The Trinity River

The Trinity River is the major tributary to the Klamath River, and stretches 110 river miles from Lewiston Dam downstream to its confluence with the Klamath at Weitchpec. Nearly the entire river is designated as wild and scenic, and flows through Shasta-Trinity National Forest, Six Rivers National Forest, and BLM land.

The Trinity River is arguably one of the finest steelhead streams in the West. It’s runs of anadromous fish were nearly decimated when Trinity and Lewiston Dams were completed in the 1960s, but recent restoration efforts along the river (Trinity River Restoration Program) have brought the steelhead back by the thousands, and recent years on the Trinity have boasted some of the finest runs and greatest steelheading in decades.

The average size of a Trinity River steelhead ranges from four to eight pounds, while mature adults measuring over ten pounds are hooked on a regular basis. In addition to the steelhead, anglers on the Trinity River have the opportunity to hook into fresh Chinook and Coho salmon, and even sea-run brown trout. Whereas a great week of steelheading on most rivers can mean one or two fish hooked, our Trinity River guides regularly hook multiple fish nearly every day of the season.

Seasons

The exact range of the season on the Trinity River can be hard to predict, as the steelhead begin to enter the river system at different times each year depending on weather and water conditions. Although there are steelhead to be found somewhere in the Trinity nearly every day of the year, our guides focus on fly fishing the river during the heart of the fall and winter season when the highest concentrations of fish can be found. This can start as early as the middle of October, and often runs all through the winter months and into early March, with the bulk of the best fishing from November through February.

Click here for more detailed information on the seasons to fish the Trinity River

Fly Fishing the Trinity River

The upper 40 miles of the Trinity River, from Lewiston Dam near the town of Lewiston downstream to it’s confluence with the North Fork Trinity River, is the bread and butter of steelhead fly fishing on the Trinity. This is a beautiful section of river, winding through dense evergreen forests and canyons decorated by massive boulders and technical rapids. Over the years, the Trinity River has carved its way through the rugged terrain of the Trinity Alps to create deep pools and ledgerock shelves ideal for steelhead holding water and perfectly suited for fly fishing.

There are a few minor tributary streams entering the Trinity throughout these upper 40 miles, yet the river remains largely controlled by releases from Lewiston Dam. This means that the river remains low and fishable throughout the winter steelhead season.

Every inch of the upper Trinity River is accessible to drift boat anglers, while there’s plenty of great wade access, too. Our guides prefer to utilize specialized drift boats and rafts to float the technical rapids of the Trinity. By drifting the many different sections of river available, guides are able to cover a lot of water and find the fish that are constantly moving through the system. Having the ability to cover 10 or more river miles during a day’s fishing enables our guides to put our clients in front of more fish, and ultimately to have more opportunities at catching steelhead.

There are two main techniques used to fly fish for steelhead on the Trinity River: Swinging flies and nymphing. Swinging flies is the most traditional method to target steelhead, and can be effective in the early season (October-November) when water temperatures are warmer and the steelhead are more active and aggressive. Day in and day out, however, our guides prefer to drift nymphs under indicators, as they have found over the decades that we’ve been guiding this river that it is far and above the most productive way to catch fish. The Trinity River’s deep pools and channels are ideal for dead-drifting nymphs.

To make a reservation, please give us a call at 800-669-3474 during business hours any day of the week. We can give you the answers you need or the detailed explanations to questions you might have, or check on guide availability and confirm your guide reservation in minutes.

If you prefer to correspond on-line simply e-mail us at info@adventuresinflyfishing.com and we will respond promptly.