9/1/2026 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.

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

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Guide Notes

September Ted Fay Report

September 4, 2026Bob Grace