Hi,

I'll have the opportunity to fish the Redding CA area for 3-4 days in mid Dec (15-18 Dec) and would appreciate some information. I'm predominantly a tropical saltwater fly fisherman based in the far east and had never been to Northern California. My priorities are to get myself into waters that hold Steelhead, King Salmon and Rainbows, in that order. I had never fished for Steelheads and my experience with Salmon and Rainbows are basically those I had gathered though my limited trips to the Kenai River in Alaska.

For Steelhead, I'm planning on hiring a guide to drift the Trinity for 2 days. Is this the best option for Steelhead? Any other river system within a 2 hour drive of Redding that will beat the Trinity?

For King Salmon, which location will you recommend? From web articles, it seems like Lower Sac do hold a good population of Chinook that time of the year, will I need a guide with a drift boat to get to them?

Finally for Rainbow, I'm planning on a day of walk and wade at either the Lower Sac or the Upper Sac. Are there any hazards I should be watching out for? What are the main hatches that time of the year?

Thanks in advance.

Best Regards