NOVEMBER REPORT

11/1/2026 Ted Fay Fly Shop Report 

Greetings from the oldest operating fly shop in California, located in the heart of Northern California’s fabled trout-filled rivers! A gathering place for flyfisher folks for 76 years, where you can always depend on hearing the honest truth about the latest lies. 

Shop Talk: For some reason, PG and E just started dumping over double the discharge from McCloud Reservoir (from about 200 to over 400 cfs) which has made the visibility on the McCloud quite poor and less wadeable. There is no info that we know of when that will change, but the sediment should hopefully flush a bit, and the clarity improve, but we’re not sure when. Keep in contact with the shop for recent updates if you’re planning to make the long trek out there.

Tip: Rod sleeves are excellent for transporting rods in your car. They keep the rods from getting tangled with each other. Another great tip (thanks Trish) is to hang a lanyard from your rearview mirror and keep the tips up in the front of your car by using it as a kind of cradle.

Upcoming Events:

• Fall Fungus Fair — Sunday, November 8, 2026. A local celebration of regional mycology and fungi featuring exhibits. https://www.mtshastachamber.com/events-calendar

• Mt. Shasta Winter Magic — Friday, November 27, 2026. Seasonal community holiday celebration. https://www.mtshastachamber.com/events-calendar

• Dunsmuir Second Saturdays & Open Call: Art in Residence — Saturday, November 14, 2026 starting at 4:00 PM at the Siskiyou Arts Museum (5824 Dunsmuir Ave). Opening reception for the artist-in-residence showcase. Learn more at the Siskiyou Arts Museum.

• Fly Tying Social - every second Saturday at Ted Fay Fly Shop

THE REPORT

Upper Sacramento River

Water Temp: Mid 50s in Dunsmuir area 

River Flows at Delta: 210 CFS

Mornings are getting cold and some areas of frost are happening in the upper river reaches. There have been prolific hatches of October Caddis coming off in the evening, but as with most hatches it depends on time, place and weather. It is a safe bet to say that you will see anything from a spattering to an all out abundance of adults towards the evenings and fish are definitely starting to key in on them, but not with abandon quite yet, at least not what we’ve heard or seen lately. A dry dropper with on October Caddis imitation and a small heavily weighted nymph, like a perdigon, birdnest, pheasant tails, lil amigo should work. If solely nymphing, using a large caddis pupa or a rubberleg with a smaller fly is a great combo. Don’t hesitate to swing your October Caddis imitations because this can be an exciting and effective way to entice fish to come up and chase a skittering caddis. BWOs are starting to hatch, especially in the lower few miles of the river.. These small mayflies prefer to hatch on overcast days, or when the sun finally moves behind the canyon walls. Sometimes I think that the BWO hatch is my favorite one to fish, because they are generally found in the smooth glassy parts of holes and the sips are gentle and easy to spot.  It requires one to think about positioning for the best natural drift. Watching a large fish lazily slurp your #18 BWO in the glassy water after a delicate, well-placed presentation is about as good as it gets. 

Nymphs  

Rubber Leg Stone Nymphs (I prefer the Tungsten Bead Stone at Ted Fays)

Posse Buggers #10

CDC Tungsten PT #12-14

Birdnests Tan/Brown #14-16

Little Amigos #16-18

Weiss Nymphs #16-18 

Baby Assassins #14-18

Copper Johns #14-18

Blowtorch #16

Dries

October Caddis 

Parachute Adams #16-18

EC Caddis #16

Split Wing BWOs #18

Parachute BWOs #18

BWO Emergers #18

McCloud River

Water Temp: Upper 40s 

River Flows at Ah Di Nah: 430 CFS 

Due to the increased river flows and accompanying clarity issues, it’s hard to say how the fishing is right now. Check for updated reports at Ted Fay Fly Shop. When the water clears, which it should soon, it will be back to its usual awesome self. Due to the plethora of pictures being posted of the large browns being caught on this river, it is what a lot of people are targeting and many of them (the fish) have become much wiser, but the higher water and lack of clarity might make them less wary.  Please remember, browns are spawning this time of the year, so give them a break and don’t fish on spawning fish. October Caddis for dries and small baetis for droppers is a good ticket for feisty McCloud Rainbows. Deep nymphing holes with rubberlegs or large caddis pupas is an effective combo for browns and rainbows. As is often suggested, large streamers can work well. Oh, rainy days can be great days to fish for browns. When the water clears use dries like October Caddis and BWOs. 

