Guide Notes

Ted Fay Report : September 26, 2018

September 26, 2018Rick Cox

Fires, fires have been the theme this summer. First the Carr Fire that devastated Redding, then the Hirz Fire that threatened the McCloud River and now the Delta Fire which engulfed the lower section of the Upper Sacramento River and I-5. My trip to the North Umqua and Montana was cut short by the alarming threat of the Delta Fire as it spread rapidly along I-5 in an area that hadn’t seen a fire for over a 100 years. Fortunately the first two are out and the Delta Fire is now at 98% containment. We are finally seeing smoke free days but on the down side the fires have had a toll on the forest. With winter approaching we can only hope that the McCloud and Upper Sac River watersheds don’t suffer too bad …. time will tell. For the moment though conditions look good for an excellent Fall season season here. The McCloud River is having a very good showing of Browns. With the cooling nights and days Fall is the wake up alarm that triggers these brutes into an active mode in preparation for their spawning later in November/December. The Rainbows are waking up also and have received the getty up memo as the water temps drop and the bugs start showing. Expect the hatches to ramp up soon, not seeing any October Caddis yet but any time they will start migrating off the bottom and moving towards the bank. Nymphing and streamers have been the ticket for success, fish deep for nymphs, the clarity is about 3-4 ft. and put a heavy sink tip on for those deep pools. Most productive bugs have been LBS and a variety of streamers. Big bushy dries can work too, seeing a lot of looks along with an occasional suicidal grab. The Upper Sac is fishing very good too up around Dunsmuir and down to mid river. The further south you go on the river the more likely to find bigger fish. Access below Gibson has been tough due to the fire mop up but when it opens up I expect the fishing to be very good. Haven’t seen any October Caddis yet but that should happen any day. Nymphing has been most productive by far, best results have been LBS, rubber legs and soft hackles.

Wild Waters guides recently did a recon to the Lower Klamath to checkout the steelhead run. To their pleasant surprise the lower river showed a very strong steelhead presence with numerous pods of them moving through. We experienced some double digit days with a mix of half pounders and adults. I don’t want to get too cocky but hang on to your knickers, this may be one of those good years after a couple of mediocre ones. Up on the Rogue we have been experiencing some very good days too, there are steelhead spread throughout the system. Most of our efforts have been from TouVelle Park up river where there seems to be good number of summer and fall run fish.

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Give us a shout at Wild Waters Fly Fishing to get in on some the many choices for Fall fishing in and around the area.

Cheers

Rick Cox

rick@wildwatersflyfishing.com

1-877-934-7466

Finally, A Smoke Free sunset Photo by Pauline Cox

The McCloud In Fine Shape Photo by Rick Cox

North Umqua Dude Hooked Up On A Paddle Board….Totally IllegalPhoto by Pauline Cox — North Umqua Dude Hooked Up On A Paddle Board….Totally Illegal
Photo by Pauline Cox

Upper Sac Putting Out Nice Fish Photo by Rick Cox

McCloud Brownie Year Photo by Chuck Volckhausen

Another McCloud Brownie Photo by John Rickard

Scouting The Klamath Photo by Chuck Volckhausen

Dough Hook Dunsmuir ………. Great Way To Begin A Day Of Fsihing

Recommended Bugs .... Nymphs

Dirty Bird #8-12
Red Fox Squirrel #8-10
October Caddis Pupa #8-10
Plump Poopah #8-10
Jimmy Legs #4-14
LBS (dig back to a certain previous report)
Gordon Prince #14-16
Copper John (red & copper) #14-16
Tan or Olive Fox Poopah #14-16
Soft Hackles #14-16

Dries

Humpy #8-16
Adams #8-18
X-Caddis #14-16
E/C Caddis #14-16
Stimulator #8-14
PMD #14-16

If you have any further questions please call the shop and when you are in the area stop in and bug Bob.

