Reel Adventures Guide Service

Happy Thanksgiving...

From my family to yours we wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving. 

BAM... and just like that... winter weather has arrived. It's gone from sunny 70's and 80's to the low 40's and snow (!!) in Redding, CA. The wicked and persistent high pressure system that's been parked over the CA coast and deflecting everything away has finally broke down. We are at last receiving much needed rain and lots of snow to the higher elevations. Good news.

Bring on Steelhead Season!!!!

More to come after I take a few days off for the Holiday. Better get the long rods and boot foot waders ready. 

(Images: 19yr old Ryan showing off his first steelhead landed ever... a wild one too. One day to remember on the Trinity w/ proud Mom, Irene, there to share the experience. These two have travelled the world together fly fishing - from chasing giant Taimen in Mongolia to saltwater species in far out reaches... they know what it takes to fish hard and stay in the game. The river was low and clear on this day before the storms. Anxious to see what we will find after a few more days of snow and rain.)

 

 

Fall Season continues to be awesome...

The trout fishing on the Lower Sac-

...has been downright stellar these past few weeks. The daytime temps have seen highs 70's to 80's and every day has been sunny. It's been a beautiful, dry fall season. This consistency has lead to amazing and predictable caddis and intense BWO hatches every day. The wild trout have responded in a big way and we have been hooking dozens of great fish each day with many in the 19"-24" range. Somedays have been downright silly with big numbers of fat and healthy 17-19" fish we see hitting the net. It's been a fun time to be a fly fishing guide in Northern California.

The girth of this 23" wild rainbow from the Lower Sac was ridiculous... AK comparable for sure!!!

Much of the Lower Sac's consistency this fall I attribute to the constant weather we have experienced these past few weeks. High pressure days, with lots of sunshine is keeping the caddis going. Perhaps when we finally get some rain and colder temps things may get a little more inconsistent and windows of insane good fishing (catching) may narrow up a bit?

Looking ahead, December is typically not a month for landing high numbers of trout (like Oct/Nov can be) - but it is a time where we see very large trout come out. With the shorter days of December... so too... the fishing window. Bug hatches will be more sparse consisting of small insects like midges and BWO's and will be prime time for maybe 2-4 hours each day.  If anything else, the Lower Sac will remain a SOLID Plan B option moving into the winter months.

There are a good number of steelhead showing up in the lower portions of the Lower Sac. Last season we saw a big return of hatchery steelies to the Coleman Hatchery. So, there is also that option as well...

Trinity River Steelhead-

After a VERY slow start to the season things may be perking up a bit. Reports from guides I trust have been improving some this week. Still, 1-4 opportunities a day have been pretty standard. It's been tough... but should get better as we move into later winter season. We've had ZERO amounts of rain for weeks now and that surely is having an effect on the conditions. Hopefully that will change soon!!

I'll have more info on the Trinity next week. I have moved all of my trips to the Sac these past few weeks and not 1 client has complained about that :) haha. But I have some steelhead players showing up soon and we'll give it a go shortly. 

For now here are a few more pics of fat, healthy, wild trout from the Sacramento River, right here in Redding, CA 

(Steven, from Deep Creek Anglers holding up another donkey-rain-pig-bow)

Lisa always gets after it...

(When these are your cookie cutter average wild trout all day long... You know its a special river!)

For those of you who have still not fished the Lower Sac with me... better get your dates booked for next year! Sept-November is a great time. For those who have Steelhead on the brain... better get a hold of me soon. Jan-Feb will be booking up. With the slow start to the season I expect that we'll see a rush of steelhead at some point when the rains finally come.

Visit www.reeladventuresguideservice.com for info, rates, calendar or find me on Instagram @ReelAdventures for weekly stoke.www.reeladventuresguideservice.com

The weather has been stellar this fall...

... and the fly fishing has been just as good!! Lots of big trout and steelhead have been hitting the nets these past few weeks on the Lower Sacramento River. There is no rain in the forecast but we are sorta not complaining (just yet).

No other river in CA produces such a high number of big, wild, rainbow trout than the Lower Sac.... all year around!

 

(Bob holding a beast of a Lower Sac wild rainbow from Redding, CA)

 

(Andy sticks one more big wild trout in the Lower Sac right at the take out... what a way to hit a home run in the bottom of the 9th inning!)

 

(Matt Miller everybody...)

 

Steelhead in the Lower Sac?

 

On top of the great trout fishing we continue to have on the Lower Sac... the steelhead are showing up as well.

(Lisa holding up a stud fin clipped hatchery steelhead from the downtown Redding area this week... It was an added bonus fish on top of an already great day)

(The lower, Lower Sac down around Cottonwood produced some nice steelhead last week. Paul and Bob hooked 6 and landed 5 along with hookups on trout all day long...Typically these valley stlhd are not as big as Trinity fish... but we netted two around 24" so that was cool. We fished under blue skies and the high was 80. At least one of us was wearing board shorts and flip flops... that was me.)

 

I'll have more later its been another full and busy week!!!

 

October was fantastic....

Better get your dates set for next fall season 2020!!

(Frank holding a 23"+ bruiser... These Lower Sac wild rainbow's are incredible. They will beat you up and take your lunch money if we didn't get them in the net first. I will put these fish up against any wild trout anywhere in the Lower 48. And, the best part is putting them back into the river. All these fish are C&R back to fight another day.)

 

(Keith and Frank... We had ourselves a fantastic couple days including that one fin clipped hatchery steelhead above the Sundial)

 

(Kenny had a great visit as well... We found quite a few tanks on the Lower Sacramento - right here in Redding, CA)

 

As an added bonus weather was in the high to mid 70's and sunny all week long!

 

(Chrome rainbow rocket ships.... wild coastal rainbow trout that have the genetics and life history of pacific steelhead. The tailwater of the Lower Sac is such a fertile river that many trout just stay put and don't run to the sea - as many of their ancestral relatives once did)

 

 

(Fly fishing was so good I even got to hold a few...)

 

 

Thats all for now... it's been an insanely busy month. Fishing continues to be red-hot on the LSac as the egg bite is winding down the bug hatches are still very strong and very important! 

 

Trinity River has been very slow for steelhead this season. I'll delve into that more in the next post. We need rain badly. A lot can change in a short time. 

 

Klamath River has been exceptional especially the upper reaches below Iron Gate Dam. 

 

Visit www.reeladventuresguideservice.com for more info and Calendar of open dates... Also, find us on Instagram @Reeladventures 

 

Book now for winter-run steelhead Dec-Feb and let's go fishing!!

October has been stellar....

So many great days, so many great moments... too many to keep up with!

Fall Season takes us all over northern California. There are too many rivers to choose from and somedays I just throw a dart at the map - and go! We have been spending most our time on the Lower Sacramento River right here in Redding - with visits to the Klamath and Trinity rivers as well. The quest for steelhead is strong this time of year and we see a lot of familiar faces and other guide buddies on the water daily. Everyone is having fun...

 

 

Lots of big wild trout hitting the net daily... lots of smiling faces. October has been fantastic and November is shaping up well. Better secure your dates for Winter Steelhead this January and February! Dates will be booking up soon...

 

Visit www.reeladventuresguideservice for more info...