Nymphs

Weiss Nymphs (Black) #16-18

Dark Lords #14-16

Prince Nymphs #14-16

Little Amigos #16-18

Brush Hogs

Posse Buggers

Tungsten Bead Black Stone

Dries:

October Caddis

Parachute Adams #14-16

EC Caddis #14-16

BWOs #18

BWO Emergers #18

Lake Siskiyou

Water Temp: Upper 50s - Low 60s

Due to the low water, the boat launch is now inaccessible for motorized boats. For those who get out there in kayaks or off shore, this lake is certainly not producing like it did last year at this time. I haven’t heard of too many reports about fishing on this lake. The few times that I have been in the last month, the catch rates have been low, so I’m giving it a break for a week or two. Look for rising fish and target them with small dries like Adams, Ants, Caddis or Griffith Gnats.

Current flows: https://www.tedfay.com/forecasts-flows

- Report by Michael Kielich 

A Nor Cal local with a beauty! Good catch Avery!

Siskiyou Lake Brown

Full of spunk

October Report

10/1/2026 Ted Fay Fly Shop Report 

Greetings from the oldest operating fly shop in California, located in the heart of Northern California’s fabled trout-filled rivers! A gathering place for flyfisher folks for 76 years, where you can always depend on hearing the honest truth about the latest lies. 

A Successful River Cleanup - 80 participants showed up this year!!! Thank you to everyone who participated in the annual river clean up! About 1 ton of trash was removed from our beloved Upper Sac. Some participants even made it down as far as the Lakehead area. This event will be held on the last Saturday of September every year. Judging by this year’s turn out and the enthusiasm that was received, this event is going to grow exponentially in its river cleaning success! 

Shop Talk: Yesterday evening, near Box Canyon, I saw the first October Caddis of the season! It will still be awhile before they will be on the main menu, but a couple more weeks and the magic will happen. This is the time of year that the locals wait for. When prodigious hatches of the largest of caddises are anticipated to fill the air and trout forget their late summer wariness and gorge themselves in preparation for the leaner months ahead. October is when the streamsides are flush with the palette of fall colors with wild grape, cottonwoods, alders, dogwoods, black oak, willows and elephant ears showcasing their vibrancy in the cool mists of fall. It’s a beautiful time to be on the river!

Tip: When you place your rod down make sure not to place it in the dirt or sand. The grit can get into your drag system, and overtime, it will ruin your reel. 

Upcoming Events:

• Dunsmuir 2nd Saturday (Oct 10): Downtown Dunsmuir shops, art galleries (like Siskiyou Arts Museum), and restaurants stay open late with live music and special menus from 4:00 PM to 9:00 PM

• Dunsmuir Octoberfest (Oct 17): The signature annual fundraiser for the Dunsmuir Botanical Gardens running from 3:00 PM to 7:30 PM, featuring German food, a pretzel bar, beer and wine, yodeling and stein-holding contests, and live music by Scott Joss and the Side Men.

THE REPORT

Upper Sacramento River

Water Temp: Mid 50s in Dunsmuir area 

River Flows at Delta: 208 CFS

I’ve been out on the Upper Sac a couple times this week. I’ve used a #12 CDC Tungsten PT and had great success, including 3 browns. The browns that I caught were holding deep and one took the PT while swinging at the tail end of a deep hole. Others are finding success as well with rainbows and a few browns, using perdigons, baetis style nymphs, midges, etc. By catch rates, the Upper Sac seems to have about a 1 brown to every 20-25 rainbow ratio, but that number narrows in the fall, especially if you focus on them.The migratory lake rainbows are moving slowly up river, but when the rains of fall come, they will come upriver in greater numbers. Simms, Gibson, Pollard Flat, Lamoine, McCardle Flat should be a good bet for lake fish. Some small caddis, midges and a few PMDs are hatching. My observations have been that mostly smaller fish are feeding at the surface right now, generally in the evenings. Rubber leg stone flies, Posse Buggers, caddis pupas, and size 16-18 Lil Amigos have been working well also. When the October Caddis hatch happens, switch to dries only, or a dry dropper set up. Don’t hesitate to twitch the dry a bit to entice strikes.

