We had the last big snow dump almost 3 weeks ago, needless to say this much snow was unexpected. This really isn’t a snow report though, more importantly it’s a heads up to those of you who are getting twitchy to get up here and fish the McCloud River. Forget getting to Ah Di Nah Campground, there’s still a significant snowdrift going up to the ridge and the poor guy below got stuck and had to spend the night after being turned away by multiple tow services. He had to hike to the ridge to get a one bar signal with no luck. To all you cowboys out there wait or hire a backhoe, from my past experience the road will not be plowed so be patient. I know the new regs have opened the river up to all year fishing so for now your only access to the river is the Ash Camp route. Also the Nature Conservancy is not open, I have no word on when it will. It’s private property and is posted closed.

The USac is open and fishing good. This time of year offers the opportunity to tie into a big rainbow or brown. I was out yesterday poking around and hooked this nice bow pictured below. Fortunately the dinks of summer have not showed up yet but as soon as the water warms a bit more they will get active. It’s all about legs and little LBS right now. I spotted my first salmonfly about a week ago just sunning itself on a rock so as the warmer days kick into gear we should start seeing more. In the meantime the bugs that are showing themselves are Blue Wing Olives and Caddis. Also I recommend this time of year using a 3x leader and 4X dropper tippet if you want to land one of these large guys. The river is in great shape and will remain so. The snowpack is minimal so I don’t expect a significant runoff (unfortunately).

The traditional season opener for the north state trout rivers is a thing of the past for better or worse. With the current conditions the season is in gear NOW, it’s a wide open free for all on your nearby rivers ….. USac, McCloud, Hat Creek, Fall River, Pit Rivers, Burney Creek, etc. Take advantage now of the great conditions before summer comes with the heat and lower flows.

Cheers

Rick Cox Fly Fishing - offering lessons for beginners and ole dawgs

530-925-0446