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Chasing_Tails

Self guiding on the Upper Sacramento in May?

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Hello all,

 

I am going to be heading to Medford Oregon in mid-May for a business trip. I was there last August and was able to fish the Rogue River (Holy Water area) and had some success. I had a scheduled guided float trip in September for steelhead that ended up turning into a quick evacuation and unintended drive to Portland due to the fires.

 

I am wanting to fish again on my weekend off, but it seems that the time of year it sounds like the area is mostly closed on the Rogue for trout and also not the best time of year for salmon or steelhead. I was looking at driving south to try the Upper Sacramento River as it looks like a beautiful place to try and is only about 1.5-2 hour drive from where I am staying. I was deciding between hiring a guide, or trying it on my own. I'm an experienced fly angler and have a selection of travel rods 3wt thru 8wt.

 

So, get a guide, or try it on my own? Any tips on the area? Suggested guides? Any other areas to try? 

 

Thanks in advance.

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I'm a self guided type. A guide is easier and your chance of success is increased but figuring it out is part the process that makes it fishing over catching. Enjoy your trip however you choose. 

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Upper Sac is pure joy, no need for a guide, lots of great easy access, wade-in fishing just north of Dunsmuir for many miles. Don't miss the Cantara Loop and don't miss the falls, but try it all, you'll have a blast. Access is as simple as it gets (highway and railroad), but bring a wading staff. While you're there try reserving a day or two on the McCloud nearby. (Home of the original rainbow.) 

It's mostly pocket water with many outstanding pools large and small.

Ted Faye fly shop in Dunsmuir will be extremely helpful. They guide, too, if you want it. A really good shop with a lot of history.

Here's a neat guide-replacement video featuring Faye's apostle Joe Kimsey. 

 

It's a beautiful river.

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4 hours ago, chugbug27 said:

Upper Sac is pure joy, no need for a guide, lots of great easy access, wade-in fishing just north of Dunsmuir for many miles. Don't miss the Cantara Loop and don't miss the falls, but try it all, you'll have a blast. Access is as simple as it gets (highway and railroad), but bring a wading staff. While you're there try reserving a day or two on the McCloud nearby. (Home of the original rainbow.) 

It's mostly pocket water with many outstanding pools large and small.

Ted Faye fly shop in Dunsmuir will be extremely helpful. They guide, too, if you want it. A really good shop with a lot of history.

Here's a neat guide-replacement video featuring Faye's apostle Joe Kimsey. 

 

It's a beautiful river.

Perfect. Thank you for all the information sir, that was what I needed to know. I more worry about access, private property issues, and wadeability versus needing a drift boat than the fishing aspect.

I'll give that shop a call and see how things are closer to heading out that way. I've been watching youtube videos of the river and it definitely looks like a beautiful place to spend a weekend. 

Thank you again.

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If you Google "fly fishing the Upper Sacramento River", you find a large number of videos on fishing it.  This should give you an idea of whether you want to hire a guide or not.  There is also an OLD video by Mike Fong called "The Trout Fisherman: Fly Fishing - New Challenges" where he demonstrates the "Ted Fay" upstream nymphing method on the Upper Sac.  This video is so old you may not be able to find a copy but it's a good primer on how to fish the river.

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Thank you all for the info.

I decided to do a float trip on Saturday and explore the area on my own wading Sunday.

I am taking a 9'6"-11' 4wt nymph rod, 9' 5wt standard rod, and a 9'6" 7wt standard rod.

What would be a good selection of flies to have on hand?

Thanks all.

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North of Shasta along the I-5 you've got at least five great fisheries to choose from in that area, the Upper Sac, which is right on the I-5, and the McCloud, Fall, Pit, and Hat, which are probably within an hour's reach of each other, more or less. If you want to spend a day drifting that time of year I'd go with the Fall River, hands down. The pmd hatch and spinner fall is legendary. I've never done it, cause I'm too cheap to drift and I like wading. But if I did want to drift for a day that's where it would be.

In my view it's a mistake to try and book a drift boat for the upper sac. It's a walk and wade river, except maybe way down near Lake Shasta? Not my cup of tea.

If I were wanting a drift boat guide experience, I'd contact The Fly Shop in Redding. They have a big, full service, quality operation with a lot of history in the area. 

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2 minutes ago, Mark Knapp said:

The word for "self-guiding" is "Fishing" 😁

I prefer to fish by myself or with a family member. I prefer to wade. Only time I would consider a guide would be if it required a drift boat. Not yet, though.

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11 minutes ago, skeet3t said:

I prefer to fish by myself or with a family member. I prefer to wade. Only time I would consider a guide would be if it required a drift boat. Not yet, though.

Me too.

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I preferer to fish alone most of the time but some species and locations a guide is required by law. My experience with guides has been mostly positive.  Absolutely agree about the float trips, it is very nice to get into a boat and not be concerned about all the transporting details and pullouts on a strange body of water, not to mention one memorable shore lunch that was better than any restaurant I patronized on the trip. Finding myself retired now it would be hard to budget for those kinds of trips on a regular basis. 

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For me, the guide is just the guy to run the boat. That's on my known waters. It's very difficult to run the boat on salmon and trout waters and still fly fish. When I was the guide, I, was of course, more than just the guy to run the boat.😁

I very seldom get to just fish when I'm out with buddies, I'm usually the guy running the boat and helping everyone else. It's really a luxury for me to have someone else do all the stuff. And, he's worth it.

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To the OP, if you want a history-oriented approach to tying flies for wade fishing the Upper Sac (and the McCloud), this will get you a great start:

https://www.billkiene.com/forums/showthread.php?6726-Ted-Fay-Flies

Otherwise it's standard weighted  or beaded nymphs (prince, grhe, pt, natural and black) plus parachutes in grey, olive and yellow for the hatches, plus some partridge & green, orange & hare's ear if you like fishing those. Plus whatever the Ted Fay fly shop says.

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