Guide Notes

Ted Fay Report : September 27, 2021

September 27, 2021Rick Cox

After a very long summer of muddy water on the McCloud River a glimmer of hope is possibly coming for you all who are horny to get back on this famous river. This shot was taken yesterday, you can see possibly at most 6 inches of viz which makes for treacherous wading. You best have eyes in your boots for that kind of wading but the turbidity (clarity) seems to be gradually improving so hope grows eternal no matter what the odds kids. Raining on the mountain right now so it could spike, think positive and rub that rabbits foot.

On the other hand the Upper Sac has turned on and is producing. My buddy Fred “The Fish” Gordon who knows this river better than any yahoo out there has had a great 2 weeks fishing. The weather has definitely got cooler, the bugs are stirring and the fish are coming out of their summer of warm water torture. Time to shake and bake and head on up to these parts. Mid September on has always been my benchmark for the switch being flipped and the fish chowing.

Had a blast with Buster on the Rogue last Friday, just a stellar day of fishing. Got into some fresh adults that were full of pisssss. You might consider this river for steelies right now, the fish are in and the Fall colors are just beginning.

I’m including my list of Fall bullets for you to have in your box to get you in the game and the shop is well stocked with them.

Recommended Bugs .... Nymphs

Dirty Bird #8-12

Posse Bugger #8

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 give Bob a shout at the shop or just stop in and bug him next time in the area.

Cheers

Rick Cox Fly Fishing - offering 40 years of fly fishing experience for hourly or half day lessons and trips for beginners to ole dawgs. Checkout my Instagram post at rick_fly

530-925-0446

ricmcfly@gmail.com

Gotta write something about all the pastry porn factories, this is an icon in Santa Cruz

Ted Fay Report : September 18, 2021

September 18, 2021Rick Cox

The Shasta Trinity National Forest is open once again beginning today September 18. Unfortunately though the McCloud River is still very muddy for fishing.

September 21, 2021

FOREST ORDER No. 14-21-33

Shasta-Trinity National Forest

Fire Restrictions

Pursuant to 16 U.S.C. § 551 and 36 C.F.R. § 261.50(a), and to protect natural resources and

provide for public safety, the following acts are prohibited within the Shasta-Trinity National

Forest. This Order is effective from September 18, 2021, through December 31, 2021.

1. Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire.

2. Smoking, except within an enclosed vehicle or building, or while stopped in an area

at least three feet in diameter that is barren or cleared of all flammable material.

3. Operating an internal combustion engine off of National Forest System roads and

trails, except for boats on a water surface. 36 C.F.R. § 261.52(h).

4. Welding, or operating an acetylene or other torch with an open flame.

Ted Fay Report : September 3, 2021

September 03, 2021Rick Cox

Welcome to our national forest and fire season

Latest from the USForest Service. For those thinking of a wilderness experience it’s not going to happen for awhile until they have a handle on all the fires ravaging the forest. I’m thinking at least the end of this month at best for accessing their jurisdictions, this is already the second extension and the fires in northern California are not contained. Realize too that with fires comes smoke, we’re living the summer of smoke here, hopefully not the new norm. Makes you want to escape to the coast for blue skies and fresh air. Read it and weep….

This order supersedes the current Closure Order for Nine National Forests. It is effective from 11:59 p.m. tomorrow (8/31/21) and is (currently) in effect through 11:59 Pm on September 17, 2021

To make matters worse the McCloud River is no where close to fishing even if it was open. As you can see from the pictures below it continues to pulsate with mud flows and if you look closely you can get an idea of the magnitude of the pulses that come through. The pipeline shown in the picture is the main water source for the town of McCloud and if a flow large enough comes down it could take that out. A good source for checking out the turbidity (clarity) of the water is provided by a gauge down by Bollibokka. Having dealt with these mud events over last 25 years I’ve come to personally view these numbers as a idea as to when the McCloud River is worth fishing. My benchmark number is when it gets down to single digits. The 5-10 range offers challenging wading but if you know your spots go for it. The below 5 range is prime time to get on the river and have some fun. When and if the numbers get to this point there should be some good fishing to be had.

The Upper Sac on the other hand is the only game in town and is starting to slowly come out of its dog daze phase. The river continues to hold in the 150 cfs range and the temps are gradually coming down both for the water and the days. I’m seeing mornings dipping into the 40’s now and the heat of the day is a much shorter window with the day light getting shorter too. This is the recipe that I look for. A recent outing produced a few bigger fish, something besides the dinks of summer. Again the theme for me was the smaller flies that I preach about …. LBS otherwise known as little black shit. Think lighter tippet too, the water is super clear. The heavier water is definitely producing better than the slow pokey stuff. Caution, there’s a lot of slippery moss covered rock, I fell on my keister while wading, actually the water felt real good.

Cheers and follow your bliss. Oh….and apologies once again for the crappy news.

Rick Cox Fly Fishing - offering 40 years of fly fishing experience for hourly or half day lessons and trips for beginners to ole dawgs. Checkout my Instagram post at rick_fly

530-925-0446

ricmcfly@gmail.com

If you have any further questions give the shop a shout and the next time you are in the area stop in and bug Bob.