Nymphs  

Rubber Leg Stone Nymphs (I prefer the Tungsten Bead Stone at Ted Fays)

Posse Buggers #10

CDC Tungsten PT #12-14

Birdnests Tan/Brown #14-16

Little Amigos #16-18

Weiss Nymphs #16-18 

Baby Assassins #14-18

Copper Johns #14-18

Blowtorch #16

Dries

October Caddis 

Parachute Adams #14-18

EC Caddis #16

Light Cahills #14-16

BWOs #18

Stimulators

Yellow Humpies #12-16

McCloud River

Water Temp: Upper 40s 

River Flows at Ah Di Nah: 190 CFS 

Sporadic hatches of BWOs, Midges and Small Caddis should be in the mix in the evenings. When the fish are rising, it might be a good time to put away the nymphs and have some fun pursuing the risers. The October Caddis will be arriving soon and the fishing will really turn on then. Limited reports are coming out of the McCloud lately, but those who put in the time are finding chunky browns and hard fighting rainbows. Rainbows are caught on the usual fair: Weiss Nymphs, Birdsnests, Little Amigos, Prince Nymphs, Brush Hogs, Variations of Pheasant Tails and Perdigons  Browns are getting ready to spawn and are becoming more visible. The low waters and clearer waters make stealthy approaches more necessary. Use rubber leg stones, large caddis pupas or streamers to target the browns.

As always,  the dry dropper is a killer combo here, especially for the rainbows. 

Nymphs

Weiss Nymphs (Black) #16-18

BH Black APs #14-16

Dark Lords #14-16

Little Amigos #16-18

Brush Hogs

Posse Buggers

Tungsten Bead Black Stone

Dries:

October Caddis

Parachute Adams #14-16

PMDs #16-18

EC Caddis #14-16

BWOs #18

Chubby Chernobyls

Lake Siskiyou

Water Temp: Low 60s

Fish are being caught but it’s taking a bit longer this season for the lake to turn on with the double digit fish days that can be expected when it’s on.. The browns are moving along the weedbeds, near the stumps, in the creek arms and off points. They aren’t always easy to find, but sometimes you get lucky and find where they’re feeding. Smallmouth bass are near any structure.  Rainbows are moving throughout the lake and can be caught in the top few feet of water with small streamers in blacks, browns and olive. Trailing a #12 0r 14 beadless natural hares ear behind a slow stripped leech can be a killer combo. Currently, at the surface, they are predominantly feeding on small midges. Look for rising fish and target them with small dries like Adams, Ants, Caddis or Griffith Gnats.

Current flows: https://www.tedfay.com/forecasts-flows

- Report by Michael Kielich 

The reporter in action!

Upper Sac Brown caught on a #12 CDC Tungsten PT

Nice Fish Ezra!

A northstate local’s first McCloud Brown

Close up

Make it stand out

This fly (CDC Tungsten PT) has been working very well.

Locals give a hoot about a clean river!

The owl seems a bit creeped out be the orange vest guy though!

Mid-September Guide Notes

9/15/26 Ted Fay Fly Shop Mid-Month Report

Upper Sacramento River 

Upper Sacramento River

Water Temp: Mid 50s in Dunsmuir 

River Flows at Delta: 224 CFS 

I went out this weekend, during the late afternoon to one of my favorite holes to see if I could catch some lake-run rainbows. It’s a fairly deep hole, so I set my indicator at 7-8 feet above my lead fly, put on some extra weight, and caught quite a few nice healthy fish out of that one hole. 4 or 5 were caught on a Black Tungsten Stone, but a couple were caught on a size 16 Olive Little Amigo. The sooner you can get your flies to dead drift near the bottom the sooner you’re in the sweet spot. Although they were on the smaller side (12-14”s), they were full of feist. As for the rest of the river, catch rates have been hit or miss, with some fishermen reporting good success, while others have sporadic success.. Ted Fay Fly Shop posted a pic of a whopper of a rainbow that was caught this week. Baby Assassins, Black Brassies, Rubber Leg Stones, Blow Torches, Little Amigos, Caddis Pupas continue to be some great patterns. As for hatches, they haven’t really started too much yet, but that will change soon. The river is moving into some of its prime months! Get ready!

McCloud River

Water Temp: Upper 40s at Ash Camp

River flows at Ah Di Nah: 195 CFS

I recently guided on the McCloud and had some success, 6 or 7 rainbows, to the net. I had remembered having success using a Robinson’s Hares Ear (orange) at the end of the summer a few years ago and that is what the fish wanted on this particular day. Two were caught on a tungsten black stone, the rest on the hares ear. We did see a large brown deep in a hole, but it showed no interest in anything that we tried to coax it with.  Rubber leg stones are standard for this river and are a great fly for a chance of hooking a big brown as well as rainbows. 

The large black bear is still being aggressive towards people at the Conservancy and Ah Di Nah. It charged a fisherman last week and he (the fisherman) decided to leave the area promptly. This bear is a serious problem, so if you go down there be careful and carry pepper spray.

Nice Rainbow

Sneaky fish