Northern California Fly Fishing Report - Mid March 2023
Best Bets: Upper and Lower Sacramento - Trout, Sierra Foothill lakes - Bass, Lake Almanor - Trout, Pyramid Lake Nevada - CUTTHROATS!!!
Mid March finds us with the start of warmer weather here in Northern California and solid fishing! Higher temps mean more bug activity and hungry fish, waking up from winter’s colder, less abundant days. This is the time of year just about everything starts turning on. Here’s our guides’ most recent take on the fishing and what you can look forward to.
WATER: Lake Almanor
RATING: Fair to Great
FLOWS: Slowly Rising
WATER TEMP: 40-43
WATER CLARITY: 5-8 feet
Fishing pressure has been fairly light fishing has been fair to good but is about to warp speed to Great here soon!. Surface water temps are slowly rising which is the alarm bell for the lake’s large Chironomid population to awaken. We’re waiting for the hatch to hit all cylinders close to March any day our next full moon. When it does, you want to be on the water! Diploid trout will be done spawning soon, while a few of the tripliod trout have started to grab smelt. As soon as the spawn is over, the bite goes full throttle and it’s game on! The lake’s browns are holding deep through midday but will grab a smelt if given the chance. Early
morning remains the best time to connect with one of these brutes. In addition to browns and bows, April offers a chance to chase some of the largest and most abundant smallmouth bass on the West Coast. You will certainly want to be on this Lake when it goes off!
WATER: Delta
RATING: Fair
WATER TEMPS: 50’s and climbing
CLARITY: Good
We’re seeing warmer days and we expect this trend to continue and the fishing to improve. So far, Spring fishing has been challenging but look for this to change in the coming weeks. 10-20 stripers a day is nothing to sniff at, so “slow” is relative. 4-5 pound fish have been the majority of what we’ve been bumping into of late but we expect to see bigger fish announcing themselves soon. As striper make their annual migration in from the Pacific Ocean they appear in the Western Delta and work their way inland towards the Sacramento, American and other tributaries. The fish showed up out West several weeks ago and are moving in daily. Typical of this time of year and that Western part of the Delta it can be pretty windy. Regardless of that we are finding the fishing to be just about to go off. Get ready, because excellent striper fishing is a few days away. Expect it to continue into at least April before the larger fish head North and East into their spawning zones.
As of right now all of March is booked! We still have April 29th open as well as May 2, 3,16, 17, 20-22 and 27-30. Let us know if we can assist with a memorable trip for Delta Striper.
WATER: Hat Creek
RATING: Good
WATER TEMPS: 50’s
CLARITY: Good
The access into the lower section north of 299 is still closed according to Brian Quick at the The Fly Shop, you can hike in from the county park right on 299. We'll have a few showers this weekend, but this could be the spark that lights the fuse on the early season hatches. Caddis are really beginning to come off in droves, some Grannom and a lot of the small black Brachycentrus up on the Powerhouse 2 Riffle. #16 - 18 Dark Missing Links, and the Lower Sac LaFontaine will work well. Lower in the spring creek section look to fish Baetis / BWO patterns and midges. Be prepared for anything as the days are getting longer and things are warming up. The Powerhouse Riffle will begin to see some larger fish stacking in, don't forget to use a Rubberlegs as this section regularly has Salmonfly larvae moving around in it.
WATER: Lower Sac
RATING: Good to Great
WATER TEMPS: 50’s
CLARITY: Good
True to form, the fishing is good and getting better. We’re seeing thick Caddis hatches daily, especially in the shallow, fast riffles, lower in the river. While caddis are popping down low, the upper river’s sucker spawn bite is in full gear, especially near Sundial. The Green, Bubbleback Caddis and the Lower Sac LaFontaine are go to flies for our guides this time of year. Mid sized Rubblerlegs are proving productive especially below Anderson. Try a black midge or BWO nymph as a dropper throughout the day. From now all the way Summer fishing will be good on the Sac. Truth be told it’s still good beyond that, but with the onset of summer there is the Redding heat to contend with. So take advantage of great weather, good hatches and memorable days on the Sac.
We have a few random dates in March and a few more in April but May is still pretty open. Find a boat and get in it!
WATER: Upper Sac
RATING: Great
WATER TEMPS: 50’s
CLARITY: Good
Basically the Upper is fishing really, really good right now. Some large fish are in on the lower sections, with clear water you can spot them pretty easily. Midges in the morning and Blue Wing Olives from lunch on. What will this little storm on Saturday do? Well, it sure won't hurt the fishing on the Upper, that is for sure. We should see more insects coming off, and cloudy, rainy days on the Upper mean your best chances at good mid day hatches and fish gulping insects. Good nymphs now are the #18 Zebra Midge, the Perdigon, and the #18 Olive Hotspot. Also Rubberlegs. For dries, bring some dark Missing Links in #14 - 18, and some Adams same sizes to cover your bases. Some of these fish are pretty aggressive, so swung and stripped Sculpin patterns are definitely a good idea now.
