Lost Coast Outfitters - The San Francisco Fly Shop

Our fishing report has moved! Please check out the latest Northern California Fishing Report here: https://www.lostcoastoutfitters.com/blogs/fishing-report

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Our Fishing Report Has Moved!

Check out the latest reports on our new site: https://www.lostcoastoutfitters.com/blogs/fishing-report

Make sure to update your bookmarks for LCO’s Northern California Fishing Report. Thanks!

[lostcoastoutfitters]

San Francisco Bay Fly Fishing Report

Captain Greg Holland reports on 5.14.19

The Bay is fishing well right now with gentle tides and fin bait moving in. 

Clarity has been great with no wind most mornings making conditions perfect for chasing bass on the fly. 

Please join us for one of the most beautiful places on earth to fly fish for Stripers. We have all gear necessary for your day.  Call the boys @ LCO to set up your trip.  

Capt. Gregg C 707-567-1509

www.featherdogoutfitters.com   Instagram @ featherdogoutfitters

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report

Matt Koles reports on 5.13.19

Great last week on the Truckee River.

We had a great clinic this weekend. Look for some more in the future.

Nice big spring flows. Flows have dropped just a bit the last few days. Mainly it’s just what they’re doing with the reservoirs, not so much the run off that’s making the flows. If you noticed Boca is low as they are working on the dam.

Yeah, good spring fishing, prefect weather, just not a better time to be up here with all the green and not too many people around. The birds are chirping, and the deer are prancing. I’ve been all over on the river and catching fish all over the river. Big and small. Got a few pushing 28″ last week. No joke, the Truckee River is legit.

So nymph up and streamer up. Waters gonna be big right into summer. Get used to it. Go explore the river a bit. These fish are shell shocked here in the Hirsch. Running your squirmy wormie where 10 dudes before you have is not gonna get you a fish. Remember, there’s a 106 miles of river.

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Rebecca and I headed up to Clearwater Lodge to fish Fall River & Hat Creek. We fished late on Sunday evening on the powerhouse 2 riffle. A storm was blowing through leaving sporadic raindrops and cracks of thunder. The 1 billion mosquitoes out were a sign of a good hatch to come. I was thankful for the Simms Bugstopper Shirt and Ben's 100that I had brought in anticipation of this particular problem. As most hatches go, it didn't happen until there was just barely any light to see. You pray you don't lose your fly because tying on a second one at this stage in the game is most likely futile. Yellow Sally's came off in full force first night. Around every bend, we found fantastic fishing, beautiful views, and excellent weather. The next day Val Atkinson and I found one particular pod of fish that was chowing spinners. After a dozen or more fish we decided to move on to our other favorite hobby of walking around talking about what the land might have looked like back when the Native Americans occupied the river banks. That night we headed back to the powerhouse 2 riffle only to find the temperature had dropped, the mosquitoes were gone and so was the hatch.  The Pit was high but fishing quite well. 

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Eastern Sierra Fly Fishing Report

Jim Stimson reports on 5.9.19

Eastern Sierra Fly Fishing Report

The weather is still on the cool side with morning temps often in the low 30’s. Once the sun climbs higher in the sky, things start happening. On just about any stream on the east side, look for a nice BWO hatch around lunch time. Wildflowers are starting to pop up everywhere. Look for showy displays of desert peach and balsam root on the moraines. It is probably not a bad idea to start packing some insect repellent as things are very moist and the biting bugs are getting ready to wreak havoc on tender flesh. The high country is still choked with snow from the winter. We received anywhere between 150-180% of normal snowfall. High water from the spring runoff will become an issue on the spring creeks once the temperatures heat up.

The Reservoir is brimming with water and poised for spring runoff. The flows have been hanging steady at 310 and the water temps are coming up stimulating some nice insect hatches, in particular BWO’s. The trout are moving around and settling into their new habitats. Fishing is good now. There are a lot of hogs in all the good places. Try skwala and baetis patterns.

Hot Creek

The creek is flowing through the canyon at 74 cfs. Target your casts to the feeding lanes between the grasses and rocks. You may not see fish, but they are there. Try a dry-dropper setup with a caddis or mayfly pattern above and a midge or scud below.

Upper Owens River

The flows are at 82 cfs but these are readings taken high in the river system. Once Hot Creek dumps into the mid-section the flows are closer to about 150 cfs. More and more trout are spreading out throughout the river system. The cutthroats will be coming into the river soon so be careful where you wade and fish. If you see spawning beds AND more importantly trout sitting on their redds, please avoid the temptation of hooking into spawning fish. Leave the spawning trout alone, they are stressed out enough and can die easily during this important time of the year.

