Ted Fay Report : August 8, 2024

They’re back again

We’ve definitely been in the Dog Daze recently but there’s a hint of cooler weather ahead in Dogpatch. Yup, it’s still summer and hot but the smoke from the Park Fire has disappeared recently and with next week looking to be a cool down you might consider on getting up here. With all that said here’s my report for our two rivers here.

The McCloud River is showing signs of starting to clear up. The turbitity is dropping steadily and the visibility is increasing to a reasonable condition so it should be back in shape in a couple more days. This is the time of the year when you have limited hatches but you might get lucky when the sun drops behind the ridges and shadows hit the water. The canyon cools down then so look for fish poking their noses up and sipping bugs. Otherwise put the weight on and fish deep, these fish are hugging the bottom or in the oxygenated fast water. Realize too this is the time of the year when it’s tough fishing on the Mac but the up side is you’ll have the whole river to yourself. Heads up too, rattlers are still around so be very careful and look where you are stepping.

On the USac the lower river is running on the warm side but there are reports of lake runs showing up. These fish are strong, energetic and large. Reports are coming in about fish in the 18-20 inch range. I highly recommend fishing the lower river in the early morning, I got a notice from CF&W that they are considering hoot owl closures soon on some of the rivers in NorCal, I’ve run across these restrictions fishing Montana in the past, so fingers crossed. Very important, remember to fish in the morning hours and get off the river by noon. Further upstream the water is cooler particularly from Sweetbriar up to Ney Springs. The hatchery is planting a lot of fish unlike years past from there up to Scarlett Way in Dunsmuir. From Scarlett Way up river it is protected and fish have to be released. If you are fishing the planted areas I recommend a fly that has some flash on it otherwise if you aren’t fishing for truck trout I recommend LBS (little black s#*t) for areas above and below the planted areas. Be patient though, when the nights start getting cooler soon, the fish and bugs will get much more active and the fun will begin.

Cheers

Rick Cox

USac looking good on a hot day

USac looking muy bueno on a hot day

Lake Siskiyou is definitely an option

When Dogpatch is hot you gotta go to the beach Photo. by Pauline Cox

Saw a Killer Whale eating on something in Brookings. Photo by Pauline Cox

Otter and pup on Pistol River beach Photo by Pauline Cox

Yummy pastry porn