WATER: Putah Creek
RATING: Slow
WATER TEMPS: 60’s
CLARITY: Good
Our Putah Creek opener started with something closer to a fizzle, rather than a bang. Fish are still spawning closer to the dam and lower sections are giving up fish grudgingly. We’ve connected with a few nice rainbows but overall, the creek’s been fishing slow. Will this change? Yes. Flows are starting to come up and the spawn, when fish have their thoughts elsewhere, is almost over. With more water, fish will disperse throughout the system and be more willing to eat with protective flows overhead. Strong mayfly and caddis hatches are already coming off, so we expect to see the fishing improve significantly in the coming weeks. Traditionally April is one of the most beautiful and also productive months of the year! Later into May the flows will really ramp up to the high Summer flows where wading on the Creek can be tough but having a knowledgeable guide who knows the tricks for finding access to the best fishing will be paramount.
WATER: Napa River
RATING: Good
WATER TEMPS: 50’s
CLARITY: Good
Things have really swung into gear on the Napa River recently. Spring can be windy in the San Francisco Bay for fly fishing, but getting up into the North/South flowing Napa River estuary can be beneficial for fly anglers looking to escape the wind. On a recent trip we had 20 fish in the boat including several doubles and even a Halibut in the mix! Expect things to continue to fish well for the next couple of months as more fish come in to spawn. Clouser style flies in a variety of colors including chartreuse, white, pink, black and blue are popular options. If you get a chance to get to the Napa Valley or live close enough perhaps give this wine country option a go!
WATER: Pyramid Lake Nevada
RATING: Good to Great
WATER TEMPS: 50’s
CLARITY: Good
True to form Pyramid has fished better of late. As we have come to expect the more nasty and overcast the weather the better the bite. Dredging streamers, boobies and beatles as well as indicator nymphing is producing. The midge bite is good from 6 to 10 ft depending on the depth of the water you’re fishing. Smaller midges tend are producing well now that the water temp is rising and fish’s biological clock is bringing them into the shallows again to spawn. Expect for fishing to continue all the way through at least mid May with weather positively affecting the bite. We are all booked up in March and have a few April days left. There are a few more in May but even those are going fast. Call now or for ever hold your peace and get in on the action!
WATER:Sierra Foothill Lakes
RATING: Good to Great
WATER TEMPS: 50’s
CLARITY: Great
Sierra Foothill Lakes are producing some really great fishing opportunities right now. Some of our favorites include Oroville, Shasta, Clear Lake, Englebright as well as Berryessa, Lake Sonoma and Mendocino. Right now there are topwater options first thing in the morning which is by far our favorite way to go after the largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass that call many of these lakes home. Later in the day we switch to our float and fly technique suspending balanced flies under an indicator for some really good numbers and action. Crappie are being caught with good numbers on Clear Lake currently. Spending the day catching dozens of them along with opportunities for a couple monster bass on a 6 weight is a pretty awesome way to spend the day in our opinion. March will spill into April which which is our favorite month for many of these fisheries. At that point the crappie fishing will slow and it will be all bass! This will continue into May. During the Summer months things slow down a bit but there are still opportunities for success. Fishing tends to be best early in the morning and late at the end of the day.
If you are a numbers kind of person and lots of action is needed to keep your attention (young anglers or the young at hearty), then perhaps give one of these a try.
WATER: Truckee River
RATING: Good
WATER TEMPS: 50’s
CLARITY: Good
Recent weather slowed fishing a bit but the fish have reaclimated to the warmer temps. Blue wing olives have been hatching on cloudy or overcast days. Cast dries to sipping noses. Even if no hatches or rising fish are visible fish small baetis nymphs and dark colored midges for action throughout the day. Expect fishing to improve as air and water temps slowly climb in to April, May and June.
WATER: Yuba River
RATING: Good
WATER TEMPS: 50’s
CLARITY: Good
The Yuba’s famous Skwala hatch is still on but shifting toward the downside of its cycle. Not to worry, PMD’s, BWO’s, March Browns and mr Brown Drake, will soon give the fish and fisherman plenty of dry fly options. If the dry action is slow, nymphing is always a productive way to find fish. Before the adults show up on top, the nymphs have to get there. A Red Headed Step-Child, S&M or Green, Sparkle Pupa is always a good bet. Once air temps remain warm for several weeks, expect to see more fish willing to chase down your streamer, so keep a few in your box.
That’s a quick rundown of Nor Cal’s best fishing and what’s on the horizon. Check in with us every month for what’s happening in the Delta and across Northern California. We’ll be adding reports on the Upper Sac., McCloud, North Fork Feather, Putah Creek and more. Whether you want to sharpen existing skills, learn new ones or fish a new body of water, give us a call. We’ll connect you with a guide who’ll give you the experience you’re looking for.