Lower Owens River

The Lower Owens flows have dropped (finally) to 372 cfs. This is still on the high side for this section of the river so exercise some caution when you fish. You can easily go for am an impromptu swim and end up flushed downstream if you are not careful. Most trout are in that 10-12” range but if you poke around and get lucky, you can hook into some browns in the 15-16” category. There are some healthy midge and mayfly hatches throughout the day. I caught fish on everything from green caddis worms to black midges.

[lostcoastoutfitters]

McCloud River Fly Fishing Report

John Richard reports on 5.9.19

McCloud River Fishing Report

The McCloud River is still experiencing high flows (532 CFS at Ah Di Na), but the fishing is quite good. The higher flows may limit some access and adjust the way you approach your favorite spot but it is likely that you’ll thoroughly enjoy your day. Last week our guides caught fish in a variety of ways. We were thrilled to throw the dry fly and on some days it would account for half the fish landed. The bobber went down plenty when we used the appropriate amount of weight and chose the proper fly. 

Most importantly the scenery is absolutely stunning, spring flowers, redbud, dogwood all backed by that new growth green of leafed out maples, alders, and willows. The conifers too are showing their new green tips. Along the banks our fly lines tangled around the pink clustered flowers of the elephant ear, beautifully ruining perfect cast or mends. 

The days have been warm and the mosquitos are vicious in camp and parking spots. The trail and the river are void of the mosquitos but they patiently await your return to the truck or campsite. Be aware that Ash Camp won’t have road access most of the season. You will have to park at the dam and walk. The road to Ah Di NA is in good shape but is heavily used by logging trucks. Drive slow around blind turns or you might feel like a mayfly splattered against the grill of a Mac truck. We have the best guides on the river and would love to show you around. 

Give us a call at 877-934-7466 or email [email protected]

[lostcoastoutfitters]

San Francisco Surf Fly Fishing Report

Captain Kevin DeGulis reports on 5.9.19

Open Ocean Time

Well, it's starting to be that time! Fish have finally made it to San Francisco's famous Ocean Beach. In the past, three or four days the swell has become much more manageable to giving fly anglers a chance to hook into some nice healthy fish. The LCO team is hugely excited for the opportunity to get into a toad; many believe you can only get a behemoth of a fish on the east coast. That is not the case you have plenty of opportunities to catch a hog within easy driving distance for the city, gotta be willing to battle the Pacific swell.

Two-Handed rods certainly has made it much easier to cast in a headwind, and we love Beulah's new 7/8 Opal Switch Rod the perfect tool for the job. We have been matching the rod with a Sage Spectrum LT 9/10 or Sage Spectrum Max 9/10.

Lines - 10wt shooting heads from Rio or 30ft of T-14 for the open ocean and you can even go heavier.  If you have any questions, come into the shop, and we would love to help you get ready for beach season.

Fish /Photo: Steve Adachi

Conservation Note:

In the past two weeks, the bay has been clear which is unusually for such an extended period, also, LCO teammate Steve Adachi saw two dead Leopard Sharks in the south bay. A cause for concern absolutely, we are just guessing, but a lack of plankton in the water could explain for both events.

The bay has gone through abuse since San Francisco's early days, going through a dramatic change in a short period. Many nonprofit organizations are helping with cleaning up the bay, for example, California Trout: https://caltrout.org/?s=San+Francisco+bay.

"The Bay Area program will implement a mix of restoration projects in highly productive estuaries and heavily altered urban/rural watersheds both on the coast and in San Francisco Bay itself, and develop targeted outreach and education on how the salmon and steelhead in our backyards are indicators of healthy watersheds that we all depend upon." - Cal Trout

[lostcoastoutfitters]

California Delta Fly Fishing Report

Capt. Steve Santucci reports on 5.9.17

Fishing has been challenging mainly because of the windy conditions that we have experienced this week.  Also, the Delta is in a state of flux as we still have fish traveling north and some groups are passing thru on there way to the Bay coupled with resident Stripers.  We are experiencing clearer water and decent water temperatures in the mid-60-degree range.  It might be time to add in some topwater Bass fishing to your day to round out your fishing experience.

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Valley Striper Fly Fishing Report

Capt. Hogan Brown reports on 5.9.19

Lower Sacramento Fly Fishing

Striper fishing on the valley rivers continues to be fair to good. The rivers are in great shape and there are good numbers of migratory fish throughout the rivers as well as resident fish getting on the feed. Shad are also showing up in good numbers and this can really get the resident fish going. May-October is prime time for river stripers and with all the water this year fishing is going to be very good. 

