Castle Stone Inn Is Near Famous McCloud River Falls

Ted Fay's World Class Dunsmuir Fly Shop, 5 Miles From Castle Stone Inn

The Upper Sacramento River

The portion of the river commonly called the Upper Sacramento begins below Lake Siskiyou (near the town of Mt. Shasta) and tumbles downstream for nearly 40 miles through canyons and a terraced, typical freestone setting, eventually dumping into Lake Shasta. Much of the river is within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and the Upper Sacramento River can reasonably be called one of the best 'roadside' fisheries in the West. Despite having nearly 40 miles of easily accessible water (there are over 15 freeway exits and railroad tracks that parallel the length of the river) the Upper Sacramento River remains surprisingly lightly fished. In fact, anglers willing to hike even a 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.

Catching Some Rainbow Trout For A Hefty Supper

The "Upper Sac" is freestone fishing at its best. 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.

Castle Stone Inn Sits Adjacent To World Class Fly Fishing

Seasons

Regulations were changed a few years ago to allow year-round fishing on the main stem of Upper Sacramento River from Box Canyon down to Lake Shasta. The tributary streams, where virtually all the spawning occurs, continue to follow the General Trout Season (open to fishing only during the last Saturday in April through November 15th).

Spring fishing on the Upper Sacramento, if water conditions and weather cooperate, is terrific. There are hatches of March Brown mayflies and smaller caddisflies throughout March and April, and the huge pteronarcys californica (salmon fly) begins to hatch as the weather warms in April.

Summertime on the river is best known for wet wading, high-sticking the pocket water, and phenomenal hatches of Golden Stoneflies and caddis flies every evening. 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.

Fall brings on a giant October Caddis hatch and some great blue-winged olive hatches on overcast days. This is wonderful fishing in absolutely beautiful weather!

Wintertime on the Upper Sac provides some great late-season opportunities for die-hard trout anglers. The mornings and evenings are often cold, 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 overcast afternoons can have some memorable Baetis mayfly hatches and dry fly opportunities.

Fly Fishing the Upper Sacramento River

The Upper Sacramento River Is Fly Fishing Attractive

The Upper Sacramento River has been a popular destination for recreation in California since the 1800s, and is still one of our favorite local fisheries. Though the region was recognized for its great salmon and trout fishing by indigenous groups for centuries, the area that is now the town of Dunsmuir first became recognized as a resort destination for 19th Century health enthusiasts. With many natural mineral springs bubbling up in, near, and around the river’s canyons, the headwaters of the Sacramento were believed to help fend off disease as well as rest the mind.

Craig Ballenger writes, in Shasta’s Headwaters: An Angler’s Guide to the Upper Sacramento and McCloud Rivers : The Sacramento River canyon, in particular, has been blessed with an abundance of mineral springs, each with variations in the contents of the waters. As early as 1857, the virtues of these waters were being expounded, ‘There are numerous soda springs in the country. Most or all of which, we believe, possess valuable medicinal properties…during the present summer, especially the sick season, many of our townsmen, ourselves among the number, have tested the benefits of the water and the unrivaled mountain air, as it floats down, pure and uncontaminated, from the snowy summit of Mount Shasta which overlooks the spot….The active medicinal properties of the water combined with the pure mountain air, the excellent trout fishing in the Sacramento and the small streams putting into it in the neighborhood, and plenty of game in the mountains and hills, make the Soda Springs a very disirble resort during the summer season for invalids and persons of leisure who can afford time for a little healthful recreation.’ (Sacramento Union 9/24/1857)

Of course, in the 150+ years since much has changed along the Sacramento, but the trout fishing remains spectacular and continues to 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.

Yes Sir There Are Some White Water Fly Fishing Opportunities

The Seasons of the Upper Sacramento River

Regulations were changed a few years ago to allow year-round fishing on the main stem of Upper Sacramento River from Box Canyon down to Lake Shasta. The tributary streams, where virtually all the spawning occurs, continue to follow the General Trout Season (open to fishing only during the last Saturday in April through November 15th). While runoff and weather conditions can impact the river’s fishability at times, The Upper Sacramento can provide some great walk and wade, classic freestone fly fishing options through much of the year.

February, March, and April

Late winter and early Spring fishing on the Upper Sacramento, if water conditions and weather cooperate, is terrific. There are hatches of March Brown mayflies and smaller caddisflies that can begin as early as February and run throughout March and April, topped out by PMDs that start in mid-April. Perhaps the biggest draw to this early-season fishery is the huge pteronarcys californica (salmon fly) that begins to hatch as the weather warms in April.

The fishing during these early months is entire dependent upon weather conditions and runoff. During wet winters, the Upper Sacramento can be high and off-color for much of the late winter and spring, making fishing difficult. On dry years, however, the river often remains low and wadeable. It may come up and get off-color after a big storm, but will typically clear with a few days of sunny weather. Those warm, sunny days that mark the start of spring in the North State are also the best for the fishing that time of year. The warm weather gets the bugs moving, and the more bugs are active the more responsive the trout are likely to be.

May and June

Runoff can impact the Upper Sacramento on most years from the end of April through the start of June. The river remains fishable even in the high-water, with the fish concentrated in the slower moving pockets and pools. This can be a great time of year on the Upper Sac. Wading can be difficult, but anglers generally find masses of fish podded up in certain pools, and some of the most prolific hatches take place this time of year.

Salmonflies, Golden Stoneflies, Little Yellow Stoneflies, PMDs, Green Drakes, and caddisflies make up the major hatches during the early summer months, with dozens of smaller mayflies and caddis making appearances as well. There are epic days when you can cast dry flies to rising trout from dawn till dusk. Even if the fish aren’t rising, nymphing the deep pools remains effective throughout the middle of the day and the hatches are predictable every evening.

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).