Ted Fay Report : September 19, 2024

September 19, 2024Rick Cox

USac is showing a hint of Fall now and air and water temps are dropping. This is a perfect time to be in Dogpatch fishing all that NorCal offers. The river is not crowded now with anglers and actually late September is my favorite time to get on the both of our local rivers, cause believe me, it will be crowded in October. On a recent day out I actually saw fish rising occasionally sipping bugs. My favorite flies this time of year are of course Parachute Adams and Chubby’s with a dropper off of them. Fish are currently eating nymphs like Frenchies, Walts Worm or Brush Hog. In the evenings you will see BWO and PMDs coming off. You will also see October Caddis shucks on the rocks so we all know what that means, October Caddis are starting to do their thing. This is a perfect time to nymph with a rubber leg imitation that represents them..

On the McCloud Blue Wing Olives are hatching in the afternoons and the October Caddis are pupating. Bring your S&Ms in #16 & 18 and Chubbys. The evenings will see some good Caddis hatches right at dark, so Bird's Nests and Poopahs should be used. Reports are coming in that streamers are working for big Browns. I recommend fish the tailouts for these beast.

Cheers

Rick Cox

Ted Fay Report : August 30, 2024

August 30, 2024Rick Cox

Currently we are in another hot spell but keep the faith, Fall is right around the corner kids. Both rivers will be crowded this Labor Day weekend but definitely not like October. Last weekend we got snow on the mountain so I believe that’s a good sign that Fall will be here soon which as I mentioned in my last report that the day and night temps will drop. We all know then that the fish will come out of their summer funk and start feeding as water temps cool down. Regarding the USac the lower river water flow is just north of 200cfs and water temps are just south of 70 degrees. Still recommending that you fish the lower river early or late. Also I’ve heard that the lake runs are coming up out of Shasta Lake so if you are lucky you might tie into one of these hot fish. Further up river fishing is fair, I’ve heard though that truck trout are plentiful from Sweetbriar to Scarlett Way in Dunsmuir. On the McCloud River the visibility has improved dramatically and the flows are perfect. Watch out for them rattlers and beware I’ve heard there’s a mountain lion in the Conservancy, be safe.

Cheers

Rick Cox

Lake Siskiyou escape from the summer heat

Bee Kind Bakery porn, a favorite bakery between Redding and Ashland

Ted Fay Report : August 8, 2024

August 08, 2024Rick Cox

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