Lower Yuba River is still HIGH...bouncing around 7500cfs and 9000cfs. I would imagine the river will start to come down by the end of May but it could be more like the end of June depending on snowmelt. That said when it does come down the fishing is going to be very good. This is going to be a great summer and fall on the Lower Yuba as this is a river that really does better with more water...hoppers come into play, more salmon move upriver, more space for fish to move around and feel safe...just better overall. Hwy 32 creeks like Deer Creek, Big Chico Creek, and Butte Creek are all still pretty high. I talked to a few buddies who drove up and poked around were of the opinion that it was a come back in a few weeks situation. Lots of good bass fishing on ponds, lakes, and puddles right now before it turns into an early am and late pm thing with the summer heat.

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Lower Sacramento River Fly Fishing Report

Anthony Carruesco reports on 5.8.19

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Truckee River Fly Fishing Report

Matt Koles reports on 5.8.19

Good times on the Truckee River.

Flows have come down a bit since last week. 3,300 k here in the Hirsch. 3,800 last week.

Don’t hold your breath. I’m betting flows should come back up if we get some hot weather. Whatever it is, it’s high. Fishing is good though, and really not much has changed fishing wise since last week.

Fish the edges, look for some soft bank water. You can find it all up and down the river if you look. You don’t just need to go to Glenshire bridge, or here in Hirschdale to find it. It’s all over dudes, California and in Nevada. There are 106 miles of the Truckee River, but everyone wants to pile into the same run and expect to catch fish.

Gonna be a fun week with guide trips and the last High Water Clinic of the year. I’ll try to do a few, Tight Line Nymph classes and maybe a few Advanced Fly Fish clinics throughout summer into fall.

A question I get asked a lot is: Will fishing still be good in June? Folks it ain’t gonna get really good until July this year. Meaning, you will be able to go out and actually hit up every nook and cranny and wade around all over the river, finding big and small fish all over, fishing multiple styles. We ain’t doing that right now. So June, July, August, all going to be good this year. Fall should be really good.

But right now we’re sticking good fish, and I’ll take all this water and sunshine.

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Lower Sacramento Fly Fishing Report

Dave Neal reports on 5.8.19

The  Lower Sac River continues to be a solid option in northern California right now. Fishing was fantastic this week. We have been drifting the big Sac from Redding to Anderson as well as down through Cottonwood these past few weeks - fishing 3-4 different floats in order to keep things interesting. The Redding area and floats below Anderson are starkly different - each providing not only contrasting views but different experiences for anglers. The entire river is fishing well right now for wild trout but if you want to mix it up further - bring a streamer rod for side projects like smallmouth bass in the many trib creeks along the way. 

Bug hatches have been sparse probably due to the scouring 40K releases we experienced in early springtime… Despite that, fish are still keen on the classics: PMD nymphs, caddis and a variety of stoneflies. If you are observant you will see all three throughout the day and fish will eat your well-placed patterns.

Each day I continue to notice quite a few pteronarcys nymphs and shucks in the surface film and on bridge pilings. There are also more and more adult little yellow stones emerging along with a few goldens. The trout have been chowing on Rubber Legs in all sizes and patterns. I have a few dates still open in May for drifting the Lower Sac… 14, 15, 16, 17, 28, 29, 30. Get in my boat and let’s go fish. Another side observation… I’ve seen a fair number of salmon rolling and squirting up tailouts this week. I’ve noticed fresh ones in all sections of the Lower Sac that we have been fishing and I’ve talked with other guide buddies who have also noticed more of these fish around lately. I had a chance to chat w/ the survey crew the other day at Posse Grounds and they told me they are already seeing winter-run spawned-out carcasses along w/ fresh spring-run salmon in the river. They seemed pretty optimistic by these encounters.

Keep your fingers crossed that these past coupla wet spring seasons (2017 & 2019) continue to provide these fish with better water conditions and hopefully a rebound in numbers. Get up here before the heat of summer kicks in and pushes us out of the valley and up into the mountain freestone rivers (not a bad option either... the Upper Sac & McCloud and spring creeks… Hat Creek and Fall River will be fishing great really soon).

[lostcoastoutfitters]

California Delta Fly Fishing Report

Capt. Bryce Tedford reports on 5.8.19

Striper fishing on the Delta has been up & down but there are some solid fish to be caught if you are willing to work! Some days they are on a good bite, other days they just don’t seem to bite much, for the most part, we are catching solid fish each day. 

