Current River Conditions: The hot weather this coming weekend might make it tough to be out in the middle of the day. Plan to wet wade. Pay attention near sunset, we get a decent dry fly session that lasts until dark along the upper third of the river on most evenings. A great plan is to fish the late afternoon session and then head over to Dunsmuir and visit the Brew Pub for a refreshment. Get there before 9:00 PM! If you decide on the evening hatch, don't plan on getting off the water until after 9:00 PM. Have a couple ready in the cooler. Keep in mind this dry fly session should start to taper as we close in on the end of July. By August, it's mostly a dry-dropper fest at best....in the evening.

The mornings offer sporadic, thinly spread, caddis hatches and a sparse number of baetis in #16-18. A black midge pattern is a good nymph right now along the entire river. Cutters E/C Caddis, a big Stimulator/dropper or an Elk Hair Caddis are good selections for the evening hatch. Expect tougher fishing mid day. Maybe a good time to get a frosty beverage and wait until early evening.

The Fly Shop's?? Tips: Fish small #16-18 dark colored nymphs in addition to #6-8 dark stonefly patterns for best results. Have a few #16 Parachute Adams handy. Pat's rubber legs is another good fly to have in your fly box. The rainbows of the Upper Sacramento river eat flies that are served up deep, in the rocks. Sometimes the indicator gets in the way of detecting strikes. These fish are really good at sampling a pattern, then spitting it out. Try fishing using the "high-stick" and "short line" technique. Use one or two SSG sized split shot to get the flies down fast. Buy lots of flies! You will loose many to the rocks!

Fish woolly buggers!

When nymphing on the Upper Sacramento River, always use double the amount of shot in order to get the flies down to the fish in the faster, bubbly water. If a run calls for one SSG, put on two. If you're not ticking the bottom from time to time (yes, this means losing a few flies), you're probably not getting down to where the fish are feeding. Use stronger tippet like 2X-3X for bigger flies in the #6-10 range, 4X for smaller #16-18. Keep your first fly within 6-8 inches of your split shot. Stronger tippet means fewer flies will be left on the bottom of the river. Sink tip lines with streamers attached are a good plan when there is room to cast.

Water Flows:
• Upper Sacramento River Flows

Suggested Fly Patterns:

Dry Flies:
• Cutter's E/C Caddis Olive #16
• Mercer's Missing Link Dark - #14-16
• Brooks Headlite Sally
• The Thing From Uranus - Golden Stone
• Aanes Mojo Stonefly Adult - Golden Stone
• Parachute Adams - #14-16
• Adams - #16-18

Nymphs/Wet Flies:
• Zebra Midge #18-20
• Mercer's Glass Bead Micro May #22
• Zack's Pseudo May - Black #16-18
• Zack's Thermanator Dark Stone #6
• Mercer's GB Dark Stone #8
• Sylvie's TB Rock Worm
• Mercer's Dark Stone #6
• Pat's Rubber Legs - Brown #6-8
• GB Birds Nest - #12-14
• Gordon's Amber Wing Prince #12-18
• Swink's BTS
• Micro Mayfly - #14-16

Streamers/Leeches:
• Sheila Sculpin
• Woolly Buggers
• Muddler Minnows - #10

Fly Fishing Gear:
• The Fly Shop's?? Tapered Nylon Leaders
• The Fly Shop's?? Tough Nylon Tippet
• Simms?? Dry Creek™ Chest Pack
• Patagonia's?? Double Haul
• C&F S Series Waterproof Fly Boxes
• Dr. Slick/TFS Quick Release Forceps