Cheers

Rick

The Hirz Fire Sept. 2, 2018

September 02, 2018Rick Cox

The nearby Hirz Fire has now been affecting all of us here now for almost a month. What began as a small fire at the north end of Shasta Lake has now grown into a beast and currently stands at 42,000 acres and 42% contained. Cal Fire and the Forest Service have assured the cities of Dunsmuir, Mt. Shasta and McCloud that we are not in imenent danger and no evacuations have been issued ... so far. There is currently a fire camp setup in McCloud now with approximately 2,500 personnel, more than the entire population of McCloud. I am including some link information for those of you to dive into further but rest assured both the Upper Sacramento River and McCloud River are currently open for fishing and access but be prepared for smoke depending on the wind direction. As a side note the Bollibokka Club dodged a bullet and is back in operation.

Current fire map .... https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/map/6116/0/

Daily status report .... https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident/6116/

Todays current situation..........

Firefighters worked yesterday and through the night along the west side of the fire from Pollard Flat north to Yellowjacket Mountain to connect all control lines. Crews completed the necessary tactical firing operations to further secure control lines and limit the fire’s westward spread. Firefighters also improved and strengthened the control line from Yellowjacket Mountain east to Squaw Valley Creek with tactical burning operations to hold the fire on the north side.

Warmer and drier conditions will continue today, which when paired with the predicted wind and dry vegetation, could increase fire behavior and activity. With warmer temperatures and cleaner low-lying air, air operations should be able to start early again today to assist with fire suppression efforts.

A priority for firefighters today will be to strengthen and improve control lines along Yellowjacket Mountain and along Squaw Valley Creek. They will focus on conducting firing operations from the northeast corner south to the McCloud River confluence. Crews will also continue holding and securing control lines along the western edge of the fire where successful firing operations to connect adjoining lines have taken place. Firefighters in this area will begin mopping up hot spots along the perimeter and removing hazard trees where possible. The southern and eastern edges of the fire that are contained remain secure, and crews continue to patrol this area to ensure that no hazards or threats exist to compromise containment.

If you have any further questions please call the shop.

Rick Cox

rick@wildwatersflyfishing.com

Ted Fay Report : August 24, 2018

August 24, 2018Rick Cox

The last month has been crazy with fires and smoke from nearby and afar fires in California and Oregon. Needless to say this has put a big dent in the recreation side of things. Summer is slowly slipping away and the outdoor activities have suffered. At one time both nearby fly fishing operations at Bollibokka Club and Clearwater House were under threat of burning and had to be evacuated. Fortunately both have been saved but the landscape has changed. The Hirz Fire is the closest to us, approximatel 15 miles from both McCloud and Dunsmuir but CalFire has put enough resources on it to slow it down, as of this morning it is 17% contained. All of us up here in the north state cannot express our gratitude enough to the brave fire fighters and other first responders out there putting their lives on the line .... THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!! So under the circumstances here's the fishing report for what it's worth.

For those hearty enough to get out under these unpleasant conditions the fishing has been decent. Lack of pressure has helped on both the McCloud and Upper Sacramento Rivers. My sources tell me that excellent days have been had for those willing to put up with the smoke on both the McCloud and Upper Sacramento Rvers. The Dunsmuir area is loaded with truck trout and reports of big fish out of the McCloud have been broadcast. Also the good news is that the smoke currently tends to come and go so hope grows eternal and better days are coming ... we hope.

In the mean time for the last two weeks (just returned) I’ve been in Wyoming and Idaho enjoying the hopper action throwing every hopper pattern I can get my hands on. Fortunately or unfortunately (there was still some CA smoke there) I have had to go that far but it was well worth it for me and my buds, Fred “The Fish” Gordon and Buster. Straight up hopper, hopper dropper and hopper dropper dropper was the game. We were on the Wind River, Big Horn, Salt and Snake in WY and Teton River and South Fork of the Snake in ID. The hoppers were thick and the fish grabby. The Wind River is a tail water holding rainbows and browns that are very big and energetic. Recommended tippet for these strong brutes is 2x and a 6 or 7 wt. rod. When hooked up on one expect explosive runs sometimes into your backing and be prepared to loose about half of them. On all rivers we drifted and cast from the raft pounding the bank, walk waded edges and side channels, and some days just plan left the raft at home and wade fished. Enjoy the pics below and look for Wild Waters Fly Fishing to be hosting some trips here for this phenomenal time of the year.

Cheers

Rick Cox

rick@wildwatersflyfishing.com