Winds have been up & down but manageable overall, a good double haul is always recommended in addition to a willingness to cast 8-9wt rods with heavy lines & large Clouser flies.

 Water temperatures are 65 degrees in various parts of the Delta, Stripers are in spawn mode, some have just spawned, others are about to spawn. In general, I been averaging 10-20fish, most fish we have been finding are smaller “schoolies” but 3-5lb fish are mixed in & the occasional larger fish can be found as well! For sub-surface Stripers I am using 1/0-3/0 “Steve Adachi” style rattle flies in various color combinations. Get out fishing or book your Spring Delta adventure soon!

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Lower Sacramento Fly Fishing Report

Dave Neal reports on 5.2.19

These past couples of weeks have been fantastic while we experience a return to more typical Spring Season weather in the NorthState. The days have been sunny and fishing has been pretty darn good on the Lower Sacramento River, from Redding to Cottonwood these past 2 weeks.

After enduring a crazy wet cycle (that lasted for an eternity) and watching

flows on the Lower Sac blow up to 40,000cfs we have finally got the break we needed to get back on the river. Flows were lowered slowly to around 5k as they drop into the weir at Caldwell Park... this won't take long, been at 5k for a week or so... flows will be going back up very soon due to Shasta Lake @ 11 feet from its crest as of 5/2/2019.

The CDEC website shows releases increasing to 8k by Friday 5/3 and nothing posted beyond that date (check the  CDEC website under Scheduled Reservoir Releases). I suspect we will see flows go up around 15K+ which is just fine for spring and early summer fishing. I love the higher water, personally, and it allows for longer floats and seeing more of the Sacramento River.

Bug hatches have been very sparse lately - but these wild trout will eat the staples which include: Caddis (seeing more bigger summer varieties) and stoneflies (Salmonfly, golden and little yellow stones) along with PMD's at certain times of day...  There are occasional egg eaters, too.

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Lower Sacramento Striper Fly Fishing Report

Captain. Hogan Brown reports on 5.2.19

Striper and Shad Fishing on the Valley Rivers is picking up!

 There are good numbers of migratory stripers that have moved up the rivers and while a large group spawned late last week which tightened up the bite those fish have started to feed again. Flows on the Lower Sac have come down and clarity continues to improve making it easier to target spread out migratory and resident fish. We should start hearing reports of shad up the sac here in the next week butI have not heard anything yet. The earliest I have ever caught shad is the first week of May so they should be around. The thing with shad though is they need to see the fly so good clarity is important. With all the water this year striper season (March-October) is going to be very good! Migratory fish will have made it up past Chico and mix with all the resident fish and either stay for the summer. Still good dates open on the books and lots of options. 

June 12-14, 17-19 July 1-3, 16-20, 24-27, 29-31 August  1-3, 5, 7, 8 24, 31

[lostcoastoutfitters]

California Delta Fly Fishing Report

Captain. Bryce Tedford reports on 5.2.19

Delta Fishing Report:

Striper fishing on the Delta has been up going good overall. Some days they are on a good bite, other days they just don’t seem to bite much but for the most part we are catching solid fish. Winds have been up & down but manageable overall, a good double haul is always recommended. 

Water temperatures are 60-65 degrees in various parts of the Delta & Stripers are in spawn mode, some have just spawned, others are about to spawn.

In general, I have been averaging 10-20fish, most fish we have been finding are smaller “schoolies” but 3-5lb fish are mixed in & the occasional larger fish can be found as well! For sub-surface Stripers I am using 1/0-3/0 “Steve Adachi” style rattle Clouser flies in various color combinations. Get out fishing or book your Spring Delta adventure soon before it’s all over!

Captain Bryce Tedford 206.696.2437 [email protected] www.brycetedfordflyfishing.com

[lostcoastoutfitters]

Lower Sacramento River Fly Fishing Report

Anthony Carruesco reports on 5.2.19

There has been some pretty spectacular fishing going on over the past week on the Lower Sac. 

Flows are currently just over 5K cubes and the fish have settled in nicely to the consistent flows. The bugs are still not that active yet but that certainly hasn't stopped these trout from chowing.

 A lot of different flies are getting bit right now.. from Caddis, PMDs, sallies, big stones, little stones, eggs.. put a good drift in the right spot - bring a quick hook-set with you and I guarantee you'll be happy with the results.  We're looking forward to more of the same continuing as the weather looks to be beautiful for the extended forecast. Flows are going to bump a bit to 8k cubes which should be primo