brown as well as rainbows.

The large black bear is still being aggressive towards people at the Conservancy and Ah Di Nah. It charged a fisherman last week and he (the fisherman) decided to leave the area promptly. This bear is a serious problem, so if you go down there be careful and carry pepper spray.

September Ted Fay Report

September 04, 2026Bob Grace

9/1/2026 Ted Fay Fly Shop Report

Shop Talk: Everyone is talking about pupation! Okay, maybe not everyone, but at least the fly fishing nerds are. I’m not saying any names. It’s a cool sounding word anyways and it makes someone seem really smart in the fishy world of entomology. Many local angler’s favorite time of the year is approaching and it’s like an Dicosmoecus gilvipes is already flitting about inside their waders. They’re anxious and agitated trout bums, metamorphosing from dog days slumber until the pupae emerge from their sealed and cased lair…The question is, with this year’s much cooler than normal temps, will the Caddis start showing early? Anyways, definitely put this fall on your schedule to visit the North State for this epic hatch. And always, stop by the shop for the latest banter, river updates, to stock up on gear and try on the new Backcountry Skins!

Tip: When the rivers rise due to rains and get off color, it’s a great time to swing streamers. When streamer fishing, I recommend not staying at a hole very long. Keep moving, cover lots of water, and search for aggressive fish. Casting up stream with a sculpin style streamer and quick jerky strips downstream is a proven technique as well.

Upcoming Events:

Mount Shasta Blackberry Music Festival: Sunday, September 6, 2026 at 12:00 PM at Shastice Park. Labor Day weekend tradition with live music, multiple vendors, activities for kids, and blackberry pie. https://www.mtshastablackberry.com/
Fly Tying Clinic and Social Gathering: 4-6pm every 2nd Saturday at Ted Fay Fly Shop. Come meet local fly fishers and learn some skills at the tying vise.
Upper Sacramento River Clean-Up: September 26th

THE REPORT

Upper Sacramento River

Water Temp: Upper 50s in Dunsmuir area

River Flows at Delta: After these rains the river spiked from 201 CFS to 434 CFS (Sept. 3rd)

The river near Delta doubled in size during this last storm that brought a fall chill to the North State .The transition of seasons is starting. Migratory Shasta Lake rainbows are moving upriver with more frequency, which means fresh, larger fish that haven’t seen too much pressure. They generally aren’t too picky on fly selection and a #12-14 Beaded Prince, Copper John or Pheasant Tail is a good, time-tested choice. Lake fish generally have copepods on them (see pic below) and are more silver. Black midges that are clinging to the rocks are now reaching maturity and will start to hatch in greater numbers soon. Using zebra midges or black brassies are effective nymphs. Cased caddis imitations are also a good ticket along with rubber leg stones. In the evening, small caddis and some small mayflies are hatching. Swinging wet flies like Partridge Soft Hackles (I prefer orange or purple) is an exciting way to get a feisty grab. Tan/brown beaded birdsnest nymphs were working well for a guide that I talked to as well as Blowtorch nymphs.. September is a beautiful time of the year to be on the river.

Nymphs

Rubber Leg Stone Nymphs (I prefer the Tungsten Bead Stone at Ted Fays)

Cased Caddis Mop Fly

Birdnests Tan/Brown #14-16

Little Amigos #16-18

Weiss Nymphs #16-18

Baby Assassins #14-18

Copper Johns #14-18

Blowtorch #16

Dries

Parachute Adams #14-18

EC Caddis #16

Light Cahills #14-16

Foam Ants

Stimulators

Chubby Chernobyls

Yellow Humpies #12-16

McCloud River

Water Temp: Upper 40s

River Flows at Ah Di Nah: 220 CFS

The McCloud rose about 30 cfs at Ah Di Nah during this last storm. As reported last month, it’s a great time to fish for browns. With that said, the pressure on this river is increasing as fall nears. If you're willing to scramble, you’ll find solitude. Flyfishers love the big browns and some come to this famous river just to fish for them. Use flies like large posse buggers, or rubber legs. The browns often strike out of aggression, so swinging streamers can incite them to grab. Get your presentation deep, under bubbles, in shady lairs, against the banks in slots under the branches are spots where they wait to ambush their prey. Also, spend a bit of time searching out a hole before casting because you might just see one in its hold. Often they will chase and not commit. If that’s the case, remember that spot and go back later with a different presentation. I might sound like a broken record, but the dry dropper is a killer combo here, especially for the rainbows.

Nymphs

Weiss Nymphs (Black) #16-18

BH Black APs #14-16

Dark Lords #14-16

Little Amigos #16-18

Brush Hogs

Cased Caddis Mop Fly

Tungsten Bead Black Stone

Dries:

Parachute Adams #14-16

PMDs #16-18

EC Caddis #14-16

Light or Pink Cahills #14-18

BWOs #18

Chubby Chernobyls

Lake Siskiyou

Water Temp: Upper 60s

If the weather keeps staying unseasonably cool, this lake is going to turn back on very soon for rainbows and browns to start coming up from the depths. As it is right now, the surface temps are still a bit too warm for the fish to recover easily if brought to the surface. By mid to late September, the fish should be coming to the surface and start feeding hungrily in preparation for the leaner, colder months ahead. This lake fishes great from Early Fall to Early Summer for trout. Fall is a great time to fish for browns as they come into the shallows to feed. Fish streamers (in combinations of black olive and brown) at the edges of drop off, along weed beds, shallow coves and near incoming streams. I’m a big fan of zirdles. Look for rising fish and target them with dries like Adams, Ants, Small Caddis or Griffith Gnats.

Current flows: https://www.tedfay.com/forecasts-flows

- Report by Michael Kielich