July Report
Bob Grace
7/1/2026 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!
Shop Talk: As a hungry trout can’t refuse to come up from the depths to a well presented Hexagenia mayfly, so do scoffers rise at the opportunity to devour things of beauty. As a case in point, there have been some wild spun rumors at the shop lately that particular fishers have been using AI to doctor their photos of fish. Rubbish!
Tip: When indicator fishing, it is often an effective technique to use a heavy weighted nymph for your lead fly and then a non-weighted nymph or soft hackle for the dropper. This gets you down to where the fish are but keeps the dropper floating more freely and away from the bottom. Don’t forget to let the flies swing at the end of the drift!
Upcoming Events:
Mount Shasta Summer Concert Series: Outdoor music event every Sunday at 6:30 at Shastice Park. See link for details. Mt. Shasta Concert Series
River & Rail Brewfest (Aug 1, 2026): Head down to downtown Dunsmuir to enjoy craft beers, regional wines, local food, and live music. http://www.riverandrailsbrewfest.com/
Kids Fishing Day (July 25, 2026): Bring the little ones to the Mt Shasta Hatchery to fish in their specially prepared settling ponds. Kids Fishing Day
THE REPORT
Upper Sacramento River
Water Temp: Mid 50s degrees at Cantara
River Flows at Delta: 313 CFS
The river is in its summer time glory with easy wading, cool mornings and the thrill of high-stick nymphing the bubbly pocket water. For the adventurous, this is a great time to bring a snorkel and mask and swim some holes to see what’s happening. Fish only spook for a few minutes and then generally go back to their holding spots. Though not as profuse, there are hatches happening: mostly small mayflies and caddis with a few golden stones still in the mix. A dry-dropper set up is still very effective and will be all summer long. Think chubby chernobyls or stimulators with a small weighted black nymph. Fish the shadows when the sun is on the water or up in the bubbles. Small hoppers are starting to show and the black midges clinging to rocks are going to start popping soon. Mornings and evenings are best, but fish can be enticed all day long. I went out last week during the mid day heat and bright sun to see if I could coax some fish to bite during what is normally a more challenging time to fish. Two fish took right away in a deeper trough under the shade of an overhanging tree. Knowing that many fish reside in this hole, I kept at it. After trying some different techniques and flies, I switched to swinging a size 16 soft hackle tied on behind enough weight to get the presentation down. Two more fish were brought to the net on the swing.
Nymphs
Rubber Leg Stone Nymphs (I prefer the Tungsten Bead Stone at Ted Fays)
Golden Stones
Cased Caddis
Little Amigos #16-18
Weiss Nymphs #16-18
Duracells #14-16
Brush Hog #12
Dries
Parachute Adams #14-18
Light Cahills #14-16
EC Caddis #14-16
Mosquito #16-18
Stimulators
Chubby Chernobyls
Yellow Humpies #12-16
McCloud River
Water Temp: Upper 40s
River Flows Below M: 188 CFS
The McCloud has had a lot of pressure for the last 2 months and the fish have become wiser and require more skill to bring to the net. Try fishing water that most fishers pass up. Wade to hard to reach pockets, drift under overhanging plants, hike away from often fished areas. Get deep and under the fast moving bubbly water with heavy weighted nymphs. Often it is more effective to put away the indicator and do some high-stick nymphing. This direct connection with your nymphs connects you with your nymphs and detects subtle strikes that an indicator will rarely show. I am still surprised how fish can hold in water that seems too fast to hold in, but they have their holds where they swim effortlessly under the current. Let it swing after the drift. Small, black nymphs have been effective. I like Weiss nymphs in size 16 or 18 fished along with a #12 brush hog or pheasant tail. Golden Stones are still flying about, so keep them at the ready, especially morning and evenings. To get away from the crowds, fish Hawkins Creek at Ash Camp. Though wading is tough, most of it is in the shade and it’s a great dry-dropper stream all day long. Remember, barbless hooks only on the McCloud. Beware rattlesnakes and poison oak.
Nymphs
Weiss Nymphs (Black) #16-18
BH Black APs #14-16
Dark Lords #14-16
Little Amigos #16-18
Brush Hogs
Golden Stones
Tungsten Bead Black Stone
Dries:
Parachute Adams #12-16
Mosquito #16-18
Light or Pink Cahills
BWOs #18
Golden Chubby Chernobyl
Yellow or Orange Stimulators
Lake Siskiyou
Water Temp: Upper 60s
The smallmouth bass continue to be fairly easy to catch, especially in the last 2 hours of the day. As the sun sets, use small poppers near structure and wait for explosive strikes or subtle sucking slurps. Also, using an intermediate line, with a white and chartreuse streamer has been working well. Fishing Caddis dries or hoppers in the shallows also works great.
Trout come out of their cold water lairs during the evening and start feeding at the surface. Small caddis, small terrestrials, midges, mosquitos are effective. Late evening is your best chance to catch a chunky brown on this lake. The cold water is about 8 feet down and in the daytime the trout will generally be below this depth. Using an intermediate or sinking line, let it sink, then slowly strip small black leeches, unweighted pheasant tails, small olive wooly buggers and strip set on even the most subtle bumps. Some fishers use Type IV line and entice fish with a speedy retrieve and very short, quick strips.
Current flows: https://www.tedfay.com/forecasts-flows
—Report by Michael Kielich
Hexegenia mayfly in morning prayer
This is how it’s done
A local Dunsmuir legend, Andre, showing his son some nymphing skill
Sacramento Pikeminnow