Guide Notes

Ted Fay Report : September 30, 2022

September 30, 2022Rick Cox

Just got back from a trip to Montana and surprise surprise we got snow and rain here…. frickin awesome! On top of that the McCloud is showing signs of becoming less turbid and the visibility is improving. Up to now reports haven’t been very positive on how the river is fishing. It’s tough going with no hatches showing but hopefully that changes. With all the silt on the rocks and bottom there’s a possibility that the aquatic life has been compromised, fingers crossed. If the bugs are going to start hatching it should be anytime from what past experience has shown. For now I would fish a big rubber leg with a dark dropper under a bobber or dredge the bottom. From what I hear takes have been super quick so best be on your game. We should be soon seeing caddis, mayflies and October caddis hatching like the old days hopefully so keep the faith.

On the other hand the USac fishing is picking up. The water temps have dropped below 60 degrees and hookups are occurring throughout the entire river. Some hatches are starting to show but sporadicly. For now, with the water clarity so good, I recommend nymphing using the LBS group of flies but when the October caddis start doing their thing shortly I would go with your favorite OC pupa. The dry fly game too will be picking up fairly soon so be ready with your favorite bullets.

Below is a list of recommended Fall bugs you should have …..

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 half day lessons for beginners to ole dawgs. Checkout my Instagram post at rick_fly

530-925-0446

ricmcfly@gmail.com

Yellowstone river has changed since the spring floods

Ted Fay Report : September 3. 2022

September 03, 2022Rick Cox

Well our summer of dodging fires and smoke has come to an abrupt end. Yesterday started off with the Mill Fire early afternoon and then the Mountain Fire started up later. Extreme winds fanning both has caused catastrophic damage to homes in portions of Weed and the Lake Shastina area. Details have yet to come out about the number of structures burned but I’m hearing over 100 lost. The Mountain Fire is in an unpopulated area that’s dotted with areas of harvested timber. Prayers to all those who have lost homes and big THANKS to the brave fire fighters. For the moment Mt. Shasta south into Dunsmuir isn’t experiencing smoke but just to our north the air is unhealthy.

So back to the fishing, the USac has recently been fishing good. The current heat spell should wrap up this coming week and I’m seeing a cooling trend which is just about on schedule from my experience in years past. Fall is right around the corner and again from my experience the fishing will pick up. The bugs that are working (this is a broken record) are LBS and will remain so until the cool down.

The McCloud River is showing signs of getting close to some clarity but not quite yet. The turbidity has dropped to around 9, once again I prefer it closer to 3 but she’s getting there. Work has begun too on the Ash Camp road stabilization. You can see there is a gate and barricades at the dam preventing access and no foot traffic is not allowed.

Cheers

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

530-925-0446

ricmcfly@gmail.com

Work has begun on the Ash Camp road slide area

There is a Fuel Management Zone contract that just started on Lower McCloud. See attached map for the area of the contract. It should last a couple months. There will be heavy equipment early on and some hand crews later.

Mountain Fire happening same day as the Mill Fire

Ted Fay Report : August 15,2022

August 15, 2022Rick Cox

The daze of the dog continue for us here in Dogpatch. Summer heat has melted what little snow we had on the mountain and the USac is running low and clear. Even my yard animals are trying to get out of the heat and enjoy the shade. There's fish to be caught but I highly recommend morning and evening fishing. The water gets above 70 degrees on the lower river in the afternoon so unless you want to stress the poor trout even more just get off it in the afternoon. I am seeing cooler water above Dunsmuir so as an alternative to those who want to beat themselves up in the heat I suggest fishing from Dunsmuir up to Mossbrae Falls. Think nothing but little dark bugs and you’ll be in the game.

On the other hand the McCloud is still brown but showing signs of clearing. Note the turbidity readings from today, when the gauge gets down to single digits and preferably below 5 that’s the time to get with the jiggy and get on it. There were recent thunderstorms on the mountain that created another mud flow on Mud Creek which spiked the turbidity and also threatened the water supply to McCloud. McCloud is now under a water rationing mandate. Hopefully something like this doesn’t occur again.

Here’s the lasted update on the road work to Ash Camp ………

Repairs to Hawkins Creek Road near McCloud Reservoir Underway

McCLOUD, Calif.— Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is repairing a slide on Hawkins Creek Road near the McCloud Reservoir, with work to be completed and the road to reopen in early 2023, weather permitting.

PG&E and its contractors are removing slide debris just south of the McCloud Dam and will reinforce the hillside above the road with rock dowels and shotcrete.
Hawkins Creek Road, also known as Forest Service Road 38N11, is closed at the McCloud Dam. From the Iron Canyon Reservoir the road is closed before the slide site. No vehicle or foot traffic is allowed through the construction site.
The road connects PG&E’s McCloud Reservoir in Siskiyou County and its Iron Canyon Reservoir in Shasta County. The road is located within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest.
Recreationists can access the Ash Campground from the Iron Canyon Reservoir side of Hawkins Creek Road but are advised to use caution and be aware construction vehicles and equipment might be traveling on the road between Ash Campground and Hawkins Creek Crossing.
The road closure does not affect access to the McCloud Reservoir Boat launch facility, Ah-Di-Na Campground, the Nature Conservancy lands, or Star City Creek Campground.
untain which created another mud flow on Mud Creek that has affected the water supply to McCloud. That town is now under water rationing. Keep your fingers crossed that no other events occur, if none do I’m guessing you might be able to fish it sometime in September. I also got a recent update on the road work to Ash Camp which I’m posting below…..

Cheers

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

530-925-0446

ricmcfly@gmail.com