Upper Sacramento River

mere 10 minutes along the railroad tracks from almost any access spot will find themselves fishing water that remains relatively untouched for most of the year.

The river is made up of riffles, runs, pocket water, small holes, huge pools and undercuts, all of which provide anglers with opportunities to fish dry flies, a variety of nymphing techniques, or even streamers, all in a day's fishing. Rainbow trout are the predominate fish in these waters, and most are healthy, wild, and native to the river system. They are full of fight, and often go straight up in the air when they feel the prick of a fly in their lip.

draw recreationists to the region.

In 1991, the entire Upper Sacramento River watershed received a deadly shock when a train accident caused a chemical tank car to fall into the river, spilling 19,000 gallons of the herbicide metam sodium and killing nearly every living fish and plant in the river. Fortunately, the Upper Sacramento River – in a true testament to the overwhelming power of nature – has recovered remarkably since the spill. Aquatic insect hatches have returned to pre-spill conditions, and anglers fishing the river today will find the fishing for the river's resident rainbow trout to be as good as ever.

The Upper Sacramento River re-opened to fishing in 1994, and every season since has shown us prolific insect hatches and healthy, hungry rainbow trout in every section of river from Box Canyon downstream to Lake Shasta.

The most distant access points (Upper Ney Springs and Cantara Loop) on the Upper Sacramento are about 50 minutes from our front door, and the great fishing in the popular sections above Lake Shasta are only a half an hour away. When our guide staff isn't working hard on the Lower Sacramento River, this is where they spend their fishing time, and some of our guides specialize in fishing this wonderful river. They know the river well, and have figured out the secrets to success for all the different seasons. Despite the easy river access on the Upper Sacramento, utilizing one of our river guides can dramatically increase the learning curve, saving hours of guesswork and frustrating lost time. Our guides are all excellent instructors, so your day on the river will be a great learning experience, not only about the river itself, but also the various techniques that can be successful there.

specialty or, perhaps, the equipment involved. Some of our guides are more instruction-oriented than others and are better suited for the novice wanting to combine a day of guided fishing with a learning experience, while others just plain know how to catch fish.

If you have a specific request or have been with us before, we can help reserve guide dates with one of your favorite guides based on that guide's specific availability. If not, we're happy to hook you up with one of several of our guides who specialize on our Northern California freestone streams.

inclusive option is only an additional $50 per day, and with it the guides will provide the necessary rods, reels, flies, tackle and equipment to ensure that you have the right gear and flies for the day. If you're an experienced angler and/or fly tier, call ahead and we'll let you know exactly what flies are producing so you can be sure to tie them beforehand or bring them along.

Third Angler:
We do not recommend it, but we can occasionally accommodate 3 anglers. We never recommend fishing 3 anglers to a guide on wade trips, as there is simply no way that the guide can give 3 different anglers enough time to guarantee a positive experience for all. If everyone in the group is an experienced angler and you're mainly looking for help finding river accesses, it may work. But it is never a good idea for 3 novice anglers. There is an additional $100 fee for a 3rd angler.

July and August:
The "dog days" of summer are the best time of year to wet-wade the Upper Sac, and highsticking the pocket water and oxygenated pools of the river will produce nice trout throughout the morning and middle of the day, with hatches of Golden Stoneflies and caddis bringing nearly every fish in the river to the surface in the hour or so just before dark.

By late July or early August the many submerged boulders on the river begin to turn black with midge larva, providing a new delicacy for the trout from late summer through the fall. Angling traffic on the river is light during the summer months, but it is literally one of our favorite times of year on the river. You will rarely see another angler, and it can be a great time of year to join the 20/20 club (20 inch fish on #20 fly).

September and October:
Autumn brings on the giant October Caddis, as well as the nicest weather of the season. The first of the monstrous October Caddis larvae begin to appear on the rocks and boulders near the edge of the river as early as late August, but by mid September there are literally millions of the inch-long cases decorating the river bottom as they prepare to emerge with the cooler nights of fall. The adult insects hatch at dusk throughout October and November, proving brief flurries of dry fly activity every evening and enticing trout to rise to big attractor patterns sometimes even in the middle of the day. Moreover, they'll eat the larvae and pupae of the caddis like trout candy every hour of the day.

On overcast days, there can be some phenomenal blue-winged olive hatches. These tiny mayflies respond to changes in barometric pressure, and hatch whenever a storm front moves through the area, stimulating some great midday dry fly action on all of our regional streams, including the Upper Sacramento, throughout both the fall and winter seasons.

November, December and January:
The Winter Months on the Upper Sac provides some great late-season opportunities for die-hard trout anglers. The mornings and evenings are often cold in the narrow river canyon, but midday sunshine can warm the river up and provide some good action on nymphs and streamers for some of the river's bigger fish holding in the deeper pools. And anglers fishing the Upper Sac in the winter months should always be prepared with a few blue-winged olive dry flies, as overcast afternoons can have some memorable Baetis mayfly hatches.

Bed & Breakfasts:

Mt Shasta Ranch Bed and Breakfast
1008 W A Barr Rd
Mt Shasta, CA 96067
Phone: 530-926-3870
Website: www.stayinshasta.com
•  The Mt Shasta Ranch is one of our favorite bed and breakfasts near the Upper Sac. It's great location is close to fishing, with cozy rooms and great views.

Rental Properties:

The Young's Cabin (on the river in Dunsmuir)
Kirk Young: 530-515-6141
email: Kirkyoung7548@sbcglobal.net

Trinity River Adventure Inn (cabin in Dunsmuir)
Phone: 530-778-3444
Website: www.trinityriveradventureinn.com/dunsmuir.html
Email: mail@trinityriveradventureinn.com

Shasta Lake Properties
P.O. Box 690
Lakehead, CA 96051
Phone: 530-515-2402
Website: www.shastalakeproperties.com
•  Our two vacation rentals have possibly the world's most amazing scenic vistas. The DreamView and LodgeView rental homes take advantage of Shasta Lake's beautiful surroundings, convenient accessibility and diverse recreational options.

RV Parks and Campgrounds:

Sims Campground
USFS Campground
Phone: 530-226-2500
•  Sims campground is a great location, right on the Upper Sacramento with great river access.

Castle Crags State Park
Castella, CA 96017
Phone: 530-235-2684
•  Castle Crags State Park is located six miles south of Dunsmuir, with numerous camp sites available as well as hiking trails and river access.