The Air Quality Has Been Good on Some Days and Poor on Others

Sacramento River - Lower - Redding, CA (Shasta County)

The Air Quality Has Been Good on Some Days and Poor on Others

by The Fly Shop
8-31-2021
Website

Report: The air quality has been good on some days and poor on others. We really can't predict what it will be like. But, the river continues to fish well. The releases from Keswick are 6,800 CFS opening up a lot of wading opportunities. Please make sure you stay off of the salmon redds. Rubberlegs can be a good fly, with the Perdigon in different colors and the the Olive Hotspot great options below. Early reports of hatchery steelhead are keeping us up at night. In the evening look for the big fish to move onto the shallow riffles to take the meager Hydrosyche Caddis emerging nightly. A Peacock Soft Hackle fished on a 2X 9 ft leader will have you abstaining from indicators for life. These are some big fish.

The Fly Shop does not offer a shuttle service. Kim at Sac River Shuttle can get your shuttle done seven days a week. You can reach her at (530)782-9090

Access To the Lower Sacramento 
The Lower Sacramento has many publicly accessible areas with good wading opportunities when the flows are below 7,500 CFS. Stop by the shop and we'd be happy to point you in the right direction.

Fishing Large Rivers Can be Frustrating
There are many great places you can get in and wade this blue ribbon tail water. Having said that, the absolute best method to fish the Sac is from a drift boat. Aside from being able to access all of the water, you can fish the long runs on a dead, perfect drift which is deadly on these legendary wild rainbows. And who would be a better oarsman than one of our Professional Guides? They know every nook and cranny of the river, what insects are and will be hatching, and the setups and methods that will get you onto the fish of a lifetime.

Recommended Equipment & Setups
Most of our fishing, whether from a drift boat, or wading when the releases are low enough, is done dead drifting nymphs.  The Fly Shop's Signature Indicator Rod is nine and a half feet of indicator nymph fishing perfection designed by our professional staff right here on the Lower Sac. Teamed up with a 6 or 7 weight Scientific Anglers Amplitude Anadro Floating Fly Line or a Rio Intouch Xtreme Indicator Fly Line it will put a center pin rig to shame. 

Hot Flies:  
Dry Flies:
• Mercer's Missing Link, #18 Dark
• Mayfly Cripple - Limestone #18
• Norman's Loopwing - BWO 

Nymphs/Wet Flies:
• CB Birds Nest - #14
• Mercer's Micro May - #14-16 Brown
• Mercer's Poxy Back PMD - #16
• Bubbleback Caddis, - Olive #16
• Pat's Rubber Legs - #4-8 

Eggs:
• Micro Spawn - Peachy King, Shrimp Pink
• Boles Bazookas - Shrimp Pink, Peachy King



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